Leyla was a child... She was inevitably growing up. She learned through experience, the sense of responsibility that came with growing up. Her father, to whom she was bound with endless conversation and love, died. They all started to collapse together. The family lost almost all of their wealth. According to Leyla, her only asset was her inner wealth. And she never lost that.
She was going to the countries where they lived, to places where certain parts of their lives took place in order to write them. She went to Prague for Kafka, Trieste for Svevo and St. Stefano Belbo for Pavese.
After the death of her father, they started to live in the house in Beyoğlu with her mother and siblings. She was going to the Italian High School. During those years, she met her first love "Eugenio Hilinski", who came to Istanbul after escaping the feeling of brutality that Hitler had inflicted in those years. Hilinski, who came to Istanbul with a luggage full of books, was teaching Leyla about literature, philosophy and art history. He was so knowledgeable that Leyla fell in love with him. Leyla was 16 years old, Hilinski 36... They decided to get married. Her mother, Mrs. Atiye, strongly opposed this decision. "Never! First Italian High School will be finished, then who knows, this beautiful voice, may be the key to success!". It happened as Atiye Hanım said. Soon, Hilinski went to Baghdad.
After her father's death and Hilinski's departure, Leyla started to live with the feeling that she could lose everything she had at any moment. This feeling never left her.Leyla was very sad. But she never gave up her enthusiasm for life and effort to work. She was not an opera hero, she was a real, flesh and blood human, and if she wanted to succeed she had to cling to his profession and forget her love.
"İbrahim Gencer" saw Leyla on a Bosphorus ferry. He had never found anyone so beautiful before. He could not take his eyes off Leyla Hanım, her queen manner. He could not approach her. She aroused such deep respect in a person... When she got off the ferry, he could only watch her leave in the horse-drawn carriage. To Polonezköy... İbrahim Bey knew where Leyla was going. He didn’t stall, did not hesitate. He went after her. They finally met. İbrahim Bey wanted to keep quiet while she was speaking, to just keep quiet and listen to her. She carried anything she wore with great grace. She was like a queen with her stance, her manner. How beautifully her shoulders and neck carried her head. Whenever she blinked her eyes, her long black eyelashes were simply enchanting Mr. İbrahim.
In the same month, the families met. A week later, preparations for the wedding began. İbrahim Bey, whom she called "the love of my life", had entered the life of Leyla. She had lost her father "İbrahim Bey", but life gave her husband "İbrahim" and her permanent name as a gift.
She was now Leyla Gencer