No Dowry Girl, or Unequal Marriage

However beautiful were the tales of universal equality, society did never give truly equal rights to all of its members. Rich and famous parents would never let their refined offspring to marry a "low class" someone. Love in such cases has a very little meaning…

Asya and Pasha met each other in the university. Pasha was from an elite family: from the first year in uni he was given a prestige car. He was a great guy even without that, so all the girls fell in him. But he chose Asya. Always dressed with modesty, eating in the cheap uni cafй, Asya was remarkable for her unusual attractiveness and wit talk. She was a star, but no guy was brave enough to come to her after Pasha made his choice. The couple was always together: they spent days in university and evenings in cinemas and pubs, holidays in the country picnics… Everyone predicted a happy future to them, but that was not to come true.

Cinderellas not allowed.
Having graduated, the couple decided to marry. Asya’s parents could not be happier for the daughter's destiny. Friends said she was given a prince of every girl's dream. And it's only Pasha’s parents who were not happy at all. They still did not know Asya in person, but knew she was from a poor family. The young dandy's father asked her to come to a family dinner. This was the beginning of the end…

On a Friday evening all the family gathered at the table. Asya felt she was evaluated and studied. Later, a Pasha's well-mannered father asked the son to drive the mother to the grandmother's place, and the groom did not feel any thing bad in this. When they had gone, the father spoke to Asya with all the graveness:
"You see, dear Asya, Pasha comes from a respected, rich family. You are a nice, attractive girl, you are clever, you have all the future beyond you. I certainly do not want to say you are not good enough for us, but you must see yourself that you are a way too different from my son. You could meet him as much as you liked, but the marriage is not possible now. It is too early for him. He will certainly marry, but not now and not you.

Asya felt like being spit on. Pasha's father sent her home by taxi before the son came back, telling that if she will not understand what he said, they will make her understand.

An offended bride told everything to her parents, at the same time Pasha spoke to his father. Next morning he came to Asya, and she was dying to hear the necessary sorries and confessions of love. Instead was the shock: "Pardon my father for being so straight, but he's right, we don't suit each other. You see, my father is my greatest authority, all would happen as he says. He has chosen a bride for me already. Her father is his new partner in business. Our marriage will provide a stable basis for a big profitable business. I love you, but can not go against his will. My parents gave me all I have in life, and I have to respect them".

This meant the end to a dream of happy family life. Asya did not want to become a forever humiliated lover.

Per aspera ad astra
In a week, Asya went to live in Saint-Petersburg. In another month, Pasha got married. Asya did not want to go back to Vologda, and decided to stay in her aunt's place and find a job in Petersburg. Surprisingly, she did that easy: the lawyer with higher education and knowledge of English language was occupation in demand. She sunk in her job, and in six months became a chief of statistical department of a large company. She rented an expensive flat, dressed in the best shops. Her grief disappeared, but the insult remained. Soon this was gone too. Asya was even lightly ironical about that story with Pasha the father's son… She had another boyfriend: Denis, a cute intellectual from a good family, who had his own business. The young entrepreneur was, like her, from a small town. Their relationship had been growing slow, and a strong friendship evolved into a big love. Soon they decided to marry. However, Asya time after time remembered Pasha. And maybe this first love would have stayed in her forever, if not one event…

The law of the boomerang
Few months before the wedding, Asya and Denis went to acquaint with her family in Vologda. There Asya was told that Pasha's family life is terrible, and he's on the edge of divorce.

When Pasha heard his old love came back to Vologda, he immediately decided to visit her. On one evening she saw him standing at the door, shy and quiet as he was a few years ago in their final day. Asya quickly dressed up and went to the backyard with him. On the same bench where they used to sit, they sat and talked again.

Pasha started, in low and breaking voice: "I did all like my father wished. This was the greatest mistake in my life. I had never loved my wife, and would never do. And I have never forgotten you. Tell me, Asya, can we return anything?"

Asya saw him like he was ill, very ill, and poisoned himself. The same face, the same eyes which she loved and from which she went away. But on the place of shining victory in them she saw growing tears of hopelessness. One year ago she would have be angrily glad, but now a great pity to him arose in her. And the more she pitied Pasha, the more she saw how strongly she loves Denis. No words came to her mind… She just kissed him in the cheek and went back home. They have not met since. They say that Pasha divorced, despite of his father's threats.

Asya found her happiness and broke the cast theory once and forever.

Darya Verhovskaya