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Hi, folks! How old are you? Ten? Twelve? Fifteen? My name is Ashley and I just recently turned eighteen. And I’m completely overwhelmed with all these ADULT PROBLEMS! For example? Well, for example my boyfriend's family hates me because I'm not pregnant. How do you like that?
This year I was admitted to the college where I met Kevin. He was only a year older than me, but he looked much more mature – he was so self-confident and such a self-contained guy, well, not even a guy, but a man! He had nothing in common with all the boys I knew, and that was, I guess, the thing that totally charmed me. I fell in love, folks.
So I was not embarrassed at all when after a couple of weeks Kevin invited me home… so that I could meet his family! And on the way there he repeated, I think, ten times or so, that we had a very serious relationship and that I had to do everything to please his parents.
At that time I didn't pay much attention to him, neither to the fact that he was worried about it so much, nor to this strange hurrying and pressure. Now I think that he was just trying to solve all of his problems at my expense. Well, I'll try not to get ahead of myself.
Kevin’s family was perfect. His parents looked as if they had just walked right out of some 1950s movie, and I was completely charmed by their composed mannerisms when we talked. And there was also Kevin’s younger sister, Samantha, who looked like a doll. I liked their big, beautiful house, their adorable, thoroughbred dog, and the tastiest food that Kevin’s mother made. So every time Kevin suggested that I should stay over for the weekend, I happily accepted. In addition, their house was in the same town as our college, so I did not have to travel a long way there on a crowded bus.
Everything looked magnificent… through these rose-colored glasses. I had not really noticed how they felt toward me, in reality. But, as time passed, I opened my eyes.
First of all, they hardly talked to me. What I took for composed, but good manners, turned out to be a deliberate coldness. During dinners, the family gathered- like robots- at exactly the same time every evening, they just didn't pay any attention to me. But wasn’t I their son’s girlfriend?
Second, I was not allowed anywhere except for Kevin’s room and the living room. I couldn't even take a walk in their garden - like I was some clumsy elephant that might damage the decorative hedges planted by Kevin’s mother. As for Samantha, she was just rude to me, and the longer we dated, the more aggressive she became.
And well, I could not help but get upset by all this. I tried to talk to Kevin about it, but he didn't say a word. And then I thought that Kevin – so self-confident and independent – was just deeply attached to his family and didn't want to cause any conflicts. So I decided that I would just do my best in order to be deserving of their love."
I did have one ally – Kevin’s grandmother. She was pretty old and rarely left her room, but when she saw me, she was apparently happy, because she always hugged me and seemed more vibrant overall. I decided to talk to her more- hoping that maybe I could figure out the keys to these people’s hearts. So once, after we had a cute little chat in the living room, his grandmother called me “Jenny.” It was not a mistake, because later on the old lady called me by this name once again.
I was sure that there must be an intriguing, and probably tragic story from the old lady’s life, and I asked Kevin about it. He obviously did not want to answer and tried to change the subject, but I was persistent, and he finally confessed: Jenny was his ex-girlfriend.
I was not ready for this answer, but still insisted that he tell me everything. And it turned out that Jenny and Kevin had been dating for several years before he met me! Everything was very serious and Kevin’s relatives had already seen her as their daughter-in-law.
Also Kevin showed me her picture – she was a pretty girl with long brown hair. I disliked her right away.
"Kevin didn't say a word, but I wasn't stupid- I understood everything. My boyfriend’s family disliked me because they liked this Jenny too much. But I was not going to give up that easily – Kevin was worth fighting for, even with his own family!
And I choose a way that Kevin’s mother should have appreciated – I decided to make a family dinner! I really can cook much better than simply warming up canned soup in a microwave, so with a little effort I'd have a chance to win the evening!
Music by Epidemic Sound:
#actuallyhappened
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