A/N: "Immigrants" is a fictionalized account of a true story. Names
have been changed. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is
coincidental.
Mary ran into her house with a smile, coming home from school that
sunny day in May of 1909. Stephan loved her now, just as she
loved him ever since she could remember. She had told him that
he was going to marry her one day. She was about eight years old then.
.
Stephan had scoffed at her, saying, “You are just a little peasant girl.
Your father could not give me more than one goat for you,” he
jeered.
.
Her dark braids lifted in the breeze as she dashed to her
mother and hugged her tightly, dancing her in a happy circle. Fourteen
year old Mary was bubbling over. She couldn’t wait to tell her mother
that Stephan had taken her hand, had held her hand all the way home from
school. When they arrived at Mary’s house, sixteen year old Stephan
looked at her tenderly. She was sure he was about to kiss her but he
turned away, looked back at her once more, then ran down the street
to his house.
.
Mary’s mother looked at her soberly and said, “Do not make that into
something it is not, Mary. Stephan will be leaving Austria tomorrow
morning. His mother told me that he will be on the boat to America
before we even wake up.”
.
Mary’s heart sank like a dead weight to her feet. “No!” she cried.
“Mrs. Voloshin will never let him go!”
.
“He is going to America with his parents’ blessings,” her mother explained
calmly. “He can make a fortune there, enough to send home, so his
parents can join him.”
.
Mary ran to her room in tears. Throwing herself onto her bed, Mary
Nazarov wept until there were no more tears. She should have kissed him,
held him, told him how much she loved him. Maybe her love could have
changed his mind. She was destined to marry Stephan; she had always
known that. It was up to her now to make it happen.
.
Mary sat wanly at the kitchen table, picking at the evening meal in front
of her. Wordlessly, she helped her mother clear the table and wash and dry
the dishes, then escaped to her room. She dressed herself in layers
of underwear, socks, clothing, and outerwear, filled her pockets with
personal items, and waited until the house was dark and quiet.
.
She slipped out the door into the night, and headed for the waterfront.
