Asher ✓

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JUNE 12, 2021 / EDEN TERRACES VINEYARD

Asher was watching his father get married for the second time.

Now that he was officially in the later half of his twenties, he had come to appreciate some of the things he never noticed when he was younger.

The skilled immigrants programme through which Vasily had been employed in the States had seemed like a great opportunity when Asher was a tween. As an adult, Asher was still grateful for having moved to the US, but knew that the circumstances in which they had arrived could have been much better.

The skilled immigrants who were selected — the majority of which, like Vasily, held university degrees — were relegated to factory work. They were highly-educated, but because they struggled to learn English fluently, their economic mobility was always limited. Vasily worked long days full of menial labour, despite probably being smarter than people occupying the three successively higher rungs of the employment ladder. Vasily, surrounded by fellow immigrants, many who didn't speak English fluently, never made many friends in the United States.

His only friends were Vanessa, a co-worker, and Ryanel's and Kerrish' parents, through mutual knowledge of their sons. Asher never realised that Vasily's attentiveness and nagging had been at the expense of his own network of friends. Maybe both Delrov men had been incredibly lonely growing up, but for different reasons.

Now, Asher was standing at his father's side, as best man and ring-bearer.

The summer sun beat down on the wedding attendees, making the scene that much more warm. Parasols dotted the crowd, while other guests used their hands to shield their faces from the radiance. Vanessa arrived at the end of the aisle when the string quartet started.

Her smile out-competed the sun, and Vasily's smile out-competed hers.

Asher's heart felt heavy with a mix of emotions. He felt keenly aware of his mother's absence — how could he not? She would never again be Vasily's one and only. But, then again, love didn't have to be singular to be precious.

Asher also felt comforted by the thought of Ekaterina tenderly smiling down on him and Vasily. She could not, in all her logic and rationale, deny Asher and Vasily a new family member, or future happiness.

And the last emotion, the most overwhelming one, was gratitude. Asher felt grateful that moments this beautiful could exist after such immense pain. He was grateful to Vanessa for finding their little family. She was a great boss to Asher, a good friend to Vasily — and hopefully an even better wife.

It was Asher's dearest wish that Vasily never felt lonely again.

Asher watched Vasily watch Vanessa walk down the aisle. She wore a white jumpsuit, whose legs flared out at the bottom and were hemmed with white lace. Her bouquet consisted of daffodils and snowdrops and orchids. Vasily's eyebrows tugged upwards, viscerally overcome with emotion, and Asher felt a pang in his heart.

They had talked many times throughout this process — from the proposal, to the engagement, to the planning of the wedding — about Asher's feelings and Ekaterina's place in their lives. And, seeing how happy his father had ended up, even after all their family's tribulations, Asher knew there would be no more to say on the matter after this day.