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“Oh, Kitty. To be young and in love is a wonderful feeling, isn’t it? What's he like?” she asks.
Now this, I can expound on.
“Aunt Nellie, he's absolutely wonderful! He’s tall, dark, and handsome, just like in the storybooks. And he’s kind, and he always makes me laugh. He encourages me to chase after my dreams, and he loves me so much,” I blurt out.
“Well, it sounds like you’re head over heels for him,” my aunt laughs warmly.
“I am,” I say, my smile brighter than the sun.
“What did you say his name was again?” Nellie asks. My smile fades away, and my heart races as I try to think of what to say next. What do I do? I'm a horrible liar, but I can't lie either because Nellie would see through it in a flash. Instead, I go with the truth.
“I'm sorry, Aunt Nellie, but I just can't tell you.”
“What do you mean you can't tell me?” she asks with a raised eyebrow.
I bite my lip again.
“It’s just that he’s very important and really high up. We’re just not ready to tell anyone that we’re dating yet,” I say. She goes quiet as she contemplates this new piece of information. Oh God, what’s she thinking? She frowns and shakes her head.
“Kitty, this sounds strange. You know you should be dating someone who is like you, and not some fancy courtier with fancy tastes. You need to find a nice, working-class man you can marry and start a family with,” she admonishes. “That’s the only way things will work.”
I stare at her.
“Are you serious?”
Nellie shrugs.
“Trust me, marriage is difficult as is. Why make it even harder by trying to overcome the obstacles of wealth, class, and socio-economic status?”
“But we love each other,” I argue feebly. “Surely, that counts for something?”
Nellie merely ignores the comment.
“It'll never work,” my aunt predicts as she dusts off one of the portraits.
“Yes it will,” I say, trying to convince her.
“No, it won't,” she replies firmly, turning to me. “I’m only saying this because I don’t want you to end up heartbroken, Kitty Kat. You know I love you, and I just want to protect you.”
“Yes … but … but Aunt Nellie, I really love him,” I say.
My aunt sighs as she places her hands on my shoulders. “Kitty, our family has humble origins. We’re still working class to this very day. It might seem like love now as he wines and dines you, and makes you feel like a princess, but a man like that isn't going to marry a maid. You're a wonderful girl with a lot going for you, but wealth sticks with wealth, and you know we don’t come from money.”
“But people of different statuses marry each other all of the time. When it comes to love, money doesn't matter,” I argue, my heart sinking. My aunt clicks her tongue.
“Sometimes that's true, but most of the time it's not. Cinderella stories just aren’t realistic, Kitty. It’s a fairy tale, and you know that. Most people stick with their own kind,” she says. I swallow hard around the lump in my throat even as tears spring to my eyes. I know my aunt means well, but she doesn't know what she's talking about. Eric and I love each other for who we are on the inside, and it doesn't matter that we come from two different worlds.
Still, Nellie fixes me with a look.
“Do your parents know that you're dating this important man?”
I shake my head miserably.
“No, they know I’ve been going out on dates, but not with whom. And please don't tell them, Aunt Nellie. I want to tell them myself when I'm ready,” I beg. She shakes her head as she continues to dust.
“We have our own place in this world, Kitty. We're not wealthy, and we were never meant to be famous, but we don't need those things to be happy,” she says before turning and fixing me with a look. “Trust me, that’s the best gift of all.”
“Of course, of course!” I protest. “But it isn't his wealth that makes me happy, it's the way that he loves me. You'll see someday, Aunt Nellie,” I say. “Our love can overcome anything.”
