How I Stayed in America (Part 7)

While my husband was at a summer camp in Utah, I was facing toxicosis and simultaneously preparing our honeymoon. I am a wild one, so I decided to take my young spouse to all the “hot spots”. I was already familiar with places like that, but Andrei, unlike me, got used to more modest destinations and hotels, because he only traveled for work.

My husband comes from a very poor family, so they never traveled anywhere together. Never and nowhere. They had a hard time making ends meet, so gourmet dishes were not a part of his diet. When I asked if he ever ate foie gras as a child, he immediately replied that, of course, only he had sausages instead of foie gras. By the way, it was his sports career that allowed him and his parents to try real foie gras for the first time. Andrei provided for his family, mom, dad, and brother from the age of fifteen.

There are some instances in my husband’s biography that have had a significant impact on our relationship. I noticed how caring he is to his family and friends. Here is a lyrical digression and observation for young girls starting their journey. Always pay attention to how your fiance treats his mom and family — most likely, this is how he would treat you.

We started from Monte Carlo. I organized the trip myself with little or no approval from my husband. We agreed on one thing: we live in the best hotels, in the most expensive suites. In Monaco, we lived at the Hotel de Paris. Our two-room suite overlooked the casino plaza. The view was

spectacular! Our stay coincided with the Red Cross Ball and amazing fireworks. To see the fireworks, you just had to go to the balcony. I entered the next phase of my toxicosis, when I constantly wanted to sleep; my head could not be torn from the pillow. My young husband  also slept constantly. As a result, we missed the beginning of the fireworks. They fired so loud that it was possible to raise the dead from the coffins, however, we slept like the dead. I tore my head off the pillow and tried to  wake  my husband. He mumbled “very well” in response and continued to sleep further. I followed his example. We never saw  the fireworks. We definitely got enough sleep though.

Now, as I’m writing this, I understand that my whole life is a Fairy Tale. A tale which transformed into reality. When Fifty Shades of Grey came   out, I recall reading this book diagonally and realizing that I could have written better without even using any imagination. As a matter of fact, when we started dating, my lover also had an Audi. Funny.

After Monte Carlo, a hike to Chevre d’or, to the Louis XV restaurant and, of course, the African Queen, we proceeded in a convertible to the  fishing village — Saint-Tropez. Saint-Tropez later became our home, and even prior to our marriage, my parents and I used to rent a home here  for the summer. My parents were always wealthy, so I found out what foie gras is very early on. Furthermore, when I was sixteen, my mom and dad went to work in France for a year and lived in the small town of Osh. This region of Gascony is famous for its foie gras. According to the   French themselves, Gascony is the place of the most delicious food in France. Foie gras is like mud there — duck farms are on every corner.

We stayed at La Bastide Hotel — a romantic secluded place, perfect for couples. We had a beautiful two-room suite. I slept almost all the time during the day,  and my husband was constantly playing computer  games in the other room. For some reason, sheep bleated constantly in his game. On the third day of continuous stay together, I began to cry. While the sheep bleated constantly, I cried constantly. To be frank, I was terrified. Why did I marry him; the sheep would bleat nonstop now. It
seemed to me that I had made a terrible mistake. Would I really be able to live with this person for the rest of my life?