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! So, you can imagine my disappointment and
frustration when, instead of appreciation, Kevin’s parents scolded me that I dared
to take over their kitchen without their permission. And Samantha left the food I made close to
the dog's bowl. But the worst of it was the fact that Kevin
didn't even try to defend me! I didn't go to that beautiful, but hate-filled,
house anymore. Now I had a lot of spare time on the weekends,
but, as you will probably understand, I was not up for hanging out with my friends. So I just wandered alone, around the nearby
shopping mall. On one of those days I saw Jenny. I recognized her right away. But I have no idea why I decided to follow
her, and this decision changed my whole life because I saw Jenny entering a maternity clothing
store. I hurried inside, pretended to be an ordinary
shopper. And then I saw Jenny exiting the dressing
room – in a dress that did not hide her big belly, unlike that robe she was dressed
in when I saw her. And I could hardly stifle a cry of surprise:
Kevin’s ex-girlfriend was in her last trimester! While we had been together for less than five
months. I continued to spy on Jenny. After she made her purchase, she went to the
nearby coffee shop where… Samantha was already waiting for her. I was afraid to reveal myself, so I hid behind
the closest decorative palm. But I still noticed Jenny and Samantha warmly
hugging each other. Now I realized that I never stood a chance
to be liked by Kevin’s family. And that going on with this relationship did
not make any sense. I sent Kevin a message saying that I knew
about him and Jenny and that I didn't want to see him anymore, and I stopped answering
his calls. But Kevin still found a way to talk to me. He came to the town where I lived and found
my parents’ house, and though it was already late at night. I didn't want to come out, but he almost broke
my window trying to get my attention. So I still listened to his excuses. As Kevin explained, Jenny had gotten pregnant,
but not by him. He insisted on the fact that she cheated on
him with a guy they both knew, and that was the exact reason that they broke up. But his family did not believe him and thought
that Kevin was simply running away from his responsibilities. And I was a savior for him – his new girlfriend,
who was much better than Jenny, and who could be liked by his family. And even though it did not work out, he still
loved me and wanted me to come back… But you know, for me, that story was a little
bit too much. Kevin is still a dear to me, but I am not
ready to get into such a contradictory position with his relatives and I also don't want to
be involved in the conflict with his PREGNANT ex. So I dumped Kevin right way. And after a couple of months I heard a rumor
that Kevin proposed to Jenny. I guess he simply gave up under the pressure
from his parents… or did a paternity test. That’s my entire story, folks. I was a part of it and I made a lot of mistakes,
but I will let you judge it for yourselves exactly where I went wrong. And you can discuss it in the comments to
this video.
