Valentin and Ioana had thrived in the United States. They knew how to do business the right way. They knew about banking and finance, about customer service and competition; they felt the warm light of success.
My grandparents’ lives in America had changed their spirits. This country has a way of living, feeling, and thinking that no other country on earth has. We know that we are the best and with great power comes great responsibility. We own our fate. We decide how we are going to react. Americans are not victims nor perpetrators. We are helpers and survivors. We stand for honor, duty, and order. Even though, the communists looked and talked like they were organized, behind the puppet curtain was a chaotic mess.
They fell in love and got married in a beautiful time in both their lives. Through my grandfather’s stories, I relived the fairy tale time in my family’s history. For me, they were a fairy tale as a child and a relentless goal as an adult. Through my grandfather’s stories, I became aware of a country where anything is possible and got to know a way of life I knew I could never be without – the American way. The communist way of life was so far removed from the right way; I knew it in my heart.
