I used to work a part-time job along with a lady who was a foreigner like myself. Also like myself, this lady was an art school graduate who intended to become a permanent resident and citizen of the United States.
Some foreigners in my art school class had the skills to obtain visas to work as professional artists in the United States. My art skills were not (and are still not) at that level, and so I had to use my web programming and database skills to get a job as a Systems Analyst and earn my visa.
The lady from my part-time job had no job skills that were in high enough demand, and her art skills were on a lower level than mine. So what did she do? She married a man who was an American citizen, stayed with him for a few years until she obtained a permanent resident visa, then divorced him and moved to the east coast.
Afterward, I spoke to the man she had left behind. “She got what she wanted and left,” he said. “All I can do is be happy for her.”
There was some love between the two, but not enough that they would want to have children, and not enough to keep them together through the disagreements that arose after the lady had obtained her visa.
The religious person I used to be would say that in the absence of crimes, abuse, or infidelity, people who are married should make every effort to stay together, because the bond of marriage comes from the gods and should be stronger than earthly differences. The person I am now knows that people don’t necessarily see it that way.
The gods of this world, if they exist, tend to remain quiet when people get married for the wrong reasons.
The gods of Gensokyo are not nearly as quiet.
Those of you who know where the title comes from might have guessed that this is Part 1 of 2. And you would be right. Part 2 will appear at the end of January 2014.
