To Forever
At the onset, let me say that I think it was love.
He had her and then he lost her, when someone whispered to his ear to, well, explore the world and his options. But when he saw her showing off more skin in the tabloids, at the arm of some other man, as if saying come hither and eat your heart out, he groveled at her feet (I made this one up), tormented by the love his father before him had and then lost (and then found again), and wasted no time (well) to sweep the would-be princess (now duchess) to the bondage of marriage.
I am of course referring to Prince William and Catherine, whose love story and grand wedding have captured the world’s imagination – a world hungry for love, it would seem.
And of course the gossip mill was rife with stories of how the young Catherine targeted the prince. And how dare she, a commoner. Of how she had posters of the prince on the walls of her dormitory, reminiscent of the once-young Katie Holmes, who also got the man, by the way. As if desiring and dreaming were crimes, as if the prince himself was a lame duck, incapable of feeling and sensing someone who is out to get him and the crown jewels he symbolizes.
He is, after all, Diana’s son, schooled in human nature at an early age, and at an early age taught to sense intention, and to identify it a mile away.
I know a Catherine, of course not of the royal scale, but a Catherine nonetheless. She was swept into a family, whose wealth she could not even begin to imagine. I could sense in her – excitement, pride – but there was also insecurity, insecurity that gnaws, most especially the insecurity of the people around her who eyed her suspiciously, envious of her good fortune. But she clings to love, and to good fortune, hoping one day to receive a marriage proposal from a man her equal in a lot of ways but not in the ways of the world. It is both sad, and vicious, and something only a really strong person could come to terms with. I am not sure, yet, if she has the strength.
I forgot who said that marrying a man is not a financial plan, but she is correct (I am assuming she is a she). With the stories of Catherine and the other Catherine, it would seem that the world could be unforgiving about a person’s circumstance, and thoroughly circumspect (and suspicious) about a person’s intentions. There will always be doubt in the public’s eye – was it for love? A lesser person may just wither away under all that stress.
To women – independence is key. Self-sufficiency is key. To mental health and peace of mind, at least. But the variable, of course, the great unknown, the equalizer, striking fear in the stoutest (and hardest) of hearts, capable of getting even the best-laid plans go awry – is love.
But still, we envy Catherine, and what she has with Prince William. After all, she will forever be entombed in the history of the world, from commoner to royal, giving birth (hopefully) to scions that would take the reins of England’s monarchy and march the world yet again to a glorious era, or failing that, captivating the world with another fascinating love story.
Till the next royal wedding.
Article by Issa. Painting by Danvic Briones. Copyright 2011.
Website: www.YouWantToBeRich.com
Email: issa@youwanttoberich.com
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