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I said nothing at first. I knew what she meant, of course, and I had been dreaming of doing the things Tata
and Mama did, but it seemed impossible. The world was always against us and I felt as if there was very
little I could do to live the life I had always wanted since a little girl. “You know they won’t let women
into the University of Warsaw,Bronya,” I said this under my breath as if I did not want to believe it
myself.
“That’s why I’m not going there.”
I looked at her. Even in the dark I could tell that her face lit up when she said this.
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“Paris, Maria.” She smiled as if all the answers to her dreams were buried there. “I want to get out of here
and go to a real school. I can’t do anything here. At least in France they allow women to attend their
universities. Just think of it, a new city, language, food and most importantly new books and classes. If I
can’t find my learning in Poland, I’ll find it elsewhere. I know it will be hard and I know it is far from
home, but it’s what I want.” Bronya paused. “I need this.”
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After my Mama died, Bronya and I had stuck to each other like glue and in a way, she was my mother for
all the times I needed one. But to think of her far away in a different country miles and miles apart from
me made my heart sink. I wanted to keep her here with me and make sure that I would have someone who
knew me and understood me, but the more I thought about that, the more selfish I found myself to be. I
loved her and whatever it is that she wanted, I needed to be okay with it. I had to let her go, even if it
meant losing her for however long she needed to be gone. I nodded slowly and collected my thoughts. “I
know you need this and I’m happy to know that you have found what you’ve been looking for.” I
swallowed. “I’ll miss you, Bronya.”
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I heard the creaking of her bed and the light taps of her feet against the wooden floor before I felt her
arms around me, squeezing me into a tight hug. She placed her hands on my shoulders and stared at me
with an intent gaze. The moonlight reflected on her face and danced off of her braided hair. There was
something angelic about how she looked that night and even more so after she said, “I promise you one
thing, Manya. I know you want to study and I will help you get there.”
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“How?” I looked at her quizzically.
“School is not cheap,especially in Paris. If you help pay for my tuition costs,I promise you that when the
time comes, I will find a job and hide away every cent I earn to pay for your education. We can make it
happen and I know that with each other’s help, we can get to where we’ve always wanted to go.” She
glanced off to the side. “I’m asking you for a lot and I’m sorry, but I know you want to learn as much as I
do.”
I stayed silent for a while and knew what she said was true. I did want to go to a real school and if we did
help each other, perhaps we could actually make it in a world that was ready to say we could not.