The contract

A man describes how he emigrated to Canada as a groom.

Ν.D.: The woman whom I met, eh, it chanced that her father was from my village and she had been born in Pyrgos, but in the area where they had their estate, one of my aunts had one as well. And I went many times to see my aunt and there I had seen the girl as well. There wasn’t anything between us, eh, love stories and things like that, just “Good morning”, “Goodnight”. And then she left, she had learned sewing, how to make clothes, and back then the Union of Canada wanted women who could work as operators in machines […] business, in clothing. And she paid the union, she had made an application, because her father had many girls, to come to Canada. Coming to Montreal we met- we came by airplane and after a while, by working, she paid for her ticket. Eh, she came in 1957. Over the next two years, she brought over her brother and her sister and then the […] maker was made and she came.
Res.: Ah, ok.
Ν.D.: I don’t like lies.
Res.: Yes.
Ν.D.: I’m going to say how things are done. I came to Canada, but one thing I can say, eh, she’s passed away now, God may have mercy on her soul, she was an extraordinary person, I lived a good life and I had two extraordinary children, with good principles and good order.
Res.: Very good. Very good.
Ν.D.: Ok?
Res.: Let me ask you now. Your, your wife sent out an invitation for you?
Ν.D.: Yes.
Res.: Ok, ok. And…
Ν.D.: Coming here…
Res.: Yes.
Ν.D.: Within the month, I had to get married.
Res.: Yes.
Ν.D.: Because if I didn’t get married, I would be sent back.
Res.: Such was the law?
Ν.D.: Yes. And to protect the girls so that we wouldn’t trick them.
Res.: Yes.
Ν.D.: It was compulsory that you went and made a marriage contract.
Res.: Ok.
Ν.D.: And in the marriage contract I signed then, without knowing what I was signing, there was that my wife had a big lump sum, without it existing, in case I divorced her? I owe you the money. Aaah.