The Lives Of The Romanovs

The Revolutionary Woman

Anastasia

"Anastasia Nikolaevna, are you sure? I was joking last time." Rebecca whispered as we sat in the back of the car. I had decided I would take Rebecca's advice and go "incognito" to start a feminist group.
"Would you shut up, Rebecca? I think I know what I'm doing."
"I can assure you that you don't."
The chauffeur pulled up in front of Olga and Tatiana's hospital.
"Thank you, sir. You can pick us up in one-hour." I got out of the car myself with Rebecca following me out. I made sure not to take step until the chauffeur officially drove off. There was a particular smell about Petrograd...musty. I noticed that I kept getting flares from the people around me. Perhaps it was my lace hat or the diamonds I was wearing.

"I've never walked around in the city before without a chaperone." I smiled at Rebecca. I started to walk up the street with her following just behind me. Rebecca got up to my side and linked arms with me.
"So what is it you're planning to do?"
"Start a feminist group."
"How do you plan on doing that?"
"Well, it's easy in the books."
Rebecca groaned loudly. "Anastasia Nikolaevna, this isn't the books! And I don't remember a book about feminism. Anyway, I'm parched."
I gasped and looked at her. "We can go get a drink! Like whiskey for a bar!"
"No, those places are only for men! If we go in there, it will be bad news!" Rebecca shrieked.
"Don't be such a baby, Rebushka. Now come on. I want to know what it's like to be a peasant girl for one day."

The bar we walked into was rather dull and small. The floors creaked with every step and the walls were made out of old wood. Rebecca and I sat down on the bar stools that were made from rusty steel and torn up leather. The bar tender I'm guessing was middle-aged with a large black-mustache.
"I am sorry, ladies. You can't be in here." He sighed. Rebecca shot him a nasty look. "Why not? There's now law that says women can't be in bars."
"I know, I know. I just mean...women of your kind aren't allowed in here."
I scoffed. "Who do you think you are? We have just as much right to be in here. Now let me get a drink, you uncultured swine!"
The bar tender opened his mouth to stay something, but closed his mouth the moment another woman walked up. She was also middle-aged with pale skin and wore was looked like rags sewn together for a dress. Her hair was covered with a bandana, but the brain in the back was brown with a mix of gray.

"Let them go, Boris. Two whiskeys for them." She said.
"Could I have ice, please?" I asked. The bar tender and the woman shot me dirty looks.
"What do you think this is? A fancy resort?" The bar tender rolled his eyes. I fell silent as he handed Rebecca and I the glasses of whiskey. The whiskey was rather good for a bar so run down. It was warm, which wasn't my cup of tea. But I'll take what I can get.
"But I am curious, what are two women wearing diamonds and lace doing in this part of Petrograd?" She sat down next to me.
"We were just walking around. Honestly, I'm not sure what we're doing in this part of Petrograd." Rebecca looked at me.
"Truth is, I'm an upper-class woman trying to study how the poor live. That's all really."
The woman scoffed. "We are not a charity case. But if you really want to know how we live, look around at this bar. This is how our homes, our stores, and our restaurants look. Three-families cramp into an apartment because we can't afford to live in an apartment by ourselves. There isn't enough bread to feed the children at dinner."
I had never realized that was the case. I knew things were bad because of the war, but I didn't imagine that. The economy is going up, I know that. But so many are still living in poverty as I can see.

"How dreadful. I think us women need to get together more and help our Russia. That's my opinion if you ask me." I nodded. The woman scoffed and shook her head.
"No, you don't mean 'us women'. You mean: Grand Duchesses, the wives and daughters of political figures, the wives and daughters of Counts, and the wives and daughters of Imperial Officers. People like you want nothing to do with women like me."
"On the contrary, I actually do. Alice Paul says that women should get together and fight for what they think is right. And I just do happen to agree. You don't know the first thing about me so why don't you shut your mouth." I shot back. The woman raised her eyebrows and seemed taken aback. Perhaps I was a little too aggressive there.
"You know who Alice Paul is?"
"Of course I do."
"She's such an inspiration to me. I pay extra money for American newspapers just to read about her and what she has done for the country."
"Really? She's an inspiration to me too. So is Ida B. Wells."
The woman grinned. "Well, we have ourselves a revolutionary rich woman. What's your name?"
I held out my hand to her and smiled back at her. "I'm Anastasia...Yevgenyevna."
"Svetlana Yakovlevna. And who's your friend?" Svetlana shook hands with me. Svetlana now held out her hand to Rebecca. Rebecca shook her hand gently.
"Rebecca Brown."
"Ah, you're English?"
"Born and raised. I've moved to Russia as confidant to a Count and I met Anastasia that way."
"Ah, I see."
I wanted to get right to the point. If Svetlana helped set up the group with me, we could gather more and more women to stand for rights in this country and to be taken seriously.

"You know what, I think we should start a group for women. Like, we can speak about female issues that men discard." I said. Svetlana gave a wan smile.
"You mean a feminist group?"
"If that's how you wish to put it, yes."
"I don't see why not. There's an unused cellar of the bar here. Each of you bring a friend next Wednesday and we can start there. Nice meeting both of you." Svetlana walked away after that. Rebecca shot me an almost scared look.
"Anastasia, what are we to do? We don't have any friends that know about this." Rebecca gritted through her teeth.
"Relax! Why do you worry so much? I know what I'm doing."
"I sure hope so," Rebecca stood up from the stool. "Because if this goes to hell, we are both screwed."
I understood that completely. But when we want to stand up for our owns rights, it is a risk worth taking.