Chapter 2
Carolyn (May 1957)
...
A young woman sat at the writing desk in her bedroom. She fidgeted while she tried her best to remain calm. Tomorrow was the day that her family would send her away. Though not permanently, she knew that it would be at least a year before she would see her family again. She wasn't as distraught over not seeing her parents as much as she was for her younger sisters. She loved them dearly and the two girls didn't quite understand why their big sister was leaving but they were excited for her regardless. Their parents made everything sound so glamorous. Carolyn had turned eighteen the week prior and her family always discussed her future with her; especially planning for after she turned eighteen. That was when the real planning would begin. During Carolyn's eighteenth birthday party, a black-tie event, her parents were excited to surprise her. She didn't know that they were planning a party for her, she also didn't know that the entire family would be there, and she especially didn't know that her parents would invite suitors that they handpicked, hoping that Carolyn would make a decision right then and there. She did not.
"Carolyn!" her father exclaimed when he saw her at the bottom of the stairs. She had come down after her mother had woken her up and told her to meet in the parlor. Her mother gave her a magnificent dress to put on; one that she had made by hand. When Carolyn went down the stairs and saw the crowd all gathered for her, for her eighteenth birthday, she was struck frozen.
"You look wonderful, darling," her father said while pulling her into a hug.
"What is all of this?"
"They're all here for you, darling! It is a special day after all."
Carolyn did not know what to say. She couldn't speak out against the party, oh no, her parents worked too hard for it. Her mother and father were never quite on the wealthy side, though they certainly liked to appear that they came from money. Her father was a factory foreman and her mother was a schoolteacher. They made decent wages but were often stifled by debt repayments. Her parents had a habit of showing off to their friends and neighbors, so when they wanted to flaunt their fictitious lifestyle, Carolyn and her younger sisters were to play along. They played their parts even if it meant supper would have limited options for the next week or two.
Strangers were coming up to Carolyn during the party, congratulating her for this most special milestone in a young woman's life. She didn't know what to say to these people who were invaders in her childhood home, so she would smile and nod, hoping they wouldn't ask her anything invasive. They always did.
"Oh, Carolyn dear!" a strange woman pinched her cheek. "I am so happy for you, sweet girl. What a beautiful young woman! And it is about time for you to pick a man for yourself, isn't it? Your mother told me you haven't a man on your mind!" The woman was old and Carolyn suspected her to be a cousin on her mother's side of the family. She smelled of strong floral perfume and sweat. Carolyn did her best to control her breathing; she was quite close to snapping at this old woman.
"No, no. Not a man on my mind in the slightest. Possibly later." Carolyn smiled and shrugged. Her cousin on her mother's side didn't accept this as a proper answer.
"Dear," she said sternly, "now you must not dawdle. You surely don't want to end up a spinster. That would be terribly out of sorts."
Carolyn smiled, gritting her teeth. She nodded.
The party went on and Carolyn grew tired of talking to one strange person after the next. She decided to grab a glass of sparkling wine and sat in the parlor on the sofa. She sipped on the drink knowing that her mother would disapprove, but it was her party after all. Carolyn wanted to enjoy one little thing, even if it was frowned upon by her mother. She watched the people standing around her, all in little groups of two or three, chattering away nonsense that she either found gauche or incredibly self-absorbed.
"I've got that Ford Skyliner. It's parked out front if you want to see it."
"My son Eric, the dear boy, is attending Princeton in the fall."
"Harry proposed at dinner. You must simply just guess what the ring cost!"
Carolyn couldn't help but roll her eyes. Everything seemed so meaningless. Everything except for the sparkling drink that fizzed in Carolyn's glass.
When Carolyn turned her head, she saw her father enter the parlor with a group of young men. There were four of them radiating confidence. She wanted to sink down into the sofa. She knew what was coming.
"Dear!" Her father waddled over to her with the men trailing behind him.
"Darling, I want you to meet some fellows." Her father introduced the young men one by one. There was Charles who was an aspiring lawyer. Then there was Gary who recently landed a job in finance. Next was Eric, the dear boy who would be starting Princeton in the fall. He wanted to become a professor. And finally, there was Scott. He was a wealthy gallery owner. Her father left her to indulge in conversation with the suitors but Carolyn was filled with white-hot rage. She finished her drink and excused herself from the group conversation; going upstairs to her room while she waited for everyone to leave. About another hour had passed before anyone realized that Carolyn had left her own party. Her parents were devastated.
Sometime that night, between the scolding, her parents dropped the news that she would be leaving in one week to attend a prestigious finishing school. The program would be a year-long endeavor and would teach her how to be a thriving wife to her future husband. Her parents made it clear just how much money they had to scrape and save to be able to afford this opportunity for her. All Carolyn could do was nod while she held back tears.