[November 26, 1948]
"You're going home for Thanksgiving?" Wendy Lester asked her roommate when she saw her shoving clothes into a piece of luggage. She was laying on her bed, back against the wall. "Yeah. Aren't you?" Evelyn glanced at her before refocusing on packing. "No, my family lives far from here. Not worth a couple of days." Wendy shook her head. She picked up a magazine and began reading it. "It's four days. Are you sure?" Evelyn zipped her luggage and leaned on it, she observed Wendy. "I'll just call you if I get bored." The girl replied, her eyes peeking over the journal she held. Evelyn weakly smiled, a pang of remorse rushed over her, but she resumed lifting the luggage off of her bed.
But then an idea popped into Evelyn's brilliant mind. She turned around towards Wendy again. "Hey... how about you come with me?" Evelyn was preparing for Wendy to decline, but the girl proceeded to throw the magazine away with wide green eyes. "Are you serious?!" There was no attempt from Wendy to hide her enthusiasm, she sat up with hands clasping together. "My parents will be thrilled to know you." Evelyn simply shrugged. "That'd be wonderful, Evie!" Each time Wendy called her with a shortened name — Evie — she was reminded of Maurice. Though Maurice only sent her a single letter for the whole three months, she was grateful for Ted's and Julia's ones; they are always filled with updates on their lives and how everyone was doing. "Well, pack your bags," Evelyn commanded and Wendy saluted in response — she might've been influenced by her boyfriend, Peter.
Evelyn placed an empty rucksack on her bed, she filled it with important college assignments and readings she had to do during the holiday. As her hand was rummaging through the bag, she noticed a small compartment where she kept all the letters Bobby and Ted had sent to her. Evelyn had been replying to Ted but not Bobby, and she did so because she knew Ted wouldn't be able to tell his brother about it since he lived hundreds of miles away from him.
The girl took out the compiled letters from Bobby, it was all torn open and had been read, but only once. Evelyn picked up the last letter she'd received from him, it arrived five days ago, and it said:
November 20th, 1948
My dearest Evelyn,
I hope this letter finds you in good health—
that was my only wish for my birthday today.
I've been attempting to get in contact with you ever since our first days at university. Time after time, letter after letter, you never seemed to respond.
Should I be worried?—I shouldn't be asking that; it's all I've been doing for ninety days straight. It's slightly cruel of you not to wish me a happy birthday, considering your letter was all I was looking forward to.
You know, one thing I noticed on the day you left is you were gloomy. I saw it behind your eyes when you stared at me through the rearview mirror—you didn't even blink, you only let me luxuriate in your absinthe eyes for the last time.
Simply put, I've missed you, Eve.
Never in a million years it'd be my intention to hurt you, but I can see how the planned wedding has affected you—the both of us, and what I desire as of now is for our friendship to be mended. Ted had told me you're coming home for the holiday, and that is why I'm sending you this letter—to inform you that I'm also returning.
We must put an end to this foolhardiness; we have to go back to the day before your birthday.
Because after all is said and done, I still find myself loving you—possibly 'till my dying day.
"One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love." - Sophocles
Yours faithfully,
Robert.
The last few sentences and the quote by a Greek philosopher pierced Evelyn right in the middle of her heart — it was so much like a giant splinter; it penetrated her chest so deeply, and she couldn't breathe, but her heart was too cold to bleed at that moment. Evelyn felt the emotions and devotion from Bobby to her. Only, she knew it'd be hard for her to open her heart; she'd have to bare them and Bobby would curse her for accusing him of all the scars.
"Alright! I'm all done." Wendy slammed the luggage on the floor, leaving scratches on the wooden floor. "Me too. Come on." Evelyn carelessly placed the letter back into the bag. The damsels took one last look at their room before exiting the dorm. As they walked through the hallway and leaving the campus, Wendy rambled endlessly about Peter Davis and how much of a man he was when they went into town last Sunday.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Mr. Walker!" Wendy shouted out, she lifted her hand high and waved at a man — presumably a professor. "Thank you, Wendy! You too." The greying man smiled; his teeth sparkled. Wendy slowed down and sighed weakly as she watched the teacher walking away, but then he stopped in his tracks to turn around. "Hey, Evelyn!" Mr. Walker approached them, Wendy froze in her spot. Evelyn curiously glanced at the man as he scoured through the pocket inside his jacket. "Yes, sir?" Said the girl, with a stern look on her face the entire time.
"This letter came through the office three days ago." Mr. Walker handed her a letter with Bobby's name so clearly written on the envelope. "Why did it go through there?" Evelyn flipped the envelope and analyzed everything from the outside. "They must've thought all students have left." Mr. Walker fixed his scarf, tightening it around the neck. "Well... thank you, sir." Evelyn looked up from the letter, she thanked the man while he nodded his head. "Have a good one, girls." The teacher walked off, his long coat flowed delicately.
"God, isn't he something?" Wendy had her eyes locked on the man until Evelyn grabbed her by the arm and forcing her to keep walking. "Wendy, he has three children," Evelyn spoke softly, somewhat preoccupied with the letter in her hand. "But he's only thirty..." Wendy tried to rationalize her action. "Nine. Thirty-nine," Evelyn added, shifting her toward Wendy with a judgmental look. "Oh, don't be a wet blanket!" The girl replied, an unlit cigarette on her lips. "At least I'm not a pervert," Evelyn whispered sharply into Wendy's ear.
"Yeah, right. What did you and Mike do in the dorm while I was gone?" Wendy spoke with smoke escaping her mouth. "What are you talking about?" Evelyn wrinkled her face, waving the second-hand smoke out of her face. "You don't have to hide it, Evelyn. I know he was there two days ago." Wendy took a long drag from her cigarette. "We were just... saying goodbye for thanksgiving." Evelyn slid her hands down into the pockets of her coat, eyes looking forward. "Mmhm," Wendy hummed suggestively. The girl received a glare from Evelyn's much brighter eyes.
"Seriously, Wendy?" Tensions began to rise between them. "Oh, I remember how you coincidentally had a fresh bedsheet when I came back." Wendy leaned closer to Evelyn, she was teasing her ceaselessly. "Get your head out of the gutter!" Evelyn bumped her shoulder against Wendy, creating a small distance between them. "Fine, whatever." Wendy shook her head in disbelief. As they continued to walk briskly in silence, Evelyn reminded herself of what actually happened when Mike visited her dorm.
"Sorry, I'm late. I had to run to the store; ran out of cigarettes," the man would say after entering the dorm and closing the door behind him. "Mind sharing them?" Evelyn smiled as Mike was holding a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of coke in his hands. "Sure thing, Mademoiselle." The letters scattering on the bed caught Mike's attention, he sat on the edge of the mattress while Evelyn was going through them one by one. "What's all this?" He furrowed his eyebrows, he had never seen so many of them in one place.
"Letters from everyone. Mostly Ted and... Bobby." Evelyn took a letter out of an envelope. "Let me guess, most of them are from Bobby?" Mike replied as he pulled out two sticks of cigarettes from its packaging. "Ding ding ding." Evelyn imitated a bell indicating he was correct. She accepted the cigarette that was offered to her. "I thought you had secret admirers for one second." Mike joked as he lit up their cigarettes. "It wouldn't be surprising, to be honest." His dark blue eyes seemed to be icier in the room — it was night but the bedside lamp's golden tint accentuated the color. "You're a flatterer." Evelyn let the smoke escaped her mouth while staring deep into the man's eyes. "I'm a truth-teller, baby." Mike's sweet lips curled into a smirk, raising the heat in the room.
Evelyn only cracked a weak smile before continued reading the long letter from Bobby. "Can I read one of them?" With a hand reaching out to the letter, Mike requested. "Only the ones from Ted." Evelyn reclined her back on the bed frame, her eyes watching the man as he picked one and started reading it:
"My friend, Evelyn. How've you been? It's been a while since we've talked. The last letter that you sent me was very kind and heartfelt. My family thanked you for the good wishes. Bobby called the house today and he asked if you're responding to my letters, I had to tell him the truth. I straightforwardly told him to stop writing to you, and he was angry at me. But other than that, I'm doing good and my father just told me I might be going to Harvard too if I keep being disciplined. Stay safe and lots of love, Teddy."
Mike placed the letter back in its previous spot, he sighed gently as he glanced at Evelyn. "So, it's true?" He asked, and Evelyn nodded in return. "Why Bobby?" Mike added another question, and the girl only exhaled through her nose with a weak smile on her face. "Why wait for the best when I can have him?" Evelyn's philosophy regarding love had always been that way; say yes to everything, even if it ends up in tears — the experience will be worth it. "What if you don't have to wait for the best any longer?" Mike's delicate rosy lips moved — like a ballerina dancing in an empty ballroom. They idled quietly in the room, alone. "What do you mean?" Evelyn's forehead lathered with creases as she raised both of her eyebrows.
"What I mean..." Without breaking the eye contact, Mike stood his half-finished bottle of coke on the mattress. "Is that since the last three months we've been here... you have that look in your eyes." He slightly cocked his head. "What kind of look?" Evelyn leaned forward, her fingers tearing at the linen. "The kind that makes me wonder if I'm just dreaming." Mike bent his knees and started to slowly crawl towards Evelyn, pushing her back against the frame. "You're not dreaming." The girl laid her hand on the man's overheating cheek, she could feel his warm breath waving over her lips. "See?" Evelyn rubbed the bulging cheekbone of the man, she traced the skeletal outline beneath his eye. "A kiss should work better." Mike's sun-bleached hair tumbled about his face as he hovered over Evelyn's fragile body.
Once again, Evelyn was lost in the ocean of blue — she could never look at blue eyes the same way again. A second away from heaven, and all she was seeing was Bobby's baby blues. "Quick, kiss me before I change my mind," Evelyn muttered at a fast pace, her gentle hands wrapping around the man's Herculean shoulders. Mike chuckled lightly. His smirk showed his teeth, creating a much more mischievous look. "If you say so." And so their lips crashed against one another, the intensity of it all was revealing; Evelyn gasped for air once Mike pulled away to do the same.
"Oh, shit." Mike quickly sat up, leaving Evelyn in confusion. "What?" "I spilled my coke," Mike explained with a shocked look on his serious face. Evelyn couldn't help but laugh at his worries over her bedsheet. "Don't worry, I'll clean it." She grinned as she put her hair up in a bun. "I'll go fetch a new one." Evelyn left the bed to grab new linen. "I'm so stupid." Mike shook his head, he was at a loss for words. It was unlike him to have his stomach in knots around girls; one thing he prides himself in was his way of being calm and collected when he's in deep water.
In that moment of awkwardness, there was a certain feeling brewing and mixing in the background. The swift glances they gave to each other while replacing the bedsheet, the laughter they shared, and most importantly, the kiss. Their very first kiss eliminated any sense of doubt that they previously had. Evelyn had felt free again — something she hadn't felt for three months straight.
"God damn... I never thought I'd be here." Wendy shrieked in excitement. Her long black hair swayed in the wind coming from the beach. "Welcome to Hyannis Port." Evelyn gently said. She focused on her driving while Wendy was craning her neck up and down to look at the beach on the side of the road they were on. "Oh gosh, please tell me we can go sailing!" Wendy started begging when she saw the sunlight glistering on the blue saltwater. "Tomorrow," Evelyn said calmly; like a mother negotiating with her child. "I love you!" Wendy planted a swift kiss on her friend's cheek. "Sure thing, Wendy." Evelyn's voice trembled as she tried to hold her laugh back.
Evelyn parked the car right in front of her home, she noticed all the new plants and flowers her mother had planted. "A house this big and only three people live in it?" Wendy exited the car. She took a few steps back to get a better look at the house. Evelyn scoffed as she was taking their pieces of luggage out of the trunk. "Lots of empty bedrooms, I can tell you that." She strolled luggage to Wendy. "Give me the biggest one you have." The girls chatted with each other for a few minutes before Evelyn's parents realized she'd arrived.
"Evelyn! So nice to finally see you!" An older woman screamed. Her high-pitched voice was shrieking loud but Evelyn had missed that. "Mama, it's only been three months." The girl was ambushed by her mother, she was hugged tightly and not being let go. But when Maurice was in their present, Evelyn's smile faded; she remembered what her father had told her over the letter. "How've you been, Papa?" "I'm great, Evelyn, great." However, his face was saying otherwise; his worried eyes, furrowed eyebrows, and tongue licking the lips excessively, it was all too easily seen.
As the family was greeting each other, Wendy felt ostracized until Maurice turned his attention to her. "And you are...?" The man carefully asked. Evelyn casually wrapped her arm around Wendy. "Voici mon amie, Wendy Lester." She introduced the taller girl next to her. "Hello, Wendy, nice meeting you." Julia reached for a handshake with Wendy. "Enchanté, Madame. Please be at ease, I'm French." With one hand shaking Julia's, Wendy placed her other hand on her chest; a polite gesture. "Ah, oui? Très bien!" Julia exclaimed happily, though, she would have no problem conversing in English either; her mother was an English woman.
"They paired you with another French at Harvard?" The heavy accent from Maurice started to show itself as he's gotten comfortable around Evelyn's new friend. "Yes, Papa. We French must stick together," Evelyn replied with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Come inside, we'll have lunch and you girls can roam the place after," Julia chimed in. She gently grabbed Wendy's arm, taking her away from Evelyn; leaving Maurice and her behind. "You're stealing my friend now, Mama?" With a cigarette in her hand, Evelyn followed them into the house along with Maurice.
They sat in the dining room. The table was already decorated with foods and light desserts. "So, how's college, Evie?" The patriarch reached for the salad to add some more into his bowl. "Really good, Papa. I've been doing well." Evelyn's simple, unenthusiastic response brings an awkward atmosphere between the two. "Well, that's..." Maurice paused as he looked around the room. "Nice to hear." His eyes landed on Evelyn again, the girl lowered hers to avoid contact. Julia's eyes shifted back and forth from them both; she had felt a certain tension between them, and she wasn't too keen on it. "Wendy, eat some more." She distracted herself from jumping to conclusions by persuading Wendy to eat more. "Oh, thank you..." The girl was clearly uncomfortable; she shifted her seat once every minute.
"Eve, you should go see Ted, he's been talking about you a lot. He misses you." Maurice's face was stern, his eyes were somewhat glaring at his daughter as if he was trying to tell her something. Evelyn, taken aback by his facial expression, quickly nodded her head. "Oh, I will, Papa." "Or you can see them tonight— at dinner." Julia tore a piece of bread before offering them to her daughter. "Oh." Evelyn grabbed the bread and stayed silent before responding, "I forgot it's a tradition to have thanksgiving dinner at their place." Her words aroused some odd reactions from everyone. Maurice only looked down, knowing the reason behind her peculiar words.
"Of course. They insisted." Julia furrowed her brows. "Can I not go this year?" Evelyn asked with her quiet voice. It'd be a disaster if I go. Gosh, Bobby would try and confront me in front of everyone. "What? No, they would be upset, Evie." The mother almost stood from her chair when Evelyn won't back down — it was rare for the girl to act rebellious with her mother. "I just..." "What's going on?" "Mama, I'm just... tired." Evelyn let out a big, exhausted sigh. Her lips bitten by her teeth and the fork in her hand was warm — absorbing heat from her. "Take a nap after lunch, then?" Julia suggested, her ignorance was working on Evelyn's nerves. "I just really don't want to see anyone tonight." And Evelyn was done explaining herself, she completely shut down, and continued to eat with only salad in her sight.
"Evelyn, you can't just—" "Julia, enough. Let the girl be." Maurice's mistake was getting involved in the argument without any reason. "Maurice, you can't be serious? Rose would take it to the heart, and Joe would hate you for this." Julia placed her silverware down and sipped some white wine to calm herself down. "Why would he?" Maurice shook his head out of confusion. "Because he specifically said that he wanted to see Evelyn. Plus, he did you a favor to get you that meeting with Skakel." Julia had no idea of the situation that only Maurice and Evelyn knew.
"Skakel?" Evelyn leaned forward, with her eyebrows raised at her mother. "Eve," Maurice sternly said. He turned his body slightly to face Evelyn on his left side. "Ethel's father, George. He was interested in meeting your father, so Joe helped a little bit." Julia added, and a proud smile appeared on her face, and Wendy — who had been quiet for too long — gasped as if she knew who George Skakel was. "Papa, is that true?" Evelyn's mouth parted, with lips quivering, hands turning into fists — she was ready to leave the table. Maurice only stared at his bowl of salad, his silence was deafening. "What's wrong...? That's good news, Eve." Julia tried to reassure her daughter without knowing all the facts. "I need to go." Evelyn pushed the chair back as she stood up. For one last time, she looked at Maurice with disappointment before leaving the house. "Merde." Maurice cursed. Shortly after thinking, he decided to chase after Evelyn.
"Evie!" Maurice called out to Evelyn as she was heading for the door, he managed to grab her by the arm. "Listen, Evie—" "You made a deal with George Skakel. Like you said so in your letter." Though with fury anger bursting inside Evelyn's chest, she remained stern and not yelling a word in fear of Julia and Wendy listening. "Evie, listen—" "But now you're gonna be, what, his partner?" She yanked her arm out of Maurice's grip. "Joe was asking for a favor, and in return, he got me this meeting! What could I have said?!" When Maurice raised his voice, Evelyn shushed him and glanced at the dining room. She led him out of the house and to the porch before continuing with the intense confrontational argument.
"You betrayed me. You backstabbed Bobby and me." Evelyn pointed her finger to her chest, gesturing the awful pain she was feeling. "I did not— Eve! He cheated on you," Maurice went on to explain his view, but the girl only scoffed in response. "Cheated?! He is forced to marry the daughter of the man you're making a deal with!" Evelyn pushed Maurice out of her way, hitting his shoulder as she walked away. "So what?! I have to say no because of you and your puppy love?!" The man yelled out, he only watched as Evelyn stopped in her tracks to turn around.
"Puppy love?" With furrowed brows and a look of disgust on her face, Evelyn approached her father slowly. "Jesus, Evelyn. You just turned eighteen and now you're angry that Bobby, who's much older than you, is getting married?" Maurice scoffed, wrapping his hands around the white-painted railing of the porch. "I've known Bobby for thirteen years." Evelyn's voice was breaking, her eyes tearing up once again. It was naive of her to think she could move on from the love that they had. She was deceived by the sweet little lies that life had told her; that she could live happily with someone new, like Michael Vogel. "Evelyn, my dearest daughter, I care for you." Maurice had guilt trapping his voice inside, he felt weak in the knees seeing how much his daughter's only heart was hurting.
"I wish I didn't encourage it. I wish I could see it'd end up in tears." The father walked forward, and descent from the steps. "You don't mean any of that, you don't mean anything you've said to me." Evelyn was still in her vengeful mood, her mind was heading toward anger and resentment. "I wish I protected you from him." Maurice continued to get closer to his daughter. Evelyn slowly stepped back with her head shaking. "I don't need your protection or your support." Her hair was ruffled in the wind, and her tears were drying fast. "It's done, Evelyn." Maurice's voice shifted as if it was all just an act, he puts a halt to his move. "The deal with Skakel and what you two had." His face darkened, eye pupils dilating; like the sun when you try to catch a glimpse at it. Ironically enough, the sun was enfolded by the clouds; making it seemed like a windy evening rather than an afternoon.
Evelyn stood defeated. She was waiting and anticipating the moment when Maurice would leave so she could break down and cry as much she wanted without anyone watching her. "I'll tell your mother you're not going for dinner." The man finally said the word while Evelyn only stared in silence as he made his way back into the house. And only then would the real tears of regret and agony poured out of Evelyn's eyes as if someone had turned the faucet and forgotten about it that, thus overfilled.
"Evelyn?" A gentle bodiless voice of a girl sang out. Evelyn turned around to see Wendy, she quickly faced the other way and dried her tears. "Oh, hey." She sniffled in an attempt to feel calmer, but it only revealed her real situation. "Are you okay?" Wendy laid her hand on Evelyn's back and stroked gently; she had a way of comforting people. "I'm okay!" Evelyn chuckled, desperately trying to make her leave. "You're crying, for God's sake." Wendy leaned forward to see her clearer. "It's nothing. Really." The swollen blood vessels on Evelyn's eyes told a thousand different stories to anyone who looked into it.
"Here." Wendy handed her a cotton handkerchief that she had told Evelyn her mother sewed for her. "Are you sure it's fine?" Evelyn showed her full face to her friend and let bare the new tears that were falling out. "What happened?" Wendy dismissed the question. "Nothing." While Evelyn was wiping her tears continuously, Wendy had gone speechless — she only comforted Evelyn with her touch.
"Hey..." With her emerald eyes gazing at the sea, Evelyn realized the sun had finally found its escape from the clouds and was blazing above the blues. "Do you wanna go sailing?" She turned to Wendy with a convincing smile. "Right now?" In shock, the other girl points her finger at the flaming sun. The brunette only shrugged. "Just use extra sunscreen." She simply said before walking off.
They ended up at the boathouse, a few minutes of walk from the compound. Evelyn continued to steal a few glances at Kennedy's boathouse just to see if anyone was there. "I underestimated how rich you people are," Wendy muttered, her eyes wide opened and counting the number of boats they had. "Come here, help me with the rope." Evelyn whistled, she untied the ropes and brought an anchor with her.
After a long, hard work, they managed to get the boat sailing and Evelyn had never felt so relieved when she could feel the saltwater hitting her face, and the sun warming her pale skin. "I needed this." She laid down on the surface of the boat, trying to soak in the sunbeam. Wendy stared into the distance, seemingly distracted from it all. "Evelyn... I need to confess something." She sat down close to the resting girl. "What?" Evelyn said with her eyes closed and an arm behind her head, bearing the weight. "I may have eavesdropped on you and your father," Wendy confessed as if Evelyn was a priest; there were pangs of remorse. Evelyn opened her eyes, exposing them to the deadly sunlight. She sat up to face Wendy.
"Then you know." Evelyn then looked to her left to soak her hand under the water. "So, Bobby is your boyfriend?" Wendy rubbed her boney arm, spreading the leftover sunscreen on her skin. "Was, Wendy. Was." Evelyn lifted her hand out of the ocean. "Shit. How'd it end?" Wendy's curiosity regarding the relationship puts Evelyn in a tight spot, she tried to hide the sorrow by smiling, but the smile itself was too weak that Wendy could see right through it. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to—" "His parents arranged a wedding for him." Evelyn was shocked by how much trust she had in her then-new friend, but it was her loneliness that drove her into it.
"Jesus." Wendy blinked a few times in surprise. "And I had to end it. I didn't want to be his other woman." Only then did it enter Evelyn's consciousness that in the most modest way, she was trying to cause less pain to both Bobby and his future wife, Ethel. "He was relentless, though. Wanted to keep it going." Evelyn did a quick meditation in the middle of the conversation; she closed her eyes, basked herself in the thick, humid air, and took a deep breath. "I see..." Wendy remained quiet, giving Evelyn the serenity she needed; even in repose, her face still showed signs of the strain she had been under.
"Who's the woman?" Wendy abruptly asked, even in her understanding nature, she was still burning with curiosity. "Ethel Skakel. Soon— Kennedy." Evelyn's features were still as she spoke softly. "Well, at least you're benefiting from their marriage?" Wendy instantly regretted saying it when Evelyn's face all scrunched up as if she was going to weep. "God, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." The awkwardness, however, vanished in a blink of an eye when Evelyn started speaking again.
"Do you wanna know what I truly want?" With a heated face and body, Evelyn swore she could just jump in the ocean and never have to come up for air. "I want to leave this place and go West." She added Wendy to her list of people who had knowledge of her dream. "California?" Wendy squinted her eyes, thinking there was nothing for Evelyn there. "Hollywood." Evelyn proved her wrong. "So you want to be an actress?" Wendy never took Evelyn as one of those girls who never changed their dream since they were a child. "It's always been my destiny." Evelyn nodded her head, smiling through the whole conversation.
"Then why are you studying political science?" The gears in Wendy's brain started to rotate and working twice as hard to understand the logic of everything Evelyn was doing. "I have creative talents, but I need to improve academically," Evelyn smirked. She seemed so wise and full of insights. "Don't you think it's unnecessary? I mean, college?" Wendy continued to dissect her. "Maybe. But I have a feeling it'll help me someday." As if Evelyn had stolen a few glimpses from the future, she continued with her sagacious talking. "So that if acting doesn't work, I can get a different job." Her face had softened, there was not a hint of despair nor pique anymore. Then the two girls smiled at each other, for a different reason each: Evelyn was smiling at the thought of depending on herself, and Wendy was cheerful to see her friend happy again.
Evelyn noticed a familiar book laying next to Wendy. "You're still reading Jack's thesis?" She picked it up to examine which page the girl was on. "Gosh, you say it so casually. Yes, I'm reading our congressman's book." Wendy observed the looks on Evelyn's face; there was a confused look, a grin, a slight frowning, and a faint smile. "You're almost at the climax." Evelyn returned the book to its owner. "What about you? What are you reading?" Wendy asked when she saw Evelyn bending over to reach her bag. "Only letters, lately." The girl responded before laying down the opposite way of Wendy so she couldn't peek at Bobby's letter.
"Hey, can you take me downtown tonight? I kinda wanna see what this place has to offer." Wendy didn't take her eyes off of Jack's book as she talked. "Seriously?" Evelyn lowered the paper in her hands to peep over. "Uh... yeah?" Wendy placed the book on her laps. "Sure, we can get you a new boyfriend." Evelyn lifted the letter to her face again. "Come on, just because Pete left me at that party doesn't mean he's terrible." Wendy got on her knees to sit next to Evelyn as the boat was swaying gently on the ocean. "Mmhm." The sarcasm in Evelyn's voice was loud enough for the girl to hear. "Ugh." Wendy rolled her eyes before going back into reading Jack's thesis.
The night fell, Maurice and Julia Bellamy found themselves all alone in their house, not a glimpse of the two girls. They left to be at Thanksgiving dinner with their longtime neighbor as the clock struck eight o'clock; they were extremely precise with time.
"I'm so sorry Evelyn couldn't come today. She's feeling ill, I think it's just a fever." Julia started the conversation at the dining table, there were multiple pairs of eyes staring at her face while she explained the situation. Bobby, however, could've sworn he saw Evelyn and a friend drifting away joyously in a car just a few hours ago. "That's terrible. I hope she'll feel better soon." Before putting food inside his mouth, Jack said his good wishes. "Oh, she will. Thank you, Jack." Julia had felt a warmth inside her heart to hear Jack spoke for the first time since they arrived. It's been almost a year since she had seen him in flesh and blood.
Joe cleared his throat after chewing on some turkey leg. He chugged on his red wine before opening his mouth to speak. "How unfortunate. I wanted to talk to her." Maurice gave Joe a look of concern. "About what?" He asked after taking a bite of his food. "Well, I wanted to ask her if she's still interested in Hollywood." Joe aggressively ground his knife against the plate to cut a part of the turkey. "No. She's in college, Joe." Maurice felt like he was pointing out the obvious, but it needed to be said. That was until Bobby got himself involved in the discussion, "being a starlet is Evelyn's biggest dream, Mr. Bellamy!" He spoke with so much care for the girl. It was like standing under a spotlight; Bobby had all eyes questionably looking at him.
"Anyway," Joe cleared his empty throat once again, "a friend of mine is looking for young women to play in a future project of his." His eyes were wide and coercing, but Maurice was used to it by then. "When's that?" Julia may have sounded a little bit too excited that Maurice had to pinch her arm from under the table. "In the future. Perhaps after Evelyn graduates." Joe forced a smile, deep down he only wanted to do a favor for his director friend by finding young, innocent girls to preyed upon. "I'm sure she'd be delighted." Julia, out of spite against Maurice, accepted the offer on her daughter's behalf.
"Julia..." The man beside Julia was worried and anxious about getting his daughter involved with the man she hated the most. "Dear, you know she'd say yes to this." Julia, on the other hand, was over the moon that she had secured a spot in Hollywood for Evelyn after her graduation. "It's a huge project. If she could pass the audition, she might be paid thousands of dollars." Joe played the relentless salesman, but he had to work harder since only the wife was buying it, and the husband who's paying the price. "What I mean is that she would get a bunch of roles if it succeeds." The senior man didn't back down, and at that point, it seemed more like a duty for Maurice to accept it or he'd have more than three people against him — four, if you include Evelyn.
꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂
P.S: The very first chapter in 2021! Anyway, hi! I hope you guys enjoyed the longest chapter (6k words!!) I've ever written, and have a good day, my lovelies <3