Lucille

Having dedicated much of the afternoon and early evening to averting a crisis at her brother Aaron’s, Leta was ready to spend the rest of the night relaxing with a gin and tonic at the Flat Iron, the local speakeasy. The yelling and crying that had filled the house had gotten to her. The raised voices, slamming doors and sobbing were exhausting for all of them. While she always missed having her own children with her, she was glad that she did not subject them to the kind of emotional hysteria that occasionally overwhelmed her brother Aaron’s household, where she was living temporarily.

This incident centered on her 17-year-old niece Lucille. Without either of her parents’ knowledge, Lucille had been secretly spending time with a gentleman she had met at a barn dance. Florence, Lucille’s mother and Leta’s sister-in-law, didn’t approve of dancing. Her church taught that it was an act of the devil, much like card playing and drinking, which, incidentally, were two of Lucille’s husband Aaron’s past-times. Leta had gone with her sister-in-law to church once since moving in with the family, but the many gasps, head turns, whispers and cold stares made her feel highly unwelcome. Then the preacher boldly announced that he was altering from his planned sermon to speak about “the evils of the temptress,” and Leta knew she would never return.

Florence’s faith guided her to being fiercely protective of her two daughters, in spite of the apparent disconnect between herself and her eldest Lucille. On the other hand, Aaron just wanted to keep his daughters away from the kind of degenerates he consorted with several nights at week—at the Flat Iron and other establishments where he dealt cards and had a few drinks.

Earlier that day, Lucille finally decided to tell her parents and her Aunt Leta that she was in a friendly relationship with a man. Both parents were startled. Previously, they had met her gentleman callers, having laid out a strict set of rules for their daughters with regards to boys. Before either could get too angry, Leta diffused their surprise with a quick, “When do we get to meet him?”

Lucille swallowed hard and continued while Leta kept her eye on her brother and sister-in-law. Both had stiffened noticeably, and Aaron seemed poised to pounce. But even Leta wasn’t expecting what came next. Lucille’s beau was fifteen years her senior and unemployed. He had come to their town to look for work, but was having difficulty, he declared, with the downright harsh working conditions of the local farmers, all of them vicious and jealous employers who were dedicated to making their farm hands’ lives miserable. The dance was held on the farm where he had been working temporarily for a family that her parents knew but didn’t respect very much. There they had danced several times, and since spent many afternoons walking in the fields and getting to know each other. She finished with a nearly defiant declaration that she loved him and that was that.

Aaron’s face had turned a deep red, and Florence’s even paler than usual. Then the shouting commenced. Parents rejected everything their daughter stated, one by ranting and the other through begging and tears. Daughter continued to voice with shouts and tears her determination to continue to pursue the relationship. The younger daughter June ran crying from the room. Mother collapsed in a near faint. Father kicked and broke the coffee table. Daughter stomped into her room and slammed the door. Father stormed out the back. All the while, Leta had been attempting, fruitlessly, to ease everyone into a calm and quiet discussion.

And here she was two hours later, after providing some comfort to each of the women in the house, and checking up on Aaron in the back room of the establishment, calming herself with a much needed drink. She resolved then and there that she needed to find herself a job and set up her own household.