Leta spent two months in Madison, Wisconsin.
Charlie—that’s what she called him—had asked her to be his secretary on a
project there, and she liked him well enough that she agreed. She didn’t really
have any secretarial skills, but she was a good organizer and paid attention to
detail. If he spoke slowly enough, she could take dictation. Charlie didn’t
really want her for her secretarial skills anyway.
They had met several times at the Flat Iron when he was
passing through on business. He would stop in for a few drinks, and she would talk
to him. She was there on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. On Wednesdays, she
would mind her sister-in-law Florence’s children during Bible study. On
Fridays, they would have a family dinner at which she would have two or three
glasses of bourbon, and then collapse into bed. Sundays was her day off. She
would usually go to church, then meet one of her sisters—Louise or Nellie—for
dinner, and to give “Aaron and Flo a break” from her intrusion into their
household.
She had been staying with her brother and sister-in-law for
six months—from September until March—six stressful and lonely months. She knew
that she wasn’t an ideal situation, but she had no choice. She had left her
husband, taken her children to their father’s and had nowhere else to go. It
wasn’t an easy situation for any of them, except perhaps their two daughters.
Lucille and June loved having their glamorous aunt in the house. For the most
part, their mother Florence was pleased. She had her dearest friend with her,
cooking, cleaning, laughing and sewing. Leta could sew beautifully, and
assisted Florence in making several dresses for herself and her girls. Her
brother Aaron also enjoyed Leta’s company, but disapproved of his younger
sister’s behavior with men. She didn’t always approve of his behavior either.
He spent two nights per week dealing cards in the backroom of the Flat Iron.
Leta didn’t mind the card playing so much, but she feared that with the
gambling element, he might be arrested. Over the months, they had several rows.
So Leta took breaks. She would meet a fellow at the Flat Iron
or another speakeasy and spend anywhere from a night to a weekend to a week
with him. She never asked if he was married, she never asked anything about her
companion’s family. Most of their talk was comprised of mindless nothings,
easily forgotten, as he was. Some of the men were traveling salesmen, like
Charlie. He was based in Cleveland, but traveled throughout Northern Ohio. When
he invited her to a business conference in Madison to assist him, she agreed
immediately. Her decision was aided by an argument she had earlier that
afternoon with her brother. And she had been sufficiently intoxicated to not
really think about the choice she made.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a bad decision.
Charlie was a pleasant enough fellow, tall, cheerful and
chatty. Most salesmen, she learned, were outgoing and full of stories of their
adventures. The two of them took the train from Toledo to Chicago, spent a day
there exploring the city, and then another train to Minneapolis, where they
immediately transferred to the train to Madison. For reasons that were obvious
to Leta, he wanted a sleeping car, but his company would not pay for it, so
they sat side-by-side on a regular car. During a good part of the ride, she
rested one of her hands in his lap. Three times during the trip, she had to
wash her hand, and twice they went into the small lavatory together.
In Madison, Leta went with him everywhere—to every meeting and
activity. He introduced her as his secretary. She took notes of the
conversations, she filled out order forms, and she charmed his colleagues and
clients. Her companion bought her two new dresses, shoes, pocketbooks and an
elegant coat. He gave her the money to have her hair styled.
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