Getting Married Again

That Leta wanted to get married again surprised her. She thought she was contented with her life. After all, she was 42 years old and had been on her own for seven years. She had been working for nearly a year in an office of a factory, where she helped process orders. She had her own apartment, and a comfortable social life. Her children were grown. There was no good reason for her to let marriage disrupt this pleasant life.

Then her daughter Vivian introduced her to the man she was going to marry, and suddenly everything changed. While Leta would never admit it, her first encounter with her future son-in-law was an embarrassing one. She had been nervous. She wanted to make a good impression. He knew that she had been married four times. He knew that she had spent the last several years in relationships with multiple men that she had not married. He knew that she abandoned his fiancee and her brother when they were teenagers. She wanted to show him a different side, the one where she was a proper mother-in-law.

But she was too nervous, and one drink to calm her nerves turned into several. When she finally saw him, he was so handsome that she just wanted to give him a big hug and kiss, so she did. He drew back in surprise, and suddenly everything was tense. They finished their evening, had supper and went their own ways.

For the next two weeks, Leta did not touch a drink. She spoke to her daughter Vivian once on the telephone. Vivian seemed calm, but one could never tell what her quiet, introspective daughter was actually thinking or feeling. Vivian stated that she was too busy to see her.

That simple declaration hurt Leta, and she wanted to make amends. She invited both Vivian and her fiance Ed to dinner in two weeks. Vivian hesitated but then agreed. Unfortunately, Ed could not accompany her. He had another obligation, Vivian said, but she wanted to spend time with her mother anyway.

Leta had made lemon meringue pie for dessert and a batch of her special raisin cookies to follow a hearty meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and fresh bakery bread. Leta loved fresh bread, but she never learned how to bake it.

Although the conversation lacked tension, Vivian was more subdued than usual, and Leta less outgoing. Vivian did, however, talk about her upcoming marriage. While they definitely were getting married, they had not yet set a date. Finances were a slight concern, especially since she was not working.

“Do you need a job?” Leta asked.

“Yes, I need a job, Ma,” Vivian answered with a slight irritation, obviously misunderstanding her mother’s question.

“No, I mean, do you need help in finding a job?” Leta clarified.

“I’ve made a few calls, but no one is hiring,” Vivian said. “Being a housekeeper is not a great background for most places.

“But you took secretarial and bookkeeping classes in high school,” Leta said. “You were on the Honor Roll! Doesn’t that count for something.”

“That was three years ago, Ma. “I’m not sure I could even keep up.”

“Of course, you could,” Leta insisted. “Let me check around for you. May I?”

“Yes, I’d appreciate that. Thank you.”

While Leta’s own marital history was complicated and full of frustration, she still wanted the best for her daughter.  The Depression was still going on and jobs were scarce, but she knew enough people to find some employment for her daughter.

And that’s when she realized—as she was walking back to her apartment from the streetcar where she saw her daughter safely aboard—that she, too, wanted to be married again.