You Must Remember This

Chapter 28 - You must remember this

Brooklyn, July 4, 1941

Of all the places Evelyn could have taken him, Bucky had never expected something quite like the shabby little townhouse at the end of the street. It felt somewhat out of place next to the huge brownstone, but that one, in turn, felt out of place for this particular neighborhood. It was evident this brothel was more upscale than the others. The girls working here probably charged a penny a dime but were undoubtedly worth every cent. Bucky couldn't help but scoff when he noticed a group of men in rich coats and tophats being ushered into the property.

Good enough to have their five minutes of fun, but they sneer at us for everything else.

Suddenly, the madam - a busty blonde about mid-forties wearing a frivolous deep magenta dress and light violet feather boa - noticed them walking past and waved, calling loudly to Evelyn.

"Hiya, sweetie! You lookin' fancy tonight! You're not mixing business with pleasure now, are you?!"

"All pleasure tonight, Miss Lettie!" yelled Evelyn.

"I should hope so with that piece of eye candy you got there!"

Bucky's cheeks flushed all shades of red. He'd gotten compliments from women before, of course, but never so loud and out in the open. And certainly never from anyone such as this lady.

"Ooow, look at him gettin' all shy!" Miss Lettie roared with laughter when she caught him blushing. "Don't you worry, honey! She don't bite!"

"I wouldn't be so sure!" It was out before he knew it, and Bucky instantly wished he could just crawl into a corner.

"HA, that's rich! You got a good one there, Evelyn! Keep an eye on him before my girls catch him!"

Miss Lettie didn't wait for a reply and re-entered her establishment, still laughing heartily at their interaction. Bucky then heard the light chuckle from the young woman still holding his hand. He looked down at Evelyn, wondering what else she had in store for him.

"Do I wanna know how you know that woman?" he asked, feigning mild curiosity when he was really burning on the inside.

"I know almost everyone in this neighborhood, James," answered Evelyn. "Does that surprise you?"

"A little, if I'm honest. But I suppose a midwife and nurse goes where she's needed."

"Miss Lettie was one of the first women I saw at the clinic since it opened," she explained. "She brought in one of the girls that frequent the streets. Poor thing had a venereal disease on top of being pregnant and had to be admitted for treatment. When Miss Lettie told me then that she feared for some of the others and that she was barely keeping up with the health and safety of her own girls, I decided to come up and see what we could do. Many working the streets and bordellos do so because they have nowhere else to go, while some are actually forced into this by their families to keep bread on the table. I can't help all of them, and some don't want help, but it doesn't stop me from trying. Every victory I achieve here is all thanks to Miss Lettie, though. They all follow her example. She was the first to demand the clients wear protection, and now, almost all brothels do. The street girls pick up those they kick out, but a few of them carry the same policy. There are fewer diseases, fewer pregnancies, even fewer deaths."