Dear Diary, it's Marilyn

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next morning I woke up bright and early, threw on a robe, and went to the kitchen to help Mrs. Dougherty make breakfast. She was making pancakes and sent me to work making freshly-squeezed orange juice.

“I didn’t expect you to be up this early after your wedding night.” She smiled warmly at me. I knew what she was referring to and I played along with it. Jim and I had agreed to at least pretend.

“Yes, well I just wanted to do something nice for Jim. He slept like an angel after-well, you know…” I giggled like a schoolgirl and Jim’s mother joined in the laughter.

“I remember after my wedding night, Edward, Jim’s father, slept in till noon!” Mrs. Dougherty cackled.

“I hope Jim doesn’t sleep in that late; he has to go to work at the grocery store.”

Mrs. Dougherty clapped her hands in delight. “Oh, look at you! You already have the makings of a wonderful housewife and mother! My son is such a lucky boy.”

I smiled at Jim’s mother and thanked her for her praise, but inwardly I cringed. Housewife? A little while ago, that word hadn’t sounded nearly as terrible as it did now.

How come you never hear of househusbands? It’s because men get to do all the fun things in life. A man could be a store clerk or a doctor or a lawyer or a photographer or a builder or a handyman or an actor! What could a woman be? She could be a factory worker, a school teacher, and not much else.

For a woman to lead an exciting life, she had to  break some rules. Well-behaved women rarely make history.

“You know, Mrs. Dougherty-“

“Please, Norma!” She interrupted. “Call me Ethel.”

“Ok…Ethel…” I continued. “I always wanted to be a school teacher. Educate the future and all that…”

But Ethel just laughed. “But Norma dear, you have to finish high school for that!”

That comment really upset me. Whose fault was it that I couldn’t finish high school? Granted, it wasn’t hers; it was Grace’s, but how dare she laugh at me for it? I had a good mind to tell her how insulted I felt, before I remembered she was my mother-in-law and Jim and I couldn’t afford our own place.

No, I had no choice. If it was my wifely duty to make my husband’s home life as pleasant as possible, then that’s was what I would do.

Jim entered the room then, yawning loudly. He had gotten half-dressed for work, but his shirt was still un-tucked and he was struggling to tie his tie.

“Darling, I’ll get that for you.” I expertly tied his tie, thanks to lots of practice from tying Robert and Bill’s ties for church.

“Thank you, honey.” He mumbled, still tired as he took his seat at the breakfast table.

Jim’s father, Edward, came into the kitchen then, looking just as tired as Jim.

“Breakfast is on the table, Ed.” Ethel sat him down at his seat before sitting down herself. I sat down next to Jim.

Everyone began piling food on their plates, drowning their pancakes in maple syrup, and drinking orange juice like there was no tomorrow. I’m telling you, that family could eat! Well, I suppose I should say my family could eat, since I was now a part of their family.

“So, how did you newlyweds sleep last night?” Edward asked, winking at Jim as he piled another 3 pancakes on his plate. Jim froze up so I cut in.