In A Different Time (Watty's 2024)

Chapter 14

I've been staying in the Ryder household for three weeks now. As promised, I took care of the house in exchange for my stay. James and George made me feel at home but I didn't forget to remind myself that I shouldn't feel too comfortable. I don't belong in this time and still I have to think of a way how to get back to my time. Until now, I still don't know why I'm even here or how was it even possible for me to be here. This question remained unsolved. If I raised my concern, they might think I'm crazy and will send me to an asylum and I don't want that to happen. So, I'll keep this to myself.

While I'm still here, I observe in fascination as I experience living in the 50s. It amazes me I get to see it with my own eyes. This answers my curiosity of what were people like during this time. The culture is different from the culture I was born into.

During this time, women are still being expected to be the perfect little housewife while the men were the head of the household. A huge pressure for women to have a ring on their finger than a diploma in their hand. Only a small percentage of women are in universities. Although they can vote and have work opportunities, their rights are still limited. This made me truly realize that women's rights have come a long way. I have to constantly remind myself to hold back my tongue whenever I hear a sexist comment. I don't want any unwanted attention and not to cause any trouble for James.

The same goes for the African Americans. They are able to go to school and have jobs but you can see the unfairness of the system. It's like they're being left behind while those around them are improving for the better. There's also those sly snide remarks being thrown at them. One time, a middle aged man loudly murmured the most offensive word for African Americans at George while we were in the grocery store. I was about to call him out but George held me back and told me to ignore it.

People haven't really acknowledge their rights. In my point of view, there's a line between them. Even though it's invisible in the naked eye, it's there if you look close enough.

The 50s great with its music and films but I have been missing a lot of things that I got used to doing in the 21st century. I terribly miss Wifi. Without it, there's no Google. Although, it seems pointless since Google hasn't been invented yet. So, I solely depend on books when I need to search for something which is time consuming. I also miss my phone. The other day, I asked George if he saw my phone anywhere because I was going to take a picture of the cookies I baked and post it on Instagram. He furrowed his eyebrows and pointed at the telephone and told me James has a camera that I can use. I mentally scolded myself to be more mindful. The TV shows during this time is enjoyable but I do miss watching modern films and shows. I haven't finish watching season 2 episode 9 of 9-1-1 and I want to know Hen's full story.

The one thing that I still haven't gotten used to is the celebrities coming to James' house. I almost dropped the tray of food I was carrying when I saw Audrey Hepburn sitting on the couch along with James, Martin and Kurt Frings, Audrey Hepburn's agent. They were talking about their upcoming movie project. James has to snap his fingers to bring me back to reality when the four of them saw me standing still at the entry way with awestruck eyes. I'm thankful she didn't think I was some creep. She kindly smiled at me and gave me a friendly hug. She even let me sit down beside her and included me in their conversation. I wasn't listening to them because I was too busy admiring Audrey Hepburn's beauty. Lucinda Wright's beauty is nowhere near hers. Mom's a big Audrey Hepburn fan. It's a shame I can't brag this to her.

Besides Audrey Hepburn, I got to meet Frank Sinatra! I remembered from the articles I read that him and James are pretty close friends despite the age difference. Sinatra shared in news articles he sees James as a brother. He came to visit him and spent some time with his friend. When he saw me, he threw me one of his charming smiles. He thanked me for serving them Iced Tea and mini burgers. Then, he started singing his song All The Things You Are. His eyes trained on me as he serenaded me and I swear it's hard not to swoon. The articles were right; he's a real charmer. James stopped him in mid-song and escorted me to my room while Frank Sinatra's laugh filled the air. George became their server instead of me every time he comes to visit. I asked James if I did something and he told me I didn't but he thinks it's better if George served them. I still don't understand why but I let it go.