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EURYDICE WAS A HUNGRY YOUNG GIRL. She was hungry in the figurative sense of having had the early stages of life dictated by her parents and society's vision of what a woman's role should be. As a child, Eurydice Reid née Delaney would tell herself that she was lucky to not be hungry in the literal sense; her father made considerable wages as a lawyer while her mother wasted her life away doing the one thing a woman could do – ensuring that their white picket fence house in the Toledo suburbs remained spotless and critiquing her daughter for stepping a toe out of line. More than anything, Eurydice dreaded becoming a trophy wife like her mother before her, even though her parents advised her that it was in her best interest to marry a man who could provide for her.
It was no surprise that her parents disapproved of Scott, the son of Jewish immigrants with no penny to his name. He can't support you the way you deserve, they insisted, don't come crying to us for financial support. But having been raised in a strict Christian household, Eurydice knew deep down that their disdain for him was really because of antisemitism. In the end, there was nothing Thomas and Marjorie Delaney could do to stop their daughter from marrying the man she loved, though they never accepted him as her husband. On the contrary, Scott's family was more than welcoming of her even with their contrasting religions, which they believed didn't make any difference. Not a day went by that Eurydice regretted her decision in choosing love over convenience.
Her parents' rejection of Scott was one of three tribulations Eurydice faced throughout her lifetime. The second was Amara's diagnosis of autism. Naturally, Marjorie decried that none of this would've happened if you'd swallowed your pride and married the right man! and even went so far as to suggest that Amara be placed in an asylum before she brought further harm upon their family. Eurydice and Scott had outright refused, pledging to raise Amara the best they could. Eurydice's parents, Marjorie especially, were still bitter that their daughter had married a Jew, and found it easiest to blame Amara. Every tantrum, every school that threw her out, every headache she caused fed Marjorie's sentiment, blinding her to any progress her granddaughter made.
These days, Marjorie rotted away in a house too big for her in the years since her husband died from leukemia. After a contentious family dinner in the summer of '84 that led to Amara crying in the bathroom, Eurydice screaming herself hoarse, and the Reid family driving back to Hawkins late at night rather than staying for a week as they had planned, Eurydice cut off contact with her mother for good. Marjorie had caught Amara's arm on the way out the door, apologizing for her insensitivity and stating that she only wanted the best for her, but instead of giving in Amara had responded, I know. I just figured you'd be more supportive of me, that's all. Eurydice pondered if Marjorie envied that her daughter was happier in her marriage than she had ever been in hers, but it was no excuse for everything she'd put their family through.
The third tribulation Eurydice confronted was in the early hours of July 5, 1985, when she and Scott came to terms with the supernatural forces their children had been battling for years.
