Aphrodite Rising

Chapter #15 - Lauren - More Questions Than Answers

While I listened to Sylvia recount this chapter of her life, I itched to ask her questions, but I let her continue to speak, hoping my questions would be answered in the natural flow of things. The most pressing one I had was, "Why did you let Norm Stetler abuse you like that?"

As if the answer was obvious when I asked her, she responded with, "Why does any victim stay with their abuser?" After she thought silently for a moment, she added, "I didn't think I had any choice, really. I was the one who signed the contract with a man who was in league with the mob and, honestly, I was terrified. It felt like I had nobody who could help me. At that point, Norm had alienated me from both Arthur and Gerard, forcing them from my life. I could contact Gerard through Angela, but he was still bitter with the circumstances of our professional parting and, for all intents and purposes, he was finished with my career as well as my friendship."

"What about James?" I asked.

"James was unaware of the situation," she answered quietly. "He was the reason I found the courage to leave, but he didn't know the reality of what I was living with until years later."

We left our table in the cafe and began walking towards the downtown stores. I paused to look at some shoes in the window of one of them. Sylvia chuckled as she appreciated them. "Those remind me of the shoes I wore with my wedding dress," she reminisced. "They were my 'something blue.'"

"Will you tell me more about you and James?" I asked. "I mean, I've read accounts of it, but I would love to know from you, personally."

Her smile faded to melancholy. "Well," she sighed, "I can tell you, the day he left, my world fell apart." She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "But when he was in my life, I was his queen." She didn't elaborate and I didn't want to push her. Sylvia stayed quiet for the rest of our shopping trip. I could tell she really wasn't with me, her thoughts had wandered to an entirely different place and time.

When I dropped her off, I asked if she could continue her story the next day. "Let's make it Wednesday," she answered. "I wanted to spend some time with Millie tomorrow."

I gave her a hug and watched her disappear into the retirement center. As I sat in my car, I had one nagging thought, one question I would have loved to have her answer in that moment, bud hadn't dared to ask. What had happened to destroy something she obviously still treasured and what happened to James? He had disappeared from the spotlight just as surely as she had and been forgotten nearly as much, though he had made a few television appearances before retiring completely.

Hoping to shed some light on these myself, I rushed home and ran upstairs to my room, much to the chagrin of my mom, who was attempting to summon me for my waiting dinner as I sped through the house. I closed my door and plopped down on my bed, flipping open my laptop in the process.

I Googled his name and most of the web pages that populated my search were fan sites trumping Hollywood's "Golden Era" and included mostly basic biographical information. I was familiar with majority of it, that he had been born in London on August 8, 1928, making him a year younger than Sylvia. He was an only child, born to William Hampton Green III and Mary Elizabeth Waymar. His family traveled due to his father's vested interest in the shipping industry. I was familiar with it all.

James and Sylvia were married on October 1, 1956. There were photos, both of James as a young, toe-headed child of about five as well as the star Hollywood had made him, hair darker, a knowing smile, all style. In the wedding photograph that was published, he wore a tuxedo, Sylvia wore a simple white column gown and a long veil. His arm was wrapped protectively around her waist and she gazed lovingly up at him, clearly smitten. They were young and in love, Hollywood's darlings.