The Fallen Girls 💍

Chapter Six: New Arrival

It couldn't be. Izzy held the slightly crumpled letter in her hands, unfolding it for the fifth time. She blinked as she reread the signature at the end. Rita. She couldn't believe it—she'd actually written her.

Her finger traced the perfectly etched words on the page as she sat in her pajamas on her bed. Rita was getting married. In Hollywood, California of all places—in just two weeks. The smorgasbord of emotions she felt left her exhausted as she folded the letter once again and slipped it back into the envelope.

Closing her eyes, she rested her head back against her wooden headboard. Of course, there was no way she would go. It had all been a farce—a pact they'd concocted to cope with the fact that they'd never see each other again. Rita must've taken it more seriously than the rest of them. Surely, she didn't want to bring the past back into her new happy life.

But, then again, maybe Rita was feeling the same emptiness that Izzy felt. Perhaps, she was suffering from keeping it all inside. It would be a welcome release to talk about what happened with the only people in the world who would truly understand.

It was the end of April, nearly six months since she arrived back home. Janet's wedding had come and gone. She'd attended for Janet's sake, but the whole thing had been a nightmare with Janet's mother's disdainful looks and Lou's careful avoidance.

Unfortunately, the wedding wasn't the only place she felt uncomfortable. It seemed everywhere she went, people she knew made an effort to avoid her. Perhaps, it was just in her head, but she felt like a leper every time she ventured out.

Most days, when she wasn't working at the diner, she stayed in her room and listened to the radio. Wes' voice regularly drifted through her room. She was back to daydreaming about the two of them on the island, and how things might have been if they'd met somewhere other than that place and time.

She also thought of Lou and how she might've thrown away the chance at a perfectly constructed life. She and Lou and Fred and Janet, playing bridge as couples on Saturday nights and taking their kids to the park on Sunday afternoons.

A sharp pain hit her chest as the image of a pink little bundle flashed before her eyes. It was followed by the sound of Francine screaming for her baby, and she brought her hands to her ears, closing her eyes tightly. Go away. Sometimes those awful memories crept up out of nowhere.

Her baby would be around seven months old. Izzy thought back to what Sammy was doing at that age. He'd been a fat, happy baby, sitting on the carpet surrounded by toys. She couldn't breath.

Jumping from the bed, she slid open the curtains and lifted the window. A cool breeze drifted in through the screen, along with the classic sounds of spring. Birds singing, children laughing, and dogs barking. She breathed it all in deeply—fresh cut grass, blooming lilacs, rustic pine—shoving the painful memories back into the dark crevice of her mind.

Long winter months in Michigan always mustered an appreciation for spring. There were times when days would go by without the sun making an appearance. She didn't realize how much she missed the sun until it was spring.

A sharp rap on the door. She quickly hid the letter underneath her mattress. "Come in."

"Isadora." Her mother opened the door, her belly round and large. The baby was due any day. "I'm having a ladies tea this afternoon. I'd like you to take Maria and Sammy to the park for awhile."

"Alright, mother."

Izzy knew that the women who attended her mother's ladies tea had heard the rumors about her. It would be much less awkward for both her and her mother if Izzy wasn't around.