The life of Sandy Rose

Chapter 14: January 1926

Sandy walked all the way back home, feeling her heart race, but she also felt a sense of excitement and also...reverence for herself.
She was proud of herself.
She only wished that she had told every single person in that café what she thought about them. Especially that rotten Shelly McGee.

Upon getting to the apartments, she saw Mary was waiting by the steps, smoking. Sandy smiled.
"Mary!" she called excitedly, waving.
Mary turned, a small smirk appearing on her face and she embraced Sandy when she had run into her arms, nearly toppling her.
"Oh dear! You nearly knocked me over!" she laughed, "I've missed you, Sandy."
"It's been a while. Would you like to come in?"
"Why yes, but do tell me why you are home. You are supposed to be at work, aren't you?"
"Were you going to wait here for me? For eight hours?" Sandy wondered.
"My purse is a bit tight nowadays, Sandy. I'm staying with my parents now, but I couldn't take a moment longer with my insufferable mother today. My train ticket is for this evening."
"Why are you staying with your parents, Mary?" Sandy asked, even though she knew exactly why, and hated herself for it, miserably.
"We'll talk inside now won't we?"
"Of course."
Sandy took Mary's bag from her, leading her upstairs to the quiet home, where Sandy kicked off her shoes and lay across the seat, sighing.
Mary sat daintily in Sandy's father's armchair, which was now Johnny's. Johnny had been the one to establish that, leaving Sandy with no say in it.
"I quit today," Sandy announced, proud to say it with confidence.
"What?" Mary voiced in confusion, "Why?"
"I had had enough, Mary. Forever being taken for a tramp doesn't get any more pleasant. I'd rather be jobless than work in a place that I can get slapped and be blamed for it."
"Who slapped you?" Mary was literally on the edge of her seat, engrossed.
"One of the women at work slapped me for something that happened to her husband. He tried to force me, Mary."
"That hardly sounds like your fault."
"You should try telling her."
"But what happened to her husband?"
Sandy hesitated. She tried to think of a way to avoid mentioning Ronnie's involvement. She sighed, for it appeared that she had to lie again.
"The man that I'm seeing roughed him up," Sandy spoke. Mary's eyes widened, "Really!"she puffed away however, taking a moment, "What a story. But do tell me about the man you are seeing? Is he handsome?"
"Terribly so," she said. She had a smile on her face when she said this, but she couldn't help but feel evil. This would be the perfect time to tell Mary what the deal was, but it would also be a perfect time to destroy their relationship forever, "But Mary, tell me about your situation," Sandy pressed, sitting up.
Mary sighed but smiled at Sandy, "Of course darling." She shrugged off her coat, sitting back with her cigarette holder, smoke swirling around her face, "Me and Ronnie have separated."
Sandy put her hand over her mouth, feeling like a bitch, but she also hoped Mary found this act convincing.
Mary shook her head in annoyance, "He basically threw me out!" she voiced in anguish, "He treated me like one of the help! And good for nothing help they were!"
"Oh Mary, that's terrible. Why don't you stay with somebody else?"
She shook her head, "I'll be fine, as long as I start to make my own money; silly old me for not thinking about it. All my life, it has been a man providing everything for me. You can't get by on being a socialite these days," she sighed.
Sandy knew her brother would hate her for this, but she felt obligated to at least ask, "Would you like to stay with us?"
"Oh Sandy, my love, I couldn't!" she shook her hand in dismissal, "All I want from you is your friendship. And I know for a fact your brother would kill you if you invited me here. I feel he'll already want to murder you because you've quit your job, honey."
"He'll have to get used to it, of course. I can't go back there," Sandy stated, set on that being her mantra.
"Good for you, it's about time you take back respect. I've always seen you as much more than that, anyway."
Sandy pondered this, knowing it wasn't true. As much as she hated to remember it, Mary had always looked her nose down on her; she couldn't have possibly seen Sandy as more than this.
Mary's snobbish behaviour made a deep down part of Sandy happy she was getting what she deserved, but Sandy would never tell her friend this.
"Of course I'll need to find another job, but so do you, I suppose?"
"Baby steps," Mary drew in breath from the top of her cigarette.
"Will you divorce him then?"
"Of course!" she shrugged, "I cannot imagine myself wanting to stay married to him a moment longer than I must. He's already made sure that I've been shunned from our community, all my so-called friends refuse to return my calls and I basically have nothing!"
Sandy listened, nodding, but she deciphered every single thing Mary spoke that evening.
By saying she had, "nothing," Sandy knew Mary meant that she couldn't do anything on her own, no maids or servants, and no opportunities to throw fancy parties. In conclusion, she couldn't be snobbishly spoilt anymore, "Snd my parents make it undeniably hard for me too, saying they told me so and that I need to earn my keep this time around. Of course, they'd never say this to my sisters and brothers. It's always me."
Sandy saw Mary as a sulky little child still, the youngest of five children, who had to exert her prestige over those smaller than her, those being Sandy when they were younger, in return for what her siblings did to her.
But Sandy always had some kind of deference towards her.