Outlaws - An American Youth - [Charles Smith x OC]

Chapter 8 - Theater and women's rights

I woke up with a terrible headache. The camp was idling after this wild party. Once I've done the few tasks that were assigned to me, I returned to my bed and took out the book that had been returned to me the day before. An Opera book ¤.

I discovered it at the ranch, one day that I was going through the trunks of our attic. I immediately stopped in front of this stunning booklet. The words on its cover sounded magical. La Traviata. Inside, I found the text being in English as well as in Italian. My eyes would linger on these unknown words.

My grandfather and his brothers were among those few Italians who immigrated in the 1840s. He found himself an American girl in New York, and soon after my mother was born. When she was 10 years old, her parents decided to try their luck further West, where she, as an adult, met my father. My mother spoke little of the language of her ancestors, teaching us only some songs, some words. Our family was American now, we had to speak English.

I remember going down to question her. She was surprised to see this long-forgotten booklet. She leafed through it, before explaining to me how, still a maiden, she went to New-York. Her family there were now prosperous and managed to get seats to attend an opera written by an Italian, Verdi. Oh sure, they were far from the stage and could barely see the actors. But for my mother who for years had only known the harshness of the West, it was a dream.

She remembered those moments with great emotion. Closing the booklet, she handed it to me, and told me to keep it preciously. "It could teach you a few things about life."

I hurried to hide it away from my sisters, thrilled by this complicity with my mother. I was sometimes jealous of my sisters, who received so much learning from her, when I was deprived of it by my condition of "boy".

Sitting by the lake, I plunged back into this text with delight, rediscovering the joys and sorrows of this strong woman. I never knew what lessons my mother wanted me to learn from this story. Should I be wary of the risks of being an independent woman? Or on the contrary, should I never make concessions and live despite good morals?

------

At nightfall, I joined the others by the fire. I was asked about this book I haven't left all afternoon. After learning its subject, Mary-Beth begged me to tell this story. Some walked away laughing at the mention of this love story. But others remained to listen. Javier grabbed his guitar and played background music.

"This story is about Violetta, whose lifestyle depends on her beauty and the generosity of her lovers. At a party, she met this innocent man, Alfredo, who is in love with her. First making fun of him, she's finally convinced by his feelings.

For months, they live hidden from the world in an expensive country house. To sustain this way of living, Violetta sells all the things she owns. She doesn't want Alfredo to pay for a thing, as her previous lovers were doing. This time, it's true love, and she wants to prove it by not accepting a cent from him.

One day, as Alfredo is out for some business, his father arrives at the house. He begs Violetta to leave his son. He argues that soon, she will lose her beauty, boredom will come to the couple and they will inevitably separate. On the other hand, he has a daughter who was to be married to a man she loves, but the wedding had been cancelled because of Alfredo's reckless lifestyle, casting a shadow on the family reputation.

Violetta fights, she wants to prove the sincerity of her feelings. But in the end, she accepts to sacrifice herself for the good of the young girl. She leaves Alfredo, making him believe that she's going back to her previous lover.