𝗜𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀 | 𝐁𝗼𝐛𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐲/𝗥𝗙𝗞

III: "Old Dream Comes True"

Evelyn finds herself tossing and turning on her bed. It was clear, watching the sunrise with Bobby would be the last time she sees him for a while. Her mother has been supportive of her choice, her father — not so much. Maurice rooted for his daughter to continue her study to get a law degree, but having a bachelor was more than enough for Evelyn. So the father conveys his dissatisfaction with the decision by being cold; he stops talking to her altogether, and avoided being in her presence for too long.

Dinner would be the only time they face each other, and even on the table Evelyn's mother, Julia, is the entertainer of the evening. "Papa, can you pass me the salt?" And Maurice would act deaf. His eyes would be on the newspaper he had finish reading in the morning. "Here, ma Cherie." Julia would do her duty as the housewife, mother, and retrieved the salt shaker for her daughter. Maurice would remain silent for the rest of the dinnertime, while Evelyn swallowed her pride.

Evelyn is reminded of when she first dreamt of being a Hollywood star. She was only sixteen, walking out of the cinema with her classmates who were all starstruck by the male protagonist in the movie. But all Evelyn could think about was her face on the screen, not to be with James Stewart, but to take his place as the main character. "Did you see how handsome he was in that movie? God, Donna Reed is one lucky broad!" Her friend would say and she would disagree, quietly. "Imagine being a Hollywood star, you get to kiss all the men and not get in trouble for it!" Yet another typical review by her friends.

Evelyn would roll her eyes and try her best not to blurt out any opinion of her own, until someone finally asked her about it, "Oh, me? Well, I'm absolutely jealous." She would simply answer, obviously having underlying meaning, but her classmates were far too narrow-minded to understand. They are sure to be great housewives, Evelyn couldn't help but felt discouraged by the ignorance of her friends. She could see how the girls were distracted by the butterflies in their stomachs; seeing middle-aged men kissing younger and vulnerable women in the movies, they become blinded to the great opportunity being served to them on a silver platter.

"All my life, people have said I'm too optimistic for my future. They called me out for wanting a man's job, lawyer. But once I told them I want to be an actress, they went all blue on me. They get jealous, and they envy me. What is it that they want from me, Bobby? I can't bear it." Evelyn, with a saddened heart, asked Bobby as they were walking side to side back into the house after watching the sunrise. "Don't let them tell you what's right and wrong, Evelyn. It's your life, make your own rules." Bobby knows Evelyn is capable of anything and everything, he's experienced her greatness beforehand.

"It is fierce out there, but you're fiercer." His words of encouragement certainly made Evelyn's confidence skyrocket, he's the only man in her life who truly believes in her. There is no judgment with Bobby, he has no reason to be prejudiced with Evelyn only because she's a woman who knows her true place in the world. It is certain to be scary, she knows, but once she gets the stardom, and the recognition everybody knows she deserves, it'll all be worth the blood, sweat, and tears.

Evelyn gently dozes off to sleep. Her big day was slowly, but surely, approaching her. Leaving her parents behind would be easy, she was rarely home most of the time. What confuses her the most is why Bobby must be the reason for the heaviness in her heart. The man rarely comes home to Hyannis Port, he had a good job in DC, and a would-die-for marriage with his wonderful wife, but even their Hickory Hill home couldn't help them when Ethel's friends come over to talk about Bobby throwing his prominent job away. Though, the answer to Evelyn's dilemma; why Bobby must be the reason for her sadness is easy. It all begins when Evelyn reached her adulthood.

꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂꧂