Maycomb was without a doubt the tiredest old town Jean had ever known. If it hadn't been necessary for the sake of her father's health, she would have put up more of a fight concerning their move from Montgomery. There was just nothing to do in the town. At least in Montgomery she had been able to wander around freely with her sister and talk to people as they passed them by. People in Montgomery had known them since they were able to walk and always stopped to ask how they were, or how Louise and Samuel were, or how Barney was finding college. To Maycomb, she and Catherine were still the outsiders, so no one made much of an effort to get to know them.
By far the most boring day was Sunday. It started with an early rise for church, then came dinner, which was then followed by afternoon visits from nosy neighbours wanting to get all the information they could on the new family. Nearly a month had passed since their move, yet some of the neighbours still believed that they were harbouring some dark secret. Jean had heard all their whispers. It varied from she had been jilted at the altar and so the family had moved to spare her the shame that came along with that, to the family were secretly Catholic. Jean found Sunday visiting to be excruciating, but Louise forced her daughters to sit through these visits no matter how much they protested.
"If you both want to make any friends in this town, you'll sit where you are! Half the town is already convinced you're both a pair of devil worshippers with the way you dress!" She had half spat at them when they began their routine Sunday ritual of trying to get out of visiting.
"Actually, Mama, they think we're Catholic." Catherine had replied, giving up on fighting their mother. "Maybe I'll convert to really get them talkin'." She added under her breath.
Jean thought her mother was being a little harsh. While it was true that a lot of Maycomb still gave them a wide berth, she and Catherine had both made quick friends with two ladies, Maudie Atkinson and Rachel Haverford, within their first week of moving to Maycomb. They were both warm and friendly women who did everything they could to help the new family settle in as quickly as possible. Their doors were always open if both girls were stuck for something to do, and Maudie had already insisted on showing them both how to bake a Lane cake one Saturday afternoon. Even though they both a great deal older than both Jean and Catherine, Maudie by at least ten years, they were both exceptionally welcoming to both of them. Maudie was loud and had a brash sense of humour; Rachel was demure and kept more to herself. They both contrasted each other wildly, but the four of them became fast friends.
They were both a far cry from the batty Stephanie Crawford who lived just across from Maudie. Jean had known and met some gossips while she lived in Montgomery, but Stephanie took the biscuit with her ability to spread absolute nonsense about everyone in the neighbourhood. She had heard it from Maudie how, according to Stephanie, Jean and her family had moved abruptly from Montgomery as her father was on the run from the police for dodgy legal practice. Jean had been ready to storm across the street to Stephanie's, no one spoke about her daddy like that, and had to actually be restrained by Maudie. According to her, Stephanie wasn't worth losing sleep over. Everyone in Maycomb and two towns over knew she couldn't be held as a legitimate source of information. Still, she made Jean's blood boil.
It was after Sunday afternoon visiting that Jean would usually wander aimlessly around the small town, sometimes accompanied by Catherine and sometimes not. Her older sister had her bouts of moodiness, sometimes wanting to be around people and sometimes just wanting to be on her own, but Jean never strayed from her Sunday routine. It helped her get a feel of the place and a sense of actually belonging there. She would try to talk to the few people who happened to be out and about, eager to form relationships and friendships within the town, but more than often she found herself in the town green, sitting on one of the benches and watching the world go by.
Catherine had decided to accompany her this particular evening, finding that Louise was being especially impossible to be around owing to Catherine spilling sweet tea over the sofa and Stephanie that afternoon. Samuel had advised them to stay out until dinner to give their mother time to calm herself. He'd do what he could to make her see that Stephanie's dress would be just fine.
"Lord, I don't think I've ever seen Mama so mad. I thought she would actually go and get Daddy's belt and whip me." Catherine laughed, thinking back to their mother's furious reaction. She had bundled them both out of the room as quickly as possible to prevent any further embarrassment on her part.
"I think you should count yourself lucky there were so many witnesses present. If it hadn't been for the ladies she'd probably still be working at you." Jean joined her sister in laughing. As if Louise stood any chance of actually catching Catherine to give her a whipping.
When their laughter subsided, they both slid into comfortable silence, both seemingly content to just sit quietly watching the world go by. It would be a little while yet before they would have to set off home to be there in time for supper, and Jean found these Sunday afternoons spent in the green gave her time to think. She thought about Montgomery and how she missed it, she thought of how boring Atticus Finch was and how that job would be the death of her, and she sometimes thought about how life would have been for them if her father didn't have a bad heart. They would still be living in Montgomery as they should be, not stuck in some lifeless old town where there was nothing for her. At least in Montgomery she'd had options and opportunities. There was nothing in Maycomb. She could see herself ending up like Stephanie living on her own with nothing better to do than gossip about all the neighbours. She could imagine how her deeply religious mother would love that.
"You know," her sister broke the silence. "I've been doing a lot of thinkin' lately."
"I was wondering why you always seemed to look like you were straining yourself recently," Jean teased her.
Catherine stared blankly at her. "Thank the Lord you're pretty cause you sure as hell aren't funny," she said simply. "No, I've been thinkin' that...that I wanna be like you."
Jean turned her head, looking at her sister and trying not to laugh. "What? Where in God's name is that coming from? Why the hell do you want to be like me"
Catherine sighed impatiently as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "You're nineteen and you're out there making your own money. It mightn't be a lot, but it's still your own. You don't have to depend on anyone. I'm twenty-one and still relying on Mama and Daddy for everything. You know that Mama's been trying to mould us into these little featherbrains since the time we were both thirteen. She was gonna find us a man to marry and make it so we wouldn't have to worry our pretty little heads about anything. You managed to break away from all that, but she's still trying with me. I don't want the life she wants for me. I want my own life," she explained, sounding angrier with every word she said.
"Well, what's stopping you? You can go and get a job somewhere like I did. Why don't you ask Daddy? I'm sure there's plenty of offices in need of a secretary and..."
"I don't just want a job, Jean!" Catherine interrupted her, growing more exasperated by the second. "I want to go to college."
Jean couldn't help the look of shock that crossed her face at Catherine's revelation. No woman in their family had ever gone to college, it just wasn't the done thing. They looked after the home and that was it. Louise would keel over at the thought of Catherine wanting to attend college.
Quickly concealing the look of shock before hurting her sister, she smiled at her. "I think you should," she said simply. "You've always had brains, I think you'd be able to handle college."
Catherine gave her a dry laugh. "I'm sure Mama would be just as understanding as you are. She'd probably bolt my door to prevent me from even leaving the house."
"You could ask Daddy. You know he doesn't think like the rest of 'em, I'm sure he'd be thrilled at the thought of you wanting to go to college and actually make somethin' of yourself."
"Daddy, yeah. Mama, not so much," Catherine replied shaking her head. "I just think there's more to being a woman than havin' to look after a house and a husband and children. I think I'm capable of more than that," she said fiercely.
"Talk to Daddy about it. I'm positive that he'll be able to work somethin' out. And, if not, well Mama can't really stop you, can she? You're not a child anymore, you can do what you want. Don't let her stand in the way of what you want. You're the one living your life, not her," Jean tried to offer the best advise she could. She was proud of her sister. She was proud that she was trying to fight against the life their mother would fiercely push on her. With enough determination, she knew Catherine would be able to break free from Louise's smothering hold.
Catherine scoffed and kicked the ground with her shoe. "Maybe. I hope so. Is it terrible of me to want somethin' more for myself?"
Jean reached out and rubbed her knee. "No, it definitely isn't. Somethin' will work out for you, don't worry. But, if it doesn't, you can always take my place at Mr Finch's office when he eventually does bore me to death," she added, making Catherine laugh. "Now, c'mon. Mama will be getting dinner served and she really will whip us both if we aren't home on time."
She grasped her sister's hand as they made their way back through the town, meeting few on their way. When they finally did arrive through their front door, it was to the sound of their father laughing heartily and talking away to someone in the living room. As Jean listened closer, she realised it was a voice she recognised all too well. What in the world was he doing here?
"Why is Mr Finch here? Did you do somethin' awful at work? Don't tell me, that story you spun about changing your dress in front of him was actually true," Catherine asked, returning to her usual teasing.
"Yeah, that's why Daddy's laughing." Jean responded sarcastically, giving her sister a whack on the arm. "He probably needs daddy's help with somethin'," she shrugged and made her way towards the kitchen and Louise, preparing herself for her mother's lingering foul mood.
"There you two are." Louise said by way of greeting as they entered the kitchen. "Here," she thrusted some plates into Catherine's hands, "take these through to the dining room and set an extra place. Rest assured your father will ask Mr Finch to stay for supper. If only he had told me he was coming over sooner..." She trailed off and turned back to the stove. Catherine rolled her eyes at Jean and pushed through the swinging door to disappear through to the dining room.
"Mama, why is Mr Finch here?" Jean asked. They had been living in Maycomb nearly a month and he hadn't made any previous house calls. What had happened to bring them on now?
"Honey, how would I know? Probably some legal matter that I don't care to know about. Lord, I hope the man likes chicken," Louise replied absently, returning to bustling around the kitchen.
Jean asked no more and instead busied herself with collecting knives and forks from the cutlery drawer. How painfully awkward would it be to have supper with her boss? Perhaps he'd politely decline and head home after he was finished talking with her father. She hoped.
"Louise?" She heard her father call as he came through from the living room. "Would you be able to set an extra place for Atticus here? I couldn't very well let the man go home to an empty house when he's doing me a favour." Samuel asked, coming through the door with Atticus following closely behind.
Louise put on her best company smile. "I've already got Catherine makin' up a place. As if I'd be rude enough not to ask you to stay, Mr Finch," she looked at Atticus who smiled politely back.
"Thank you, Mrs Graham. I hope I'm not imposing," he said, still with the same gracious smile which had Jean rolling her eyes.
"Not at all, Mr Finch."
"You already know our Jeannie, Atticus. I'm sure if things get too dry you and her will have somethin' to talk about." Samuel clamped his arm around Jean's shoulder, giving a sly dig to her comments about Atticus' inability to keep a conversation going.
Jean looked warily between her father and her boss, something that didn't go unseen by Samuel. "No need to look so nervous, honey. Atticus is just taking some things to Montgomery for me and taking some papers back when he goes there for the Legislature. You haven't done anything," he teased her.
"Your daughter is the best secretary I've ever had," Atticus said kindly, giving her a warm smile.
"I'm the only secretary you've ever had. You told me that yourself," Jean said back.
"And therefore the best."
"You only pick the best, isn't that right, Atticus?" Her father winked at him. "Come on through to the dining room. There's still a little somethin' I need to ask you about somethin' that's being..." His voice trailed off as he took Atticus through the swinging door.
It was going to be a long dinner.
oOoOoOo
Owing to Atticus being in Montgomery for three weeks for the Legislature, Jean wasn't needed at his office until he came back. For three weeks she would be forced to spend her days at home with her mother doing a slew of things she really would prefer not to. She didn't know what Catherine did during her days, but she was never at home with them. For the most past, it was just her and her mother.
She'd been forced to accompany her mother to the Jitney Jungle, listening to her ramble on insensately about ingredients and recipe's she would need to know once she started keeping her own house. She was only half paying attention as her mother went on and on, her mind wondering whether or not Catherine had brought up the idea of college to their father. He was really the only person who could make it a reality for her, so she hoped her sister had done something to put the wheels in motion. If not, she'd also be forced to spend her time the way Jean was now: bored out of her mind and actually wishing she was back in Mr Finch's office.
Once her mother had decided that all the errands in town had been completed, it was back home to do Lord knows what. Jean wondered how the hell her mother continously found things to do during the day. If she was forced to spend her entire day every day at home she was sure she would lose her mind. There were only so many times the house could be cleaned. It was when she was standing in the middle of the living room looking vainly for something to do that her father walked in from work at least two hours early.
"Samuel, what on earth are you doing home at this time? It's only three o'clock," Louise pointed out the obvious, coming through from the kitchen at the sound of the door banging shut.
"Doctors orders," Samuel replied, sounding exhausted. "Dr Reynolds thinks I'm takin' on too much with this case, he told me to close up early. I just need to rest, Lou, don't look so worried," He forced a laugh. Jean could only imagine the worried look on her mother's face.
She heard her mother tut as she turned to head back through to the kitchen. "I told you myself before you took that damned case on. You might as well call the undertaker yourself because it's gonna kill you. Mark my words, Samuel, it's going to kill you."