Houston, Texas
Sitting at the front of the bus because she wasn't much in the mood to celebrate the football victory with the rest of the energetic cheerleaders, Sue Ellen watched the traffic pass outside the window.
It had been three days since she had spoken with Clint in the park, ending with her walking back to the sorority house alone and upset. She was annoyed with herself, mad at her mother and worried about the strain her commitments were putting on her relationship with her boyfriend.
Laying her head against the window, she thought about the events of the previous day. Unannounced, her mother had shown up at the sorority house to make sure she'd made herself available for Saturday night.
"Sue Ellen, my goodness, you look awful. Are you sick? I hope you'll look better by Saturday or else Mr Thurman will be thoroughly disappointed, I told him you were a lady, not a sickly young girl." The first words out of her mother's mouth had been harsh and she'd shown no concern about why her daughter looked so worn out, just that she would make them both look foolish if she didn't clean up her appearance.
Apologising and promising to do better Sue Ellen ushered her mother upstairs to her bedroom so they could talk privately. She knew it was useless to explain the fight she and Clint were in or the reason why, her mother had one thing in mind for her future and it was not Clint Ogden. If Patricia Shepard knew how many issues her interfering and controlling caused it would only make her more determined to continue, knowing she was already half way to breaking point.
"I've brought two dresses over and you have another one here that I think may be appropriate for your date on Saturday, I'd like you to please try them on so we can choose the right one."
Quietly and obediently trying on two of the dresses as her mother commented on every aspect of her appearance, Sue Ellen said nothing.
Walking over to the wardrobe Sue Ellen shared with her roommate Paula, Patricia found the final dress she had selected, another dress falling to the floor as she pulled it from the closet.
"What is this? Is this yours?" looking the dress over, making comments alluding to the fact that it was a lot shorter and more revealing than appropriate for a 'proper lady' like Sue Ellen, Patricia was dismissive and nosy all at once.
The dress wasn't ladylike but it was appropriate for the type of college party the fraternities often held, which was why Sue Ellen had borrowed it from Paula. There was a side of her that her mother didn't see, for good reason too. The life her mother had her living was rigid and controlled and often it felt like there was no space for anything she wanted to do.
She was passive, often agreeing with what her mother wanted because it was easier, but there were rare times where she did express herself and the dress was a reminder of one of those times, not that she'd ever admit that.
"I asked for an answer young lady." Impatient, her mother demanded her attention.
"Oh mama, no, that belongs to Paula. I would never wear something like that."
Denying everything for the sake of the argument, whether it was the truth or not, she took the dress from her mother's hand and hung it on the other side of the wardrobe, then proceeded to try-on the final dress her mother had selected for her.
"Good, good, this one will look lovely with your hair up."
Satisfied, her mother hung the dress in a garment bag to take to the drycleaner.
"Please remember all the things I've told you before about keeping a man interested. Mr Thurman is heir to a large oil refinery company and it would do you very well to marry a man in the oil industry."
Well aware her mother had one plan for her and only one plan, marriage to a wealthy man, it still hurt Sue Ellen each time her mother ignored her relationship with Clint in favour of setting her up with men she had no interest in seeing.
"Mama, you taught me many things about keeping a man interested, but you forget, I already have a man who is interested in me. I'm not going to give Clint up or betray him so that you can get your happy ending. I'll go to this dinner because you're asking me to and I believe you have my best interest at heart, but I want you to know that I do not enjoy your methods or subtle hints that I should do anything more than be friendly toward Mr Thurman. I have a boyfriend and we are committed to one another. I cancelled plans with Clint for this ridiculous dinner, but I would appreciate in the future if you would please ask me before committing me to events. I have enough things going on with my Miss Austin duties and college already and having the little free time I have taken up with things I don't wish to do isn't ideal."
Shaking her head, Patricia was not happy, that was obvious.
"Sue Ellen, you don't know what you want. You may think your life will be happy with that boy but when you have children to feed and bills to pay every thought and conversation revolves around money. I don't want you to have to experience that. Your choice of husband will define the kind of life you live and I will not have you throw that all away because you let your emotions cloud your judgement."
Collecting her things, Patricia walked toward the door.
"I'll see you on Saturday afternoon to help you get ready for your date. Think very carefully about what I said. I'll see myself out, goodbye Sue Ellen."
Startled as the bus hit a pothole in the road, Sue Ellen was brought her out of her reverie and back to the present. She would go to dinner tomorrow and then call Clint to apologise on Sunday. Maybe she would even drop by his apartment to surprise him with her own special date.
She knew she was in the wrong and wished she were stronger and could stand up more to her mother, but even when she did voice her feelings and opinions to her, she ended up agreeing to do what her mother wanted anyway.
It frustrated her. Her passiveness combined with the need for approval and the want to please her mother was holding her back from doing what she actually wanted to do.
Austin, Texas
Arriving back in Austin around midnight she said goodnight to her teammates, turning down a last-minute invitation to go out and celebrate with the football team. Getting ready for bed, she thought ahead. She wasn't particularly looking forward to the next day or night, but she hoped that Sunday would be better and she could get her relationship with Clint back on the right track.