June 15th, 1974
The sun was warm on her back as she gathered a handful of geraniums to bring back to her mother. She knew they wouldn't survive long after pulling them from the stems, but at least they would make her mother smile. Julia believed that her mother's smile was the most beautiful thing in the world. Plus as long as she was out hiding in the meadow she didn't have to do the math lesson that Elenor had prepared for her.
It wasn't that she didn't like Elenor, she just didn't understand the woman's obsession with forcing her to get an education. The young girl just wanted to go to school with the rest of the kids, but her mother would launch into a speech about how it wasn't safe whenever Julia brought it up.
"Jewels!" Elenor's voice carried out over the meadow, causing the girl to crash into the ground in an attempt to hide from the older woman. "I saw that! Get in here! It's time for history dear!"
For a moment Julia laid among the weeds and flowers, the sun falling down on her face as the geraniums crumpled in her hands. She knew that her hair would be tangled with dead grass and bugs, her yellow dress stained with dirt, but she didn't want to get up quite yet. She was struck with the overwhelming feeling that things would change very soon, and she couldn't quite explain why.
A smiling face entered her field of vision, long, wavy blond hair cascading down around her, tickling her cheeks. A touch of age was evident on her face, but she was beautiful nonetheless. Her 'blue eyes' were friendly and kind.
"Mama!" Julia cried, throwing her arms around the older woman.
"Hello my Jewel," Marilyn pressed her forehead down against her young daughter's, her eyes subtly counting the girl's freckles that dotted her cheeks. The young redhead was getting a bit too much sun. "You've been hiding from Elenor again, haven't you?"
Her daughter looked sheepish, "She wants me to do TWO pages of algebra, mama." She sat up in the tall grass, her eyes staring at the crushed purple flowers in her lap.
"Then you will do TWO pages of algebra." Her mother's face was soft, but stern, allowing no room for argument. "No TV tonight, not until all your homework is done."
"Yes Mama," Julia signed heavily, her hands discarding the abused bouquet as she stood. The flower petals fell to the ground, the lilac color dyed into the soft skin of her hands.
"But guess what we are having for dinner tonight?" Marilyn gave a side-eye towards her daughter as she skipped forward.
"What?" Her voice was excited as she hurried up to walk beside her mother. "Pizza? Mac and cheese?"
"Nope." The woman avoided eye contact with her daughter in a playful manner. Her right hand clasped behind her back to tuck behind her other arm. Her yellow work uniform swayed along with her as she walked forward.
"Umm, hamburger helper?" Her small hands began shaking the bits of dried grass and dirt from her hair. Her hazel eyes lit up. "Is it crepes?"
"Nope, even better!" Her mother spun around as they approached the small cottage they shared with Elenor. Said woman was waiting in the backyard with a disapproving look on her face. "We decided that tonight we should celebrate!" Marilyn looked over at the older woman who stood watching the two. "Tonight we are going to The Nashville House!"
Julia stopped pulling at her hair and looked from her mother to Elenor, who now had a sneaky smile on her face. "But it's too expensive!"
They never went out to restaurants, working full time at a diner provided enough for bills and not much more. And the Nashville House was definitely out of their financial means.
"Don't worry about that Jewel, just go in and wash up." Elenor waved the young girl inside. "If you finish at least one worksheet, you can order a milkshake to go with dinner."
They watched as Julia hurried inside, her red hair bouncing as she slammed the door behind her. 'Sorry' Her voice was muffled as she apologized to the door.
"Can you believe that she's 13 already?" Marilyn sidled up to the other woman, her head resting on her shoulder.
"It seems like just yesterday you waddled into the diner, looking like you swallowed a watermelon." The older woman teased, her lips brushing Marilyn's forehead. The shorter woman blushed, her eyes glancing around nervously.
"What if someone sees us, Ellie?" Regardless she relaxed into the woman's arms and looked up into her cornflower blue eyes. Elenor's hair was turning white with age, but she was still just as beautiful as the day Marilyn met her. A woman willing to risk everything to take care of a runaway mother and her bastard child.
"They all say it anyway." Her lips upturned into a soft smile; her normally stern face was so gentle and kind when they were alone. "Just let them believe whatever they want Mary."
Marilyn leaned up and pressed her lips against the other woman's. Her hands clasping behind her neck, fingers deftly untying Ellie's bun. Her silver-streaked blond hair fell down around them in subtle waves. Her kisses were soft at first, then more urgent as she pressed her hips into the other woman's skirt.
"We should go change, Jewel will be too excited to wait long." Elenor pecked her sweetheart's nose, giving her a soft nudge toward the house. "I have to make sure she gets her homework done before we leave." She rolled her eyes and let out a short laugh as the younger woman danced away from her. Everything Marilyn did, she did with grace. Her hips swayed with the wind, her hair danced in the sun, and her skin was sunkissed and freckled. She was simply a reincarnation of Aphrodite. Out of all the offers the woman had received, Mary had never considered for a moment leaving her 'El' behind.
As her hands nimbly pinned her hair back up into her signature bun she remembered the day she met Mary, of course, her name had been Judith then. Her now blond hair had been auburn and soaking wet then, her green eyes exhausted from her long trip. All she had was a small backpack and some petty cash, of course, that, and a large round belly.
"We're closed," Elenor called out as she dumped out the stale coffee, and wiped down the dark splashes from quick pours and shaking hands. The white countertops were perpetually stained from years of abuse. After the day she had, the young woman needed a cigarette or a glass of whiskey, maybe both.
Sounds of shuffling and squeaky shoes on the linoleum caught her attention and she leaned through the cook's window to yell at the uninvited guest. "I said, we are…"
Her voice caught in her throat as she caught sight of the one who had walked in. A young woman stood unsure by the door, her feet shuffling. She was maybe 23-24 and had obviously been traveling for a couple of days. "I'm sorry Miss, I'm just lost and don't have anywhere else to go."
Her face was heart-shaped and angelic, Elenor felt her mouth go dry. This woman had to be a model or maybe an actress, what was she doing in this small town? She hurried out to the woman, eager to know more about her when she caught sight of her engorged stomach. As she looked around she couldn't find any sight of a man following her in, she felt a soft sense of relief when she saw the lack of a wedding band on her finger.
"Sit please!" The blond led her towards a nearby booth, her pace slow. "We might have an extra uniform in the back, but I'm not sure it will fit around…"
"My enormous stomach?" The woman's laughter sounded like bells as she lowered herself onto the red vinyl of the seat. "It's okay, I'll be fine. I just need a place to stay warm until my next bus."
Elenor ducked behind the counter to dig out a jacket that had been left behind earlier that day. "Here put this on, I can't have you freezing to death in the diner. My boss would kill me."
"Thank you once again, just give me 20 minutes and I'll go find another place to stay. I appreciate this so much, you have no idea." Her hands were shaking as she pulled the sweater onto her body. It was obviously not big enough for a pregnant woman, but it was lined with wool and so very warm.
"Where are you going? The next bus pickup is 8 am, and it is currently," A glance at the clock hanging on the yellow walls, "11 pm."
The redhead gave a deep sigh, "Honestly I have no idea." She leaned back until her head hit the top of the vinyl seat behind her. "I just ran."
"Well, what are you running from?" Elenor walked behind the counter to put a fresh pot of coffee on. She had a feeling this was going to be a long night, and with a glance at the lovely woman sitting in the booth, she wasn't sure she minded.
That night had changed her entire life, after that she didn't think twice about asking the young woman to stay with her. Her husband had died three years prior to meeting Julith, Marilyn, and she had a two-bedroom cottage on the outskirts of town to herself. It had been getting rather lonely anyhow.
As she pushed the screen door open she heard Julia exclaim with glee, "A new dress!" The redhead's hair was damp from a shower as she held up her new dress. It was knee length and a fluttery purple material. Gold stitching around the neckline gave the appearance that she was wearing a shiny necklace. Her smile was so wide Elenor wondered if it would split her face. "Yes, it's an early gift for your birthday."
"Ellie and I went to three different dress shops to find the perfect dress for you. Tomorrow you will be 13, a young woman. So today is a very special day, it's our last day with our little girl." Marilyn teared up a little bit, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.
"Oh Mama," Julia set her dress down gingerly and threw her arms around her mother's waist, burying her face into her collarbone. "I'll always be your little girl."
"Ellie, come here." Julia reached her hand out toward the other woman who was watching the exchange with tears in her eyes. Her thin hands reached out to cradle the two people she loved most in the world.