Chapter 1: Girl Forgotten
One night while working at the restaurant, Joan's boss's eyes grew a fiery red with anger as she fell on the floor from exhaustion. The plates in her hands fly onto the floor and shatter around her. Afraid to move an inch, Joan's breath became steady as her boss stood just inches away from her pale face as his rather large face began to get red and his large eyes began to fill with fury. While her lovely ice blue eyes filled with panic and alarm while the thought of being beaten ran through her head.
"You're a worthless piece of trash that won't amount to anything in this god forsaken world. In this restaurant you're just a piece of worthless old rages that don't mean anything. Also who does not do as she is told?" Mr. James Richards yelled as spit came from his little crooked mouth as it landed on Joan's scared and beautiful face.
Joan's wrist twisted with a twitch as she attempted to come up off the cold marble floor. Mr. Richards shinny black loafers pinched her delicate fingers as he stepped on them. Letting out a shriek, Joan protested his anger.
"Little missy, you earn your keep in my restaurant. Don't be causin a ruckus. You know my restaurant is for the well-to do people in this town and you ain't one of them!" Mr. Richards stared Joan in the eye with a blank glare. No feeling penetrated his dark and heartless soul. All the while, Joan wondered why she had to suffer this tortuous life.
Suddenly a man in a dark brown trench coat that fell past his knees and a fedora sitting neatly on his smooth jet black hair walks in from the rain, and looks at the scene in silence.
"Now get out you worthless girl you are not fit to be seen by the public just look at you grease on your apron, and powder in your hair, your chestnut hair in a messy ponytail, Have you not washed it in weeks? What a sight. You are not fit to be seen in front of anyone now leave at once with no pay this week either!" Mr. Richards yelled as he lifted his big foot from Joan's petite and lovely hand which was now a cherry red from being stepped on and smashed into the marble floor. Joan's crystal blue eyes swelled with tears her heart had been crushed as if a sledge hammer had pounded it into her chest. At this point, she wanted to run as far away as possible and never look back. Her life had no meaning except tiresome hours of labor. Where would she go? Not a clue but anywhere was better than here.
The rain pounded in sheets as she ran out onto a dark lonely ally. All the while wearing her old wool worn out coat which she had received many years ago from an old baker woman she met in the streets. But by now there where many holes in the coat and it began to get small on her. Waiting on the corner of 5th and Main with a chill in the air a taxi came by and splashed murky cold water on her drenched body. Standing there shaking like an old wet alone dog waiting to get shelter from the bitter cold and cruel weather.
The wind howled as she flung open a door that was falling off its hinges, she ran past the disbarred door to a couch filled with holes. Water leaked from her room and the bathroom smelled of musk and mold grew on the walls. Windows where cracked down the center some broken and many where no longer there but still it was a place called home.
Falling from exhaustion onto the couch, she bawls. "I…I am so unworthy. I don't know why I have to work so hard? I… am… only nineteen. I deserve to have a good time…but my life consists of long hours at a restaurant breaking my bad for such a place. I would never go there…
So many miles away on a nearby hill sits a very luxurious home only the brightest of stars could afford…
"Are you almost ready, dear?" a lady asked as she looked into her gold- plated mirror to put her beautiful silver earrings in place. This woman was beautiful. Her lovely blue eyes stared into the mirror at which she sat. Her lovely face was that of a wealthy lady who seemed of 20, but in truth, she was in her late 30's. Light brown hair fell around her face and went to the tips of her ears. Her small body wore a black dress with a layer of white crossing at her chest and going over her small slender shoulders.
"Yes, almost, Greta dear." A man who seemed to be in his late 30's stood just behind this woman he called Greta. This man was a rather tall, 5'10. He wore a black suit that just matched his wife's dress perfectly. His eyes a dark brown looked into his wife's with happiness while his brown hair lay just perfect on his head. This man put on his aftershave and then kissed his wife on the cheek.
"Remember the last time you said that, William? We where fifteen minutes late," Greta said with a tinkling laugh along with a smile going across her lovely face.
"All right I'm ready, Mrs. Fairbanks," William said as he put his cigar in his mouth and took a look in the mirror one last time.
"You look beautiful, Mr. Fairbanks," Greta said as she got up from the vanity chair and got her wrap for her dress.
"No, my dear. I look handsome and you look beautiful," William said with a laugh as he walked to the bedroom door.
"True," Greta said with a laugh as she put her small hand over her mouth to try and stop the laugh.
The Fairbanks were the brightest and the richest stars in Hollywood of the 1930's. They had the best of everything from maids, a beautiful home, the best cars, cloths you name it they probably had the best of it. After all, they could afford only the best for the best. One thing that they desperately wanted in the entire world was a child they could call their own. For many years there was a nursery set up just to the left of the Fairbanks bedroom waiting for a little baby to be brought into that room. Greta had too many miscarriages to have children. The big lovely nursery just lay empty with only a heart full of great memories that could have been.
The Fairbanks made their way out of their king- size bedroom and made their way past the nursery. When they did so, Greta's head and eyes drifted towards the closed door to the nursery. Greta put her hand on the doorknob and opened the door to see the pink nursery with white trimming where the wall and ceiling met. The white crib laid up against one of the pink walls. Toys lay all around the room just waiting for someone to play with them. A white rocking chair sat next to the neatly-made crib with pink blankets lying on the back of the chair. The changing table sat in front of the window with a white curtain with lace going across the window and so much more sat in the silent room. Greta so wanted a little girl to dress in cute little dresses with lace and white socks with little black Mary Jane shoes. She wanted a little girl she could spoil rotten.
William noticed that Greta had gone to the nursery again. When he looked towards the nursery, sure enough there she was standing in the doorway like she had so many times. "Greta darling, you can't keep doing this to yourself," William said as he tried to console his wife. He knew this had been hard for her ever since she found out that she couldn't have children.
"I know, dear, but it's just been so hard for the past couple of years." Greta said as she turned and faced her husband with tears forming in her eyes as she thought of all the memories that she would never get to make with a child.
William wrapped his strong and loving arms around his crying wife. She laid her head on his chest, and let it all out. This was beginning to become too much. For the past few years, they had wanted a child, and they still didn't have one. They were both growing older each day, and with each passing day, it began to come clear that she would never get a child.
"Please stop crying; dear, everything is going to be fine. Come. We have to get going to the party, or we will be late," William said rubbing his wife's back and calming her down. "Besides, you don't want your make-up to run do you?"
Greta lifted her head up to reveal red stained eyes. "No," she said dabbing her hand at her eyes to get rid of the tears. Her makeup was just as it was moments ago. None of it was out of place.
"That's it. Now, come. The limo is waiting for us out front," William said leading him and his wife from the lonely nursery that would never bestow a baby.