Daughters Read Online Free Page A

Jonathan a disparaging look. “I can’t remember what I did with the children, can you, Jon?” Marie hoped it was her imagination that Claire’s words dripped with contempt.
    Jonathan shook his head, his thoughts obviously far off. The tension in the room was rising.
    “Anyway, I was never so embarrassed in my whole life. I could have afforded to buy just about anything in the store, yet I wasn’t good enough to shop there.” Claire composed herself before saying, “I got angry.” She shook her head. “But then I got over it. Ignorant white people.”
    Oh dear. This is going to be harder than I thought. Marie continued with her story, ignoring Claire’s last comment. “I left Field’s in 1948, and I have to admit I don’t remember ever seeing a Negro customer in there.” Why did I just say that?
    Jonathan nodded. Claire pursed her lips. Marie went on to tell them about Richard, about how their courtship and marriage had come right out of a fairy tale. The year was 1945. World War II had just ended, and then-twenty-year-old Marie was struggling to support herself on a meager salary as a junior designer at Marshall Field’s. By his mid-twenties, Richard was the top salesman in his company, selling high-end medical equipment in a five-state area.
    During their courtship, Richard not only showered her with expensive gifts and trips, but was attentive to her every need. Marie had tried to be cautious with Richard, but his charisma overshadowed his flaws, and it had been easy to overlook or explain away his indiscretions. After a quick five-month courtship, Marie and Richard married.
    Their first year of marriage was blissful. He bought a two-story brownstone in up-and-coming Lakeview, a neighborhood just north of downtown Chicago. They honeymooned in Hawaii, took weekend trips to New York, and spent more than one Christmas in Aspen. But despite the lavish attention Richard gave to his wife, he also paid considerable homage to his other love—money. His biggest flaw was his inability to juggle his two loves.
    After dinner, Marie, Jonathan, and Claire continued their conversation. “What was the first sign Richard was mixed up with the wrong people, Marie?” Jonathan asked.
    Marie had asked herself the same question many times before but still didn’t have a definitive answer. “When I look back, I think I should have seen things very early on, but you know how that is. I was in love and wanted desperately to start a family, so I’m sure I ignored a lot of things.” She paused to recollect days so long gone. “One significant clue was when he attended the funeral of Timmy Buccieri, better known as ‘The Bomber.’ He was a big-name mobster in Chicago at the time, and there would be no reason for Richard to attend his funeral unless there was some connection.”
    Marie continued with the account, including the day she’d fled from Richard. After two years of marriage, she had become so frightened by Richard’s shady activities, she planned to leave him, but before she could implement her plan, she came home one day and interrupted an important parlay he was having in their home with his so-called business associates. Richard had been so angry with her that he pushed her and caused her to fall down the basement stairs, and then he locked her in the basement. After hearing one of his cohorts say, “She knows too much. She needs to be offed,” Marie panicked and escaped through a basement window.
    The looks on Jonathan and Claire’s faces said it all. Marie turned toward Jonathan. “Did you know back then I was married to him?”
    “Yes, I knew, and I suspected he had some shady connections, so I had him checked out.” His gaze went to Claire, who had a surprised look on her face. “But I couldn’t confirm anything. He’s pretty crafty.”
    “That’s one word to describe him.” Marie continued with her story, ending with how she’d found her safe haven in Atchison.
    Claire shook her head. “You