Her Thirties Part 42
At last, I was finally going to learn some details about Marilyn—at least, as much as Ella knew, but that was a whole lot more than I did.
“I don’t know if I can tell you more than you already know, Scott, but I’ll try. I own the bookstore downstairs and for the past few years I’ve been struggling. I’ve had quite a turnover in staff and was actually on the point of closing it down—before I met Marilyn.”
She paused and gave her an affectionate smile.
“One rainy Saturday I happened to look out my living room window and saw her standing out in the middle of the road looking dazed and bewildered. I have no idea how she got there.”
“Nor do I Gran,” Marilyn sighed.
“She looked so lost and forlorn, my heart went out to her. I brought her inside, made her a hot cup of tea, and put her in a housecoat while I threw her clothes in the dryer. It was bizarre.”
“Why do you say bizarre?” I interjected.
She paused to take a sip of tea and then frowned at the memory. “Well, for one thing, she was dressed in these old fashioned clothes, right out of the Thirties—and for another thing, she had absolutely no idea how she got there or even who she was.”
“I see.”
“Then later, when she toweled off her hair, she looked up at me and my heart stopped—she was the spitting image of my cousin, Marilyn Birnam, who died back in the Thirties.”
At this revelation, my own heart stopped and I stared at Marilyn.
She tried to defend herself. “I had to have a name Scott—I had no idea what mine was, so I took Marilyn’s, seeing as I looked so much like her.”
“Well, that makes sense, I guess.”
I turned back to Ella. “How old was Marilyn when she died?”
“The same age as Mar—just turned thirty. She was murdered—and they never found her killer.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, Ella.”
A thought crossed my mind. “What did Marilyn do for a living?”
“We’re talking about the Thirties, now, Scott—what did most people do for a living? They got by—that’s what they did. Sometimes, if they were lucky, or pretty like Marilyn, they worked two jobs. And that’s what she did.”
I persisted. “Where did she work?”
“She worked as a seamstress during the week and on weekends she sang with the Big Bands at the Palais Royale.”
“You’re kidding!”
“Not at all, She sang with some big orchestras back then. She was just about to get that lucky break she was always talking about when they found her dead on the Lakeshore—a bullet hole in the base of her skull.”
I whistled softly. “The mob?”
“It sounded like a mob killing. Back then no one would be surprised—she being in the entertainment business and all. The police didn’t work very hard at solving the case, I’ll tell you—they figured it had all the markings of a mob hit.”
“I’m sorry, Ella—that must have been hard.”
“It was—she was my idol—I looked up to her. I was only fourteen when she died.”
“What year was that?”
“It was during a heat wave in 1936—the year of the Munich Olympics—Jesse Owens won his third Olympic medal the day before. People slept out on the beaches at Sunnyside. One of those people found Marilyn’s body washed up on the beach.”
“Do you have a picture of Marilyn?”
“I have a cedar chest full of pictures—you’re welcome to drop by anytime and look at them.”
I could think of nothing better I’d like to do—but the thought of the original Marilyn’s death gave me a sense of foreboding.
That was weird.....she adopted the same name as the girl from the thirties.....since she looks like her, I wonder.....can't wait to read what is going on.
Plus, Scott saw a photo from the 1930's in the archives at the U of T library of a girl who looked exactly like Marilyn - And now he's getting flashbacks every time she tells him about her past - what does that indicate?
Hmmm, the plot thickens. My theory was that Marilyn had travelled through time, so was actually from the 30's, and Scott is the reincarnation of Joey from the 30's . But if she was found dead, that blows my theory right out of the water!
Yes, it's very murky still - it all began with a young girl lost in the rain and a kind-hearted older woman who took her in, but there's always more to life than just the facts - there's the wonder and mystery :)
My Friend. You are a awesome keep me in suspense writer. Love it and the awesome links to Jesse Owens. As usual you are hitting a home run. I am sorry I am not here each day. Just no energy anymore and thank you for the upvote on my poem. It was like a donation to my gofundme as I start another part of treatment so I thank you.I have decided to try and write a story I have in my head for few years here, Thanks to you. I hope it is ok if I continue to ask your input from time to time. I truly respect your talent. Have a good night
Thanks, Brian - I don't mind at all - and take time to rest as well :)
Oh my, she has to be alright. Is there some sort of time machine. Did the real Marilyn really die. Something doesn't add up
The question is, who is the real Marilyn - the girl who was murdered back in 1936 or the girl in the present who has amnesia and adopted her name?
Could Scott be from the thirties or is there some sort of Deja Vu going on
that is a possibility - both things, actually
Soooo, eventually she gets sent back ... to get killed ... so the body could be found. Doesn't sound like fun.
@joe.nobel
science fiction, fantasy, erotica
ha ha, sounds like a different story from what the characters are writing :)
Excellent your story i always read your blog thanks dear sharing this blog .
Great post
This post has received a 5.53 % upvote from @booster thanks to: @johnjgeddes.
This nice post i like it thanks for sharing this fiction carry on..