Study in Scarlett

A Study In Scarlett

by Ann Douglas

(ann_douglas@hotmail.com)

Part One

• Yesterday -

Rich California countryside raced by the large glass window as the Southern Pacific's Coastline Express headed towards Los Angeles. The young, beautiful twenty year old in the window seat tried to lose herself in the ever changing tapestry, but try as she could, the redhead couldn't shut out the droning voice of the woman sitting next to her.

For the tenth time in the last hour since she'd boarded the train at San Jose, the blue dressed girl regretted taking this seat. She had been traveling cross-country for over a week now. Every time she changed trains, she'd made it a point to find a nice quiet woman to sit next to. This time she had chosen so very badly.

For over an hour the woman who'd introduced herself as Veronica Wilder had gone on and on about every subject imaginable. From how badly President Truman was going to lose to Governor Dewey in the fall elections, to what a wonderful performance Jane Wyman had given in "Johnny Belinda". She seemed especially fascinated by the winner of the best actress Oscar.

"Isn't it a shame," Veronica had said, "that she divorced her husband just when her career reached the top."

"Yes, it is a shame," The young woman had replied when she was still trying to stay interested in the conversation. It didn't take her long to realize that Veronica didn't need an appreciative audience to keep talking.

"Well it's his loss, believe you me," she went on. "And trust me, fifty years from now people will still talk about what a great actress Jane Wyman was and no one will ever remember Ronald Reagan."

So it had went on, covering other subjects including the Summer Olympics in London to Dinah Shore and Perry Como's latest hits. Even hiding her head in the Saturday Evening Post did little to discourage the older woman. Finally the younger woman just gave up and began to stare out the window.

"Dear Cousin, there you are," said a strong voice from the aisle. "I've been looking for you all over the train. I thought we were going to meet in the dining car?"

That finally ended Veronica's monologue as both women looked up to see a tall woman in her mid-twenties with black hair. She was dressed in the uniform of an Army Nurse.

The redhead didn't recognize the woman, but realized this was an opportune moment to rid herself of Veronica. Quickly she decided to go along with what had to be the Army Officer's mistake.

"Where is my head at today?" she asked herself aloud. "Here I am enjoying our little conversation so much that I totally forgot. I do hope you haven't been looking for me long, dear cousin."

"Not too long," the dark haired woman smiled. "After all, I only came aboard the train at the last stop."

"Veronica, you must excuse me," the young redhead said to her seatmate.

"Oh of course," the older woman said as she made room for the younger woman to pass. "I totally understand."

With a warm smile goodbye, the young woman left Veronica behind and followed the Army Lieutenant down the aisle.

As they moved into the next car and out of earshot, the redhead reached out and touched the shoulder of the woman in front of her. A brief touch, just enough to get her attention as she paused in her step and turned around.

"I have to apologize," the redhead said in a quiet voice. "I think I've taken advantage of your error."

"You mean we're not cousins?" the brunette said in mock surprise.

"Then it wasn't a mistake?" the younger woman asked cautiously.

"You just looked like you needed help," the Nurse smiled. "I've had my share of bad company."

"I did. I guess I owe you my thanks then."

"Well since we were supposed to meet in the dining car, why don't we have a cup of tea?"

"I think that's an excellent suggestion," came the reply. "We can catch up on old times," she laughed.

"I guess I should introduce myself then," the Army Nurse said as she extended her hand. "Alice Caldwell."

"Scarlett," the redhead beamed as she reached out with her own hand. "Scarlett McMurphy."

Even this late in the afternoon, the dining car was still surprisingly full. Two young men in front of them in line graciously offered to share their table. Both Scarlett and Alice were quick to decline their offer, saying they had no problem waiting for the next free table.

The suggestion was one that both women encountered daily. Alice was tall with a graceful athletic build, suggestive of a dancer. Her small firm breasts were visible enough beneath her uniform jacket so that no one was ever going to mistake her for anything but a young woman. Her face was more suggestive of the term cute than beautiful, but she had the kind of looks that would follow her far into middle age. Her black hair was cut just short enough to fulfill army regulations, then tied up in a bun.

Scarlett, on the other hand, had never been described as anything but stunning. Only an inch shorter than Alice at five ten, she had a build that seemed copied from a statue of Aphrodite. Her bust, concealed beneath her simple traveling dress, was larger than Alice's but just as firm. The only makeup she wore was simple dark red lipstick, which served to accent the natural beauty of her features. Rich flowing red hair, which would've stretched down her back if undone, was instead held in place by an elaborate hairstyle.

By the time they were led to their table five minutes later by a white jacketed steward, they could tell they were already on the way to becoming fast friends.

As her uniform attested, Alice was an Army Nurse and had been for eighteen months. Twenty-six years old, she was traveling to Los Angeles on leave before reporting to San Diego for her first overseas assignment. She had joined the Army in order, as she put it, to see something besides the twenty square miles that comprised Ethan Falls, California. Both her mother and father had been born there, and neither had ever ventured more than fifty miles from the center of town their whole lives.

"So what strange and exotic place is the Army sending you?" Scarlett asked as they picked up their small menus.

"Seoul, Korea," Alice said as she laid down her menu, making a quick choice. "I'm going to be assigned to the new hospital they just built there."

Sounds exciting," the younger redhead said as she also put down her menu. "Although I only have a general idea where Korea even is."

"Don't feel bad," Alice replied as she signaled the waiter that they were ready to order. "I don't think many people do, myself included. I had to go and look it up on a map."

In response to Alice's inquiries, Scarlett explained that she was going to school at a small private college called Ravenwood just outside of Los Angeles. She had been back east visiting her family during the summer break.

"You came all the way across country by train?" a surprised Alice asked. "Most people these days would've flown. It's a lot faster and definitely a lot more comfortable."

"My brother was a pilot in the Navy," Scarlett said in way of explanation. "Actually I should say he was a Naval Aviator, he was always correcting me on that. That was back when I was just hitting my teens. Sean was on the Yorktown at Midway and ..."

Scarlett paused, unable to finish her sentence. Alice reached out and took the younger woman's hand in support, telling her there was no need to explain further. She didn't have to hear the words to know that Sean was one of those brave young men who didn't come back to enjoy the fruits of the still recent victory.

"We'll just say that you don't like to fly and leave it at that," she said as she squeezed her hand. "I'm not too crazy about it myself. That's why I'm glad I'm going to Korea by boat," she added, changing the subject.

Over their tea and the small sandwiches they'd ordered, the two women found that despite the wide difference in their backgrounds they had a lot in common. Enough for both of them to feel a certain measure of regret that their association would be a brief one.

Underneath the surface of their animated conversation, there seemed to be a secondary level of attraction as well. It wasn't really anything that could be called tangible, or even something that would be recognizable to either of them. Unless of course they wanted to perceive it.

Finishing their small snack, Alice suggested that it might be a good idea to try to find some seats on the other end of the train as not to run back into Veronica. Scarlett agreed with the thought.

Luck was with them as many seats had emptied out at Santa Barbara. There were only two more stops left before Los Angeles and the train was already a third empty.

"So what are your plans when we get to the city?" Scarlett asked.

"Well, I guess the first thing to do would be to find a nice hotel to stay at," Alice answered. "Something not too expensive. Any place you might suggest?"

Scarlett seemed to look beyond Alice for a moment, lost in a thought. Then a big smile filled her face and an answer gushed forth.

"I know a great place," she said in an excited voice. "And not expensive at all. In fact, it wouldn't cost you a cent."

"I don't understand," Alice said.

"My Grandmother has a small place by the water," Scarlett explained. "I sometimes go up there on weekends. She's in Europe right now, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I used it, or if I invited a guest."

"Oh I couldn't," Alice said. "Please don't think that I was suggesting that you find me a place to stay."

"If I thought that I wouldn't have offered it," Scarlett replied. "The house is just sitting there empty and all. Besides, it would give us the chance to become the best of friends before you leave."

"I still don't know," Alice said, thinking over the proposal.

"Please," Scarlett intoned. "You might not think it, but I really don't have a lot of friends. Most people find me a little too ... how would I describe it ... too unladylike at times."

"I've been accused of that a time or too myself," Alice laughed. "I guess you've got yourself a houseguest."

"Wonderful!" Scarlett beamed as she took both of Alice's hands in her own and held them tight.

Despite the crowd that exited the train station, the two women had no trouble finding a taxi to take them to Scarlett's Grandmother's. In fact, they were almost bowled over by the three young men who surged forward from the waiting cars to help them with their luggage.

By the time the winning car pulled away from the curb, they were already again lost in their spirited conversation. They made their way out of the city in good time and were soon zooming up the coast highway, retracing some of the ground they'd passed a short time before on the train.

"Is it much further?" Alice asked as she realized they had been riding for almost an hour and hadn't seen another house in ten minutes.

"Just around the next bend," Scarlett smiled.

Sure enough, just as they rounded the next curve, Grandmother's little place on the water came into view. It was not what Alice expected.

Instead of the small bungalow the Army Nurse expected, she found herself being dropped off in front of a tri level, twelve room summer house, complete with a large patio overlooking the Pacific beach beneath it.

"This is what you call your Grandmother's little place on the water?" she asked Scarlett as the cabby unloaded their luggage.

"It is when you compare it to her place in the city," Scarlett smiled. "I thought if I told you what it really was, you wouldn't want to come."

"Maybe so," Alice replied, thinking that self-conscious as she sometimes was about her background, she might just well have declined the invitation.

A smile on his face from the generous tip Scarlett had given him, the cab driver left their bags at the front door and headed back to the city.

"Buena tarde, Maria," Scarlett said to the middle aged Mexican woman who answered the door. "Es tan agradable verle otra vez."

"Senorita Scarlett," the gray haired housekeeper beamed back. "Me plazco tan verle."

"This is my friend, Alice," Scarlett said switching back to English as they stepped inside. "She will be staying with us for a few days. Would you be so kind as to make up one of the guest rooms for her?"

"Of course, Senorita," came the reply in English as well as she quickly moved to do just that.

"You speak Spanish?" Alice asked.

"Yes, and French too," Scarlett replied as they walked into the living room.

"You're kidding?"

"Ce bruit comme je badine?" the redhead said.

"I don't have any idea what you said, but I'm impressed," Alice said as she looked about the beautifully decorated room. "I couldn't managed bilingual, much less trilingual. That must be some college you're going to."

"My family has extensive business holdings on the island of San Cristobal in the Caribbean," Scarlett explained. "More people there speak Spanish or French than English. It's become a sort of family requirement."

"Your Grandmother has a television?" Alice asked, changing the subject as she saw the cabinet with the small screen in the corner. "I've never actually seen one before."

"She's always had a fascination for the latest gadgets," the younger woman laughed as she watched Alice examine the small set. "Personally I don't see the attraction, sitting around staring at a bunch of snowy images on a little screen. I'd rather be listening to Burns and Allen on the radio any day."

"I don't know," Alice said as she finished her look at the Philco brand receiver. "Maybe it's a little crude now, but who knows what it's going to be like in the future. I think it's going to be something really big."

"Sure, and maybe someday we'll see television pictures from the Moon."

"Well I wouldn't go that far," Alice laughed.

Alice's attention was then drawn to a large oil portrait hanging over the fireplace. It was a painting of a young woman in her late teens. With fiery red hair and sparking green eyes, she bore a striking resemblence to Scarlett.

"Is that you?" Alice asked.

"That," Scarlett smiled, "is my Grandmother, Celeste. My Grandfather, Sean, had that painted as a wedding gift for her back in 1893. She was only nineteen when she married him. He was twenty-nine."

"She's beautiful," Alice commented. "And she looks so much like you."

"I've been told that many times," Scarlett said. "She want's me to have my own portrait done but I think it's kind of silly."

"Oh you should do it," Alice quickly said. "It's something you'll cherish when you're older."

"Maybe." came Scarlett's noncommittal answer.

"Is your Grandfather still alive?" Alice asked out of curiosity.

"Eighty-four and still the Chairman of McMurphy Industries," Scarlett said. "My father is the President and basically runs the day to day operations. Grandfather just sort of likes to drop in now and then to make sure things are going right."

"Is he in Europe with your Grandmother?"

"No, he spends most of the year in San Cristobal," Scarlett explained. "He had this big house built there in a place he called Scarlett's Cove. It's really beautiful. Someday, when I'm as old as he is, I'd like to live there as well."

"They don't live together?" Alice asked, then quickly realized she might have overstepped her bounds. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that."

"No, it's okay," Scarlett assured her. "After being married for over fifty years, they sort of developed seperate lives. They still love each other, but they don't have to always be with each other to know that. I envy them actually, to have a love so strong that time and distance can't effect it."

"That is very rare." Alice agreed.

"Let me show you the rest of the house," Scarlett said, changing the subject. "We'll see what other toys we can find for you to play with."

The tour ended with the verandah, a wide expanse that stretched the length of the house and overlooked the beach. The sand below was a soft golden brown, unmarked except by the breeze.

"This is my favorite part of the house," Scarlett explained. "When I was a little girl and came to stay with my Grandmother, I'd sit out here for hours and just watch the waves. At night, I'd lay here and count the stars."

"It is beautiful," Alice agreed as she looked out into the blue ocean.

"Would the Senorita and her guest like some refreshments?" Maria said as she stepped out of the house holding a large tray, filled with a tea service and some small sandwiches. She placed the tray on the center of the large circular table in the middle of the deck.

"Thank you, Maria," Scarlett said as she led Alice to one of the empty seats.

"Will the Senorita be needing anything else before I leave?" Maria said. "The deliveryman was here yesterday and both the refrigerator and the pantry are full."

"I'll be fine," Scarlett replied. "You just go and enjoy your time off."

"Thank you, Senorita Scarlett," she said as she turned and headed back into the house.

Less than a minute later, the sound of the front door closing could be heard through the patio doors.

"Well now it's just us," Scarlett said as she took a sip of her tea.

"Just us?" Alice repeated.

"Well I thought it rather silly to have both me and Maria both spend the week house-sitting," Scarlett said. "So I told her to take an extra week's vacation."

Scarlett, whom it was now obvious, came from money, really didn't act like rich people were supposed to act. At least not how Alice always imagined they did.

"It's just you and me, kid," Scarlett said, doing her best Humphry Bogart imitation, having just loved him in Treasure Of The Sierre Madre. "We'll just have to rough it."

"I love your idea of roughing it," Alice laughed as she reached for one of the small sandwiches.

Scarlett and Alice took the rest of the evening just to settle in. After Maria's snack and what they had earlier on the train, neither of them really had any appetite for dinner. Instead, they decided just to relax on the verandah and enjoy the sunset.

"Care for some wine?" Scarlett asked as she appeared from the kitchen holding an open bottle and two glasses.

"Sure, why not?" Alice replied as she reached up and took one of the glasses from her hostess.

Alice had exchanged her army uniform for a pair of white shorts and a sky blue short sleeved blouse. Relaxing in a reclining lawn chair, she had been reading a hardcover book with a concealing cloth cover.

Scarlett had changed into a soft white sundress with light yellow flowers. Neither woman had bothered with footwear, deciding to instead go barefoot on the smooth, polished deck.

"What are you reading?" Scarlett asked as she poured wine into her new friend's glass.

"Nothing you'd find that interesting," Alice said as she took a slip of the wine and expressed her approval. "Just some medical research, pretty dry stuff. Mostly technical stuff."

"Oh," Scarlett said as she filled her own glass and then took her seat. "You know, you're supposed to be on a vacation. That's a funny way to relax."

"Well we each have our own little quirks." Alice smiled.

"That we do," Scarlett agreed as she flipped through a pile of magazines on the table, finally selecting a copy of Life with Marlene Dietrich on the cover.

They sat there for a while, reading and slowly sipping their wine, all the while watching the sun drop lower and lower on the horizon. It was only when Scarlett noticed Alice trying to suppress a giggle over something she had just read that she put down her magazine.

"What in a textbook could be so funny?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Not really funny," Alice said, a slight look of embarrassment on her face. "Just a little ..."

"Now you have to share," Scarlett said as she jumped out of her seat and reached for the book Alice had been reading.

Her face red, the dark haired woman surrendered the tome. Scarlett quickly turned to the title page to see what the book was.

"Sexual Behavior In The Human Male," she read aloud. "The Kinsey Report."

"Well I am a nurse," Alice said in way of explanation.

"I heard there are places in this country where they actually banned this when it came out earlier in the year," Scarlett noted.

"Well now that you've seen it," Alice said. "I'd be happy to lend it to you to look over. It's the least I could do."

"No thanks," Scarlett said as she handed the book back. "It really doesn't interest me."

"You're kidding?" Alice said in surprise. "Based on what my friend in the book store told me, they can't keep the book in stock. Of course no one wants to be seen buying it or admit they're reading it."

"Maybe so," Scarlett said as she dropped back in her chair. "But I really have no interest in reading it. Maybe if they get around to writing Sexual Behavior In The Human Female I might find it interesting."

"I don't think you'd find enough women to admit to the things they write about in here," Alice said, tapping her fingers against the book cover.

"I don't know," Scarlett smiled. "After all, it is 1948, not 1908. You might be surprised what some women might be willing to admit to."

Not sure were she should to go with a statement like that, Alice decided to stay on safer ground.

"A lot of women have read this to find out about their husbands and boyfriends," Alice said.

"Well, last time I looked, I didn't have either one of those." Scarlett replied as she refilled her glass.

"You mean a beautiful girl like you doesn't have a whole fraternity breaking down the door trying to date her?" Alice asked.

"Ravenwood is an all girl college, there are no frats," Scarlett laughed.

"I didn't know that," Alice said, noting that most women this day and age wouldn't be so happy to be going to an all girl college.

Their conversation was abruptly cut short as the bright red orb of the sun began to dip beneath the horizon. They turned their attention to the spectacle spread out across their vista, watching in silence until it faded from sight.

"It's been a real long day," Alice said as she drained the last of her glass. "I think I'm going to turn in."

"Have a good night's sleep," Scarlett said as she poured the last of the bottle into her own glass. "I'm going to stay up a little longer."

Alice got up to leave and began to clean up after herself. Scarlett told her to just leave everything where it was and she'd take care of it later. After all, she was her guest.

Over the next six days, Alice was treated to a vacation far beyond she could have ever imaged. Scarlett showed her Los Angeles like few tourists ever saw it.

They rode the new green and yellow electric trolley back and forth across the city. The two of them explored the Memorial Coliseum and Grauman's Chinese Theater. Scarlett took her to Universal Studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Paramount, where her family name seemed to open all doors.

The Griffith Park Zoo was a delight and when they went to dinner in Chinatown, Scarlett took her to a restaurant where the owners led them to their private dining room and treated them like family. A courtesy Alice was certain they extended to few other patrons.

The nights were even more marvelous. Be it a concert at the Hollywood Bowl or a chance to spend half the night peering through the lens at Griffith Observatory. There were quiet nights as well, building a fire on the beach and counting the stars. Or actually sitting in front of the television and watching an evening's programs, much to Alice's delight and Scarlett's sufferance.

By the end of they week, they were almost as close as the cousins they'd pretended to be on the train. It was hard to tell which of them was going to be sorrier to see it end.

"I think these two are my favorites," Alice said as she held up two small black and white photographs.

Scarlett looked over Alice's shoulder at her choices. She agreed with her choices.

The first showed the two of them on a small observation deck near the top of the new City Hall. It was the tallest building in the city and the view had been spectacular.

The second was an even better shot, because it contained an element of the magic the whole vacation seemed to be made of. It was a picture of them in the hills outside of the city, with the battered Hollywoodland sign spread out behind them.

"Even this camera is amazing," Alice said as she picked up the Polaroid Camera off the table to look at it again. "Imagine being able to take a photograph and have it develop right there and then. No waiting a week or more for it to come back from the drug store."

Well I told you my Grandmother loved all the latest gadgets," Scarlett said. "They only came out with those this year."

"It really is nice," Alice said. "I loved using it."

"I know, that's why I got one for you to take with you when you leave for Korea," the redhead grinned.

"What?" a surprised Alice exclaimed. "Scarlett, I can't take a gift like that. It's too expensive. I saw in a magazine that these cost almost a hundred dollars."

"Yes you can," Scarlett insisted as she rested her hands on Alice's shoulders and gave her a sisterly kiss on the cheek. "You've made this week the most fun I've had since I was a little kid. I'm really going to miss you."

"That's such a sweet thing to say," Alice said in return as she gave Scarlett a friendly kiss of her own. "I'll take it only if you let me cook you dinner tonight. It's the only gift I can really afford to give you."

"Seeing as my cooking skills aren't worth a damn," Scarlett laughed, "I'll accept."

"It's nice to see that you're not perfect after all," Alice replied with a grin. "After the last week, I was beginning to wonder."

"Oh I'm far from perfect," Scarlett quickly responded, a touch of sudden sadness in both her tone and her eyes. "But I'd settle for just being happy for a while."

"I hope I've made you happy for a while." Alice said.

"That you have," Scarlett said in reply. "Which is why I'm going to miss you so much."

"Well you're not going to have to miss me for another day and a half. So in the meantime, how bout you let me check out that pantry and see what I can come up with for dinner."

Leaving the younger woman behind as she headed for the kitchen, Alice didn't notice the single tear running down Scarlett's cheek. If she had, she might have wondered if it was a tear of happiness or sadness. At that moment, not even Scarlett was sure.