The Train Station Journal Entry

Journal Entry 1. The Train Station: I can still smell the smoke in my hair. What I would not do for a bath, especially after days of travel from Iowa to Boston on that train. If I wasn’t so numb from the tragic events of the past few weeks, I might actually be embarrassed by the stares of the people passing by. I must look a sight with my stained worn clothes and disheveled looks. How was someone supposed to look after losing everything they owned and everyone they loved in a single day? I don’t even want to sleep because when I close my eyes all I see is the flames and the gray smoke against the blue sky. So here I am in this big strange city waiting on Aunt Evelyn to come and fetch me. Obviously this place would never be home; The people

Settling In: It has been three weeks since I’ve been living with Aunt Evelyn and Cousin Elizabeth. I’ve settled in moderately well, but Aunt Evelyn is the complete opposite of how my parents were. My parents were extremely strict, and they always enforced the idea that I must stay traditional and respectful. Their wish for me was that I become a nurse, as it was a respectable job for a young lady to hold (Kerle 1).However, with Aunt Evelyn, she allows Elizabeth to wear dresses that are knee length and drop at the waist, allows her to wear makeup, and wear her hair so short in a bob. Elizabeth and I are both nineteen years old and I believe I act much more refined. Also, I think it’s awfully unladylike of Elizabeth to do all of these things. Even though I know my mama would not approve, I have to say I’m intrigued and I wouldn’t say the look was unbecoming on her; Maybe too becoming. I see the way men look at her. Obviously no one was looking at me in my plain old dress. When I asked Elizabeth why she wanted to cut her hair in such a way, she told me it was the “in” thing to do if you wanted to be the “new woman”. Then she showed me a magazine called Redbook (Roark, Johnson and Cohen 631-633). There I saw a woman that looked even more seductive than Elizabeth. There was something about Elizabeth that made me want to be like her despite all my upbringing. Someone bold and daring, without a care in the

A Lively Time: I stepped into the dancing room and suddenly felt my palms get sweaty as it all hit me at once. The dress I was wearing suddenly didn’t seem to cover as much of my body as I would like for it to. I felt guilty on one hand and on the other, I felt alive, invigorated, and electric. Just watching the girls in their flapper dresses move across the dance floor was contagious. I wanted to be like those girls. They were so confident and sure of themselves; The opposite of me. Its then that I saw him. Frank was all cozied up in the opposite corner with a blonde girl with bright red lips and silky coiffed hair. Whatever he was whispering to her was making her go into giggling fits of pleasure and I instantly knew I hated her. I was about to burst into tears and go running from the room when someone pecked my shoulder. I turned to find an attractive young man starring into my face. It startled me for a moment until he opened his mouth and asked if he could dance with me. A lively jazz song played and I took his hand as he led me to the dance floor. Frank was forgotten for the moment. He young man told me his name was Bobby and I told him my name was Alice. Just as we began to dance, someone pecked Bobby on the shoulder and asked if he could cut in. I looked up into those gorgeous eyes I had known from the night of the dinner; It was Frank. Here he was asking to cut in and dance with me. My mouth felt dry and as he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him,