Sidestory - Tuesday, March 24, 1933

by Julie

By March 20, almost everyone has made it home safely. Several of the families had a terrible time; some of them insist on describing all their experiences to Libby. But one young couple bet the money wired to them on a horse race and come back having won over a thousand dollars, of which they give Libby a cut. Another husband found a good farm job in California, and came back to fetch his wife and children to go live with him. But Delores Brewer, a widow in her early '50s, never replied to the wires at all, though every time Guy checks, she's perfectly fine, somewhere in New York City. Finally, on the 21st, he senses her closer to the island. She comes back to Marquis on Friday afternoon, March 24th, and she's not alone. She ignores her family, just going towards the jail.

Libby's lost a bit of weight, though she's been trying to force herself to eat, for the baby's sake, and she feels rather guilty that her appetite's gone. She grins to see the widow enter the hallway, even more pleased that the woman is smiling. But Libby can't believe who's accompanying Delores.

"Raymond?" she asks, staring, and shaking her head.

The man tugs at his subdued black suspenders, grinning. "Word is we have you to thank?"

"For what?" Libby asks blankly.

"For dropping me in the icy Atlantic," Delores says, laughing slightly.

"Pardon me?"

"Funny thing," Raymond says, nodding in satisfaction. "As soon as Maeve and her little boy left Coney, I got to feeling lonely, so I walked out on the pier. And would you believe it, there's this pretty lady floundering in the water, just at the same spot you fell in a few years ago."

Libby cringes.

"There's a rope there now, and I hauled her up, and, well, I loved her at first sight. Had to take her back to the arcade to get her some dry clothes, and I guess she eventually took to me too." Raymond grins proudly, and Delores has a bit of a flush on her cheeks.

Libby laughs in spite of herself. "So it worked out for the good?"

Delores nods. "We're just here to see my girl...I'm moving back to New York with Raymond right away."

"I'm glad it worked out for the best, for you," Libby says softly, smiling to see the joy in the lovers' eyes. It's only when they're gone that the rest of Raymond's story sinks in...

Maeve and her little boy...

On to Tuesday, March 24, 1933 (AIM)

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