Mail Order Bride: Ramona Read Free

told her to ask him for some leeway in staying there,
but Ramona knew that it would be a hopeless cause. Mr. Mason had thrown old
Mrs. Hill out on the street only weeks earlier when her arthritis had gotten
her fired at the garment factory where she worked. Ramona had tried to follow
her onto the street, but the old lady had disappeared into the crowd before she
got downstairs. If Mr. Mason wasn’t able to find it in his heart to be lenient
with that kind, old lady, Ramona knew he wouldn’t help her.
    She walked to the closet and pulled out her purple satin
bag with the green bow. It was time to pack. And this time she would not be
filling the bag with ballet shoes and a glittering stage outfit, but with everything
she owned.
     “Ramona! Answer me, what is going on? Are you all right?”
asked Elizabeth, clutching at Ramona’s arm and tugging at it in an attempt to secure
her attention.
    “My mother has left me,” Ramona said, her chin quivering.
    “What do you mean?” asked Elizabeth, letting go of Ramona’s
arm.
    “She’s gone to Texas to marry a professor. I’m all alone in
the world. I have to get a job. I’ll never be a Broadway star now. I have
nowhere to live. I…” Ramona was babbling, and the feeling of dizziness and
nausea returned as she gulped in deep breaths of cool air.
    “Oh Ramona. I’m so sorry. You can stay with us. I’m sure
Mama and Papa won’t mind. Honestly. Come on, let’s go and ask them.” Elizabeth
placed her arm around Ramona’s shoulders, and guided her gently toward the
apartment door and into the hallway.
    “What will I do now?” asked Ramona, her brown eyes wide and
filled with unshed tears as she looked at Elizabeth.
    “We’ll figure it out. You will be fine. This is not the end
of your life. It’s just the beginning. You’ll see,” Elizabeth patted Ramona’s
hand, and wiped a stray tear that had trickled down her pink cheek.
    “It’s just the beginning.”

Chapter Two
    Ramona
    For Ramona, time seemed to pass in a slow motion haze of
activity in the weeks following her mother’s departure. Sometimes she couldn’t
even recall what day it was, and every time Elizabeth asked her when she had
last looked for a job, danced, or rehearsed, Ramona would mumble and say, “It’s
only been a couple of days.”
    “It hasn’t though,” Elizabeth would say.
    Usually, the far more sensible Elizabeth, with her straight
ash hair and plain pointed face, considered Ramona’s pursuit of a life on the
stage to be a foolish endeavor. She’d never said anything to discourage Ramona,
but for her, being a wife and mother was all she asked of life. She had no
ambition beyond that, and the way things were progressing with Arthur, it
wouldn’t be long until she had all that she dreamed of. For now though, Elizabeth
worked as a maid in the same hotel where Ramona’s mother had worked. And Elizabeth
could see that the old vivacious, joyful, Ramona was drifting away. That
special spark about her was fading. She had holed up in Elizabeth’s bedroom,
and rarely came out. So Elizabeth pressed Ramona to rehearse in an attempt to
bring the girl out of the dark hole into which she had fallen.
    Soon the cool air of the approaching winter was whistling
down the streets and byways of the West Village, and Ramona had taken to
wearing her coat everywhere she went. The leaves on the trees had changed,
coating the cityscape with brilliant oranges, fiery yellows and warm brown
tones. Thanksgiving was a melancholy affair for Ramona. She shared the day with
Elizabeth and her family, but couldn’t bring herself to be cheery in spite of
their friendly banter. At the dinner that evening, the table was set with a
small piece of turkey, gravy, stuffing, fresh bread rolls and several vegetable
dishes. There was also soup for an appetizer, and they all waited eagerly to
begin the meal while Mr. John Dresden, Elizabeth’s father, said the prayer of
Thanksgiving. After the prayer, he paused with a spoon