Don't Forget to Write: A Novel

Frannie, Ada’s maid, serves breakfast the next morning, to Marilyn’s surprise; Frannie also serves all the meals in Philadelphia. She asks if Frannie is staying somewhere in Avalon or if she takes the train down from Philadelphia early each morning. Frannie explains that Ada provides her and her family with a house for the summer. Marilyn and Ada talk about Marilyn’s interest in writing, and Ada says that she was acquainted with F. Scott Fitzgerald. Marilyn realizes that she is more interested in writing than in getting married. Client meetings start again, and Marilyn suggests a match between two young people. Ada thinks that she has a good eye for matchmaking.

After lunch, Marilyn goes to the beach to read. After a while, a man joins her: It is Freddy. He is pleased to see her, and the two of them flirt, although Marilyn tells Freddy that she is not allowed to date for the summer. Freddy does not want to go on any dates that Ada sets up; he is only interested in Marilyn. He is free for the summer before he decides “between law school and the family business” (100). Marilyn kisses him on the cheek, against her better judgment.

On Frannie’s day off, Marilyn goes to the grocery store, though she has never been food shopping before and does not know how to tell if melons are ripe. Luckily, she runs into Shirley, who helps her and invites her over for dinner. Marilyn returns home and extends the invitation to Ada, who refuses. She does not like Shirley’s family. When Marilyn arrives for dinner, she understands Ada’s reluctance. The house is gaudy and ostentatious, and Shirley’s parents want to seem like they belong to a higher social class. Marilyn is also surprised to learn that Shirley and Freddy are siblings.

After an awkward dinner, Marilyn, Shirley, and Freddy sit on the veranda. Shirley says that Freddy flirts with all her friends. When she goes to get drinks, Freddy kisses Marilyn. He then insists on walking her home along the beach. Marilyn knows that she should refuse Freddy’s advances, but she is attracted to him, and they kiss again before she returns to Ada’s house. Ada is on the phone with the mysterious caller again, and she sounds sad.

Ada and Marilyn visit the beach together to read. Marilyn struggles to set up Ada’s large beach umbrella, and Freddy, who works as a lifeguard, runs over to help. He pretends not to know Marilyn, claiming that he was not home for dinner the previous night so that Ada does not get suspicious. Ada warns Marilyn not to get involved with Freddy. Marilyn reads To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Ada reads Hawaii by James A. Michener.

Ada goes swimming, and Freddy comes over to talk to Marilyn again. Marilyn agrees to sneak out of her room and meet Freddy that night. After Ada goes to sleep, Marilyn climbs out the window, and Freddy drives her to Atlantic City. They see the sights and go dancing, and then Freddy brings her back to Ada’s.

The next day is the Fourth of July, and Marilyn sleeps in. Ada shows her how she matches people up based on their shared values and interests. She tells Marilyn about her time as a nurse in World War I. Her father, who had only daughters, left her his estate, as all her sisters were married. She has been a matchmaker for 40 years. Marilyn thinks about the kind of man she might want to marry and is unsure whether Freddy fits the bill.

Marilyn and Ada watch the fireworks that evening. The next morning, work begins again. Marilyn is getting better at taking accurate notes and determining what people need in a match. That afternoon, Marilyn sees Freddy on the beach again, and they go for a walk together. Ada gives Marilyn a typewriter when she gets home, as she wants Marilyn to hone her skills and do what she loves.

Two days later, Ada is frustrated with Marilyn because she has not yet started writing. She threatens to take back the typewriter if Marilyn is not willing to take her craft seriously. Marilyn goes for a walk and runs into Shirley, who is angry with her for flirting with Freddy. She had hoped for a genuine friendship with Marilyn. The two make up, and Shirley suggests that Marilyn write about her “big, glamorous New York life” (152). Marilyn imagines a story about a girl from New York who meets a rakish boy and marries him, resulting in a comedy when she must meet his family. She starts writing the story.

Freddy and Marilyn continue to see each other in secret. They go for a walk along the boardwalk, and Marilyn asks Freddy about what Shirley said: that he gets together with all her friends. Freddy bristles and says that he has genuine feelings for Marilyn, unlike the other girls he has pressured into bed and then abandoned. This admission unsettles Marilyn, but the two go on a date to an amusement park anyway.

While Marilyn and Ada are meeting clients, the phone rings. It is Lillian: Her mother has died. Ada needs to go to Lillian to help with the funeral arrangements immediately. Marilyn assures Ada that she will stay out of trouble and take care of Sally. Ada leaves, and Marilyn takes Sally for a walk by the beach. Freddy comes over to see her. He is delighted to learn that Ada will be away for a few days. As she gets ready to meet Freddy for dinner, Marilyn sneaks into Ada’s room to reclaim her red lipstick. She looks at the books on Ada’s shelf, one of which is The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith. Marilyn can remember “hearing something whispered about it, but [cannot] recall what the controversy was” (164).

They go for dinner and a walk, discussing possible future plans. Freddy suggests that they get married, Marilyn takes a year off of school while he finishes his law degree, and then they move to New York together. Marilyn is unsure. Freddy brings Ada home, and she invites him in against her better judgment.

The next morning, Freddy and Marilyn wake up early and go to the beach to watch the sunrise. They have sex on the beach, which worries Marilyn because they do not use protection. Marilyn returns to Ada’s house and writes more of her story, feeling that she has a better understanding of the characters now.