Don't Forget to Write: A Novel

There is a knock at the door. Marilyn expects to find Lillian’s luggage, but instead, she finds Daniel Schwartz holding a bouquet of flowers. Marilyn does not want to talk to Daniel, but Ada likes him immediately. She invites him into the living room, where he says that he still has strong feelings for Marilyn. He is not here to propose, but he would like to take Marilyn on a date and get to know her better. Marilyn tries to turn him down, but Ada insists that she go out with him. She believes that Daniel will be a good match for Marilyn.

Ada helps Marilyn choose an outfit for the evening. Daniel picks Marilyn up and brings her to a restaurant of Ada’s choosing. Despite Marilyn’s misgivings, the date goes well, as Daniel is considerate and interesting. He understands that she is not ready to get married. She orders lobster and challenges Daniel to do the same; he agrees.

Daniel enjoys the lobster, proving to Marilyn that he is willing to try new things. He is willing to keep dating Marilyn without the pressure of marriage, including visiting her each weekend. Daniel’s parents want him to go to rabbinical school, but he wants to be a photojournalist. He is prepared to do whatever he needs to support Marilyn’s writing. After dinner, Marilyn takes Daniel to a bar. She sings a song in front of everyone and then insists that Daniel do the same. He is a terrible singer, but he gives it his best shot and does a creditable Elvis impersonation. Marilyn is pleased, and the pair get ice cream.

Marilyn and Daniel reminisce about their misadventure at the synagogue, and then they kiss. They walk back to Ada’s house along the beach, and Marilyn invites Daniel to come over for lunch the next day. Marilyn heads inside to find Ada lying “in her chair, her body completely slack, her mouth open” (282). Marilyn panics, but Ada is only sleeping. She asks Marilyn about her date.

The next morning, Daniel comes to Ada’s house. He and Marilyn spend some time on the beach. Marilyn tells Daniel about the story she is writing, and he offers to teach her the basics of photography. They have lunch with Ada and discuss the photo albums and Daniel’s career aspirations. In the afternoon, Daniel leaves, but he promises to return the following weekend. He also promises to teach Marilyn how to drive; she never learned because she lives in the city.

Ada puts enormous effort into preparing the house for Lillian’s impending arrival. Marilyn feels spiteful and resents Lillian before she has even met her. Ada fetches Lillian from the train station, and when she returns, she is smiling. Lillian, who is a little younger than Ada, is delighted to meet Marilyn. She goes upstairs to take a nap, and Ada sends Marilyn out to get flowers. She passes Shirley on her way to the market, and Shirley is cold to her. Marilyn is glad that she no longer has any connection to Shirley or Freddy.

When Marilyn returns, she gently asks Ada if she can stay with her beyond the summer, perhaps taking over Lillian’s job. Ada is angry with Marilyn for suggesting that she turn Lillian out after they have lived together for 15 years. Lillian interrupts in the middle of their argument, and she and Ada go out for lunch. Marilyn calls her mother and learns that her father is willing to send her back to college in the fall. She asks if she can stay with Ada instead, but Rose is unenthusiastic.

Marilyn goes to the beach and considers her options. She worries that if she goes home and keeps dating Daniel, she will “wind up living the exact life [she] wanted to avoid” (303). It starts raining heavily, and Marilyn rushes home. Lillian runs her a hot bath and tells her that she used to be a nurse. When Marilyn comes downstairs, she, Ada, and Lillian discuss her novel. The power goes out, and the three women make a simple dinner and drink a lot of wine. They discuss the possibility of Marilyn staying beyond the end of summer. They also look at the photo albums that Marilyn has made, and Lillian finds a photograph of herself as a young nurse. Marilyn realizes that Lillian and Ada have been friends for 40 years.

Marilyn wakes up with a hangover. After breakfast, Lillian helps Ada with clients, and Marilyn keeps cataloging photographs. Marilyn cannot help but like Lillian despite her earlier misgivings. To show Lillian that she trusts her, Marilyn lets her read the first few chapters of her novel. Daniel will soon return, and Ada decides that he can stay in her house, provided that he and Marilyn remain in their rooms at night. Lillian talks about her brief marriage to a young man after World War I. Marilyn abruptly asks if Ada had an affair with Ernest Hemingway, which would explain why she is so secretive about the loves of her life. Ada and Lillian find this funny, and Ada insists that she did not have an affair with Hemingway.

Marilyn gets ready for her date with Daniel while Lillian and Ada give their opinions on her choice of dress. Ada suggests that she wear a dark green dress because it will go better with red lipstick, which she is finally willing to let Marilyn wear. Daniel arrives with flowers, and Lillian asks him all sorts of questions about his life. Daniel has Marilyn drive them to dinner, giving her instructions along the way.

The following morning, Marilyn, Daniel, Ada, and Lillian all go to the beach. Daniel takes photos of them. He and Marilyn imagine coming to the beach when they are as old as Ada and Lillian, and Marilyn finds herself increasingly comfortable imagining a future with him. That future does not have to involve marriage. Both want an unconventional life and worry about how to tell their parents. Daniel promises to return the following weekend.

Marilyn is increasingly certain that she wants to stay with Ada and Lillian. Among the photographs, she finds a bundle tied in a handkerchief and brings it to Ada, who opens it. Inside are a few photographs of a young Ada with a Black soldier. His name was John, and he was Thomas’s grandfather. Ada explains that the two of them fell in love, but they decided that marrying would be too difficult and risky, even in states where it would have been legal. Ada is not Thomas’s grandmother; she and John split up, and he married happily shortly thereafter. They remained friends, and she considers him to be the first great love of her life. John is dead, and Ada gives Thomas some financial support. During the war, Ada introduced Lillian to the man that she married.