The Women of Brewster Place

When Lorraine and Theresa first move into Brewster Place, they “[seem] like such nice girls” (129). However, soon, “the rumor” begins to spread. One night, Sophie, a resident of Brewster Place, sees one of the girls trip, and the other catches her with a strange intimacy. People in Brewster Place begin to suspect the true nature of the women’s relationship. Sophie’s window looks toward Lorraine and Theresa’s, so she becomes the building’s “official watchman” and spies on the two women. Lorraine starts to notice a change in her neighbors’ attitudes. Although everyone was friendly at first, they now avoid meeting her eyes or answering her greetings. When Sophie tries to peer into her shopping bag one afternoon, Lorraine tells Theresa of her worries about the neighbors’ suspicions. Theresa is immediately angry and accuses Lorraine of making her move from apartment to apartment because of the “mysterious theys” whom Lorraine claims must be aware of their romantic relationship. Lorraine immediately apologizes, and Theresa wishes that her girlfriend would “fight back” for once. Even though Theresa was initially attracted to Lorraine’s “softness,” the other woman’s constant need for “goodwill” and approval sometimes frustrates her. However, ever since Lorraine lost a job in Detroit because of her sexual orientation, she has been afraid that the same thing might happen in Brewster Place. Theresa comforts her, and Lorraine sets about making dinner. 

The newly formed tenants’ association meets in Kiswana’s apartment. She has decorated for the occasion with a banner that reads “Today Brewster—Tomorrow America!” (138), but its meaning is lost on most of the residents. The meeting is a confused babble of complaints as the residents voice their grievances. Sophie pipes up, wanting to discuss the “bad element” that has moved in. She insists that the association should take action against Lorraine and Theresa, but Mattie and Etta speak against her, telling Sophie to mind her own business. However, between themselves, they also disapprove of Lorraine and Theresa’s relationship. Mattie thinks hard and remarks that she has “loved some women deeper than [she] ever loved any man” (141) and wonders if it is so different from Lorraine and Theresa’s love.

Meanwhile, Lorraine is climbing the stairs to Kiswana’s apartment. Theresa has no interest in the meeting, but Lorraine wants to be part of the Brewster Place community. She thinks that Theresa doesn’t understand the pressure that Lorraine feels; she is a first-grade teacher, and if people find out she is in a relationship with a woman, they will see her as a threat to their children. In any case, she cannot isolate herself like Theresa does; she wants her neighbors to like her. As she enters Kiswana’s apartment, the residents are in a heated argument about throwing a block party to raise money for a housing lawyer, and the meeting secretary storms out. Lorraine offers to take notes in her stead, but Sophie objects loudly, asking to vote on the new secretary. Kiswana is confused because no one else wants to take notes, and Sophie accuses the room of siding with “the likes of them,” indicating Etta and Lorraine instead of a “decent woman” like her. Etta takes offense, and the two almost come to blows. Sophie looks at Lorraine and tells her that she and her “nasty ways” aren’t welcome in Brewster Place. Lorraine maintains her composure, and Sophie tells the room that Lorraine left her shades up. She saw the other woman come out of the bath dripping wet and ask Theresa for a towel. Ben comes to Lorraine’s rescue by teasing Sophie for implying that she bathes with her clothes on. 

Lorraine rushes out of the apartment, and Ben follows her. He asks if she is all right, but Lorraine just nods, afraid she will scream or throw up if she opens her mouth. Ben takes her down to his basement apartment, where he makes tea and tells Lorraine that she reminds him of his daughter. Lorraine tells Ben that her father kicked her out when she was 17 after he found a letter from one of her girlfriends. She has always sent him birthday cards, but they were always returned unopened. Now, she says, she doesn’t include a return address so that she can imagine that one day he will read the cards. Ben says that his daughter doesn’t have a return address either and tells Lorraine that she is welcome in his home any time.

As Lorraine leaves, Ben starts to hear crystal bells from a memory he tries hard to suppress with alcohol. He rushes to take a drink, chugging the wine straight from the bottle in an attempt to “unremember” his wife and daughter. Years ago, Ben lived in Tennessee with his wife, Elvira, and their daughter, a girl with a pronounced limp. Ben was a sharecropper, and his family was poor. Every week, Ben’s daughter worked in the house of Mr. Clyde, the white man who owned the property that Ben farmed. Mr. Clyde always insisted that Ben’s daughter stay overnight, and one day, she confessed to her parents that the man molested her. Elvira refused to believe her daughter, thinking her that accusations were just excuses to be lazy and avoid work. She accused Ben of not being man enough to support his family and told him to be grateful to Mr. Clyde for being generous enough to give their daughter a job. Ben began drinking to numb the shame of doing nothing to help his daughter. Eventually, she ran away from home. Sometimes, she writes, but there is never a return address.

On Friday, Theresa is on her way home after a long day in the office. Thinking about Lorraine, she realizes that she has noticed her girlfriend being more assertive, which Theresa thought she wanted but now finds bothersome. Theresa is frustrated because Lorraine has been spending lots of time with Ben. She wonders what the two could have in common and resents that Ben seems to have made Lorraine stronger when Theresa could not. As she thinks, a little girl crashes on her roller-skates in front of Theresa. She rushes to the girl’s aid and helps her clean her scraped knee. The girl’s mother hurries over, demanding to know what Theresa is doing to her daughter. Offended by the implication, Theresa shows the embarrassed mother the bloody tissue and angrily climbs the stairs to her apartment. Lorraine is in the bath, and as Theresa starts preparing dinner, she sees Sophie spying from the window across the way. Furious, Theresa yanks her blinds up and invites Sophie to watch her make meatloaf, shouting that she does it just like anyone else. She begins to throw the vegetables and eggs at Sophie’s window, and Lorraine stops her right before she throws the meat, insisting that it is expensive. Lorraine’s concern over the ground beef makes Theresa laugh. Her laughter turns into tears, and Lorraine holds her, not worried about Sophie’s watchful eye. 

The next day, Lorraine runs into Kiswana on her way home. Kiswana awkwardly tries to apologize for the disastrous tenants’ meeting and invites Lorraine to help organize the upcoming block party. As they talk, C. C. Baker and his “pack” of young men walk by. The men know Kiswana’s boyfriend, and they warn her against talking to Lorraine, warning that she “might try to grab a tit” (161). They argue, and C. C. and his cronies finally go on their way. That night, Lorraine and Theresa plan on going to a party at a gay club that they frequent. However, they fight when Lorraine comes home from talking with Kiswana. Theresa suggests that Lorraine might prefer to visit her “boyfriend,” Ben, and Lorraine says that talking to Ben makes her feel like she is no different from anyone else. Theresa insists that she and Lorraine are different, but Lorraine disagrees. She tells Theresa that she was the same before, and after she fell in love with a woman for the first time, it didn’t make her any different. Theresa counters that the whole world is against them, and Lorraine begins to cry. When Theresa doesn’t comfort her, she goes to the club by herself.

Lorraine stays in the club for an hour, nursing a drink alone and trying to avoid conversation. She leaves but is too early to go home, so she decides to visit Ben. Hesitant to let Theresa see her going into his basement apartment, she heads down a side alley out of sight of their window. Walking down the dark alley, she feels nervous and starts running when she hears a thumping noise behind her. She crashes into C. C. Baker. His gang closes in around her. They beat her, rape her, and leave her in the alley. Dawn breaks as Lorraine lies half-conscious in the alley. Ben comes out of his apartment, singing to himself and having his morning drink. Aroused by the movement, Lorraine starts to crawl her way toward him. Meanwhile, Mattie wakes up in her apartment. She looks out the window and sees Lorraine crawling down the alley, so she pulls on her coat and hurries outside. As Lorraine gets closer to Ben, she picks up a loose brick. Just as Ben sees Lorraine and starts to ask what happened, Lorraine smashes the brick against his head. She continues to beat him with it as Mattie screams until arms come to restrain her.