“Yup. He’s going to teach her to drive for The Danger Girl at Keystone. She dresses as a fella in that one. You’ll have to see it,” he said, and winked.

“I will.” She clutched the envelope, resisting the urge to tear it open then and there.

“She’s making quite a splash, that gal. Okay, I better go. You ask your mother to come with you on Monday, let’s say four o’clock. How’s that?”

“That’s swell.” She smiled at him. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

He grinned and tipped his hat to her—something else she had to get used to. “See you Monday.”

She put a good five or six blocks between herself and the school before she opened Glory’s letter. The neighborhood where they lived was quiet: she heard distant laughter from other students as they walked home, and dogs barking eagerly as they raced to the sidewalk to greet them.

She halted at the end of the street that led to Mrs. Dahl’s boardinghouse. Pin’s mother had gone to work at a lunch counter. Fatty Bacon had told her she no longer needed to work if she didn’t want to. “But I do want to,” Gina had retorted.

Pin ducked behind a tree that shaded the sidewalk, dropped her school satchel, and sat cross-legged in the grass. The envelope was pale blue, as was the paper inside, which had scalloped edges and smelled of carnations. Glory’s small neat handwriting filled the page, black ink with a single blotch. Pin longed to think it had been left by a tear, though it was difficult to imagine Glory crying over anything.

Dear Pin,

I suppose I should call you Vivian but I can’t! How could you tease me like that? I should be so angry! But I’m not, I only wish you had told me, perhaps I might have helped. But probably not.

Mother and I have decided to go to California, where I will take more singing lessons. I may also do some motion picture work at the Niles Canyon studio. Charlie Chaplin is out there, you will remember that I’m sure. Wally is there too now. Maybe you can come visit me.

I will miss our happy times at the studio, Pin—I don’t think I’ll ever be able to call you Vivian, I know I said that already but it’s true.

Your affectionate friend,

Gloria Swanson

P.S. Please don’t fret about that middy costume, I never told them at the studio and they will never miss it.