“You don’t remember? I should think something as important as that would stick in your mind. You’re a terrible liar, Mary Elizabeth. It doesn’t suit you. You’re not too old for me to wash your mouth out with soap, you know.”

Mary counted to five in her head. An angry exchange with her mother served no purpose. She strived for a reasonable tone. “I’m not a child. I’m a grown woman and I make my own decisions. I told Sam no because, while I love him, I’m not in love with him. I refuse to marry for the sake of convenience or because you think I should say yes. I’m not going to throw my life away.”

“If you turned Samuel down, you already did throw your life away. I swear, what is wrong with you? At the rate you’re going, you’ll die a spinster—old and alone in your misery.”

“Now you sound like him.” Mary rose.

“So, that’s it?”

“That’s it. I don’t know what else you want me to say.”

“Say you’ll go back to Samuel right this second and tell him you plead temporary insanity. Say you’ll beg him to forgive your stupidity.”

Mary heard the fear in her mother’s voice, and for a moment, she felt sorry for her. “I will do no such thing. I’m not you. I don’t feel like I’ll wither and die if I don’t have a man to take care of me. I’m stronger than that.”

Her mother recoiled as if she’d been slapped. “Are you saying you think I’m weak because I married your father? I’ll have you know he’s the one who leans on me. Not the other way around.”

“I’m saying that I’m my own person. I don’t need Sam or a marriage to define me. I can get along in the world fine without a man.”

“The world is not kind to women like that,” her mother said, derisively.

“Women like what, exactly? What are you talking about?”

“You know. Women who…prefer the company of other women.”

“I have no idea what you’re getting at; that isn’t what this is about. Sam is not the boy for me. That’s all there is to it.” Mary’s heart pounded. Did her mother know she’d been wondering about what it would be like to kiss Phyllis? How could she? She spied the mailman coming toward their house and ran out the front door to meet him.

“Hi, Miss Mary. You’re looking pretty as a picture today.”

“Thank you. Do you have anything for me?”