Chapter 1
Alice sips her third bottle of beer and looks over to witness Gloria talking with a small group of people. Her beauty stands out from the rest. Light brown colored hair, soft doe eyes, Alice Macray has fallen in love.
“You left me at the ice machine.”
Pamela Whalen looks upset.
Alice sips more of her beer and keeps looking on. Pamela glances over to see Gloria Steinem laughing with the college group. The only reason she came along with Alice was because they were both invited by the pro-era woman herself. Gloria looks amazing in a paisley long-sleeve blouse and corduroy bell bottoms.
“I wonder,” Alice begins, “if she really has bad eyesight, or those aviators are just for show...”
“There’s no heat in this dormitory, I’m cold,” Pamela complains, rubbing her arms together.
“Maybe I should go ask her?” Alice continues.
“To turn up the heat?” Pamela asks, hopefully.
“What? No. If she likes wearing her glasses,” Alice says. “There’s always contacts.”
“Do not go saying that to her!” Pamela shouts.
Alice doesn’t listen and hands Pam her drink before she makes her way towards Gloria Steinem. She stands nearby the youth group, staring admiringly, which some of the others take notice and look at her. Gloria turns her head.
“Hey, Alice.”
She remembers my name! Alice feels her heart flying over the moon.
She blurts out,
“Hi, Gloria. I was wondering if you need to wear those? Have you ever considered contact lenses?”
Gloria doesn’t blow up or walk away. She’s actually smiling and responds,
“These aviators were made for me.”
The small group of people chuckle good-naturally, and wait for what happens next.
Alice finds herself pulling the purple tinted glasses off Gloria’s face to slip them on her own. Her vision has blurred drastically. Everything has become a shimmery, bokeh looking universe.
Gloria squints her eyes a bit. Her friends whisper and squirm nervously.
“Unfortunately I can’t say the same for them...” Alice sighs, pulling off the glasses to give them back. “Far out, though.”
“Can I get you a drink? I’m really liking you, Al,” Gloria gives Alice a tender squeeze on her arm that makes the housewife grow warm.
Pamela keeps checking the time on her wristwatch and decides to grab Alice so they can leave and head home. She sees that Gloria has pulled Alice away from the others towards the other side of the shag carpet living room; slow dancing with their hands clasped together and legs bending a bit.
“Ahem,” the youngest out of the three clears her throat, looking rather betrayed and left out.
“Pamela,” Alice greets her, letting go of Gloria’s left hand to wave her fingers.
“We should get going.”
“You’re leaving already?” Gloria whines.
“We’ll be on the road and I’ll drive us back safely,” Pamela hints carefully, hooking her arm through Alice’s, steering themselves from Steinem.
“Bye, Gloria!”
“She calls me, ‘Al’,” Alice hiccups, looking goofy, while Pamela helps her put on her tan brown coat. “Gloura does...”
“Uh huh,” Pamela says, hating how much Alice drank tonight.