In the 1930s, when you crossed the wide surface of the Harlem River on a heavy barge, the Bronx came into view. It is bigger than the bustling Manhattan, but it is completely calm. The French novelist Paul Moran once described it as "a nondescript area, a graveyard for the living". A seemingly endless road extends vertically, with high-rise buildings on both sides. In those sprawling streets and lanes, at first glance, all the low-rise houses inhabited by immigrants are monotonous. People from the same country are relatively concentrated, forming small residential areas and bringing their own lifestyles. Luc Higgins and his wife Nora are from Ireland. They run an ordinary pub in their hometown, next to a French cafe and an American bar. In order to buy this tiny place where they live with their compatriots, they are heavily in debt.
1929 12.24 because of the stock market crash two months ago, Christmas Eve in the United States was shrouded in heavy depression, but the Higgins family had reason to be happy: friends flocked and Joseph, a five-year-old son, received some toys. The most important thing is that the second child in Nora's belly chose this night to come into this world. This is Mary.
The Great Depression swallowed up the whole country like an overwhelming tsunami, and the Higgins family stubbornly survived the difficult period. Their third child, John, with the birth of Roosevelt's New Deal, brought hope to the whole family-an emotion passed down from generation to generation by Irish people, no matter how hard it is, it can't be extinguished. In addition, we must not give up hope, in order to pay off debts, let our growing children receive a stable education.
Joseph has gone to middle school, and the Higgins decided to send their daughter to an expensive church school. Little Mary is lively and clever. At the age of seven, she decided to become a writer and began to prepare for her future career in exercise books. Irish people are natural storytellers. Luc and Nora think their daughter's ambition is reasonable, but in the eyes of other poor parents who are reduced to a foreign land, it is absolutely crazy.
From 65438 to 0939, according to what was said at that time, the United States was completely "chaotic". People are worried about what is happening in distant Europe. They are generally fatalistic and don't know what will happen tomorrow. However, the immigrant group has always maintained tenacious optimism: the United States has touched the bottom of darkness at 1929, and no matter how bad it is, it will develop in a good direction; Roosevelt was a confident and enthusiastic governor, and this country should be better. Hollywood has confirmed this optimism through its unique means: every new movie is more exciting and fascinating. There are always only four actors with the most box office appeal, that is, Tyrone Bauer, Spencer Tracy, mickey rooney and Shirley Deng Boer, who represent mature charm, youth and vitality. 10-year-old Mary is only one year younger than the last star. She has excellent academic performance and is a little girl that everyone loves. Mr. and Mrs. Higgins are proud of this, and even temporarily forget the frugal days that their daughter will endure after entering middle school.
However, 1939 not only changed the fate of the world, but also changed the fate of Mary. In September that year, during the days when the Nazis trampled on Poland, one day, three little girls who looked like Shirley Deng Boer came home from school, laughing and dancing all the way, imitating the dance steps of little child stars on the sidewalk. For them, war does not exist. Suddenly, Mary of the three stopped and looked at a large group of people in front of her house in surprise, including firefighters and policemen. She hurried over and found her brother Joseph wearing Sunday clothes. She couldn't help crying. "Joe?" She just shouted such a nickname in a questioning tone, as if subconsciously reminding her not to ask too many questions. "Johnny, you, you tell her." The elder brother told his younger brother to lower his head, trying to hide his panic. So John stammered, "I ... I think dad is dead." Luke Higgins just died of a heart attack.
Mary's world collapsed at that moment. This is her first violent death, but not the last. The widowed mother could not continue to pay her daughter's tuition without any subsidy, so she had to drop out of school and study shorthand instead. The whole family stays in a small hotel first, and then rents an apartment, so at least they have a fixed residence. 1944, 15-year-old Mary was hired as a secretary by Remington Rand Company and began to earn money to support her family.
Over the past year, the war has ended, and the country that once struggled in despair is suddenly full of light. Like many young people, Joseph began to make his own life plan with infinite vision. But one day, he suddenly vomited, had a headache and had to stay in bed. His friend warren clarke came to visit. When Mary went to work, she saw them chatting. The next day, Warren was still there, but Joseph stopped talking. On the third day, Joseph died of acute meningitis. This incident touched Mary a lot. She later said, "For a long time, I always thought that the worst thing always happened when people least realized it."
Without Joseph's income, life becomes more difficult. John is still at school and needs to pay the rent every month. The burden of bringing home the bacon falls almost entirely on Mary's shoulders. "For mom's sake, you must hold on." She kept saying this to herself and worked harder at the same time. Remington Rand is a good advertising company. The boss is a warm-hearted couple who appreciate the little girl's courage and diligence. Mary was promoted and became an "advertising assistant", which finally gave her a little room for creativity.
At this time, a friend of Mary passed the exam and became a stewardess. Every time I came back from new york, I told her about my journey, which greatly stimulated her imagination. She used her evening time to study secretly, hoping to open the door to the world through that kind of exam. 1949, she became a stewardess of Pan Am.
Mary resigned from her boss, who wanted to keep the employee and invited her home for dinner. That night, Mary rushed to the boss's house and saw a young man staying there, naturally eating dinner. He was none other than warren clarke, who stood by Joseph's bedside as he lay dying. At that time, Mary found her brother's friend very reliable and congenial to herself, but the latter was nine years older than her and only regarded her as a child. This reunion revived the feelings four years ago, and the ripple of love in Mary's heart rose again and became stronger, because Warren responded to her that night and regarded her as a woman rather than a friend's little sister. "After dinner, we went to the bar for a drink. After chatting for a while, he began to write on a small piece of paper. I asked him what he wrote, and he said,' Invitation list for our wedding'. "