The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett

Eudora goes to the geriatric clinic at the NHS for her yearly checkup. She is surprised to run into Stanley in the waiting room, also there for an appointment. During Eudora’s appointment, the young Dr. Jarvis is concerned about the tremors in her hands and decides to call in Dr. Simmons. Dr. Simmons is rude and bullying, and Eudora calls him out on it and insists that he change his ways. Dr. Jarvis is grateful to Eudora but unsure whether she should stay in medicine. Eudora discourages her from changing careers, saying that Dr. Jarvis has a “role to play” (104), and Dr. Jarvis suggests Eudora has a role as well. Stanley offers Eudora a ride home and invites her to his son’s 5^0th birthday party at a dance hall; during their prior conversation, she mentioned that she went dancing every Saturday night when she was young.

Back in 1952, the burden of trying to mediate between her mother and her sister was getting more difficult for Eudora’s to carry, but a picture of her father gave her the strength to keep going. One day Stella came home from school and was missing a button from her sweater. Beatrice asked Stella to sew the button right back on and grabbed her arm.