Well. That was a scare.
Zelda Sayre, 19, had been late.
Not late to the dance. Late.
Her current boyfriend, writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, 23, was back in New York City, finishing off his first novel to be published by Charles Scribner’s & Sons next month, and sending his short stories to magazines. Scott and Zelda were engaged. And then un-engaged.
He is still showering her with lots of presents.
Zelda Sayre, dancing
When Zelda had written to tell him that she was late, Scott had sent her some pills to get rid of the unwanted baby.
Zelda threw them away. Only prostitutes have abortions. Not socially prominent daughters of Southern judges.
She wrote back to Scott—or “Goofo” as she calls him—to say that
God—or something”
would fix everything.
Must have been God.
She isn’t late anymore.
“Such Friends”: 100 Years Ago… is the basis for the book, “Such Friends”: The Literary 1920s, to be published by K. Donnelly Communications. For more information, email me at kaydee@gpysyteacher.com.
In 2020 I will be talking about Scribner’s editor Maxwell Perkins and his relationships with F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and others in both the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie-Mellon University’s Osher Lifelong Learning programs.
Manager as Muse, about Perkins and his writers, is available on Amazon in both print and Kindle versions.
If you want to walk with me through Bloomsbury, you can download my audio walking tour, “Such Friends”: Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group.
SuchFriends Blog 