Five women, who come of age in the Fifties, tell how and why their lives change decade after decade to the present. In the Fifties, as part of a group of high school friends, they are programmed to please, to be perfect, and to be virgins until marriage. The scripts for their lives are written. They will marry the June they graduate from college, have children, and live happily-ever-after on the North Shore of Chicago. Their parents do not urge them to prepare for a profession because they are expected to depend on a man for their identity and support. But "the girls" have other ideas. While many of their friends gladly follow traditional paths, these women adapt deeply ingrained standards to what is happening around them. They take flight from their predestined lives to lives of self-reliance and independence. And, along with the other women of their generation who hold similar visions, they leave a legacy of choices to the next generation of young women. After opening their hearts and revealing their secrets and life stories-which they describe as a powerful and rewarding experience-they encourage readers to journal about exceptional or significant moments in their lives. A New York Times bestselling author, Marcia Chellis has written two successful nonfiction books about women: Living with the Kennedys: The Joan Kennedy Story and Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives. She has been a guest on The Today Show, Larry King, Inside Edition, and numerous other television and radio shows. The Girls from Winnetka By Marcia Chellis iUniverse, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Marcia Chellis All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4502-2724-7 Contents Foreword..............................................................xiA Note to the Reader from the Author..................................xiiiNotes to the Author from The Girls....................................xvThe Girls.............................................................xviiFriday Afternoon......................................................3The Next Morning......................................................10That Night............................................................16Paper Doll Cutouts....................................................21The All Points Bulletin...............................................23Grasshoppers and Cigarettes...........................................25Elvis.................................................................28Rebels Without a Cause................................................29An Unchaperoned Affair................................................30Family Secrets........................................................32A Slumber Party.......................................................35The Yankee............................................................39Selective Hearing.....................................................43Graduation............................................................44Summer Love...........................................................45College Co-eds........................................................51Ingnues on Parade....................................................61The Country in Free Fall..............................................77New Worlds, New Starts................................................89Taking Stock..........................................................98Prime Time............................................................113Conforming to a Different Drummer.....................................122Coming Apart-and Together-at the Seams................................131Facing the Bottom Line................................................141A Time to Mourn.......................................................150Rhyme or Reason.......................................................181Choices...............................................................194EPILOGUE..............................................................205Book Group Discussion Guide...........................................213Acknowledgments.......................................................215About the Author......................................................217 Chapter One Friday Afternoon It is a hot and humid August day in Boston, the year the girls turn fifty. Cradling two, chilled bottles of champagne, a gift from the stewardess on her cross-country flight, Annie gets into the black limousine waiting for them at Logan. Laura, Margo, and Brooke follow. The women have left husbands or lovers and flown from the West Coast, Midwest, and East Coast to celebrate their birthdays at Barbie's summerhouse on Cape Cod. They feel as much anticipation as anxiety about what will happen this weekend. At first glance, it doesn't seem as if anyone has changed from the days when they were part of a high school group in Winnetka, Illinois. But, in their hearts, they know each one has. As soon as the car pulls away from the curb, Annie