“We’re second-generation Vassar,” Claudia said, referring to herself and Meredith.
“How do you like it?” he asked them politely, and they said they did, and their classes were interesting so far. He left for a few minutes to find a friend to bring over to introduce to Meredith, and as soon as he left, Claudia asked Meredith quietly in German what she thought of him.
“He seems pleasant, and he’s handsome. But he doesn’t look Jewish.” Meredith grinned at her, and liked the fact that they could speak a language no one else understood, so they could say whatever they wanted.
“You sound like my mother. Who cares? I think he’s really cute,” Claudia responded.
“If you get engaged freshman year, I won’t be your friend anymore,” Meredith warned her with a smile.
“Don’t be stupid!” Claudia said, as Seth came back to them with a tall redheaded boy with freckles whose name was Christian. He was from Boston, and said he was second-generation West Point. He was very polite, and both boys asked them to dance when the music started up, and monopolized them for most of the evening. Magic didn’t happen between Christian and Meredith, but she had a good time with him. He was intelligent, and the oldest of six children. When the evening ended he said he hoped to see her again. She doubted they would, except at another mixer. Seth walked Claudia all the way to the bus and looked totally besotted with her, as he stood and waved while she disappeared with the chaperones and other girls.
“You were a big hit!” Meredith said in German as they took their seat in the back of the bus again.
“He’s so polite. I really like him,” Claudia said, looking starry-eyed. “He said he’d come to visit me at school sometime.”
“Your mother will kill you. He must be Episcopalian for sure.”
“Oh, shut up.” Claudia grinned mischievously. “He just wants to visit, not propose.”
“Give him another week,” Meredith teased, and they chatted happily all the way back to school. Meredith admitted that it had been fun, and Christian had been interesting to talk to. He told her all about their classes and training at West Point, which sounded incredibly rigorous to her. It made Vassar seem like summer camp for girls.
The two girls left each other outside Meredith’s room, and Claudia went upstairs to hers. Betty came in a few minutes later, and looked victorious. Three boys had asked to visit her, and during a break, she had chatted with one of the boys in the band. He was a senior, and wanted to see her again too. The evening had been a smash hit for her, and there was another mixer planned in a month or so with Yale. She planned to have a boyfriend by Christmas, she told Meredith, and a fiancé by June. She was on a mission, and so were her friends. They’d had a good time. The West Point cadets had been very hospitable to the Vassar girls. Meredith had enjoyed the evening too.
The following weekend, Meredith’s parents came to visit her for Parents’ Weekend, and she introduced them to Claudia. Meredith told them afterward that Claudia was German but didn’t mention her war experiences, or that she’d been adopted by Americans. The subject seemed too serious to just mention casually.
Her family walked around the campus together, and she told them about her classes. They took her to dinner that night, and the next day they left, satisfied that she was adjusting and making friends. She promised to come home for a weekend soon. Her mother wanted to take her shopping for her coming-out dress, and Meredith didn’t argue about it with her. It would be nice to go home for a weekend and see Alex too.
When she got to New York three weeks later, he was ecstatic to see her. She’d asked Claudia if she was going home for the weekend, but Seth Ballard, the West Point cadet, was coming to visit her on Saturday, and she didn’t want to miss it. She was excited to see him, and he’d called her several times on the phone in their residence hall since the mixer. He obviously had a crush on her, and he was taking her to dinner on Saturday night. Claudia had gotten permission for it. They had a two-hour pass for dinner in town and had to be back by eight o’clock. The rules were very strict, and any infraction would result in not getting a pass the next time she asked.
Robert and Janet were happy to see Merrie too, and the subject of her debut didn’t come up until dessert on Friday night. Alex had already left the table by then, and Janet listed all the stores they were going to visit the next day to find the dress. Meredith looked at her seriously and took a breath.
“I told you, Mom, I’m not going to make my debut. I don’t want to, and I don’t believe in it. I won’t do it.”
“What do you mean you ‘don’t believe in it’? What’s that supposed to mean?” Her mother looked confused.
“They don’t let Jews come out at the cotillion, do they?”
Her parents both looked shocked, as though she had slapped them.
“What does that have to do with anything? We’re not Jewish,” her mother said tartly.
“No, but it excludes Jews. And Negroes, I assume. It’s a discriminatory event, and I don’t want to be part of it.”
Her father looked furious as she said it. “Did your grandfather tell you that?” he asked pointedly.
“No. We didn’t talk about it. I just know from girls I’ve met at school that Jews are excluded. I don’t think that’s right. And the whole premise is wrong. I’m not looking for a husband, and I don’t want to be part of some kind of cattle call to show me off like a cow at auction.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Robert said, annoyed by the whole conversation and her stubbornness. “You wear a white dress, you look beautiful. You make your bow. And you’ve been officially presented to society. What’s wrong with that? And what difference does it make if there are Jewish girls in it or not? We’re not prejudiced. Why are you making such a fuss about this, Merrie? And no one is auctioning you off. It’s a party, that’s all.”
“The purpose of which, historically, is to find a husband. I don’t want one. At least not yet. And not for a long time. I have better things to do with my life first, like law school.”
“Making your debut and going to law school are not incompatible concepts or mutually exclusive,” he pointed out.
“A debut is superfluous. And no, you’re not prejudiced, Dad. You spent four years prosecuting war criminals for crimes against the Jews. So why would you endorse a party that excludes them?”
“I’m sure there are Jews there, for Heaven’s sake.”
“But not the debutantes. Doesn’t that seem wrong to you?” She was putting him on the spot, and her mother hadn’t said a word. She had no idea what to say or how to respond, and left it to Robert to deal with her. She hated arguing with Meredith.