A Wilting Daisy
It was a scorching afternoon in 1918, Louisville. A light breeze ruffled the blonde curls now falling onto my face. As I brushed them away, I turned to see my mother, whose conversation I had slowly lost interest in. In her view, this was a great opportunity for me to find love and a safe comfortable life as we blended with the rich. However, my heart was elsewhere – Jay Gatsby. He was studying at Oxford then. In 1917, he had left for the war and I missed him greatly. Letters were scarce, but I knew he was a busy man at the time. While he was studying abroad, I was meant to accompany the ‘old money’. The polo tournament was the perfect opportunity. I saw many different types of people at this event, but the one thing they all had in common were their inflated pockets and deflated mindframes. I scanned the room, as my mother had been describing the man who was now approaching us. “Long curls, light brown in shade” she examined. “Daisy, he’s coming over, Daisy! Get your head out of the clouds, the gentleman’s coming over!” My mother gently gathered her things, nodded in my direction and proceeded to take off. I turned around to see the broad face and confident eyes of Tom Buchanan, who was strong, attractive and charming. He ticked all the boxes, however at the same time being thoroughly underwhelming. I knew that by the dictates of society and sealed nod of approval from my mother that we, with no time wasted, were to be wed.
The striking of the clock awoke me. Without Jay I was so alone, and I could feel the burning pressures of the world around me, forcing me to make decisions that I felt I wasn’t yet prepared for. My mother, my friends, all expecting me to find the one when I had already found him, but he had left me. How could I know when he would return or if he ever would! I was terribly frightened, and knew I had to make a decision then and there, if not for true love then at least for a weak imitation of it. Weeks passed by and I had been spending more and more time with Tom. His dominance and wealth were so enticing that in a short matter of time I found myself engaged to Tom Buchanan of Louisville, a man I thought I loved but was not yet in love with. Tom offered me a pleasant, steady life; a life that gave me all the material comforts I could have ever wanted. The longer I stayed ...
