Mary walked impatiently around the kitchen. “He should be here, by now,” she thought.

    “Stop pacing!” Her father yelled, “Brandon will be back soon enough.” His face was serious as usual but his eyes couldn’t hide his excitement. Afterall, Brandon was the only son he had left. Her brother William had died right at the beginning of the war. It was awful for everyone but her father had taken it the hardest. Mary shook the thought out of her head. She wasn’t going to let today be spoiled. After all, the dreadful war was finally over. Most importantly, Brandon was safe. He had survived the war without any injuries, which was a lot to be grateful for. The same couldn’t be said for many of their neighbors.

    “He’s here!” Mary’s mother shrieked. Mary rushed to the doorway and her breath caught in her throat when she saw Brandon. It seemed like an entire lifetime since she had last seen him, even though it was only a year. He seemed taller now, with strong, broad shoulders. But it was more than just that. His once soft brown eyes were hardened and cold; his smile didn’t reach them. Regardless, Mary flung herself into Brandon’s arms.

    “You’re home!” She cried.

    Brandon laughed, “It’s good to be back.”

As Brandon got used to living at home again, the world was beginning to see big changes. The men were returning from the war, which was a cause for great celebration. On top of this, there was an influx of wealth. The beginning of the 1920’s started off with an event very dear to Mary. Women had won the fight for suffrage and were now able to have a serious influence in politics. Her mother however, was not as pleased.

    “Mary, why do you get excited with such things? Women never voted before, why should they now?” She inquired briskly.

    “Mother,” Mary sighed. “It has been long enough, women deserve the same rights as men. How can you possibly disagree?”

    Her mother made a noise of contempt but it was clear they were simply not going to see eye to eye on this issue, like many things recently. To Mary, the world was becoming increasingly more exciting, but her mother was very wary of all the changes. Mary turned to see her friend Edith and Brandon waiting outside.

    “I don’t know if I know if I like you spending so much time with that Edith girl, especially when she’s driving that... thing,” her mother remarked towards the car, brows furrowing.

    “Oh mother, don’t worry so much,” Mary chided as she opened the door to leave. Edith smiled at her. Edith’s golden hair was cropped short around her face and a touch of makeup shown on her cheeks.

    “Mary, darling!” Edith gushed. “It’s so good to see you.”

    “It’s been less than a week since you last saw me,” Mary laughed.

    “And that is far too long!” She exclaimed. “You’re going to love tonight. Brandon does, he’s out all the time now isn’t he?”

Mary and Brandon laughed. Brandon was gone at parties more than he was home now. The strange part to Mary was that he never seemed happier after, yet it seemed to be the only thing he wanted to do.

    Mary giggled nervously. She knew she had never been to a party like this before. As they walked in she became painfully aware at how much she must stand out. The girls were wearing shorter dresses than she had ever seen before with short wavy hair and color painted on their eyelids. The music was hypnotic and Mary found herself being swept up onto the dance floor. She was surprised, even the way they danced was different. The movements were so free and uncontained; she loved it. Edith came back to her with drinks. Mary sipped it slowly and she felt her face flushing. She was overwhelmed with the sensations of the music, the dancing, the beautiful people, and the drinks. How could anything be better than this?

    Nothing else really seemed to matter. Like her brother, Mary started to sleep during the day and go out to the parties at night. Life was an endless stream of music, laughing, dancing, and drinking. Brandon would disappear with a bunch of his friends from the war to do drugs the names of which she couldn’t even pronounce. Mary didn’t know how she felt about all the drugs. They seemed to make Brandon happy for moments but just as bitter, if not worse, later. She knew better than to bring it up with her brother again, though.

    “Don’t pretend like you know me anymore, Mary. I’m not the same brother you had before the war. You don’t know what’s best for me, you don’t know what I have seen... What I have done,” Mary shuddered at the memory. His words had cut her like a whip.

    “Mary,” Edith whined. “Stop looking so down, let’s dance.”

    Mary stood up, shaking the unpleasant thoughts out of her head. She let the music fill her mind and followed Edith onto the floor. She danced and drank until her head was spinning and her legs were wobbling.

    Suddenly there was a scream and the music stopped. A man was at the top of the stairs. His eyes were wild and frantic and he tugged at his wavy brown hair.

    “Someone get help quick!” He yelled in a strangled voice.

    “What is it? What’s happening?” Mary shouted to Edith over the panic. Edith rushed to the man on the stairs and her face was white as she turned around.

    “Mary, it’s Brandon,” she whispered.

    “What happened to him?” Mary’s voice shook.

    “He passed out. They said he stopped breathing,” Edith replied, holding on to Mary. Mary pushed past her and up the stairs.

    “Take me to him!” She yelled at the man. “He’s my brother.”

    With every step she took the world seemed to be crashing down around her. Brandon was lying on the floor. His face was ghostly white. Mary dropped to the ground. A doctor was rushed into the room and he knelt over Brandon.

    “I’m sorry, there is nothing that can be done,” his face was somber. “We have to move the body.”

    As the men came forward to lift her brother, Mary lost all control of herself. She wasn’t aware that she was screaming but the high pitched sound pierced the cold air. Edith wrapped her arms around her.

    “I’m sorry, Mary. I’m so sorry.”

    Mary’s whole body was shaking. Her head was swimming. Her legs felt weak underneath her and darkness came down on her like a blanket and she went limp. When she awoke, she was in her bed. The pain ripped through her like a knife, taking her breath away. She could hear her mother weeping from the next room.

    “How could this have happened to our baby?” her mother asked between sobs.

    “The doctor said it was probably drugs, he had seen it before,” her fathers voice was tight as if he was trying to hold in the pain.

    “After William...” her mother’s voice quivered and Mary heard her father suck in a deep breath. “I thought when Brandon came back from the war he would be safe.”

    “I know,” her father said, his voice breaking. Mary sobbed into her pillow.

    Weeks went by and Mary rarely left her bed. She never went outside except for the funeral. She ate very little and slept all the time. Weeks turned into months and while her parents were grieving too, they began to worry about her. One day her father walked into her room. It hurt Mary to look at him. He had lost both of his sons, and losing Brandon was her fault. She had been there, she could have stopped it.

    “Mary,” he said. His eyes looked tired. “Your mother is worried.”

    “I’m sorry, Father. There is no reason for her to worry,” Mary replied despondently.

    “I’m worried too,” he sighed. She looked up at him. “I know you are grieving Brandon, we all are. But you need to get out of this room. Go outside and enjoy life. It doesn’t do anyone good for you to stay in here, especially Brandon.”

    Mary flinched at the mention of his name. “I don’t think I can.”

    “Mary, you have to. You said yourself that there are so many new opportunities for women. You can make something out of that. Just think about it.” He left her room and she sat there thinking. Before she had gotten caught up with her brother and Edith in the partying, she had wanted to do so much more with her life. Women could have real careers now, in the same fields as men. It was difficult of course, but more women were going to college and taking on the working world. If they could do it, so could she. Mary thought of all the people that must have been affected by the war like her brother was. With college education, suffrage, and new career opportunities she could make a real difference.

    Four years later and she could still remember what her father said just as clearly. She watched as her mother cried and her father smiled at her during her graduation from Smith College. She thought of all the people who had asked her why she wanted to go to college when there were many more ladylike options for her.  Mary couldn’t help but think of Brandon. He had shown her what this world can do to people and that she had to decide what she wanted to do for it instead.