Prudence (in the Time of Prohibition)

I

Prudence Mattingly was trapped; her life was not her own to decide. Growing up had been difficult for her. Her parents, strict Prohibitionists, kept her under the thumb of their rules. The home she was raised in was as plain as plain can be. There were no knick-knacks or photographs on the parlor mantelpiece or tables; no frilly tablecloths or curtains at the windows. Everything was designed to be useful; there were no playthings. Pru wanted much more from life than life had to offer her.


Never a strikingly beautiful child, she did not become any more charming as she grew up. Her hair was the dingy color of dishwater, her dark brown eyes too far apart, her mouth too wide and her nose...well, it was so large, it seemed like an unwieldy mountain in the middle of her face. Because of her strict upbringing, she had very few friends in her school days and even less boyfriends during the time leading up to her high school graduation. All the young men were attracted to the fragile young honeys who liked to flirt and tempt them into doing things they really wanted to do anyway.


After leaving school with no prospects on the marriage front, Pru went on to secretarial school. Sitting in the classroom with many other drab young women much like herself, she learned to type, take shorthand and be of general assistance to her future boss. Sighing, she propped her elbow on her desk then propped her chin in her palm. Feeling as though life had thrust a knife into her heart, her mind rebelled against fate. If she could change the world, she would be beautiful and witty like the rest of the girls she knew. Being unable to control the fates who made her who she was, Pru was forced to accept her destiny and get on with her life.


When the Eighteenth Amendment was ratified on January 16, 1919, Pru's parents were overjoyed. The Temperance Movement they both wholeheartedly supported had won the day. It would force the country to stop indulging in immoral behavior and become a more sober nation. Although not prone to celebration, the best Mattingly china was on the dining room table that evening and there was a store-bought cake with ice cream for dessert.