The Kennedys

Chapter Eight - Dust and Ashes

Boston, Massachusetts - Early 1942

Joe Sr. sits in the parlor, drinking his scotch. He doesn't know what to do with himself. He feels conflicted about everything, and he gets drunk more often now. Joe Jr. is in the navy training to become a Naval Aviator. Joe Sr. knows that this could be a death sentence not only for his son but for him. The Roosevelt administration didn't trust him anymore and though he wanted to help the war effort, they didn't want anything to do with him. Rose enters and sees the whiskey in his hand. She sighs.

"I wish you would put that down. We've talked about this."

Joe Sr. sighs and represses a burp, "What do you want me to do, Rose? Stop the war in his tracks? Get Joe Jr. back home."

"I've been talking to a priest at church, and he says that you should get help."

Joe Sr. sighs, "Rose—"

"No, Joe.", suddenly her voice gets louder, "Let me speak for one moment." She sighs and lowers her voice, "There is a group for alcoholics that meets every Thursday at the church. They talk about their recovery and their faith."

Joe Sr. scoffs, "So you want me, a former ambassador, to go to church with slobs and talk about a nonexistent alcohol problem?"

"It isn't nonexistent! You drink so much more than you used to. Back in London it was the occasional scotch after dinner and now you have one whenever you're bored!"

"Shut up!" Joe Sr. yells and gets up to leave the room. He passes Rose but she stops him with one sentence.

"I know about the mistresses, too. I've always known. You're a dog, Joe, you don't know right from wrong. You never have."

For a moment, Joe Sr. stays in the room, but leaves soon. The door slams behind him and Rose collapses on a chair, crying.

He hadn't told Rose about the lobotomy. It was supposed to be a surprise, to have Rosemary fixed. Normal. Now normal seemed to be a foreign word when it came to Rosemary. The operation was botched and now she had to be sent away to a convent. Out of the public eye. Forever.

Rose had despised her husband ever since. Just a year ago Rosemary had been capable of getting by. Now she was almost unresponsive. Yes, it wasn't perfect before, sometimes Rosemary would throw tantrums and act strange but it was never this bad. Now with the war waging and their older children away, they had no reason to act happy. Because they weren't, and they hadn't been since London. But this was a new way of life for the Kennedys, one that they had to become accustomed to or fear extinction. After reflecting upon the tragedy of the past few months, Rose finally found the words she had been struggling to find for Jack's letter all morning.

Dearest Jack,

Rest well knowing that your father and I are fine. We have decided that it would be best for dear Rosemary to live at a beautiful convent. She's doing just wonderfully and I am filled with pride at her progress. There will be times when you feel lonely, but when you do, always remember the warm feeling of London memories...

Love, Mama

Nobody had to know about what Joe Sr. had done. His children idolized him and ruining that vision for them would be too cruel. So she put on the mask that everything was well.