Don't Forget to Write: A Novel

Ada and Marilyn arrive in Avalon. Marilyn notes that Ada looks young for her age, which Ada believes is because she never had children. Marilyn unpacks all their bags, and then the two of them go to lunch, where Marilyn tries crab for the first time. She does not have personal religious convictions, and her family does not keep kosher, but she still feels a vague sense that she is transgressing a boundary. Although most families on the Jersey Shore are not Jewish, Ada has plenty of business, as parents come from all over the area to ask for her help.

Frannie, Ada’s maid, serves breakfast the next morning, to Marilyn’s surprise; Frannie also serves all the meals in Philadelphia. She asks if Frannie is staying somewhere in Avalon or if she takes the train down from Philadelphia early each morning. Frannie explains that Ada provides her and her family with a house for the summer. Marilyn and Ada talk about Marilyn’s interest in writing, and Ada says that she was acquainted with F. Scott Fitzgerald. Marilyn realizes that she is more interested in writing than in getting married. Client meetings start again, and Marilyn suggests a match between two young people.