Chapter 18. 1960 - Juliette and Annette

Chapter 18. 1960 - Juliette and Annette

Henry enjoyed Elvis Presley because of his Country roots, while Juliette enjoyed his rockier side. While that didn’t seem to be a significant issue, it did cause a bit of a rift between the two of them. The rift was further widened when Henry expressed his support for Vice President Nixon and Juliette preferred the handsome young Senator Kennedy in the upcoming Presidential elections. Kennedy’s beautiful wife, Jackie, was an inspiration to many young women, and Juliette was not alone in her adoration of her keen sense of style and, some might say, majestic presentation.

Juliette found an ally in Annette, both in her musical tastes as well as choice of candidates. With the busyness of raising their children the two had not had much opportunity to spend any time together. Now that the boys were enrolled in school, it was easier to make the impromptu visit, and sometimes accompany each other on a girls’ day out shopping, having lunch and general gossiping.

“Henry and I had a big fight last night,” Juliette confessed to Annette after she had settled in for a morning visit. “It’s that Tricky Dick. Henry adores him, but I can’t stand him. I’m ashamed that I voted for him in 1956.”

“You voted for him?” Annette asked for clarification.

“Well, not him exactly, but I wanted to show my support for President Eisenhower. He did us a great service when I was born.”

Annette seemed momentarily confused, trying to associate the President with Juliette’s birth. “Oh!” she exclaimed as she explained her confusion.

Juliette had a knack for numbers and did a quick calculation in her head. “Come to think of it, he would have been about Kennedy’s age when I was born. Do you think he was as handsome?” Juliette chuckled.

The two laughed a bit at the absurdity of the comparison, and continued their conversation.

“That Jack Kennedy is a dreamboat, and I positively adore Jackie,” Juliette remarked. “But Henry thinks he’s too young to be an effective leader.”

“That ridiculous,” countered Annette. “Nixon’s only four years older. That’s not a very great gap.”

“Henry thinks that his experience of the last eight years as the Vice President makes him the better candidate,” suggested Juliette. “To me, he was a failure.”

Angela, who had been playing quietly in the other room, wandered and interrupted the conversation. “Mommy, I’m hungry.”

The two looked at little Angela and Annette suggested, “Let’s continue this conversation over lunch.”

“Let’s not. I’m getting too flustered all over again,” Juliette replied.

“On final word, and then I’m done for now. You can’t let this affect your home life, but don’t back down. It’s important that we girls are heard, too.” Annette didn’t realize it, but she was speaking for a generation.