Monday pages from “Home Wrecker”

My name is Brooklyn. I was not named after the city of Brooklyn, but a character in an old movie that came out shortly before I was born. My mom fell in love with the pretty actress who starred in this picture. I have never been able to remember the name of the movie, or the actress, though I have promised myself that one day I will go back and research the title. I have yet to motivate myself to do so, but I hope someday I will figure it out. Not that it really matters. It is all just trivia at this point. I just can’t help wondering what was it about this young woman that made my mom want to give me her name.

I was brought up in the San Fernando Valley and lived there until I was old enough to know better. This was an era when most wives stayed home and cooked for their families while their husbands slaved at their jobs. I don’t think woman’s liberation was even a consideration. Women didn’t have a lot of time for themselves. When the husbands got home from work, they expected their dinner to be on the table. At least my dad did. He never would have been expected to cook.