Chapter 6 — One Conversation Destroyed a Friendship
Paul Merritt told Evelyn that Margaret had changed her mind.
According to him, Margaret wanted the production to continue even if Evelyn remained uncredited.
Evelyn was devastated.
Then Paul showed her a typed production approval carrying Margaret’s initials.
That seemed conclusive.
Evelyn confronted Margaret.
“She kept saying she didn’t sign anything.”
“Did you believe her?” Daniel asked.
Evelyn shook her head.
“No.”
The argument became vicious.
Evelyn accused Margaret of choosing a theater opportunity over their friendship.
Margaret accused Evelyn of trusting Paul more than her.
Then Evelyn left Westfield.
She moved to Chicago for college.
Letters stopped.
Calls stopped.
The friendship ended.
Daniel asked:
“When did you learn she was telling the truth?”
Evelyn opened her tote bag again.
She removed a photocopy of the old approval form.
“When Westfield Playhouse digitized its archive ten years ago.”
The initials attributed to Margaret were:
M.R.
But beside them was a secretary’s notation:
Entered by P.M. per verbal approval.
Paul Merritt had supplied Margaret’s supposed consent himself.
There was no signed approval from her.
Evelyn contacted Margaret immediately.
“Did she answer?” Daniel asked.
Evelyn nodded.
They spoke for the first time in more than thirty years.
The conversation lasted almost four hours.
Neither woman could recover the decades they lost.
But they finally understood how the friendship ended.
“Why didn’t Mom tell me then?”
Evelyn smiled sadly.
“Because she was embarrassed.”
“About what?”
“Not about the play.”
Evelyn looked toward the old recordings.
“About how long she had let fear erase that entire part of herself.”