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halfamoonTitle: What Feeds Us
Fandom: Mrs. America
Female Character: Alice Macray
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 757
Prompt: Politics
Summary: Alice goes through the looking glass in Houston
A/N: "Mrs. America" is a brilliant piece of television that looks at life in the 1970s through the lens of the Equal Rights Amendment battle. Much of the subject matter and many of the characters are historical but there are a few moments and characters that are fictional. Alice is one of those fictional characters. I would encourage people to check this show out. It might frustrate the heck out of you (it did aggravate me at some parts), but it's interesting to see both how far we've come as women and how far we still have to go. This is set during the episode entitled "Houston"
Alice is absolutely famished as she enters the room where her group has been meeting. She knows she has to eat something since both the drinks she had at the bar and the pill from the NOW woman have started to catch up with her. She spies a bit of pie crust on a plate and puts a bite of it in her mouth. It's not what she's looking for but it is food. Rosemary starts to give her trouble about eating from the garbage plates, looking down on Alice like she's looked down on her all day. She's fed up with it, so she grabs what's left of the pie crust and walks out.
The desk clerk suggests there may be food across the street. It's like disappearing down a rabbit hole. Alice is finally through the looking glass and what is on the other side is... weird. There are no men anywhere at all. She thought she saw one, but it was really just a butch lesbian. She enters a room of people who impress upon her to get all of her frustrations out and just scream. She thinks of Rosemary's insults, Phyllis' absence, Pamela's plight, and her own locked-in voice and she opens her mouth and lets all the pain fly out in one long, continuous, glorious scream. She enjoys the feeling of release so much that she comes back later for a second round.
She goes into a space marked 'Chapel'. At least, she think she goes in, it could be that the NOW woman's pill has really done a number on her head and she's starting to hallucinate. She sees a nun, not a priest, at the altar, saying the words of consecration. It's not normal. She doesn't even think it's legal for a woman to be doing that. Surely, the bread and wine hasn't changed into the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It's still just ordinary bread- sweet tasty bread- and she is so hungry that she takes it on her tongue just as if she was going to communion. The nun's next words point her to the sustenance she's looking for, in the Lesbian Lounge.
The next thing Alice knows, she's got a full plate of food and singing “This Land is Your Land” with a group of lesbians. She's not just listening, she's actually singing, actually leading part of a song. It's so much easier to sing than to speak in public. The words are part of her and they come out without prompting. The experience of being in a loving, positive group of women feeds her more than whatever is on her plate.
When she reunites with Pamela and gets back to their room, she sees Gloria Steinem in the room with several committee members. The effects of her earlier indulgences are starting to wear off, but Alice is struck by her beauty. She's far from the monster that Phyllis portrays her to be. Being in Gloria's presence is like being caught under a spell, and when Gloria looks up and compliments Alice's dress, Alice feels seen for the first time in forever.
Alice whispers “Thank you” for the first real kindness she's been given on this convention road. From her corner of the room, Alice watches Gloria and her committee. There are questions asked and she can see that each woman's input is welcome. There may be jokes, but they aren't cruel. The group is made up of women from different backgrounds coming together and when they reach consensus, it is so refreshing.
She joins Rosemary and Pamela and the rest of the anti-ERA contingent in the morning before the voting begins on the convention floor. She feels different. The words come to her without shyness, without stumbling. The words may shock the others, may get her ostracized, but they are the truest words she has ever spoken.
She speaks, but her voice isn't heard. She accompanies the group down to the convention floor. As the day progresses, Alice gets caught up in the moment of all of these fabulous supportive women coming together for the good of all women. Who is she to stop it? Who is she to stop herself from standing with them?
She doesn't stop herself. She takes a stand with those equal rights-loving libbers that are all over the room. She wants to support other women. She can start with Pamela.
And she will, as soon as she meets up with Phyllis and the others for their own rally.
Fandom: Mrs. America
Female Character: Alice Macray
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 757
Prompt: Politics
Summary: Alice goes through the looking glass in Houston
A/N: "Mrs. America" is a brilliant piece of television that looks at life in the 1970s through the lens of the Equal Rights Amendment battle. Much of the subject matter and many of the characters are historical but there are a few moments and characters that are fictional. Alice is one of those fictional characters. I would encourage people to check this show out. It might frustrate the heck out of you (it did aggravate me at some parts), but it's interesting to see both how far we've come as women and how far we still have to go. This is set during the episode entitled "Houston"
Alice is absolutely famished as she enters the room where her group has been meeting. She knows she has to eat something since both the drinks she had at the bar and the pill from the NOW woman have started to catch up with her. She spies a bit of pie crust on a plate and puts a bite of it in her mouth. It's not what she's looking for but it is food. Rosemary starts to give her trouble about eating from the garbage plates, looking down on Alice like she's looked down on her all day. She's fed up with it, so she grabs what's left of the pie crust and walks out.
The desk clerk suggests there may be food across the street. It's like disappearing down a rabbit hole. Alice is finally through the looking glass and what is on the other side is... weird. There are no men anywhere at all. She thought she saw one, but it was really just a butch lesbian. She enters a room of people who impress upon her to get all of her frustrations out and just scream. She thinks of Rosemary's insults, Phyllis' absence, Pamela's plight, and her own locked-in voice and she opens her mouth and lets all the pain fly out in one long, continuous, glorious scream. She enjoys the feeling of release so much that she comes back later for a second round.
She goes into a space marked 'Chapel'. At least, she think she goes in, it could be that the NOW woman's pill has really done a number on her head and she's starting to hallucinate. She sees a nun, not a priest, at the altar, saying the words of consecration. It's not normal. She doesn't even think it's legal for a woman to be doing that. Surely, the bread and wine hasn't changed into the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It's still just ordinary bread- sweet tasty bread- and she is so hungry that she takes it on her tongue just as if she was going to communion. The nun's next words point her to the sustenance she's looking for, in the Lesbian Lounge.
The next thing Alice knows, she's got a full plate of food and singing “This Land is Your Land” with a group of lesbians. She's not just listening, she's actually singing, actually leading part of a song. It's so much easier to sing than to speak in public. The words are part of her and they come out without prompting. The experience of being in a loving, positive group of women feeds her more than whatever is on her plate.
When she reunites with Pamela and gets back to their room, she sees Gloria Steinem in the room with several committee members. The effects of her earlier indulgences are starting to wear off, but Alice is struck by her beauty. She's far from the monster that Phyllis portrays her to be. Being in Gloria's presence is like being caught under a spell, and when Gloria looks up and compliments Alice's dress, Alice feels seen for the first time in forever.
Alice whispers “Thank you” for the first real kindness she's been given on this convention road. From her corner of the room, Alice watches Gloria and her committee. There are questions asked and she can see that each woman's input is welcome. There may be jokes, but they aren't cruel. The group is made up of women from different backgrounds coming together and when they reach consensus, it is so refreshing.
She joins Rosemary and Pamela and the rest of the anti-ERA contingent in the morning before the voting begins on the convention floor. She feels different. The words come to her without shyness, without stumbling. The words may shock the others, may get her ostracized, but they are the truest words she has ever spoken.
She speaks, but her voice isn't heard. She accompanies the group down to the convention floor. As the day progresses, Alice gets caught up in the moment of all of these fabulous supportive women coming together for the good of all women. Who is she to stop it? Who is she to stop herself from standing with them?
She doesn't stop herself. She takes a stand with those equal rights-loving libbers that are all over the room. She wants to support other women. She can start with Pamela.
And she will, as soon as she meets up with Phyllis and the others for their own rally.
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Date: 2022-02-04 10:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-05 03:18 am (UTC)Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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