The Diary of Anne Monroe

By Heidi Andrews

Margaret, a thirteen-year-old girl who has always felt out of place among her family, moves into her biological mother’s childhood home in the summer of 1952 in Alexandria, Virginia. Shortly after moving in, she discovers a diary under a floorboard in her bedroom, and after reading it, she learns that it belonged to her birth mother, and against her parents’ wishes, she goes looking for her. Margaret’s search leads her to her angry grandmother who has forgotten about her daughter and speaks ill of her, so Margaret decides to put off her search until after she graduates high school. Over the next few years, life for the Sorenson family is a normal one, and just when the Sorenson’s think Margaret has forgotten about her birth mother, she takes off once again right after graduation with her boyfriend Tom to New York, a city much bigger than where she came from—not knowing what to expect or if she will find her mother, Margaret pushes forward, not letting anyone or anything get in the way of her finding her mother and getting the answers to the questions she has had since she was a child.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781649526670

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The Diary of Anne Monroe

Heidi Andrews

Copyright © 2020 Heidi Andrews

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books, Inc.

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2020

ISBN 978-1-64952-666-3 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64952-667-0 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Margaret

I was thirteen when I moved into my mother’s childhood home in Alexandria, Virginia. I had been given up for adoption after I was born and spent a year in an orphanage before being adopted. I was an only child until I was four, and that’s when my sister Grace was born, followed by my brother James two years later. My mother taught third grade at Charlottesville Elementary, and my father was a car salesman at the local car dealership in town. The four of us lived in a tiny three-bedroom apartment for what seemed like an eternity. My sister and I had to share a bedroom as well as a closet and a bed while our brother James got a room to himself. I liked being an only child, and I was never lonely, so when my parents told me I was going to be a big sister, I wasn’t very happy. My sister Grace was a selfish and needy child and was always throwing tantrums, which left me wondering why my parents thought having another child was a good idea. The older Grace got, the more difficult she became, and by the time my brother came along, my mother had run out of patience. My father started working longer hours at his job so we could finally move into a house and have more space, and when that day finally came, I don’t know who was more relieved, my mother or myself. When the moving truck pulled up in front of our new house, I couldn’t have been happier.

A house meant more space and a room of my own, and I wouldn’t have to share with my sister anymore unless I had to. We spent the next few hours unloading the truck and the rest of the following day unpacking boxes. Our house was an old Victorian house built in 1865 with creaky wood floors, spacious rooms, and a backyard I could escape to when I wanted to be alone. I had only been in my house for two days when I discovered the loose floorboard and the diary that was beneath it. The diary was thick with a floral covering, and on the inside on the belongs to line was the name Anne Monroe. At that moment, I was grateful to find something else to read other than what my English teacher had assigned for class that week, which was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Anne’s first entry was dated June 5, 1936, and knowing that I was in for a long read, I decided to grab a blanket and head outback to the tree house where I could read without being interrupted.

June 5, 1936

My grandmother passed away today from a stroke, and now I can say that I am truly alone. She was my only friend and the only one I could ever really talk to. I could tell her anything, and she would always listen without passing any judgment. Mother, on the other hand, is always nagging and picking at me about how I should dress and act. She only cares about how I make her look around her rich friends, but I don’t care. I don’t care for fancy dresses and shoes, and my grandmother knew that. She knew the real me and loved me for who I am, and now that she’s gone, I don’t think I will ever find anyone who will accept me for who I am. I can’t wait until I turn eighteen so I can leave this house for good. Until then, I will just have to put up with Mother and her fake friends.

June 8, 1936

My grandmother’s funeral was today, and according to Mother, it was the only day I looked nice. I don’t see how I looked nice, considering I was wearing all black and looked as pale as a ghost. After the funeral, Mother went to Pat’s Diner for a gathering and lunch, and I sat through hours of boring conversation. When I finally came home, I locked myself in my room and didn’t talk to anyone, least of all my mother, who wouldn’t stop knocking on my door the rest of the afternoon. She didn’t know how to give anyone space and had always been suffocating. Even when I was a child, I didn’t want to be around her. I decided to go downstairs for dinner and speak to Mother a few hours after she stopped knocking on my door. When I got to the kitchen, she served me some food, and together we sat and ate. Mother told me that my grandmother’s house is being sold, and we have to empty out her closets and cupboards. We have to do it tomorrow. So when the house sells, we don’t have to worry about anything other than how much it would sell for. After eating, I came back upstairs to my room, and on my way, I passed an old photo of my father and me hanging on the wall. I was about six years old in the photo, and he passed away right before my seventh birthday from cancer, and not a day goes by that I don’t miss him.

Besides my grandmother, my father was the only other person who understood me. Whenever Mother would complain about what I was wearing, how I was sitting or acting, my father would come to my defense, and Mother would leave me alone. I’ll see if I can find his star in the sky tonight so I can talk to him. Maybe if I do this, I’ll feel better instead of being sad all the time.

I was about to start reading the next entry when I heard my sister Grace calling me for dinner. I tried to ignore her, but the constant shouting of my name got on my nerves, so I climbed down out of the tree house and stormed passed Grace and into the house. My mother, father, and brother were already sitting at the table and had been waiting for me, according to my mother, who asked me where I’d been. I told her that I’d been reading in the tree house, and that’s when I realized I’d left Anne’s diary behind. When my father asked me if I’d been reading the book assigned to me by my English teacher, I lied and said yes. I didn’t want Grace to rat me out. So as soon as I was finished eating, I ran out to the tree house and grabbed the diary. As I was climbing down out of the tree house, I heard my sister calling my name once more. When I asked Grace why she’d followed me, she said she wanted to know if I would let her read my English book, which made me roll my eyes.

My sister had never been very good at lying. Even when she was younger, my mother always caught her in a lie. Grace had only ever been good at getting what she wanted, and I wasn’t going to let her win this time. She wanted to prove that I hadn’t been reading my English book, and I wasn’t going to allow that to happen. I told Grace no as I held Anne’s diary behind my back, and she gave me one of her evil smiles like she was about to do something I wouldn’t like, and I’d regret telling her no, but I didn’t try to stop her as she walked away. I decided to stand my ground and get my way for once, no matter what the outcome was. At least I’d stood up to Grace and showed her that she couldn’t always have her way. When I went inside the house, I overheard my troublemaking sister in the kitchen, telling my parents that I had lied about reading my English book. So in order to avoid any confrontation, I went upstairs as quickly as I could and locked my bedroom door so no one could come into my room, especially Grace. I wanted to read more about Anne and forget about how much trouble I would be in once my parents found out that I lied to them about my English book. After about fifteen minutes had gone by and there hadn’t been a knock at the door, I changed into my pajamas, turned out the light, grabbed a flashlight, and got under the covers to read for a few more hours before going to sleep for the night since I had school the next day.

June 9, 1936

Mother and I spent most of the day cleaning out whatever we could from my grandmother’s house today. Everything was so dusty, and I did nothing but cough the entire time while Mother went through my grandmother’s closets and cupboards. We packed up the dishes, cups, and utensils in boxes and folded up the clothing for donation and put them in bags. Mother kept a few dresses for herself and tried to give me a few, but I told her I don’t need any more clothes. Turning away, the dresses were probably the worst thing I could have done because it started an argument I wish had never happened. Mother went on to say that I was too tall for a fifteen-year-old girl, I dressed like a boy, and that no one would ever take an interest in me if I don’t change the way I dress and act. I don’t really care about boys right now. All I care about is the school year coming to an end, so summer can start, and I can get a job at the new bookstore in town where I can be away from Mother and her comments for most of the day.

June 15, 1936

It’s official! School ended today, and after I said goodbye to Rachel and Maggie, I decided to walk home, and on my way home, I stopped by Martin’s Books and applied for the cashier position. The job doesn’t pay much, but whatever I make will be mine, and I don’t have to ask Mother for anything. Mr. Martin, the owner of the bookstore, told me I could start tomorrow as long as I tell my mother where I will be, which is something I’d rather not do. I don’t want her to be able to come to me whenever she wants, but Mr. Martin made me promise to tell my mother, or I can’t work for him. When I got home, I told Mother that I got a job, and she asked me why I even bothered doing so. We have money, and I don’t have to work, and her comments disgusted me. I am not materialistic, and I think more than just about money. I want to do something with my life other than sitting around and have a man take care of me, and when I said this to Mother, she laughed at me. She said I’m not being realistic, and I need to stop dreaming, but if I want to work, she won’t stand in my way. I don’t care how Mother feels or what she thinks. I don’t want to be like her. I want to be my own person, and making my own money is the first step. After I save enough, I can leave this house and get out on my own and never look back.

I stopped reading Anne’s diary around nine that night, and I hid it between my mattress so that no one would find it if they ever came looking in my room. As I lay in bed that night, I wondered if the bookstore Anne had worked at was still around, and I decided that after school the following day, I would go for a walk around town and see if I could find it. When morning came, I got up and got dressed as quickly as I could so I wouldn’t miss the bus again. I skipped breakfast mainly because I didn’t feel like answering any questions about what I was reading, and I also didn’t feel like dealing with Grace and her snide remarks. The bus was just pulling up when I got to the bus stop, and I was grateful because the morning heat and the long walk exhausted me. The bus ride to school, however, was a migraine, and I couldn’t wait to get to school and get the day done and over with. The back half of the bus consisted of the nerds while the front of the bus consisted of the popular girls of Alexandria Middle School. Alexis Sweeney was the leader of the popular girls and the envy of the entire eighth grade, including myself. She was tall as was I, but she was fair-skinned and blond with a perfect face while I had dark curly hair with freckles and a face that I hated.

When I got to school, I was the last one off the bus, and I rushed to my first class, which was English. Mrs. Jones waited for everyone to take their seats before she started her lesson for the day, which was something I dreaded. I found Pride and Prejudice to be quite boring, and I had never enjoyed anything having to do with romance. I had always been more of a tomboy when I was younger, which made me think of Anne and how she and I had that in common. The day seemed like it would never end, and when it was time for lunch, I was happy because it meant the day was almost over, and I could get home and read some more of Anne’s diary. I managed to get through math, science, and history without losing interest until I got to my final class of the day, which was gym. I never liked sports or getting sweaty, and I tried to find a way to sit out of gym, but Mrs. Garret didn’t want to hear any excuses. Realizing that I had no other choice, I sighed and walked off to the locker room, where I got to listen to miss popular do nothing but talk, which was something she had always been good at.

Alexis was sitting with a group of friends, talking about her new neighbors that had just moved next door and their son, who she thought was cute. All the girls, including Alexis, started giggling, and I was thankful when Mrs. Garret came in the locker room and broke things up and told everyone to move along so class could get started. We played volleyball, and I was on Alexis’s team, but I was in the back because of my height, and she was right next to me. Her looks were intimidating, and for a girl of thirteen, Alexis looked much older. The girls in her group all wanted to be just like her and hung on every word she said. I felt bad for her next-door neighbor because Alexis would probably use him until she got what she wanted and then throw him away like he was nothing. When gym ended, I quickly showered, and then instead of taking the bus home, I went for a walk through town like I’d decided the night before. Anne’s house was now mine. She’d obviously attended Alexandria Middle School, and now I wanted to find out where she’d once worked. Something about Anne made me want to learn everything I could about her, and it wasn’t until later that I would understand why I’d felt that way.

My middle school wasn’t far from town, and in about a half an hour, I found Martin’s Bookstore. My heart, for some reason, was pounding in my chest as I opened the door and stepped inside where Anne once worked. I took my time and looked around even though I already knew there was nothing much to a bookstore other than books. After browsing for a few minutes, the woman at the register came over to me and asked if I needed any help. Her name was Abby, and she looked to be in her midthirties but probably wouldn’t remember anyone that had worked in the bookstore from 1936. I told Abby that I didn’t need any help, and I left the bookstore and headed home. I knew I wouldn’t get home before anyone in my family, so I braced myself for my mother and Grace’s wrath. My parents didn’t like me walking anywhere alone, and Grace