Divorcees: Reimagining Shiloh

Without looking at Leroy, she says, "I want to leave you."
    Leroy takes a bottle of Coke out of the cooler and flips off the cap. He holds the bottle poised near his mouth but cannot remember to take a drink. Finally he says, "No, you don't" (Mason 113, 288)

After another long pause, she sighs, "Actually, you're right."
    "I thought we were doing better."
    "No, we're not... But I couldn't get her to shut up."

    Leroy didn't know what was going on in Norma Jean's head now. He doesn't respond. His mind drifts off again, and he pulls out another cigarette, drawing out all the smoke. 

    "Who is she?"
    "I wish you understood me."
    "Your mama? What are you talking about?"
    "She won't leave me alone, and you keep pushing her to me. I wish you wouldn't."

They could see the geese scattered across the cemetery lawn in front of them, squabbling along. Leroy wondered if the soldiers buried here would be offended if they knew they were being stepped on by geese. He wondered if he would take offense to having his own grave stepped on and if Norma Jean would shoo them away if he passed first. 

    "She wanted us to get a divorce and said Shiloh would help. Slipping nonsensical thoughts and other kinds of scramble into my head and yours to influence our relationship. I started believing her, and I hated that. I only stopped thinking about it when I was away with all my activities," says Norma Jean.

    Leroy still didn't quite understand. He thought about how fondly Mabel talked about Shiloh, saying it would be like a "second honeymoon". Then he thought about the log cabin with the bulletholes and how Mabel whispered, "You do what I said. A little change is what she needs," to him before they left. But why didn't Mabel want to go with them? 

    "Leroy... Leroy, are you listening?"

    He shook his head, trying to focus on Norma Jean again, but his eyes blurred and ears rung. He tried blinking, but everything felt so slow. Her blurred figure came closer and finally walked away. He blinked again, and his eyes went dark. 

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Although there were several similar elements to the original ending, I wanted more emphasis on how Mabel affected Leroy and Norma Jean's relationship. Although she only seems to tug at their annoyances, she's really at the root of their issues. Mabel wasn't the biggest fan of their relationship since the beginning and still seems to disapprove, as shown by her constant managing of their home and situations. Mabel visits often, inspecting the whole house and critiquing Norma Jean and Leroy. She's painfully honest with her disapproval as shown in her interaction with Leroy when he tells her about his needlepoint Star Trek pillow cover and other plans to build a log house:

    ""Like heck you are," says Norma Jean. She takes Leroy's needlepoint and shoves it into a drawer. "You have to find a job first. Nobody can afford to build now anyway"" (Mason 102, 283).

I like to imagine Mabel as the one who pulled all the major strings in their relationship. When they first started dating, it is assumed that they were pushed (by Mabel) to get married because Norma Jean was pregnant. Additionally, Mabel blames the two for child neglect when their newborn, Randy, passes away due to unknown causes. With all of this disapproval, it would make sense if Mabel has been urging Norma Jean to divorce Leroy all this time because he was gone from home so often, and especially now, preying on Norma Jean's annoyances that come with the change of him being home. 

I imagine that Mabel encouraged the two to go to Shiloh because something bad happened to her there or that the whole experience sucked, so it would be perfect for creating conflict and ending with a divorce. Mabel hasn't been back in so long, and tells them, "I just hoped y'all could see it once before I die, so you could tell me about it" (110, 287). Also, I like to imagine the ending as a final breaking moment, similar to the original. Literally, there is something wrong with Leroy. I don't have much rationale behind that, but he is old and it ends smoothly.