Contents
Prologue
Overview
Birdie Calhoun undertakes a risky errand in 1933, purchasing 99 prophylactics for someone else at a town drugstore. She evades a gossiping acquaintance, persuades a wary clerk, cites likely disease risk, and falsifies a name in the store log. The act establishes Birdie’s quiet resolve and the stakes of secrecy and reputation.
Summary
On a humid September morning in 1933, Birdie Calhoun enters Gathright-Reed Drug Co., trying to remain unseen as she undertakes a clandestine purchase. She hides behind shelves, pretending interest in Brylcreem, while waiting for customers to leave, including her sister’s nosy friend Pripp.
Pripp corners Birdie about missing church and Frances’s volunteer hours. Birdie deflects with a story that Frances and Mrs. Tartt are traveling to Jackson. When Pripp finally leaves, Birdie approaches the counter, anxious to avoid the judgmental pharmacist in back.
Birdie quietly asks the older counter clerk for Merry Widows. After being offered a single tin, then two, Birdie insists on more—ultimately requesting ninety-nine. The clerk, wary of selling to an unmarried woman and of potential illegality, questions the purpose and whether the man involved has a disease.
To secure the sale, Birdie asserts they are for disease prevention and says it is “very, very likely” the man has a disease. Convinced, the clerk bags thirty-three tins despite the awkward size, and Birdie pays $16.50 in cash.
When asked to record a name in a ledger, Birdie hastily signs a married woman’s name as new customers enter. She departs quickly with the concealed package, aware of the social risk and certain her sister Frances will be furious.
Who Appears
- Birdie CalhounProtagonist; secretly buys 99 prophylactics for someone else, lies in the ledger, and evades gossip.
- PrippFrances’s nosy friend; confronts Birdie about church and volunteering, delaying Birdie’s errand.
- Older counter clerkCautious cashier who questions legality and purpose before selling the condoms to Birdie.
- Mr. CastelJudgmental pharmacist; his presence pressures Birdie, and his ledger requires a signed name.