Bonnie’s Bulletin - To Dream a Little Dream

Mabel has big dreams for her life, bigger than Wheatonville for sure. Bonnie doesn’t really have her own dreams as her mother has already determined the course of her daughter’s life. She will marry the star high school athlete and become a proper lady of society. What gives these characters the courage to follow their dreams?

Bonnie doesn’t feel the drive Mabel does to leave behind everything familiar. She is comfortable with the expectations placed upon her, after all, it’s all her mother has talked about for 18 years. How could Bonnie know anything different? At one point she tries to convince Mabel to stay in Wheatonville, even when Bonnie knows she will marry Charles just as her parents expect.

Mabel is driven by the stars. She knows there is a world bigger than Wheatonville and she wants the chance to explore it. For 18 years she has felt different and thought it was because unlike most of her friends, she lacks a desire to grow old in the same town as her family. College is the only way Mabel can make her dreams come true, but she has to plan in secret.

Robert Flanigan, Mabel’s father, doesn’t believe in education for women. He sees it as a waste of time. Why do they need Geometry to get married and raise a family?

Until the two girls meet, things are right on track. Mabel is earning money for her college tuition and Bonnie is dating and soon to become engaged to Charles, as her parents have selected him as a suitable prospect for her. After they met and became romantically involved, the dreams changed for them both.

Mabel wants Bonnie to be a part of her future, to leave Wheatonville and go with her to California. Bonnie on the other hand was just learning what it meant to have a dream of her own with her artwork, even if she struggled with her parents’ disapproval over her decision.

Of course the girls’ dreams came up against reality. Bonnie can’t say yes to leaving with Mabel and Mabel can’t say yes to staying in Wheatonville with Bonnie.

Follow more of Bonnie and Mabel’s journey in A Scent of Lilac, due for release on July 6, 2021. You can pre-order your copy at citylimitspublishing.com