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Part 1, Chapter 1 | Part 1, Chapter 2

• The Jordache family consists of Axel, the father, Mary, the mother, and their children, Gretchen, Rudolph and Thomas.

• The story opens in 1945 during a typical evening after the close of their bakery business for the day.

• Rudolph is in love with his French teacher and writes secret letters to her that he'll never send.

• Thomas and his friend, Claude, verbally bait a soldier at a movie theater and Thomas eventually engages in a fight with the man.

• Gretchen reflects on an indecent proposal she received from a black soldier at the VA hospital where she works.

• Mary is disillusioned with her life as the wife of a baker.

• The only bright spot in Mary's life is her golden son, Rudolph.

• Gretchen plans to go ahead with the proposal of entertaining the black soldier and his friends for the amount of $800.

• Gretchen is picked up...

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