Mrs. Everything

Bethie joins the University of Michigan hippie movement. She grows out her hair and dresses in long, flowing skirts and colorful dresses with sandals. She searches out Devon, the man who gave her the first hit of acid, and finds him at a party in late fall. He remembers her and gives her another hit. She quickly becomes romantically involved with Devon. Bethie has sex for the first time with him, and soon she’s known as Devon’s girl on campus. Unlike others, she doesn’t pay for the drugs Devon grows or creates with his chemistry expertise. He gives her pot, uppers, downers, and diet pills. She knows she and Devon are equal partners and believes their love will be eternal.

Bethie performs in the school plays and hides her drug addiction, still getting Cs in her classes. She and Jo meet weekly to catch up and call Sarah. Bethie suspects Jo and Shelley are more than friends; Jo suspects Bethie is using drugs.

At the end of the school year, Bethie, Devon, and a posse of their fellow drug-using friends road trip from Detroit to the East Coast to attend a music festival. At the music festival, she takes a hit of acid from a female friend (who said it was made by Devon), but the drug doesn’t taste the same. Bethie has a terrible trip, hallucinates terrible nightmares, and is unable to control herself. She’s separated from the others. As she searches for Devon, a male stranger and his three friends take her to a field. Before she can react, the four boys rape her.

Jo and Shelley fall deeply in love. Shelley is smart, strong, and fashionable, and they plan a summer together touring London, India, and Nepal that summer. As they get closer to graduation, Jo’s professors tell her she shows promise in literature and should pursue a PhD, though she plans to teach English with the education degree Sarah insisted she earn. Jo took as many literature courses as she could, planning to write and live with Shelley in New York City after their summer trip.

Since Shelley is capricious, she changes her mind about their trip and her future often, talking about going to Hollywood one day to act, the next to join the Peace Corps. With her family fortune, she can do anything, and Jo will follow her. Finally, Shelley agrees on their trip, so they head to her mansion to pack. Alone at the house, Shelley and Jo swim naked in her pool. When Jo goes inside to grab towels and clothes, she finds a wedding gown in Shelley’s closet. She throws the gown at Shelley, who cries that although she loves Jo and wanted to tell her, she couldn’t bring herself to admit she was marrying Dennis, her boyfriend in London. Jo is in shock, as they’ve discussed the places they could be themselves. Shelley argues nowhere will accept them. Jo throws her wedding gown in the pool.

Jo takes the trip they had planned together. While in Turkey, she goes to the American office for letters and finds a note Sarah has sent her. It reads, “EMERGENCY COME HOME NOW YOUR SISTER NEEDS YOU” (208).

After she’s raped, Bethie comes down from her high and finds Devon and the others. Devon doesn’t focus on any part of her story about the bad trip and focuses only on the fact she was with other men. Bethie can’t believe he doesn’t understand she was forced into the act. but Devon is cold to her, and by the trip’s end, she understands they’ve broken up.

She returns home, feeling ashamed, tired, and broken. She doesn’t get out of bed for days; it hurts when she pees; and she feels so sick she throws up. Without telling Sarah, she schedules a doctor’s appointment. The doctor is sympathetic but states she has gonorrhea. Bethie knows she also could be pregnant.

A few days later, Sarah comes to her room, stating she’s figured out Bethie is pregnant. Bethie tries to explain what happened, but when she says it may not be Devon’s baby, Sarah is furious. Though Bethie protests, Sarah contacts Jo. Meanwhile, Bethie calls many numbers, including Devon and other friends, but she doesn’t get any leads on how to have an abortion.

Jo arrives, and Bethie tells her she never meant to ruin her trip, but she admits the horrible truth. Jo is sympathetic toward her sister and the crime against her. She finds Bethie a doctor who can help, and they go to the secret abortion clinic. Jo pays for the abortion with the money meant for her trip.

After her struggles, Bethie doesn’t find meaning in life. She chooses not to return to the University of Michigan and works instead at the local department store. She begins overeating again. Jo teaches history at the local high school. Bethie promises to pay her back so Jo can go on her trip. In a moment of spontaneity, Bethie decides to take a bus to San Francisco and start a new life. 

Jo attends Shelley’s wedding because Shelley gave her the doctor’s name for Bethie’s abortion only when she agreed to be a bridesmaid. Jo stands by Shelley’s side as she marries Dennis and tries desperately not to pine for gorgeous Shelley on her special day. As they complete the Jewish ceremony and dance, Jo resists pining for Shelley. She drinks more than usual, and a tall, handsome man named Dave Braverman approaches her. His friends bet him that he couldn’t make her smile. Jo barely interacts with him, but Dave is charming, talkative, and funny. He wins Jo over, dancing with her, making her laugh and feel connected, safe, and protected. She imagines maybe she could love a man; maybe she could stop trying to force other women, like Shelley, to choose her.

Jo dates Dave for six months before she has sex with him, her first time with a man. Though the sex isn’t like it was with women, she doesn’t mind it. Dave cuddles her and mentions she was a virgin, and Jo admits she’s only been with women. Dave says that her past doesn’t matter. She’s tired of the lesbian struggles and feels a different safety with Dave, who is finally the taller one, the one who makes plans and supports her, not the other way around like she’s used to. Soon after, Dave asks her to marry him, and Jo agrees.

Sarah is thrilled about Jo’s engagement since she believed Jo would never marry. The night before her wedding, Jo goes to a lesbian bar. She goes home with a woman and kisses her but then starts crying about her impending wedding. The woman holds her, explaining the lesbian life is hard and not for everyone. Jo thought she was one of the brave women, but she goes through with the wedding. Jo and Dave have a small, simple ceremony at the local synagogue and an intimate party afterward. Bethie, who hasn’t been heard from in months, doesn’t attend the wedding.