Summary on The Standard of Living

There were girls, named Annabel and Midge, who  had prestigious life. They ate as rich women. They lunched on sugar, starches, oils, and butter-fats. Usually they ate sandwiches of spongy new white bread greased with butter and mayonnaise. As alternates, they ate patties, sweating beads of inferior oil, containing bits of bland meat bogged in pale, stiffening sauce, or they ate pastries, limber under rigid icing, filled with an indeterminate yellow sweet stuff, not still solid or not yet liquid.

Their appearance and adormments were conspicous. But, that was excessive. They painted their lips and their nails. Their darkened their ashes and lightened their hair, and scent seemed to shimmer from them. They wore thin, bright dresses, tight over their breast and high on legs. They wore high heels and tilted slippers fancifully strapped. They looked alike because their style of dress, finery, and foods were same.

Annabel and Midge had a good friendship, like comrade. They had same predilection, in style, imagination, and standard of life. Besides, they worked in the same company as stenographer. Annabel worked longer two years than Midge. So, the wages of Annabel was much than Midge as much as eighteen dollars and fifty cents, while Midge was still at sixteen dollars.

On their afternoon, Annabel and Midge always walked across to Fifth Avenue. Sometimes, a grouped of young men awarded them murmurs, exclamation, audible admiration because of their flirt and appearances. They played their favorite game, no more than the ancient sport of what-would-you-do-if-you-had-a-million-dollars? which had set more absorbing and difficult by Annabel.

The rule of the game was the player supposed that somebody dies and leaves a million dollars. But, there is a condition to the bequest. It is stated that the player must spend their money for themselves. The player will lose the turn to other player if they forgot and listed among the expenditures.

Once, Annabel introduced her game to Sylvia, another girl worked in the same office. She explained how to play the game and tantalized the benefit. Unfortunately, Sylvia was not interested. She shown not acceptable and disdain by giving answer to hire somebody shooting Mrs. Gary Cooper if she got a million dollars. It is shown that she has no fun.

But, it did not reduce their interest playing this game. Midge made the game cozier. She set a rule that the eccentric, who died and left the players some money were not anybody they loved, or anybody the players even knew. It was somebody who had seen them somewhere and thought, “That girl ought to have lots of nice things. I’m going to leave her a million dollars when I die.” And the death was to be neither untimely nor painful. The player’s benefactor, full of years and comfortably ready to depart, was to slip softly away during sleep and go right to heaven. This condition made Annabel and Midge to play their game in the luxury of peaceful consciences.

When they played, Annabel said that the first thing she would buy with her million dollars would be a silver-fox coat. It made Midge shock. She did not believe on what Annabel chose. a silver-fox coat was very common which many people had had it. Because of it, Midge and Annabel did not play anymore and their conversation was infrequent.

In the following days, Annabel changed her mind. She would not buy a silver-fox coat, but she wanted to buy a coat of mink if she got a million dollars. Midge was happy. She thought that Annabel’s selection was right. So, they walked in the Fifth Avenue again and played their game. Midge had a same choice to do the first thing as Annabel.

When Annabel and Midge walked across the Fifth Avenue, Midge’s eye was caught by a shop window, she changed her choice. She wanted to get a string of pearls. She guessed that it would need plenty of money to get it. Midge was really fond of getting pearls.

Then, Annabel challenge Midge to go in the shop. The shop was armed at all points by a doorman. After that, they entered to the shop. They acted icily and had no astonishment at their appearance as if they used to go to the luxury shop.

Midge wondered the pearls, double rope, in the window. It cost two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The doorman offered them to try it. Directly, they wanted to go out because they did not have enough money. They are just looking and passing.

The girls were silent and sad going out from the shop. They were being weak as if their dream could not be reach. Then, Midge tried to strengthen her heart. She started their game anymore. Now, what would the first thing you’d do?

By: Siti Lailatul Hajar, a student in English Department