Characters
Laney Ashford: the society girlfriend of Johnny Sullivan, an Irishman from South Boston
William Ashford: Superior Court Judge in Boston
The judge and his wife clarified to their daughter that no lower-class Irishmen would associate with their family or even enter their home. They didn't raise her to move socially downward. This wasn't going to happen. If she wanted to remain their daughter and enjoy all the privileges that status entitled her to, she had better find a new boyfriend. She needed a suitor from Yale or Princeton who would be a lawyer or businessman. This guy was going nowhere, and they didn't care about any special program at MIT. They assumed Laney Ashford would leave their house with her tail between her legs, but that wasn't the case.
She said,
Well, you can take your money, status, and stuffy lifestyle and shove it. I don't know what will happen with my relationship with Johnny Sullivan, but it's my business. If you want to cut me off, see what happens. I'll leave the keys to the car you gave me on the dining room table and catch a cab back to Cambridge. If you change your mind, let me know.
Both parents were flabbergasted, and Judge Ashford felt tremendous hostility towards his arrogant and ungrateful daughter. Who did she think she was, anyway? This wouldn't happen on his watch, and he'd ensure that Sullivan stayed away from his daughter. He knew people, and he would call them. That was the end of that.
On the cab ride back to Cambridge, Laney Ashford felt satisfied. She had wanted to do something like this for a long time, but she lacked the impetus. She felt free and was determined to find a way to manage her finances to finish her education and pursue graduate school. She was smarter than her parents realized; she was undoubtedly more determined than they had acknowledged. To hell with them. Who needed them anyway?
Once back in her dormitory, she called Johnny Sullivan to share the news. He was less enthusiastic than she was and wondered if she had made a mistake. However, he appreciated that she cared enough about him to sever ties with her parents, so they arranged to meet for a beer in Harvard Square in an hour.