Part 3: In Pursuit of Dreams

The Vivian Mae Faircloth Story

In part 2 sixteen-year-old Vivian caught the eye of Louis J Corbo, a charming young man with whom she shared a budding romance. Their love blossomed amidst youthful pleasures, but the attack on Pearl Harbor changed everything. Discovering her pregnancy, Vivian left school, and the couple married on Valentine's Day 1942. Louis enlisted in the Navy, and as Vivian became a wife and mother, their love faced the challenges of wartime separation. (Read the story from the beginning).

Diverging Paths

As the years marched on, the once-bright horizon began to dim, casting long shadows over their shared dreams. Vivian's own aspirations, buried beneath the weight of their union, yearned for release. She was beginning to discover that their differences outweighed their similarities: Vivian wanted a better life but Louis was reluctant to take chances. She couldn’t understand why he didn’t want to improve their lifestyle. He was so stubborn that he refused to listen and understand her needs and hopes. He was satisfied with the status quo. She was not.

Their time together waned, replaced by solitude or heated exchanges. When Louis wasn’t at work, he sought solace in the local hangout, immersed in card games and drinks with friends. At home, Vivian often met his attempts to rekindle their love with pursed lips and exasperated eyes. Stubbornness clashed with quick anger. Vivian longed for a home to call her own, yet Louis harbored no such desire. Neither was willing to yield. 

Thus the downward spiral began. She asked for a divorce, but with Louis’ lifelong and deep-seated commitment to his faith, he denied her for fear of disapproval in the eyes of the church. His explosive temper always led to verbal confrontations and in the end, nothing was ever resolved. Vivian felt trapped. Thoughts of leaving simmered, quietly brewing amidst the routines of daily life. Chores were tackled, children dispatched to school, groceries procured, and meals prepared. Yet, beneath the surface, conflicting emotions churned, refusing to be stilled. In this monotony, the mail’s arrival became a daily highlight.

Frank the mailman's arrival became a fleeting escape from the confines of her life. A casual smile, a lingering gaze – these small gestures ignited a spark in Vivian. Before long, she made sure to be the one to answer the door when he called, stealing a moment to check her lipstick in the mirror. This reckless flirtation promised a rush of newness, an undivided attention, a glimpse of something different. Finally, someone who listened to her and seemed to understand her hopes and dreams. 

With Louis’ inflexible position on divorce, she felt as if there was no other avenue but to leave the marriage. The courage to walk away was growing each day, even if it meant leaving behind the familiar anchors that had shaped her world, most especially her children whom she loved dearly. And however wrong she knew it was, the mailman provided a seemingly safe route to do so.

Vivian stood before the mirror in her bedroom, her reflection a stranger staring back at her. She whispered words of self-assurance, convincing herself that the choice she was about to make was not born from selfishness, but from an urgent need to find the woman she’d buried beneath the roles of wife and mother. For fear of changing her mind, Vivian couldn’t muster the courage to say goodbye to her children. Instead, she carefully placed a photo of her children atop neatly folded garments in her open suitcase, sealing her decision.

Heart pounding, she hurried out the back door and down the alley where Frank the mailman waited in the passenger’s seat of her 1949 black Ford Coup. As she sped away, gravel spat defiantly from the wheels, and she glanced back and forth between the rearview mirror and the open road. She realized she was caught in the turmoil of past and future. 

What Vivian didn’t realize was her son David, riding his bicycle down the alley, saw them drive away. A vision that he later confided was the saddest day of his life.

Ripple Effects

For fear of social ostracization, many women of Vivian’s era remained married, modeling unhappy and volatile relationships to their children, much like Vivian’s own mother had. Unwilling to compromise on her dreams, when Louis denied her a divorce, running away was the only option she believed she had. And at that time, it may have been. After all, a woman would not have been able to open a bank account or take a bank loan. The price was high, though: embarrassment, and terrible shame. The idea of family, friends and neighbors whispering about her was overwhelming, so she drove as far away from the whispers as she could. Over 1,800 miles.

Vivian’s sister Donna was living in California with her husband and children and she had counted on being able to lean on her as a trusted confidant and emotional safe-harbor while she gathered her bearings. But for a host of reasons, Donna turned the pair away at the door. Without her sister as a buoy for this moment in her life, Vivian fell into a deep state of melancholy. Neither she nor Frank the mailman had a job; they had no place to stay and Vivian missed her children more than she could have ever imagined. Surely the job and housing situations were rectified in short order, but missing her children intensified each day. Phone calls home were much too expensive to consider and words in a letter were too hard to put on paper. Instead, she used whatever money she could scrape together to send gifts home for David and Kathy.  

It wasn’t long before the fantasy of escapism turned into a crushing reality. Frank left, leaving Vivian behind and expectant. At 34 years old, she was alone for the first time in her life and she found it absolutely terrifying. Eventually, she was forced to call Louis, confess her situation and beg for his help to come home. He relented, but he had conditions. She must return without anyone knowing and stay in a home for unwed mothers until the child was born; put the child up for adoption and never tell a soul. Then, and only then, would he bring her back. In truth, he harbored hopes that his graciousness would soften Vivian’s resolve and the two could resume their marriage and live happily ever after. She was appreciative of his willingness to help her despite the pain she had caused and quietly complied with his conditions, but she had no desire to live as a married couple. She delivered a baby boy in Minnesota that was indeed placed for adoption. Vivian then moved into the house she once shared with Louis, and he moved out.

The couple remained married, but lived separately for quite some time. The awkwardness of the situation wore off quickly, neither wishing to deny the other access to their shared love: being the parents of David and Kathy. This precedent – remaining friends for the sake of the children – made a lasting impression on their future grandchildren.

It wasn’t until 1962, after two decades of marriage, that their divorce was finalized. Now at only 37 years of age, Vivian was decidedly single. 

In part 4, Vivian finds love again while working hard to repair relationships with her children.