Nobody knows the troubles you've seen. They're all tucked firmly away in your head, never to be discussed. Your feelings on this, your viewpoint on that, they're nobody's business right now – or maybe ever.
There are too many people in this world who'll twist them to fit their own narrative, so no. As in the new book "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" by Heath Hardage Lee, you'll keep things to yourself.
Everyone who knew Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan also knew that she was single-minded and focused. She had to be, as the oldest daughter, especially after her mother died. Pat was just 13 then, and she took over the household to help her father raise her brothers.
By the time her father died in 1930, Pat had gained a college education. She traveled, worked in a medical field, and reveled in a self-sufficient life on her own. Even during the Depression, she was employed and worked hard, and in 1937, she accepted a teaching position at a small high school in Whittier, California.
And that was where a former student invited Pat to try out for a community play, and she met Dick Nixon. By all accounts, Nixon was immediately smitten by the vivacious Ryan, and he pursued her relentlessly. She liked him, but not enough to want to give up her solo life or her career.
He doubled down, willing to let her embarrass him by dating other boys while he waited for her at a nearby hotel. She sometimes pretended she wasn't at home when he came to call. It wasn't like her to hurt anyone's ego, but she s.