Mildred Pierce

As a waitress, Mildred is immediately thrown into an extremely busy shift with a harried hostess, Ida, who orders her around mercilessly. Ida and Mr. Chris, the manager, do not want her, so she’s been hired on a trial basis because Archie, the chef, insists on keeping her.

That evening, Mildred tells Lucy about her new job and wonders if she should keep it. Lucy counsels her to stay, since she needs money so desperately: “You're in a spot. It's all right to be proud, and I love you for it. But you're starving to death, baby” (61). Mildred compels Lucy to keep the job a secret, especially from Veda; knowing her mother is a uniform-wearing waitress would dampen Veda’s pride.

When Bert shows up to the house, the girls are overjoyed to see him. Veda asks if her father would like her to open a bottle of Scotch for him—a bottle Mildred has been keeping sealed in case she needs to sell it. Mildred scolds Veda over her impertinence, but Veda pretends to be above the criticism. Veda feigns an elitist conversation with her father as Ray pretends to get drunk. As she watches Bert play with the girls, Mildred realizes how much she loves him.