Chapter 56

On June 1, 1962, a Friday.

Just a few days earlier, Fidel Castro had announced that Cuba would follow a socialist path, formally and irreversibly rupturing relations with the United States.

On this day, Katharine had officially turned 14.

She celebrated her birthday at home.

However, it wasn't her parents who celebrated her birthday, but her friends.

"Fourteen already, Kate. What are your thoughts?"

"Hmm... actually, not much. Just that time flies."

Katharine seemed somewhat distracted.

"Kate, can you take off all your clothes and let me measure you? I'll make you a dress."

"Why?"

Katharine looked at Lisa with a puzzled expression.

"It's your birthday gift. Actually, what I really want to do is make a dress as gorgeous as the one Monroe wore that day."

The dress Lisa referred to was the one Monroe wore on May 19, President Kennedy's birthday, about ten days earlier.

At that time, Monroe wasn't wearing any undergarments, and the dress seemed to be sewn onto her body.

Moreover, it was said that when the dress was being tailored, Monroe didn't wear anything, and the designer measured various data points directly on her body to ensure accuracy. Monroe even remained still for half an hour.

"Is that so?"

Katharine leaned on the table, clearly not very interested in Lisa's so-called dream.

She looked a bit tired.

"You seem to be in a bad mood. What's wrong?" Lily asked.

"Summer homework."

Katharine shrugged.

American school homework was always peculiar.

"Experience the life of a disabled person for more than three days and write an essay about protecting the rights of the disabled."

Katharine rolled her eyes.

If there was one type of homework that was the easiest, it was math. Katharine had finished all her math homework in one night. However, she found assignments in literature and history very challenging.

Especially at such a prestigious school, the teachers often assigned tasks that required no reference materials and were not covered in textbooks, yet were closely related to people's lives.

For this, Katharine could only think of one word: ridiculous.

"This assignment sounds interesting," one of her friends said.

Katharine didn't comment, understanding the cultural difference.

Katharine had lived in this world for over a decade, but she had the memories of a person from China in the future, spanning two or three decades. Even today, her thoughts hadn't been fully assimilated into American culture. While she found typical American thinking strange, she couldn't adapt it to herself.

Most people indeed found it very interesting, but Katharine was the minority and the odd one out.

Katharine was well aware of this.

In fact, Katharine had always paid close attention to American life because business opportunities come from the details of daily life. Only by gaining the approval of the majority could her products succeed.

"Typical American thinking," Katharine sighed.

"Typical immigrant thinking, Kate. It's not a big deal," Lily smiled at Katharine.

"Maybe. What should I do next? Should I wear a cast and wander the streets to see who discriminates against the disabled?"

Katharine sighed deeply.

"Maybe we can help?" Lisa suddenly laughed.

"No! Absolutely not!"

Who knew what crazy ideas they might have.

"Jenny, you should be able to help Kate."

"If you need a more realistic fake, I can help you with that," Jenny said.

"Alright, then."

Katharine didn't want to trouble herself. Among all her friends, Jenny was the most rational.

"Okay, let's get ready and go to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. My mom is the chief of surgery and an orthopedic specialist there, and she happens to have no appointments right now. We can go right away. Oh... but I need to make a call."

Jenny quickly made a call.

"By the way, Kate, what kind of disability do you want?"

What kind of disability do you want?

How strange does that sound?

"Uh... just my hands."

Jenny nodded, and the call was answered on the other end.

One call, and it was settled. They set off together and headed to one of the most famous hospitals in New York, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.

"This is my mom, Mavis White. Mom, these are my classmates. This is Katharine."

"Hello, Mrs. White," Katharine greeted her.

"Don't be so formal. I'm happy to help you with your homework, Katharine. In fact, when Jenny told me the whole story, I found it quite interesting. By the way, how does the orthopedic pantyhose feel?"

The pantyhose on Katharine's feet were designed by Mrs. White, not Lisa.

"Pretty good. But it would be better if the crotch had a zipper," Katharine looked down at the pantyhose on her legs.

"You're right. Although it's open-crotch, wearing underwear might be uncomfortable. A zipper would be better," the other person smiled.

"Actually, Columbia University is developing artificial skin to replace human skin, so they've recently developed a lot of medical silicone. It seems to be just what we need right now."

Didn't artificial skin only appear in the 1980s?

Katharine was a bit surprised, but then she understood.

After all, the breakthroughs in the 1980s were the result of long-term research. The product was likely still in the development stage.

Mrs. White took Katharine to the operating room, disinfected her back and arms, then bent her arms behind her back, with the palms touching her back, and her hands spread out. She then began to fix and adhere them, and took out the silicone.

Katharine couldn't see what was happening behind her, but when the "surgery" was over, she felt her hands were completely immobile. Looking at her sides, her hands seemed to be gone, as if her body had never had hands. However, her originally slender figure seemed slightly "fatter."

"How does it feel?" Mrs. White helped Katharine stand up and placed a mirror in front of her.

"A bit awkward," Katharine looked at herself in the mirror, really feeling as if she had no hands.

It was a strange feeling.

"Never mind, it's only for three days. Consider it an experience."

This was to complete her homework.

"If you feel any numbness or discomfort in your hands, remember to come here immediately. Don't try to cut it off yourself, as it could damage your skin. Before going to bed and after waking up, it's best to have someone massage your hands. Although it can be worn for several months, I suggest removing it after less than a month."

Katharine turned slightly and looked at her back. The color there seemed slightly different from the rest of her body, probably due to the silicone.

Speaking of which, this seemed to be the era of rapid silicone development?

The golden age of America was a magical time. American technology seemed to explode during this period and gradually spread worldwide.

The entire modern world seemed to be built on America's 1960s.

No wonder Americans constantly reminisce about this era.

This was the American dream, the path to the future for the whole world.

Mrs. White helped Katharine dress, leaving her sleeves empty, which looked a bit awkward.

"Do you need prosthetics? They're just for decoration. I've prepared them, in case you need them."

"Sure."

Although it was only for three days, Katharine agreed without hesitation.

With her arms empty, Katharine felt a bit panicked, perhaps the real feeling of a disabled person. Without hands, she felt a bit inferior.

"Remember, if you feel any discomfort, come here immediately," Mrs. White warned Katharine.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. White."

Then, they returned to her office.

It seemed to be a quiet day for the surgery department, with nothing happening at the moment.

"Oh, Kate, what happened to your hands?"

Lily looked concerned, but couldn't hide her smile.

Katharine rolled her eyes at her.

...

Below is the dress Monroe wore.

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