Last Night at the Telegraph Club

The next morning, the headline “Teen-Age Girls Recruited at Sex Deviate Bar” (311) appears on the front page of the newspaper that Lily’s father is reading over breakfast, and while he doesn’t pay it any attention, Lily is terrified. She’s waiting a reasonable time before calling Kath. Lily’s mother asks her to stay home with Frankie, who hasn’t been feeling well, and then she can go to help Shirley since it’s the night of the pageant.

Once her mother leaves, Lily calls Kath, but no one answers. She tries to stay calm and convince herself that Kath’s family is out but then remembers the newspaper, retrieves it, and reads the article. She discovers that both Joyce Morgan—the Telegraph Club’s owner—and Tommy were arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of minors. Tommy was also charged with lewd conduct for dressing as a male impersonator. The article suggests that teenage girls were seduced by older women, who eventually sold them marijuana and Benzedrine.

Lily rereads the story, thinking how far from the truth it is. Kath’s name isn’t mentioned at all. Realizing that she can use the phone book to get Kath’s address, Lily decides to go to her house, but then the doorbell rings. It’s Shirley, asking to come in. She tells Lily that Wallace Lai—a friend of Calvin’s—saw her leaving the club last night. She told them that it wasn’t Lily but then realized that it probably was.

The revelation makes Lily feel that she was stupid to go to the club several times and walk right past shops in Chinatown owned by people she’d known her whole life. Shirley asks if she went with Kath and reveals that she was arrested. Then Shirley gets mad at Lily, saying, “I came here to tell you this because I’m your friend—or at least I thought I was before I found out you’ve been lying to me. And lying about something so—so unnatural. I can’t believe you would do this” (319). She then tries to blame Kath, hoping that it was Kath’s fault rather than Lily’s. Lily tells her that it isn’t Kath’s fault—that it isn’t anyone’s fault.

Shirley says that she can still hook Lily up with Will, but Lily points out that Shirley was dishonest as well, as she’s been going out with Calvin. When Shirley responds that he isn’t a Communist, Lily tells her about the FBI trying to get Joseph to admit that Calvin is one and taking his citizenship papers when he wouldn’t.

At first, Shirley shuts down, but then she says that Lily shouldn’t go to the Miss Chinatown pageant that night. She adds that everyone will find out about Lily going to the club. As she leaves, Lily tries to stop her, understanding that Shirley feels about Calvin like she does about Kath. However, Shirley implies that Lily has feelings for her. She gives Lily her scarf, which Wallace found that morning. Finally, she leaves, telling Lily’s mom as she enters that it’s better if Lily doesn’t go to the pageant.

Lily remembers that Judy and Francis are arriving that night and that her Uncle Sam is coming tomorrow with his family, all for the Chinese New Year festivities. Shirley mentioned that Wallace was a gossip, a subtle threat. Lily decides to tell her mother what happened, thinking that it’s the last time her mother will look at her with love.

Lily takes the newspaper to her mother and says that she was at the Telegraph Club the night before, explaining that Shirley came over to tell her that someone saw her. Grace doesn’t believe it, not understanding at first that Lily snuck out. Lily knows that in some ways her mother’s disbelief gives her a way out. She could say that it wasn’t her but she feels like that would mean denying that she loves Kath.

She insists that she was there and adds that she’s interested in women. Her mother denies this, saying, “There are no homosexuals in this family” (329). She reiterates that Lily is a “good Chinese girl” (329) and that many women feel like this when they’re young. Lily keeps insisting that it’s not a mistake, and her mother slaps her before offering an ultimatum by asking if Lily is her daughter. Lily leaves.

“There are no homosexuals in this family” echoes in Lily’s head as she walks until she arrives at the Telegraph Club. There, she sees the sign “Closed by order of the San Francisco Police” (332). When she realizes the danger of being spotted there again, she decides to go to Kath’s house.

No one answers when she rings the doorbell, and she wanders through the neighborhood. Briefly, she considers going home, but she hears her mother’s voice again. She wanders into Washington Square Park and remembers sitting there with Kath. She starts to feel hopeless and cold.

As she grows afraid, she remembers that Tommy and Lana live on Castle Street, and while Tommy was arrested, Lana might be there. When she arrives, Lana is there and welcomes Lily in.

Lana makes Lily some coffee and helps her warm up. Lily thinks that it feels homier than it had the last time she was there.

Lily explains what happened and wonders if she did the right thing by not calling everything associated with the club and Kath a mistake. However, that would be lying. Lana replies that it would only be easy in the beginning, as Lily’s mother would always wonder if Lily lied and at least she knows she can still trust her daughter even if she must take some time to deal with the fact that Lily isn’t who she expected her to be.

Lana confides that both she and her brother disappointed their parents but in different ways: He became an actor instead of a lawyer, and she came out as lesbian. She adds that they’re coming around, though her mother recently tried to set her up with a man.

Still, Lily doesn’t know what to do and isn’t sure where to go. Claire arrives, and Lily joins them for dinner. Claire suggests that Lily contact a lawyer friend of theirs named Parker to find out what happened to Kath. Eventually, Lily realizes that Claire came over to comfort Lana because of Tommy’s arrest. She feels bad as she listens to the other two women talk and tries to leave, but Lana insists that she stay.

Lily continues to listen to Claire and Lana talk about the women they’ve dated. Claire asks her who her first love is, and Lily wonders how she’d know. Claire and Lana describe it, and Lily thinks of different moments with Kath. Seeing how worried she is, Lana and Claire tell her that it will be alright.

On Sunday morning, Lily awakens in Lana apartment and remembers that Judy and Francis (her aunt and uncle) would have arrived the night before, while she was with Lana and Claire. She and Lana eat breakfast together, and then Lana goes to meet Parker, leaving Lily a spare key.

Lily feels bad that she’s entirely dependent on Lana and decides to go to Kath’s house again. When she rings the doorbell, Kath’s sister, Peggy, answers. Kath told Peggy about Lily. However, when Lily asks where she is, Peggy says that she’s not supposed to tell anyone. She lets Lily write down where she’s staying, however, and says that she’ll give it to Kath if she comes home.

Lana returns, reporting that Parker said that Kath would’ve been released to her parents, as she didn’t have a record and was under 18. Lily suspects that Kath’s parents may have kicked her out based on what Peggy told her. Lana also tells her that Tommy is coming home the next day and that it would be best if Lily left before then, though she can stay tonight. She recommends a place for her to go, but Lily is familiar with it and feels like she can’t go.

While Lana naps, Lily finds a copy of Strange Season in the apartment and reads it, disappointed to find that it ends with one of the two characters in an asylum. The doorbell rings, and Lily is shocked to find her aunt Judy on the front stoop.

Judy hugs Lily and then reveals that she found the slip of paper with Kath’s address from when Lily initially wrote it down and then retrieved the note Lily left for Kath at her house.

She enters the apartment and says that Lily needs to come home. Lily explains that her mother doesn’t want her to, wondering if Grace told Judy everything. Lily decides to be completely honest, telling Judy precisely who Lana is and how she knows her. Judy grows quiet. Lana appears, having woken from her nap.

Judy hurries Lily out of the apartment despite her protests. Lily doesn’t want to go home, especially since everyone is over for Chinese New Year. As they enter Lily’s home, her heart sinks, as she dreads pretending that the past two days didn’t happen.

Lily greets her grandmother, who tells her that everyone was worried and that she should never do that again. Lily apologizes for making them worry even though she didn’t do anything wrong.

She’s absorbed into preparation for dinner and feels the silence surrounding her despite the busy household. She doesn’t know who knows what. She keeps thinking about Kath and the last night in the Telegraph Club, regretting that she let Kath separate from her.

As they eat, Lily feels as though she has been split in half. Part of her was left at the doorway, having just spent the night at Lana’s, while the other half is a good Chinese daughter who listens to her family—the one that is allowed in the family. She feels ill and unwanted.

After dinner, each child receives an envelope containing money—called “lei shi”—for Chinese New Year. Lily feels like hers comes at the price of her silence.

Lily and Judy lay out some blankets in Lily’s brothers’ room, as her grandmother is sleeping in hers, and Lily reflects on how much has changed about her, going out to the club in the middle of the night. Those moments felt so real to her, and so did the sense of hurt that accompanied her worries about Kath.

When her brothers come to bed, they talk over Lily, who pretends to sleep, and wonder what happened between her and their mother. In the morning, Lily wakes early and gets ready, laying out the plates for breakfast. She and her brothers both have school today—but when she readies her backpack, her mother tells her that she isn’t going.

After her uncles, brothers, and grandmother leave, Lily, her parents, and Judy sit at the table. Her mother tells her that she won’t be going back to school, having learned about Kath from Shirley. Lily tries to refute the idea that Kath made her go to the club, explaining that they had classes together for years. She insists that she was the one who wanted to go to the club, but her mother denies it.

Her father says that the feeling will pass, and her mother adds that they “looked the other way” when she went to the Man Ts’ing picnic but that rumors of her being around gay people would endanger her father, as he still doesn’t have his citizenship papers back. Her mother demands that she say she made a mistake and promises to help her.

However, Lily realizes that she loves Kath and that giving in would only betray her. Additionally, her father didn’t lie about Calvin, and that is why his papers were taken away. She tells her parents that she didn’t make a mistake and that she isn’t going to lie for them.

As her mother leaves the room angrily, her father says that Lily will go with Judy and Francis to Pasadena to finish the school year. She’ll leave the next day. Lily is heartbroken at the idea of leaving Kath. It feels like her family is erasing everything she and Kath did together.

As Lily packs, her father tells her about a doctor he knew who was both Chinese and lesbian. He adds that she lived alone and that he and Grace are trying to give Lily a full life. He leaves, and she searches for the magazine Kath gave her but can’t find it. She looks in her backpack and finds it there. Judy asks if she’s alright, and Lily grows angry at her aunt for finding her.

Later, Lily’s parents explain to her brothers that she’s going to Pasadena. When they’re alone, Eddie asks Lily what happened, as he heard a rumor at school that he doesn’t want to repeat. Lily asks if he thinks she’s “disgusting” (382). He shakes his head, saying that what they said doesn’t matter. Lily asks him to do her a favor, giving him an envelope addressed to Kath’s sister. He recognizes the name from the rumor and says that they have band together, promising to deliver it. She feels satisfied when Eddie tells her that Shirley didn’t win Miss Chinatown.

The next morning, Lily leaves with her aunt and uncle. On the train, Judy tells her that she’s trying to do what’s best for her and that she doesn’t understand what Lily is going through but wants to. Lily wonders if Kath can sense what’s happening to her, trying to tell her telepathically that she loves her. Lily somehow feels confident that Kath hears her. She has never been this far from home, which gives her a thrill, as if “[t]his was the world” (386).

Back in San Francisco, Lily and Kath meet in a restaurant, having corresponded through letters and phone calls. As they sit together, Lily worries that she shared too much in her notes. She wonders if Kath has met someone else. However, Kath moves her chair closer and weaves her hand in Lily’s under the table, asking her to tell her everything from the last year.

They talk for two hours. Lily is in college at UCLA and lives with a roommate in Westwood. Kath moved to Oakland and works at an airport. She’s about to start flying lessons. Suddenly, Lily realizes that she’s running late, knowing that she’ll have to lie to her mother. However, she tells Kath that she doesn’t want her to go, and Kath reciprocates.

They agree to meet on Monday at the Paper Doll. Lily pulls Kath into an alley and tells her that she loves her. Kath responds in kind, and they kiss. As Lily walks away, she looks back to see Kath still standing there. They wave, and Lily feels filled with love.

The timeline at the end of the novel indicates that Kath gets her pilot’s license the next year, and two years later, Lily graduates from UCLA and gets a job at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, revealing that both achieve their dreams.

Malinda Lo explains in the author’s note that her inspiration for Lily’s story was Rise of Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us: From Missiles to the Moon to Mars by Nathalia Holt and Wide-Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco by Nan Alamilla Boyd. Together, they made her wonder what it would’ve been like for an LGBTQ+ Asian American girl interested in space in the 1950s. She adds that she tried to remain historically accurate in her use of language.

The 1950s were “a time of great cultural anxiety” arising from the end of World War II, the Cold War and Korean War, and McCarthyism, which included the Lavender Scare. This “scare” which pushed many LGBTQ+ folks out of their government jobs because Communism was associated with being gay.

Lesbian pulp fiction novels were first published in 1950, but publishers had to ensure that they ended with the gay characters somehow being punished for their actions because of obscenity laws. Nevertheless, Lo notes, they allowed for some lesbians to imagine a community of people like themselves. Lo adds that the Telegraph Club itself was inspired by clubs that filled North Beach in the early 1950s that catered to gay men and lesbians.

Turning to Chinese Americans, Lo explains the history of Chinese immigration and efforts to show Americanness through beauty pageants. The Miss Chinatown festival began in 1953 as a way of convincing white Americans that Chinese Americans could be a “model minority” (403).

Lo’s grandfather, John Chuan-fang Lo, arrived in the US in 1933 to earn his doctorate in psychology, and he met her grandmother. They moved to China after he graduated, and he taught at Huachung College. During the Sino-Japanese War and part of World War II, they were refugees in western China. In 1944, Lo’s grandmother was able to return to the US, but her grandfather didn’t come back until he got a job in Pennsylvania. Then, realizing that he was being paid less than his white colleagues and needing additional income, the family moved back to China, where they stayed until 1978, not knowing that the Communists would take over. Lo notes that she has always wanted to know if they would have tried to stay in the US if they knew what was going to happen in China. This question partly inspired Lily’s story.

Recounting the history of gay men and lesbians in San Francisco, Lo explains that Lily’s story is an attempt to highlight Asian American lesbians, who were often left out of the story. She imagines that these women would also have had to learn how to live with the intersecting identities of being Chinese American and lesbian.