Week-End Marriage

Ken accepts a chance to travel to South America for a pay raise that would keep him away for two years. Lola, encouraged by her sister-in-law Agnes, uses passive-aggressive tactics to push him toward marriage before he leaves. He wrestles with his traditional values while Lola presses for an immediate commitment, and they decide to marry.

On the wedding day, Ken expresses regrets during a solemn exchange with his brother-in-law Jim. They work in the same office and must stagger vacations, a detail that foreshadows the loneliness to come. The couple's nerves are evident as they begin life as husband and wife.

Shortly after the wedding, the couple experiences early marriage loneliness due to conflicting schedules. Ken resents Lola's independence and the lack of shared time, which strains their communication. Lola senses the growing distance but pushes ahead with their plans.

One year into the marriage, Lola is promoted to Jameson's personal assistant and a raise to 40 dollars a week, the same amount Ken makes. The new income shifts the balance of power in their relationship and heightens tensions about independence and control. Ken resents the change, feeling Lola wears the pants now.

Lola begins a professional and personal rapport with Peter Acton at the St. Louis location. Mr. Jameson hints he may visit the St. Louis office due to struggles there. Acton asks Jameson to bring Lola along if he visits, signaling potential career overlap and romantic tension.

Upon Lola's return home, she learns Ken has been fired as his department is eliminated and has accepted a lower-paying new job at 30 dollars a week. He resents Lola's raise and accuses her of wearing the pants now. The couple's tension intensifies as money and status become flashpoints.

Because of their different schedules, Ken begins to handle dinner. Lola's friend Connie asks to be accompanied to persuade her guardian Joe to let Connie continue working after marriage. Lola calls Ken to say she will be late, but he snaps at her, wearing an apron, prompting a neighbor to laugh.

At Connie's place, Joe reacts violently to Lola's pleas and bullies Connie into agreeing to marry Louis; he spouts misogynistic beliefs common at the time. The scene underscores the era's gender expectations and Joe's controlling attitude. Connie accepts her fate with a resigned counterpoint to Lola's modern ambitions.

The next morning Lola learns Ken has been arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct. She pays his fine and also covers the fine for the unnamed woman involved; they leave together. The episode is a blow to Lola's sense of partnership and signals the fragility of their marriage.

Back at the office, Mr. Jameson offers Lola a promotion to personal assistant with a raise to 50 dollars a week, concerned she might lose her job if he leaves. Lola asks for time to discuss with Ken, and finds he has been fired again. She offers relocation to St. Louis as a possible remedy.

Lola moves to St. Louis to work with her own assistant, while Ken stops writing. He withdraws emotionally as distance grows, and Lola begins to settle into a new life away from him. The long-distance dynamic strains their marriage further.

A telegram arrives informing Lola that Ken has fallen gravely ill; Peter helps arrange a late-night flight back to New York. Lola hurries to the airfield as the plane takes off, leaving the situation unresolved at that moment.

In the hospital, the doctor shames Lola for having abandoned Ken, arguing that men need old-fashioned women to care for them. Agnes counsels Lola to sacrifice anything to keep her man; the unnamed vigil outside remains outside as the exchange unfolds. The tension underscores the conflict between tradition and independence.

Ken asks what Lola intends to do; she lies that she has been fired and lacks purpose at work. The closing moment centers on Lola accepting a traditional role, culminating in the line Be a wife.