Why was Penny crying in the kitchen?

On Thursday night, August 22, 1963, Penny Johnson and Johnny Castle performed at the Sheldrake hotel, as they did every Thursday night. After their performance, they confirmed to the Sheldrake manager that they would perform again on the following Thursday, August 29.

On the morning of Friday, August 23, Penny decided that she was pregnant. She normally would have menstruated in late July but had not menstruated. Now it was late August. On Friday morning, she had vomited. She had begun to suffer morning sickness.

Later that morning, she told Johnny she was pregnant from Robbie Gould. She said she intended to tell Robbie too, but Johnny told her not to do so yet. First, Johnny would ask Billy Kostecki to get the necessary information about obtaining an abortion.

Later that morning, Penny was demonstrating wigs. Lisa Houseman was trying on wigs there. Robbie approached Lisa and began chatting with her affectionately. Robbie remarked that he was making good money as a waiter and soon would be able to buy a car. Penny overheard that remark, and so she knew that Robbie had a lot of cash.

Robbie chatting to Lisa during the wig demonstration

Johnny noticed the situation, and approached. He wanted to prevent a conversation between Penny and Robbie. Johnny still wanted to get the abortion information before Penny talked with Robbie.

Later that day, Billy Kostecki reported to Johnny that Penny could get an abortion on the following Thursday. The cost would be $250.

Johnny knew that he and Penny did not have that much cash, but he thought he might be able to get enough money by the following Thursday. He could earn some money by sexually entertaining a rich guest, and he could borrow some money from fellow employees. Johnny figured also that he could arrange for another female dancer to replace Penny at next Thursday's Sheldrake performance.

Johnny wanted some more time to consider his various options, and so he told Billy not to tell Penny the abortion information yet.

However, Billy could not restrain himself, and so he told Penny that she could get the abortion on the following Thursday at a cost of $250. Billy told Penny also that Johnny thought he could get the necessary money from rich guests and fellow employees.

Penny did not want Johnny to get the money. She knew that Robbie had a lot of cash, so she would try to get the necessary money from Robbie later that same evening.

That evening, Penny was supposed to dance with guests at the gazebo. Rather than go there, however, she went to the restaurant to catch Robbie after his waiter shift. When she arrived, a kitchen employee told her that Robbie already had departed. The kitchen employee told Penny also that Robbie had bought a car in the late afternoon and that Robbie had departed from the restaurant as soon as he could because he wanted to prepare for a hookup with a female guest at the golf course later that night.

Penny realized that Robbie already had spent most of his money and was engaged in a sexual relationship with another woman. She figured that Robbie would not provide her the money -- certainly would not provide it by the following Thursday.

And Robbie would not reconcile with Penny and marry her.

Penny tried to control her emotions, but she began to cry. She could not go to the gazebo to dance with guests there. After all the kitchen workers departed, she went into the dark kitchen and sat under a counter and wept about her ruined life.

Penny Johnson weeping in the kitchen

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