Manilla Winkledorff

Born Manilla Etsy Dotsen, Manilla Winkledorf is Scarlet Jusenkyou's history teacher in 7th and 8th grade. She is in her late 50s and is known for being a spiteful and abusive teacher.

Early Life

Manilla was born on the outskirts of Boarder Watch where she grew up on a dairy farm. Her parents can best be described as "dull" and "strict". Her father was a 19th generation farmer, the family having worked the land since the Long Night, and having been lucky to get a legal claim on it at the start of the new Alliance. While Manilla will always tell you her family was poor, the truth is her father was simply a miser, and didn't believe in paying for "frivolities" such as clothing or shoes. His family dressed in outfits sewn from flower sacks and his children usually went barefoot around the farm.

As the youngest of five children, Manilla had few prospects at home. Her elder brothers were to inherit the farm, and the then rural community did not offer many opportunities. Despite having no interest in a career teaching, Manilla applied at 16 for a suplimental program where she could finish high school and start college in Arindell, having her room, board, and schooling expenses paid for, in return for agreeing to work for a specific timeframe in a field where workers were in high demand. Based on standardized testing, Manilla was put into a training program to become a school teacher.

Career In Arindell

Manilla went to work at the age of 21, having completed schooling and student-teaching requirements. Despite rumors to the contrary, she did not ever attain a prestigious position at any of the high-paying private schools, and instead worked the public school circuit initially as a substitute.

From her first paycheck, Manilla began to revel in her newfound freedom. She'd never had money growing up, and had no idea how to manage it. Manilla was provided with a year of transitional housing as part of the program, but still ended up living in her car. Deeply in debt, Manilla took up with a man named Edsel Winkledorf, a medical student from a well-off family.

Marriage to Edsel

Edsel Winkledorf was a 24-year-old medical student when Manilla met him. His family was wealthy and paid for an apartment near campus as well as providing him with a generous allowance so he could focus on his studies. At the time, Manilla was a notorious "party girl" and was heavily disliked by Edsel's parents. She was able to move in with him, allowing her to continue her lifestyle.

By all accounts, Edsel was a cold and distant man even at a young age. He spent long hours on his studies and was often not home, while Manilla put in the bare minimum at her teaching job while going out partying every night. After two years of cohabitation, Manilla became pregnant, and Edsel's parent's insisted they marry.

The child was most likely not Edsel's, but it is unknown whether he suspected or cared. With the pregnancy, Edsel saw something he was familiar with: medicine. Manilla would describe in her divorce filing how Edsel became "very demanding and controlling" after they were married. His side of the story is that he forced her to stop drinking for the welfare of the unborn child, and kept her to a strict regime of diet and bedrest. It is true that it was a difficult pregnancy