Honoria walked down the hall, following the severe-looking nurse clad in a simple white frock. Honoria wondered why this woman chose this ghastly profession, and if that was why she saw nothing but sadness and despair in the woman's eyes.
The nurse stopped at a door, and tried to administer some small comfort by resting her slim hand on Honoria's shaking shoulder, saying, "You're doing the right thing."
Honoria smoothed her pink cardigan and flowered yellow skirt. Odd-wearing such cheery clothes on the day that she would let a doctor kill her four month old baby.
Honoria waited sadly for the doctor to arrive. She sat, thinking of why she was here…
"Come on, Honoria," Adam said. "Please."
"I can't."
They sat on his bed, alone. Mr. and Mrs. Vandervan were away, trusting their son and his soon-to-be fiancée to not do anything while they were out at a missions conference.1Adam, a handsome dark-haired young man, fell in love (or lust?) with Honoria from the moment he saw her. Honoria, often teased for her old-fashioned name and "prairie" clothes2 was thrilled that the handsome senior boy chose her and would hopefully soon marry her. It was Honoria's hair that first attracted Adam. Long, golden, and always worn up, Adam longed for the day when she would take it down, for him alone.3
"Take it down for me."
"Why?"
"I want to see your sunlight."
Honoria reached up for the myriad of bobby pins that held her hair in place.
And let her hair fall.
Adam took her into his arms and lay her down.
She was never the same.
Honoria looked up and saw that the doctor was in the room. She also realized that a track of tears lined her cheeks.
The doctor, a small woman who reminded Honoria of Vera Drake, was very calming and gentle as she asked her to lie down on the couch, much like a dentist's chair, and put her slender feet in the stirrups.
"All I'm going to do, dear, is give you some medicine, and that'll take care of everything."
"But…what will that do?"
"Do you know what happens in a miscarriage?"
"A little. Aunt Orpah lost a four month old when I was little, but Mama and the other aunts kept the children out of the room so we wouldn't be bothered. Prophet Warren said that it was because of unconfessed sin, that God visited His judgment on Orpah and Absalom because they did something wrong in His eyes."
"Well, what's going to happen is something like that. The medicine that I'll inject into your womb will cause the womb to contract, which will in turn cause the womb to expel the fetal tissue."
"The baby. Please."
"The baby."
Honoria laid her head down, glad to see that she was doing the right thing.
Dear Brethren and Unbelievers:
This story is not complete, but I hope you all enjoy it. Note that what Honoria and Adam did was consensual. She was not forced. She was not accosted. She willingly went along, loose hair and all. Learn from Honoria's mistake. Choose Life!
P.S. Does anyone think that the names in this story, particularly Honoria's herself, are too old fashioned? Too bad; I'm leaving them. :)
Blessings,
Bishop Hunter
1 Daniel and Prisca were originally missionaries, working through Dinah's Place, a Christian women's center. Their last station was on the "fallen" island of Patmos, Greece.
2 Honoria's family were ex-FLDS from the Big Creek settlement in Long Valley, Colorado. Known for "multiple wifery" and clothes from a bygone era, the Big Creek settlement was under fire from the law in 2005 due to under-age marriage. Thankfully, Honoria and her family escaped through the help of ex-FLDS Flora Jessup.
3 Honoria kept her hair modestly uncut due to Paul's command in 1 Corinthians 11, which told women that their hair was their glory and meant to be a covering, though the FLDS added the extra-biblical doctrine of wearing the hair up.