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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Parent (11/16/06)
PARENTAL OUTRAGE

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After sixteen years Doug got this great urge to fulfill his marriage promise to my parents that required I finish high school. We had married when I was fifteen and he was twenty-five. He was a minister and farmer so my parents consented to our marriage if I would finish school Four days after I turned seventeen Doug and I became the parents of a beautiful little girl. Of course, school was put on the back burner. At this point, I didn’t feel any overwhelming desire to complete my high school degree.

“Why now Doug? I’m perfectly happy living on the farm and taking care of the kids.”

“Patty, we promised and there’ll never be any better time than now,” he said as he went out the door to go to town.

“Honey, I just learned you don’t have to have a GED in Oklahoma. They’ll let you start college on a trial basis. You start tonight,” he instructed from a phone booth in town.

“Douglas! You are crazy,” I managed to point out in my moment of shock.

“You’ll be going three nights a week this semester. I’ll take you since campus is fifty miles away. You’ll love it. Get dressed. I’m on my way.” he persisted as he hung up the phone.

“Go on in. I’ll be back to pick you up,” he whispered as he bent over to kiss me.

My mind was in a whirl as I sat down in the back.“ Well, here I am, a ninth-grade dropout, sixteen years behind, and in college! Douglas you are nuts!”

Glancing carefully around the room I felt assured it was full of intelligent people. “Of all classes to start with, Public Speaking, and I’m ten days and ten minutes late for this too!”

My heart rate rapidly increased as I realized the class was fully engaged in a debate regarding population explosion. Sinking a little deeper into my seat I sat very quietly. I couldn’t believe the threatening remarks that were being tossed around between the students......tax people extra that had more than three kids.....put pills in their drinking water.....make a law that required anyone with two children to take birth-control pills! “Who did they think they were to make such derogatory remarks?”

“We’ll wrap up this debate by having each one of you make a summary statement regarding our topic tonight before you leave,” the professor said so matter-of-fact.

I sat in total silence, the mother of seven....feeling trapped in a very awkward state...... somewhere between anger and embarrassment. Things weren’t getting any better as each one stood to have their say. I could feel all of their eyes turn towards me as I stood to make my contribution. With parched lips and dry throat I proceed to present my position. “I am not about to flush any of my seven children down the toilet, nor are we taking anyone’s food from them in the grocery store since we grow most of our own food. My husband is a minister and we are teaching them to be good citizens in this world. I agree we have a responsibility to our fellow man, of which I had not seen before entering class. I feel that by educating the public to our position we would do far more good than threatening, and harassing poor innocent children for something that is not their fault,”I blurted out with face flushing from parental outrage. The class was silent enough to hear a pin drop other than for the robust “Amen” that came from the back of the room where that Baptist minister sat.

“Well, young lady you have made the most intelligent statement of the evening” was barely heard from the front of the room due to the spontaneous applause of the class.

Doug met me at the door, as the teacher came shuffling towards me.

“I want to thank you for your honest response. I am too a Christian and a Minister. Listening to a lot of these remarks isn’t easy. I pray constantly about how to lead in a positive manor these bold young people that are set in a strange mind set. We can’t have children. You are very blessed,” he declared as he shook our hands.












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Member Comments
Member
Date
Bella Louise
11/23/06
I really enjoyed this. I liked the tie in both with the girl's promise to her parents and then her defending her own children and position as a parent. But being married at fifteen seems a little unlikely (and illegal in Britain), especially to a twenty-five year old. Oh well. You don't do much overt characterisation, but your characters seem really realistic :)
Donna Powers
11/24/06
A good story, though the premise seemed a bit unlikely. However, I enjoyed her defense of her children and the life God had called her to. Nice work.
Leigh MacKelvey
11/25/06
I loved reading this story! Perhaps in these days 15 us unlikely, but my grandmother was married at 15 and had 5 children! It depends on the time and the area. I don't think it's unlikely for farm families in rural places to lallow their children to marry that young. Keep writing!