Sunshine Valley

Hen party

     Evie rolled out of bed. Her watch was going insane. Women were pouring out of 2 cars that parked in her driveway. Patty was ringing her doorbell. She opened the door to a smiling Patty and a chipper Widow Blake.

     “Good mornin’”, Widow Blake sang pushing Patty in the house; takin’ Evie by the arm, and escorting both women to the back porch. On the back porch, Della and other women had laid out breakfast. “More chairs,” she continued to sing as the kitchen chairs were packed outside for Sarah, Patty, Della, herself, and another woman Evie didn’t know. But looked familiar. 

     Della looked at Evie, stopping her prep, “lady, did you just roll out of bed?”

     “Yes.” 

     “You make me sick. Look how cute you are.”

     Evie smiled, “thanks. I’m a 50 year old woman. I think I’m well past cute.”

     The new girl chimed in, “you are not!” She blushed, “I’m Sara 2.” 

     “Hello Sara 2.”

     “Let’s eat.” Della spoke. 

     As they sat, Evie asked, “what did I do to deserve breakfast?”

     They prayed over the food. Widow Blake began, “men can be very insensitive. Pastor Sam was tellin’ me that you asked him to leave. I told him, I didn’t blame you. There is a right way and a wrong way to do everything.”

     “My only regret is that I’ve gotten Dillon,” she thought for a minute, “Sheriff Pace drug through the mud. He doesn’t deserve any of this.”

     “And you do?” Sara 2 quipped. 

     “Dad is fightin’ mad,” Sarah commented. Patty nodded in agreement.

     “What do I do?” Evie asked. “The thing that bothers me the most, Pastor Sam didn’t defend me. I’ve never moved my letter. Got baptized in that church. Though it wasn’t him, it was Pastor Packard. It should be on file. My parents never went to another church. My tithes are split between the church and an other faith based organization I’m passionate about. But why is it anyone’s friggin’ business?” Sara 2 started wigglin’ in her chair. Evie sighed, “ask.” She received a few confused glances. 

     Sara 2 glanced at the other women, “it’s honestly none of anyone’s business.”

     “Sex before marriage is considered immoral. I know this. Sheriff Pace and I used to be unbeatable in Sunday school Bible drill competitions.” She sighed, “this has never happened to me before. I’m not sure how to process this. I’ve never been churched.” She sighed, “

     Sara 2 played with her food, “I never knew his name was Dillon.”

     Sarah chimed in, “I work with a woman who, every day at work, is tellin’ us some new thing she’s learned about her husband. They met on social media, had been talkin’ for years. Met and got married. Because she says, ‘she wanted to have sex with him.’ He’s not a Christian and she is.”

     Sara 2 droned, “so it’s better to get divorced in 3 years than to explore their feelings?”

     “Depending on which branch of Christianity you practice, some consider divorce a sin.” Evie added.

     “So you’re stuck in a loveless marriage because you what?” She sighed, “were lonely? Horney? In love? Lust?”

     “God set out his plan for us in the Bible because we are his children. To protect us and keep us safe. Though modern medicine has come a long way in treating illnesses that would have killed someone alive during Jesus’s day; those illnesses still exist and can wreak havoc on our bodies.” Evie spoke.

     “Amen!” Patty exclaimed. 

     “I can’t speak for men but for us sex is so much more than just an act. It’s all of who we are wrapped up with a bow. Intimate, emotional, we are not just performing the act. It’s more like exposing our soul.” No one said a word. There wasn’t any noise. The women just stared at each other. “It seems we get attached easier, need something more than a penis. We need to feel safe. Be able to express our vulnerabilities without fear of exposure.” She hugged up her knees in her chair. It hit her in that moment, she was talking about Dillon. She was describing how she felt about him. Around him. He never made fun of her. Never told her she was weak, childish, being a stupid female. He hadn’t ever brought her down. She wished he was here right now. Wrapping his arms around her, in essence, ending this conversation. She laid her head on her knees. “I’m aware as a Christian woman, it’s expected of me to keep up appearances. Do as I do not as I say I do. But gossiping is frowned on in the Bible. Proverbs 20:19, Romans 1:29; 2 Corinthians 12:20, 1 Timothy 5:13; 2 Thessalonians 3:11, Ephesians 4:29, Psalm 101:5. Now I understand what Paul was talking about when he wrote, ‘women should remain silent in the churches’.” She raised up, “Ms. Blake, I’ve seen you hold dad’s hand in church. That doesn’t mean the 2 of you are seeking a relationship. You 2 have been friends since I was a little girl. I remember Charlie.” She sighed, “I do apologize. I’m deflecting. Mom always told me that it was impossible for men and women to be platonic. Friends were always crashin’ on our couch. No one was involved in wild sex parties. Drunk off their asses. It never occurred to me to turn them away. Maybe that was the one lie mom didn’t tell me?” 

     “If I may be honest,” Widow Blake reported; “Dillon,” she paused. 

     Patty picked up where she left off, “husbands and wives talk.” She pointed around the table, “friends talk.”

     Sarah jumped in her chair, “he bought a smart phone just for you. You are the only person he talks to on it. If you ever ask him about why he still has a flip phone, you will get ‘hand cuffed’ about it for hours.”

     Evie looked confused, “hand cuffed.”

     “Sheriff Pace started it. It’s what they call it when they ‘hand cuff’ you to a lecture when you ask a simple question.”

     “If I may,” Sara 2 pulled the conversation toward her, “don’t you think that comment by Paul is extremely sexist?”

     “I did for a long time. Even to the point that Paul was a jackass who hated women. Through some excellent teachers, I now believe that Paul was referring to a group of women that were causing dissension in the church at Corinth. Women have their place in the church. It’s not just a social club for men.” Evie explained.

Sunshine Valley