Page 2 of Ezekiel
I had to admit that she was beautiful. Far more beautiful than I had expected, but no amount of beauty could make me forget what had taken place just beneath this room not two hours ago. My stomach rebelled at the memory of what had occurred. I thought I had been prepared for it, but could anyone really be prepared to rape their wife on their wedding day? In a church, surrounded by its leaders, no less? Because that’s what it was. Rape.
Levi and Ollie had warned me, had talked me through exactly what would happen, and yet, it hadn’t mattered. It hadn’t eased what I had been forced to do. All at the Elders’ command. Truly the most vicious and vile rulers I had ever known, they had sat by, close by, and watched as I had done what needed to be done. May God save my soul, if he even existed. I had long lost hope in the thought that he might.
I looked at my wife, noting not the way her dark brown hair fell down her back, straight as an arrow, nor how her tanned skin appeared kissed by the sun. Instead, I saw how her dark brown eyes were downcast, not looking at anyone in the room, fixated on something in front of her. I saw how her expression seemed dazed, not noticing anything of the chaos that surrounded her. I could imagine the chaos within her held her captive. I knew it held me captive.
“I’ll go to her. I think it’s time my wife and I were on our way,” I muttered, handing Gideon’s glass back to him and making my way over to her. As I sat down next to my wife, tuning out the sounds in the hall to the best of my ability, I focused on her. Her breathing was choppy, almost not noticeably so, but I could tell. I could tell by the rise and fall of her chest, the way it vibrated as she inhaled, exhaled, and repeated.
“We should be leaving,” I whispered. She jumped at the sound of my voice.
“Whatever you wish.” Such a dutiful answer, one she had likely learned somewhere close to birth.
“Do you need to say your goodbyes to anyone?” I suggested, reminding her.
“Yes.” She spoke so softly it was difficult to hear her. I nodded my head, letting her know it was okay to go talk to whomever she needed to. The next thirty days would find us both stuck in my home, unable to leave. That was the way of things in Zion. Enough time for a man to get control of his new wife. Enough time for a man to impregnate his new wife. She would need at least a few moments to say goodbye to her loved ones before that happened. Thirty days in my home with a woman I did not know. The thought turned my stomach. Granted, if our honeymoon was to be anything like Ollie’s, who knew how long it would actually be? I had conflicting emotions on that matter.
I watched her for a time, talking with her family. I knew I should go to my own family to say my goodbyes. Damn the ‘one glass of wine’ rule of the church. I could have used it to calm my nerves just then. I knew I should go make my own rounds, but I’d rather walk over hot coals. Still, it had to be done.
Spotting Mother and Father talking amongst the Elders, I made my way over. Going unseen, as almost always, I overheard them speaking with Talia’s parents.
“You sound as though you are still uneasy about my boy’s ability to be a husband to your daughter, Alan.” Father’s voice carried that undercurrent of judgment and superiority. He wasn’t happy with my father-in-law based on the sound of it.
“I’m not saying that, Elder Temple,” Mr. Parrish backpedaled.
“Then perhaps you should clarify.” This was the tone my father used that would let us boys know to scatter when we were children. No raised tone, but a whisper. A whisper of danger should one continue on the path they were on.
“All I’m saying is that Ezekiel is known to be a bit, well, odd. Surely, you can understand my concern. I only want to make sure my daughter is cared for.”
“What is it you think I am unable to do, exactly?” I questioned, inserting myself into the conversation. Alan looked back and forth between me and my father, floundering a bit on what to say or how to handle the situation.
“I just want to make sure my daughter is taken care of, Ezekiel. Surely, you understand,” Alan chuckled awkwardly under the combined weight of both my Father and I’s stares.
“Oh, I understand perfectly, Mr. Parrish, but rest assured, I know my duties as a husband as defined by the Lord. Your daughter will serve as my wife, as commanded, and I shall serve as her husband as the Lord commands. Make no mistake about that.” My words, nearly astringent on my tongue, both appeased my father and proved a point to my in-laws: I may be odd, but I was no doormat. I would not simply stand by while they discussed me in such a way.
I could feel my skin crawl, the noise surrounding me rising as the night drew on and turning my anxiety up to hyper speed.
“Mother, Father, it is time my bride and I take our leave and begin our honeymoon. Thank you for arranging such a fine bride for me as Talia. I will work to serve the Lord through my duties as a new husband. Thanks be to God,” I recited, relaxing infinitesimally at my father’s swelling pride.
“That’s my son,” he praised, clapping me on my back. I really wished everyone would stop doing that. It was grating. “Make us proud and carry on the Temple name, my boy,” my father spoke his last piece of advice — for the evening.
“Before you go, I wanted to let you know of a change in plans,” Father pulled me back as I began to walk away. Apparently his words of advice werenot, in fact, over for the evening. “After talking with the Elders, it seems there is a position that we feel you would be perfect for at the church.”
“Father, as honored as I would be to become an Elder, I do really think time with my new bride is more important,” I urged him, dreading the day I would have to join him and the goon squad at the church.
“Oh, Ezekiel, you have quite a sense of humor when you want to,” he chuckled, clapping me on the back. “No, you will not be becoming an Elder. That’s not the best fit for a man with your – gifts,” he managed to cover his almost-faux pax. “Elder Daniels has decided to step down from his position working with the church books as an accountant of sorts, in order to take care of his new daughter. He and his wife just adopted a beautiful baby girl. You have been chosen to fill his position, starting one week from tomorrow.”
“One week? What about the honeymoon?” I asked, shocked to my core.
“It’s not common practice, to be sure, but I have no doubt you will make the Temple family proud and handle the blessings God has bestowed on you in the way of this opportunity. Plus, I cannot be expected to support you boys forever. It’s time you did something with your life, and with the blessed Temple name. Make me proud, Son.” He clapped me on the back one last time as I slowly processed his words. One week? Sure, the thought of not being stuck in a home with a veritable stranger was blissful to say the least, but in all reality I was only trading one horror-filled situation for another.
Pushing the thoughts from my mind, saving them for another time, I turned to bid them both goodnight. I needed to get out of there.
“Goodnight, Father. Mother.” I shook my father’s hand, hugged my mother tightly for a moment, and then went to find Talia, still stewing on both the infuriating words of Talia’s father and the new revelation from my own father.
Alan and Sonia Parrish, Talia’s parents, had been members of the church for as long as I could remember, but were not Elders; a minor fact that annoyed Alan in no small amount. They had been working to gain favor with Reverend Jacob for years. I wasn’t stupid; I knew what this match was: a way to earn them their spot as Elders of Zion.
I found it strange that they weren’t Elders yet. My parents had joined Zion in the early eighties, and I knew Talia’s parents had joined only a few years later, moving from the nearby town of Apple Valley onto Reverend Jacob’s land after hearing “the calling of the Lord”. Based on seniority alone, her father should be an Elder by now.
My eyes finally settled on my new bride. She stood near a group of women chattering away. I stood back for a moment, letting her finish the conversation, not wanting to intrude. She caught my gaze and her eyes pleaded with me to the contrary. Could it be that my wife did not want to have to stomach these conversations any more than I did?
