Paradise Abductions

by Mia Rodriguez

  Chapter 25

  The time has finally come when I have to attend the intensive wife duty classes. First they'll show me the spiritual ways of being a wife. Then I'll have to cover the more concrete matters like properly caring for your husband's things and eating with utensils.

  I had been dreading this day so much that I had almost blocked it out until Helga had told me I'd better high tail it to the meetings in the ceremony room where we celebrate weddings.

  The place is already full when I get there, but the classes haven't started. Thankfully, I'm not late. Since none of the men are there, a buzz of girls speaking to one another permeates the air. I take a seat next to Wanda. Her birthday is a few days before mine, and she's to be married into the Simms household.

  "Did you hear about wife-Patrice?" she asks me. Patrice is the head-wife of the Simms household.

  I shake my head.

  "She's getting a commendation from Highest Holy Grinder," she says excitedly.

  "A commendation?--for what?"

  "For coming up with a new prayer for destiny-brides. We'll study it today."

  "Oh," I say without enthusiasm.

  "Highest Holy Grinder called the Simms household the best family for the week!"

  "Oh."

  "Can you believe it? I'm about to join that holy household," she gushes. "And my destiny husband is so generous. He's the one who put wife-Patrice up for the commendation."

  It looks like the Mister hasn't put Betsey up for any commendations. Maybe there's some hope for him yet. A hushed quiet hits the room as Harriet steps in. She was the wife of Bledsoe and now is married to Grinder but we're confused as to what she's doing here. She's not the one who's supposed to give us the classes. She's not the head-wife in the Grinder household.

  "Good morning, destiny-brides," she chirps. She's always had a very amicable personality. We greet her back. "Wife-Cordelia is sick today, so I'm taking her place."

  A sound of relief spreads through the room. Cordelia is almost as bad as Betsey.

  "Shall we start?" she asks, not expecting an answer in return. "We've got a lot to cover."

  I make my face passive, so I don't react to anything she's about to say. She's a nice person and everything, but her head is packed with lies she believes with all her heart.

  "Future family-wives, you don't know what a great privilege it is to belong to the True Faith. You're the chosen ones!"

  An applause erupts through the crowd. I have to go along.

  "I hope you truly understand that we, as members of the one True Faith, are going to be the ones to inherit the kingdom of the Great Master!"

  Another applause. Maybe Cordelia would've been better after all.

  "Everyone else in this evil world will take their place with the evil creature."

  Boos for the creature resound.

  "Here's the thing, though, we must be worthy of the Great Master's Kingdom. We're not getting there just because we live in Paradise Village! No! We'll be getting in there because we'll be worthy of it. We'll be worthy of our faith. We'll be worthy of our Masters."

  She then takes us to the kitchen where she demonstrates how to cook breakfast. Eggs, bacon, waffles, and potatoes! I can't believe how much food we're allowed to have!

  "Thank your destiny-husbands for this," she gushes. "See how generous they are with you?"

  If I had known we were going to get so well fed, I wouldn't have dreaded these meetings so much. I can ignore the total garbage being fed into us if my stomach is full. She allows us to use our fingers to stuff ourselves because she says that utensil training is forthcoming, and we've got to stop sticking our mouths in the food.

  After the meal, we continue the lessons. She implores us to be understanding of everything our husbands do, and that we should be willing to sacrifice anything for them. Blah-blah-blah. My mind tunes her out until lunch arrives. The family-wives had made it especially for us.

  Steak, baked potatoes, barbeque beans, fresh rolls. Wow!!! And for dessert: apple pie, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, cakes!

  After the food, Harriet shows us the new destiny-bride's prayer that we must say after we say the original one:

  Dear Great Master,

  I'm deeply unworthy of all you give me. I'm deeply unworthy of the Master you've blessed me with here on earth. If I don't live up to you or him, please cast me in the fires of the evil creature because I wouldn't deserve your love. I offer this prayer up to you with my whole heart.

  This prayer is even worse than the other one! When Harriet repeats it for the third time, she's so visibly moved by it that she's pounding her chest and sobbing. Some of the other girls start crying too. I lower my head so they won't see how disgusted I am by all of this.

  I'm not disgusted by them or even by Harriet who I still like very much. I'm disgusted with the Elders who've pulled the wool over their eyes so thoroughly. I realized a long time ago that the more someone repeats something, the more believable it becomes even if it's outlandish.

  We were brought here when we were children, and we've been told over and over again of the Great Master and his plan for us. It became the only reality I knew except for my vivid memories of my mother. Those remembrances stopped this new reality from taking over, so I've always been able to distinguish the lies from the truth. For the other girls, it's unfortunately the opposite. The foggy memories of their lives before here seem the fake ones to them because of the constant brainwashing of the Elders.

  I sigh deeply. Harriet pats me on the back with a pleased yelp. "Yeeeees, destiny-bride Monica, your prayer is being heard by the Great Master!"

  It takes all I have not to clear up the misunderstanding and tell her what I think of the new prayer.

  Then she has us pray for an hour. I, of course, go over my English, Spanish and math at that time.

  For the rest of the long, long day Harriet goes on to explain how we should always be cognizant of our behavior since it reflects on our destiny-husbands. How we have to be beyond reproach at all times. How we always have to ask our destiny-husbands if we're in perfect accordance to them. Blah, blah, blah. I've tuned out again.

  I only tune back in when she tells us we can have a snack. Nachos! Bean dip! Chicken wings! I can hardly believe my luck today. I had never eaten this much! I don't even mind that she's yapping while we're eating. "Being a wife in Paradise Village is such a wonderful thing. Everyday, when you wake up, you should thank the Great Master for your luck. You should carry your destiny-husbands in your heart with everything you do. You should ask yourselves, 'Is this what he would want me to do?'" Blah, blah, blah. I've tuned out again.

  The question and answer session begins. I semi-listen. I'm curious about the questions.

  "What do we do if Highest Holy Grinder tells us to do one thing and our Masters another?" a girl asks.

  Good question. I'm curious as to what Harriet will answer.

  She seems baffled at first, but then her eyes light up. "The Great Master is testing you. Do both."

  Question: "What if the head-wife accuses you of something you didn't do?"

  Answer: "She, the wisest of us, probably saw in your heart that you were about to commit that sin. Take the punishment as a reprimand from the Great Master himself."

  Question: "What if you're terrified of your Master's violent temper?"

  Answer: "You should be terrified of your Masters. It's the wrath of the Great Master going through them. All of us should be terrified of not living up to the great responsibility of being the chosen ones in the one True Faith."

  Blah, blah, blah. I'm not listening anymore.

  Miguel is waiting for me when I step out that evening. On the way to the Barstowe household, I still have my chores to do there before turning in for the night, I wait for the right private moment. When no one's around, I quickly slip my hand in the pockets of my skirt and hand him a piece of steak I had hidd
en there.

  "We had a lot of food today."

  He eats it in two bites, practically swallowing it. He smiles at me as we keep walking. Suddenly, my stomach starts churning painfully. I should've known that my body wouldn't be ale to handle so much food.

  "Are you okay, Frida? You look green."

  Shaking my head, I point to my stomach. He quickly ushers me to behind some bushes, and all the precious food I had ingested fiercely comes up. When I stop retching, my face contorts in deep sorrow.

  "Are you okay?" he asks, worried.

  "What a waste," I murmur sadly. "So much food. It's on the ground now."

  He chuckles as we quickly throw dirt on it before anyone walks by. I don't doubt that I'd be punished for vomiting. We swiftly continue our walk.

  "Thanks for remembering me with the steak," he whispers as he leaves me at the door.

  I'm still aggravated by him having to go everywhere with me, but I also appreciate his tenacity in trying to keep me safe from the wrath of the Elders.

  I take a deep, prolonged breath before stepping into the house. Betsey is waiting for me in the kitchen. I force myself not to grimace.

  "How were your wife-lessons?" she asks sweetly.

  "Good," I lie.

  "I'll leave you to your work since Master Barstowe doesn't want me to bother you while you're cleaning."

  "Okay."

  She steps over to the door. Is she really going to leave me alone?

  But before she steps through it, she turns around to look at me. "By the way, your Barstowe-wife training begins today too. When you're finished, join us in the Master's study."

  Why did I think I was going to get off so easy?