The Abyss
He stood there in his uniform looking proud. A man to respect. An upstanding man with strong ethics. As he greeted people, they were obviously impressed by his stature.
Seated on the floor, next to the sofa in the little front room, they sat side by side. Three little girls, solemn, quiet. As their daddy made the rounds thanking people for their sympathy and for the food they brought, the girls were still, barely breathing. The minister paused, then leaned down, "You girls will be fine. You're lucky to have such a fine man for a father. Don't worry, he will take good care of you."
They would remember this day for the rest of their lives. Daddy looking so perfect, dazzling everyone with his high moral code, his ethics. And, poor sweet mama in the pine box, under the ground. They would remember what really put her there. They would be thankful to have survived all the years in each new, horrid, little house. They would keep their unspoken oath of silence. The teacher had taught them well. It wasn't for them to question a man of God, like their daddy. He lived under a higher moral code.
Folks would wonder why those three lovely girls never married, living solitary lives. Why didn't they practice the faith of their father? How it would have broken their poor mama's heart to see what lives they chose to lead. Such a shame.
The girls would wonder why folks could never look past the cloud of ethics and see into the dark abyss that was their daddy's heart.
copyright February 14, 2010 ajj
