Fiction | Religion | Dissonance | Parental Lies
She was born in the hilly town of Mount Do’or in Trinidad. Her poor, young mother baptized her firstborn in the Anglican church. Roxanne was her name, full of hope and promise to her mother.
However, Roxanne’s life took a different path when her mother decided it was best for her baby to be raised by her father’s mother, Mina.
Mina baptized Roxanne as a Catholic and plastered a new saintly name over the one her mother had given her — Margaret. Everyone called her Meg for short. This marked the beginning of her life as a devoted Catholic.
Specific religion-steeped events marked her life. The first was her baptism as a Catholic, and the second came when she turned ten.
It was a humid afternoon when Meg sat down with her grandmother on the porch of their palatial mountainside home. The air was thick with the scent of tropical flowers.
Mina leaned in, her voice hushed. “Meg, my child, you must tell a little white lie to the catechism teachers.”
Meg furrowed her brows, curious but cautious. “Why, Granny?”
Mina’s eyes gleamed with determination. “Because, child, they say you must be fourteen for the Holy Confirmation, but I believe in how it used to be. You should be marked with the sign of the Holy Spirit as soon as you become a woman, just before your first menstruation.”
Meg hesitated, torn between her grandmother’s faith and her uncertainties. “But is it right to lie about my age, Granny?”
Mina placed a gentle hand on Meg’s shoulder. “Sometimes, my dear, faith demands a sacrifice. This is for your spiritual well-being. The Lord understands.”
This marked her Confirmation, sealing her faith with the Holy Spirit.
But her faith would be tested later, in high school, when she encountered the fervent beliefs of born-again Christians.
© Scarlet Ibis James, 2023: All Rights Reserved.