Chapter 7: Pattern

Candy Stewart was settling into a pattern of married life with Eric, although it wasn’t one she particularly enjoyed.

On the first Sunday of March, she met him at the foot of the stairs up to the choir loft. The knelt together for communion. Several other couples did something similar.

That night, she came into the bedroom in a robe but not the nightie. She took off the robe.

“Do you think I’m showing?”

“Maybe, just barely.” She didn’t think it was barely at all. Of course, he only saw her nude on Saturday night, and he probably had other things on his mind, then.

“Someday soon, it will be obvious even when I’m dressed. I don’t know how long I can hide it.”

“Well, you’re a married woman. Do you really need to hide it?”

“I can tell the world I’m pregnant. I just can’t tell them how long I’ve been pregnant. Unfortunately, you can’t persuade anybody that you’re showing in your second month.”

“Really, the people you should tell are Carolyn’s circle. After all, they can give you advice. Really, there are only so many places in the church where gossip happens. You have the choir covered. You have the college students covered, although I don’t know if they gossip about people outside their little group. If you have that circle covered, you only have to worry about the other circles.”

“You think I should?”

“Worry? No. Talk to the circle? I really think you should. You said you wanted a support group. That’s a specially-designed support group. Now come here.” She had spent a lot of time naked under his gaze, but he only kissed her belly.

Monday evening she called Carolyn. She wasn’t home yet, and she left a message. Carolyn called her back.

“Remember what you told me about advice? Well, I’m going to need it. When does your circle meet?”

“Tomorrow. But why do you need Priscilla Circle?” Was she dense?

“I’m pregnant.”

“Oh, that’s great.” Well, it wasn’t all that great, but her response was better than it would have been if she had been told earlier. “But you need the Elizabeth Circle. That’s the new one which the expectant women and those with toddlers have. You need to talk to Linda -- Linda Myers -- she’s the chair of Elizabeth Circle, and I think that they meet the second Tuesday, but it may be the first -- so call her soon. Just a second.” After a pause in which she could hear her yelling at the boys, she gave her the number.

Linda Myers was home. She accepted the news that Candy was pregnant with no comment.

“Okay. We’re meeting at Sue’s. The meetings are the second Tuesdays. We recently split off from another circle, and they met on Tuesdays, so we were used to that. It’s at 7, or as soon after as you can make it. I’ll tell Sue you’re coming. You want a piece of advice?”

“Yeah.” That was why she was going there, to get advice.

“Bring a pen and a large piece of paper with you. We’ll be sitting in sort of a circle. Take down the names as we introduce ourselves. Write them in sort of a diagram of where we are seated. The rest of us know each other. Then, for the first meeting, you have a cheat sheet for who is who. Maybe you don’t need it, but I did.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re the blonde who married Eric, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I know you then, and I’ll introduce myself if we’re both in church Sunday. Maybe Sue, too. I was sort of new to the church when I joined Priscilla Circle, but lots of the girls had been there forever and knew everybody. Hold on a sec, and I’ll get Sue’s address.” She did.

Sunday, Linda did come up after service. Sue, unfortunately, wasn’t there. On their way home, Eric drove her past the address Linda had given her before going home. That put the route in her mind. Tuesday, she got to Sue’s place and introduced herself a few minutes after 7:00. She was the fourth one there, including Sue. She followed Linda’s advice, and nobody thought it odd. People trickled in, with Linda coming fairly soon after she did.

“Grace,” one woman introduced herself when she sat down next to Candy.

“Candy.”

“Weren’t you the most recent wedding in the church?”

“Yeah.”

“Boy, you guys don’t waste any time, do you? It took John and me more than a year. You were really fast off the block.” Candy was saved from saying anything by a new arrival. This was Debbie, and she brought an infant.

There were eight other women present when Linda looked around.

“Okay. It’s nearly 7:15. First order of business is for us to go around and give our names because one of us is new.” They did, with only first names being given.

Clockwise starting with her, they were: Candy, Maureen, Debbie, Linda, Martha, Betty, Sue, Gwen, and Grace.

“I’m due May 15th,” Grace said. “When are you due?” Well, it was a natural question in this group. Anyway, a lie wouldn’t last long.

“August. Early August.”

“Oops. You guys weren’t fast off the block. You were just a little slow planning the wedding.” By this time, everybody was looking at her. Well, coming here might have been a mistake, but it was an already-made decision.

“Look. Here’s what happened. I was raped at school. I told Prof. Pierce -- Carolyn -- and she persuaded me to tell Eric. When I found out I was pregnant, he proposed. The wedding didn’t take all that long to plan, but it was later than would have been convenient.”

“God!” said Debbie. “Poor girl. I will say, though, that this is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard about Eric Stewart.”

“It is the only romantic thing I have ever heard about Eric,” said Maureen. “And I sang in the choir beside him for years before I got too big for the stairs up to the loft.”

There were other remarks of sympathy around the room. Nobody seemed to think she was too soiled by the experience to be in the group.

“Well,” Linda said, “we’re here for each other, and you’re one of us now. That means that we’ll be here for you. I’ll just remind everybody that what is said in this room doesn’t leave this room.”

“In light of that,” said Betty, “where is Ned?”

“He’s got papers to grade,” said Sue. “He won’t come back from his office until nine.”

“Okay. I’m getting too big. I’m afraid Bruce will squeeze the baby when he’s on top. Do I go without for four months? I don’t want to, and I don’t want to give Bruce reason to roam.”

“You need to use rear-entry,” said Linda.

“You lie on your left side,” said Maureen, “and he lies behind you on his left side. He goes into the usual place -- don’t let him think he’s going to get into your ass. His arm goes around you, and he gets you off with his fingers.”

“Some of us don’t mind the other place,” said Grace.