The Hard Verdict

Shortly before 9:00 PM, Ben knocks on our door. Cynthia had to put on a white dress; that is always the sign of humility, showing that as a girl, one is still a virgin. Then Ben and I escort her to Father. He is sitting in his room behind the massive table in his massive chair. My mother stands diagonally behind him, clutching her round belly. Despite the many births, she is still a beauty in her mid-thirties, and Cynthia and I cannot deny our lineage.

Cynthia has to stand in the center before the table, while Ben and I step slightly to the side. Then, in a harsh voice, my father demands a confession from Cynthia.

She does not deny it; she describes the meetings and then the fatal kiss. When asked if there was more to it, she is able to convincingly show that nothing else happened.

Then my father rises.

"Cynthia, you have violated the divine order and the rules of the community. Therefore, on Sunday after church, you will receive your punishment, naked as the sinful Eve. You will be hung by your hands from the beam and receive forty lashes with the strap and then another ten with the willow switch."

Sobbing, Cynthia collapses. My father turns away without a word, and Ben and I take Cynthia to her bed, where I try to comfort her—which somehow doesn't work.