God's Country

Part Thirty

'I read the Bible, I speak through issues, I see what I think is hypocrisy in the church and things that are wrong, and I speak to these things. But I could be wrong.'

Tony Campolo

Emma winced as her mother pulled hard on the laces of her new corset and then took a series of fast, shallow breaths as Mrs Stone paused to check her waist yet again with her tape measure. It was her birthday, the last day of October, a Saturday morning at home with her family, so what else would she be doing than trying on her first proper Church gown, a very traditional present to mark her formal coming of age. It was not a surprise in that sense and her mother was excited, of course. It was a big day for any girl and Emma tried her best to join in, because she fully realised that it was a rite of passage. For any Reformist, however moderate, when a girl passed sixteen and could legally marry there was a very good reason to celebrate. She was no longer a child and the gown would show everyone what she was. It did not mean anything had changed, even if the gown was rather traditional, of course. Except for the worrying additional gift of a proper corset, not something she had been expecting to receive. Not every woman wore one, even when they did dress more traditionally for an occasion, and Emma had never expected to wear one. She was trying hard not to take that as an omen of worse to come, because her mother was so happy.

"Seventeen inches without any real effort at all...oh to be so young and lithe," Mrs Stone smiled, standing back to properly admire her only daughter. "Once you get used to it, we should be able to make sixteen with ease."

"I won't really get used to it wearing it once a month, Mum...will I?" Emma sighed as she stared at her new shape in the mirror. She had a twenty inch waist and she felt as if she was being cut in two.

"Sweetheart, we go to Church every week."

"Yes, but not to the Cathedral...I really want to wear the gown for special occasions...and it is such a generous present...but I don't really need to dress up every Sunday...do I?" Emma asked, frowning at herself and almost scared to hear the answer.

"Oh I think we should make a bit more of an effort sometimes...don't you? I'd like to wear mine more...it really is quite fashionable at the moment and it makes Sundays rather more special for everyone." Mrs Stone said lightly, as she turned back to lift something out of a bag she had left on the floor. "We got you this too...I got the dentist to measure you for it at your last appointment..."

"Oh Mum...no...I don't need a muzzle?"

Mrs Stone ignored her daughter's protests. Emma was a good girl really and she did not really struggle. It simply had to be done. Everything was changing in Meadvale. Her husband was worried about his job. He was pushing for a promotion but his boss had gently reminded him that he worked for the HCR group, and that moving up the career ladder was not just about working hard and putting in the hours. Meadvale was their home. Mr and Mrs Stone did not regret moving there for one single minute. The community was very important to them and their Church provided their friends, their neighbours and their life. Mr Stone was really very well paid, and the next step up the career ladder would provide an even healthier income. They were Reformists, whatever congregation they attended. They believed in the doctrine and when they thought about it, they had just been coasting along with things in their very comfortable life. Both Mr Stone's boss and their Pastor had reminded them that it was up to successful couples like them to set an example.

In the end, the decision they had to make was a simple one. It was very clearly black or white. Mr Stone wanted his promotion and Emma was at a very crucial age. Neither of them wanted to move away and start all over again, because it was not just a question of a job and a house. Everything they did and everyone they knew was involved in the Church and although they were more moderate than some, it was more through laziness and comfort than a deliberate resistance to the doctrine. So they were making a choice, and it had to be made before Emma got much older. Her reputation, in fact their family's reputation, was clearly at stake. They had been invited to a buffet lunch at Broomwaters after Church the next day. It was an honour to be invited and showed that they were highly thought of, but they had taken the hint and they had to commit to the doctrine. That was what they were being asked to do and if they did not they would have no choice but to leave.