God's Country

Part Ninety-Three

'Then I will teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.'

Psalms 51:13

Megan Robinson dutifully kissed her grandparents and her great grandmother hello, before resigning herself to another fairly tedious family afternoon in sunny Sevenoaks. Not that she had anything much better to do, other than revise. She had spent the morning at school, as the government had encouraged schools to introduce Saturday lessons, and her rather dull parents would expect her to spend the rest of her day with the old folks, as they did not visit that often, so she would have to grin and bear it, as always. Not that she did not love all of them to bits. The Robinson's were a close, loving family and she did not resent the time. She was just in a bad mood because of her increasingly boring life.

"Oh, don't you look smart...I do like these new uniforms, don't you Deirdre?" Great Granny purred, fingering the lapels of Megan's royal blue blazer with the white edging with obvious pride.

"Of course Mum, they look like proper young ladies these days. Laura sent us that nice picture, remember?" Megan's Gran laughed as Megan's sister Bethany got the last kiss and cuddle.

"Cost a small fortune though...I hope we don't get any more changes anytime soon, not like all those other places that left the Church around the country." Geoff Robinson grumbled because it was true. Kitting two growing girls out in new uniforms had cost him well over three hundred pounds.

"Oh, Geoff, I really don't think the Archbishop of Canterbury is really going to do that, do you?" Laura Robinson fussed, trying to guide everyone back into the lounge. Megan and Bethany dropped their bags by the door and made no attempt to discard their blazers as they usually did as soon as they got home. It would not go down well in front of company.

"How are the studies, Meg dear?" Grandpa asked, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Oh ok, I think...I had maths this morning and I think I am doing all right."

"I have to say the school is so much better these days, Bethany is getting so much more homework than Megan did at her age and they are really very hot on discipline." Laura commented as everyone sat down, with the girls sitting on the foot stools around the three piece suite.

"Mum, how is that a good thing?" Bethany moaned, and they all laughed.

"Well you have to give it to those Christian Democrats, they do get things done." Deidre smiled at her youngest granddaughter and fussed a little over the blue ribbon in her hair. It was the sort of thing the adults tended to say. Kent was not exactly a hotbed of Christian Reform, and Megan and her friends were all a bit sick of hearing it, but they had all seen a difference. Megan and Bethany were at a church grammar school, as the county was one of the few that had kept their selective schools when the Labour party tried to do away with them, but things had changed in the last year or so. Not just the uniform either, although that was annoying enough, of course. Discipline was tougher. Technically the teachers could have them caned, although no one had been as far as Megan knew, but they gave detentions and lines out like confetti. And of course, everyone had to go to church as well, although the Robinson's always had, most weeks, so that did not really bother her. Her mother said it was just like schools used to be. "Did you see that programme about that hospital? Proper nuns, in Croydon of all places, whatever next?"

"They looked weird...who'd want to do that?" Bethany asked, and Megan fully agreed with her. She had never seen a Reformist except on television, and they did look strange. She did not want to veil herself, for God or for anyone else, and the constant list of things she could and could not do had started to really annoy her. She never wore anything indecent, because her Dad would have a fit if she ever tried, but the idea that a policeman could fine her if she did was too incredible. And what right did the government have to tell her that she should not work, to let men have all the jobs? What was the point of slaving over her exams if their idea of a career was becoming a nun and doing what they called national service?