I am thankful I've been able to sleep good this past week, but now the dream returns; or should I say ...nightmare.   It is 4:00 a.m., I haven't slept much, and I'm so tired ...but I'm thirsty too, so I get up to get a drink of water. Was that a door I heard shut?  It sounded like the hallway.  I quietly open my door, and peer down the hallway ...to see Angelita carrying that huge laundry basket.   Quickly, I get my laundry.  At least, I will get a chance to talk with Angelita.  I'm most certain we can talk alone ...since it's doubtful anyone else is up at this hour. At least, I hope her dad isn't.

Angelita appears surprised to see me.  She appears scared ...but then she smiles, "Hi, Ruth!"  I am rather hesitant also, "Hi, Angelita ...how are you?"  She doesn't answer, but I am beyond my hesitance, "How is your baby brother?"  Angelita seems to frown a bit.  I hope everything is all right ...that I haven't said something untimely.  Then Angelita's soft dark eyes look into mine, as if searching for understanding and love, "That's not my brother ...it's my son."

I am really taken aback from all this!  "You look quite young ...may I ask?" Angelita's smile softens, as her forehead furrows up ever so slightly, as if she's embarrassed to say, "I'm ten."  It just slips out, "You're ten what?"   "Ten years old."  It is the answer I hear ...and which I fear.  Angelita seems desperate, as if she wants me to understand, for anyone to understand, "It all happened when Mom went to college.  She told me all about it a couple of years ago, just before I got married."

This is so insanely unbelievable to me, but I just listen to Angelita's soft sincerity, "Mom's best friend at college was friendly ...like you.   Mom was happy when her friend introduced her to some of her family.   They were friendly too.  And one of the men ...he was friendly, and rich. He bought Mom things, and it made her happy.   He told Mom she had to join his religion for them to be married. She told him she was okay with it.  She didn't mention it to him, but she told me that at the time she didn't know anyone who took their religion seriously anyway, so could see no harm in it.  Mom said it was the happiest day of her life when I was born.  And things were good for a while, but things began to get strange after that.  Mom thought he had a lot of money, but he began to owe money after that.  Mom said it was the religious law that he pay ...and I was part of that payment, when I turned eight years old."

I want to ask what kind of insanity is that ...but I am too stunned, and I just listen.   Angelita has a tear come to her eye, but she wipes it away, perhaps not wanting me to care too much ...being too dangerous, to risk having me insist on getting involved.   I know how it is ...as I was afraid of my dad.   But this isn't her dad, like I had previously assumed.   This is too crazy ...she had said the man I'd seen was her husband.  And I could tell that she fears him. Those brief seconds I was in his presence, I feared him!

Angelita attempts to be convincing, "But it is better not to fight the law ...trying does no good, only bad."  I have to say something to her, "Angelita, what could be worse than this?  I've never heard of a religion like this!  Who taught you this?"  Angelita desperately tries to help me understand, "I can't tell you. It is forbidden, not to talk good of the religion ... to talk bad of it.  And since I've already told you bad, I can't say what it is."

I have to know more, so I ask, "Does your mom believe in this?   Do you still see your mom?"   Angelita wipes away another tear, "No, she's gone.  They say it was a thing of honor."   She wipes both eyes, while still trying to hide her full emotions, "But to answer your question, no, Mom did not believe in it.  None of us believe in it ...I mean, none of us women do.   How could we?"   Angelita smiles through her tears, "But it doesn't really matter what us women believe.   There is a book containing a lot of hard to believe stuff.   But the men follow it, and the one they follow lived over 15 centuries ago; which I don't see as a problem.  It is only what they say he was like, that is troublesome.   They say when he was over 50 year old, he married a six year old girl named Aisha.   Mom said it doesn't matter whether that is true or not ...it is what the men believe, and that is what they follow.   Us women don't know if that is true, but it is true that they follow it, and that is all that matters."