8. Jody, Mom and Dad

 The trampoline session ended when Orange got back home. She put her boom box on her bedside table, on her side of the room. Jody was on her side, laying on the bed, face down, sniffing back tears. "What's wrong, Jode?" But got no answer.

She asked her little brother, Marek what happened. 

"Well, Dad is mad because Jody's been talking to the neighbor ladies about temple marriage and how important it is to find an eternal husband. They got her wanting a hope chest for dishes and linens and things, so you don't have to buy that stuff when  you're married. Both Jody and Mom got mad when Dad said to stop thinking about getting married when you're only seventeen. Said she needs to grow up first."

Orange saw a leaflet on the kitchen table, outlining the steps to marrying for eternity. She read it.

You need to be worthy to go through the temple. Stay chaste. Refrain from caffeinated beverages because they open the mind to stronger substances. Only date young men who would be worthy of the Temple. 

Orange asked Marek why Mom and Dad were fighting about it. 

"Well, Mom says if Jody marries the right man, she'll be on the right path for a better life. When she said it, she was lookin' right at Dad..."

Marek could see things that other people couldn't. He was a strange boy that liked to read books and draw more than go out and play. But Orange loved him and gave him a hug and picked him up off the ground until he said, "Put me down, you ape!"

Mom sat down on the bed by Jody, talked to her, and patted her on the head, until it was time for dinner. Mom and Dad didn't talk to each other at the table. Jody was sullen. Orange tried to catch Dad's eye and smile. She wondered if she'd ever choose the Church over the people in her family.

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