Page 9 of Living for Truth
The most well-known sect is The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS, which is a group that still practices polygamy and has had documentaries made about them. The group Pam and John joined is called the Remnant Movement. I don’t know what exactly they believe because I haven’t done my research.
My dad has three sisters who live close by—Anna, Sheila, and Lisa—so they’re here, too, along with my grandparents on both sides.
I sit next to Izzy while we eat, trying to avoid my grandpa’s questions about my divorce. We chat about my work, her boyfriend, Luke, and her plans after graduation in a little less than two months.
“Luke and I both got into Utah Tech, Utah Valley, and The University of Texas at Austin and San Antonio. It’s just a matter of where we want to live. The plus side of me going to UVU is in-state tuition and being able to live at home, but I don’t know if I want to do that with everything that’s happened. If I move to Texas, I could probably live with Elli and commute, which isn’t ideal. But it might be worth it to get away from here.”
“If Wes is on the road, Elli might need someone to stay at her apartment anyway, so that might work out. It’s cool you guys will be going somewhere together, though,” I say, feeling a bit jealous of her.
I wish I could move away from here and start over.
Before Izzy can respond, my dad announces Jake is going to be opening his mission call now, and the chatter in the room stops.
I pull my phone out of my dress pocket to record and notice an unread text.
Morgan:Happy Sunday, Hannah. I hope it’s relaxing and fun!
I can’t help the smile on my face, it’s nice to have a friend even if I have no idea who she is.
Hannah:Happy Sunday to you, too. Relaxing? Not so much. Fun? Eeeehhhh. It’s alright. How is your Sunday going?
Morgan:Do you have work or something? It’s been very relaxing. I’ve been reading and lounging around with my cat.
Hannah: No work, just unpleasant activities. That sounds lovely. What book are you reading? What’s your cat’s name?
Morgan:That’s no fun! I’m reading Pride and Prejudice. Hisname is Bagel.
Morgan sends me a picture of a well worn copy of the book sitting against a gray striped cat curled into a ball.
Hannah:Awwww, cute kitty! That’s a good book! And it looks well-loved. Have you read it before?
Morgan: Bagel is the sweetest, unlike his asshole brother. It’s my go-to when I want an easy read. Helps calm me down, you know?
Morgan:And besides, who doesn’t want to swoon over Mr. Darcy? Book boyfriends never disappoint.
I hold in my laugh because Jake is reading his mission call, and people are recording. I tune back in just in time to hear him say “...called to serve in the Cape Verde Praia Mission, Portuguese speaking.”
The whole room erupts into cheers and sounds of wonder.
I have very strong—negative—opinions on missions, so I don’t cheer or “ooo” and “ahh”for my brother. I give him a thumbs up and a forced smile when he looks at me.
Hannah:Amen to that. I’d take a book boyfriend over a real one any day. Why is his brother an asshole?
Morgan: Bean hates me. And despises anything on the counter. Or the shelves. Or the coffee table.
Hannah: Maybe he’s just misunderstood?
Morgan:No, he’s not misunderstood. He’s just an asshole. I rescued him from an alley, and he repays me by biting my nipple if I’m shirtless.
Hannah:LOL stop.
The chuckle slips out this time, and Izzy nudges my arm. “Who’s got you laughing?”
“Oh, just someone telling me about their cats.” I shrug, putting my phone in the pocket of my dress.
“A boooy?” Izzy waggles her eyebrows, always the chaos stirrer.
“Ew, no. A girl. She texted the wrong number, and we kind of hit it off as friends.”
