Three Converts

Part 52

We settled into a comfortable rhythm. Work by day, help Robes by night as they sporadically showed up. Annie and Gibby were spacing them out perfectly, and (except for the Cornwalls) in accordance to the guidelines we'd discussed: quiet, single people in the first wave of deportees. We hated to say it, but the people who wouldn't be missed quite as quickly. Then, they'd begin branching out to couples. I worried about Annie and Gibby every day. The council would kill them if they found out what they were doing. But every Robe who passed through told us Annie and Gibby appeared devout and committed to the commune. The council even asked Gibby to give the opening remarks at a sermon. Whatever they were doing seemed to be working. The pile of Robes in Sam's closet was growing larger.

My second convert, Margarite showed up one day, with Mario, for whom she'd joined the commune to begin with. I remembered her chasing me down, begging me to take her up the mountain. Her words, "I don't care about Diety! I only want Mario!" rang in my ears. I apologized for roping her into that life, but she smiled wryly. "I would have followed Mario straight through the gates of Hell. It had nothing to do with you." Like many of our runaways, they planned to get as far from the commune as possible, heading out as soon as we could get them adequate supplies. I took her in the back to look for clothes that fit. When she slipped out of her robe, she covered her belly, shyly. "We're expecting a baby, so..."

"Margarite! How exciting!" I didn't want to pressure her into staying if they wanted to leave, but I selfishly wanted to deliver that baby. "You'll be a wonderful mom."

She smiled. "Thank you. We just couldn't raise a baby there, you know? I kept seeing you stuck in that pillory. The outside world has its dangers, but... I feel like staying would have been worse."

I agreed, wholeheartedly. "You're doing the right thing," I assured her.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "You said the same thing when I moved to the commune."

Ouch. "I know. I was confused. I didn't know any better..." she put her hand on my arm.

"It's fine. It was all you ever knew. And like I said, I was going to marry Mario no matter what I had to do."

I was thankful for her mercy. "Well, let's get you some clothes a few sizes up too, for when baby gets bigger." I found some clothes that fit her currently, and a pair of sweatpants and larger tops for later.

"Margie? You almost ready?" Mario rapped on the door.

We asked our farewell questions (she hadn't seen my parents or sisters at all lately). I hugged them good-bye, and just like that, for the second time, I thrust Margarite into a new chapter of her life.