Something Else
by Douglas Young
Part 1 appears in this issue.
conclusion
“Good Lord, no.” She looked at him surprised and shook her head furiously. “Remember we’re Baptists, and Daddy even preaches sometimes when the pastor’s away. They’d be shocked.”
“Really?” he asked. “They do know you live with your beau, and have for a while, right?”
“Yeah, but they don’t like it.” She rolled her eyes before her face slowly went blank. “And this is different... way worse.” She widened her eyes before looking down at her folded hands.
“Well, how ‘shocked’ could they be that you got pregnant living with your boyfriend? Or do you tell them y’all have separate bedrooms?” he barely managed to get out before laughing. “Sorry.”
“No.” She looked up at him and briefly giggled for the first time that day. “And Momma and Daddy were real excited when Laurie and Zara got pregnant, and neither of them was married either, and each was living with her future husband. And’s that another thing.” She sighed. “I was really hoping to be the first girl in the family — maybe the whole family tree — not to have a shotgun wedding.”
“And you still can,” he emphasized with a smile. “You’ve told me you want to marry Todd.” She nodded. “If your folks know that, maybe they’ll accept y’all living together more. For a long time now, most American couples have before they wed. Do your parents know y’all intend to marry?”
“Oh, yeah, and they like him and support us getting hitched. Todd would love for us to go ahead, but I still want to finish my education first.”
“A wise move indeed, especially since you just turned nineteen. So many coeds who marry drop out, have children, and never go back to school or, if they do, not until the last child has flown the nest.”
“Exactly. Thank you. That’s what I keep telling Todd.”
Cautiously, he spoke again. “Do you think you might feel better if you talked — confidentially, of course — with your minister?”
She gave him a look that exclaimed, “Are you nuts?” before he raised his hand, nodded, and looked at the desk suppressing a chuckle.
“Well, how about your sisters?” he asked. “Surely, they might understand what you’re going through, and better than anyone.”
“Maybe.” She took a deep breath. “But I can see them giving me a real hard time for not making the same call they did. You see, their hearts were never into going to college. They went ’cause Momma and Daddy thought they should. The minute they got pregnant, they told everyone, all excited to plan the wedding and baby room.”
He paused, clasping his hands under his chin. “So are Todd and I the only people you’ve told about this?”
“Y’all are it,” she said evenly and sighed.
“Well, I’m right honored, and you’re welcome to stop by anytime, Blossom. If you’d like the benefit of a professional, any sessions at the campus counseling office would be free, and those folks are very nice. Most of them are ladies, too. And, Blossom, not to minimize your pain one iota, but I guarantee you that they have all counseled many, many girls going through exactly what you are. In fact, nothing you say to them is going to surprise them in the least. I have complete confidence that they will support, encourage, and help you in every way they can. You don’t have to face this all by yourself, dear.”
Looking at him, she blinked and nodded. “Thank you. That means a lot, and I really appreciate it,” she said. After a pause, she looked at his desk.
“But I don’t know if I deserve any help.”
“What?” he exclaimed.
“My church says I’ve committed a mighty terrible sin. Maybe God won’t forgive me and shouldn’t. Maybe I let my selfish pride wanting to be the first Porter ever to get a degree trump doing what’s right.” Sighing deeply, she descended further down the same path. “And now I have to live with that for the rest of my life.”
He intertwined his fingers on the desk and leaned forward. “Blossom, look at me.”
She did so, with her bleakest expression yet.
He swallowed before speaking. “Now, I know you’re feeling a world of guilt and actually wondering if God will even forgive you, and I don’t know what that church of yours or y’all’s pastor or your parents have ever said to you about abortion or what or who they think God will forgive. But when I read my Bible, it sure strikes me that our God is a mighty merciful and forgiving Father who loves us all dearly, including you. I think it’s in Ephesians 2:4 where the Apostle Paul writes, ‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us.’
“Just look at all the folks in the Bible that God forgave who committed all kinds of sins, ones far worse than any of yours.” He raised his head and eyebrows. “Adam and Eve broke the one command He gave them and yet He still forgave them and even let Adam live to be 930. Noah was a drunk, but God still chose him to build the Ark. Moses was a murderer, yet God still picked him to lead the Jews to the Promised Land. David not only committed adultery with Bathsheba, but even arranged for her husband to get killed in battle, yet God still kept him as the king of the Jews.
“When Christ was arrested, the disciples fled, and His favorite, Peter, even denied knowing Him three times. Yet Jesus still forgave them all and even kept Peter as the head of His church. And look at Paul, the man who persecuted so many Christians and actually helped execute some. Yet Christ forgave and saved him too, and Paul went on to write most of the New Testament.
“And if you’re worried about living with your boyfriend, look who God chose to help bring down the walls of Jericho: Rahab, a prostitute!
“Now, can you look at me and honestly say you still wonder whether God loves or forgives you for whatever sins you worry you’ve committed? Truly?”
She paused, blinked, and smiled at him. “Now that you put it that way, I guess not. Maybe there’s hope for me after all,” she said with a dry chuckle. For the first time that day, she showed a trace of her old self.
He nodded. “As Pope John Paul II proclaimed, ‘Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people, and hallelujah is our song.’”
“I ain’t Catholic, but I’ll sure take it,” she stated and sat up straighter.
He felt his own body loosen up and smiled. Not sure what to say next, he was relieved when she spoke.
“You don’t know how much I appreciate this, Dr. Sorrel. I sure feel a whole heap better than when I came in here. Thank you, sir. Thanks a lot.”
“Well, Miss Blossom, to see a flash of your electric smile and shining self again just made my day.” He nodded with a grin.
“Aw,” she said and shared her first heartfelt laugh of the day. “Well, I’ve taken up way too much of your time, and it’s — Good Lord! — well after five.” She quickly gathered up her notebook.
“’Fear not,’ as the Good Book says, since I’m typically here well past this time anyway.”
To her perplexed look, he replied, “I guess I have no life” and laughed. As she gave a mock pout and began to stand up, his face got serious again and he raised his hand for her to sit down. Looking curious, she did.
“Blossom, before you go, I want to make just a couple of quick points if you have time.” She eagerly nodded.
“While I’m elated you’re feeling better now, remember that whenever we go through any crisis or intense emotional pain, we can’t just snap our fingers and make it vanish. You may still have all kinds of troubled feelings for some time.” She slowly nodded with raised eyebrows.
“So I do hope you’ll seriously consider going to the counseling office. Your tuition has already paid for any sessions there, and you’d likely have to pay hundreds of dollars just for one session with a shrink off-campus.”
“I know. I will. Thanks.”
“And, Blossom, over the years a number of gals have sat in that same chair telling me essentially what you did, and every one of them got through it and went on to graduate, get married, and have children.”
“Aw,” she exclaimed. “Wonderful.”
“Especially once you become a mother, I suspect any lingering guilt you may have will quickly fade away. Indeed, you probably won’t have time to feel much guilt about anything. You’ll just be filled to the gills with motherhood.”
They stood chuckling, and Moxley did something he only did when convinced a student really needed it. He came around the desk to give her a hug. She eagerly embraced him. When he began to release her, she held on several more seconds. Sensing she was fighting back tears, he patted her back.
“You will get through this, Blossom,” he stated as she nodded forcefully. He kept his arm around her back as she regained her composure.
“I do want to be a mother...” she got out before wiping a tear as he rubbed her shoulder.
“Sure you do, and one day you will when you’re good and ready,” he replied. She nodded and tried to smile.
Hesitating, he lowered his voice and leaned forward. “In the meantime, please take whatever precautions are necessary so you never have to suffer through this again.”
“Amen,” she replied loudly with wide eyes and a big nod. “I will definitely see to that.”
“Good,” he responded with a chuckle, “and you can focus on earning that degree so you can choose to marry and have children whenever it’s best for you and Todd.”
“Yeah, I can be the first in the family to get ’em in the right order, too,” she exclaimed with a grin.
“Cheers, and when you do have children, what a magnificent mom and family you and Todd will make,” he declared.
“Thanks. I’ll sure try.”
“It’ll be something else.”
Copyright © 2026 by Douglas Young
