Savages

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The e-mail arrived after they took O from the compound, so she didn’t read:

My darling girl,

I am so sorry that I’ve been out of touch. It is from no lack of love for you, my darling darling, but for the love of the Lord. I have been on a retreat to contemplate the state of my soul, and we were allowed no communications with the outside world.

This world is corrupt, Ophelia. The flesh is weak.

Only the soul survives.

Ophelia, I have met a man!

I know you have heard this before—too many times—but this time it’s the real thing. John knows and loves the Lord, too, and now that we are back from the retreat we intend to marry and start a jewelry business—bracelets and necklaces that will proclaim the wearer’s faith. With my sense of style and John’s business acumen—he’s a self-made real estate multimillionaire—I know it will be a big success. The Lord wants His people to live abundantly.

I will miss you, but Indiana isn’t that far away, and that’s why the Lord made airplanes.

Your loving, mother,

“Paqu”