PERFECT CLARITY

By Ruth Rymer

Four incredible women from vastly different time periods have one thing in common—a fervent desire to overcome the misogyny that surrounds them. Between 1874 and the present, the world looks different. From world wars to unprecedented technological advances, it would seem that nothing remains unchanged. That assumption, however, is entirely wrong. Misogyny remains a woman’s greatest challenge. Perfect Clarity chronicles the lives of four unique women who thrive while fighting different aspects of misogyny as society corrects one problem only to have misogyny later appear in another form.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hillcrest Media Group
• Release date: Oct 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9781545614174

Book preview

Table of Contents

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Introduction

Anna: Arranged Marriage, 1874

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Introduction

Gloria: Trickery by Sex

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Mill City Press, Inc.

2301 Lucien Way #415

Maitland, FL 32751

407.339.4217

www.millcitypress.net

© 2017 by Ruth Rymer

This is a work of fiction, inspired by a few actual events in the lives of members of the author’s family.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN-13: 9781545614174

I ask no favors for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they will take their feet from off of our necks, and permit us to stand upright on that ground which God designed us to occupy.

(Sarah Grimke, abolitionist and feminist, 1837)

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to my husband:

Ronald Gale Borden 2004–

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many persons helped with the birth of Perfect Clarity . I appreciate everyone’s a ssistance.

My private editors:

Heidi M. Thomas, editor and award-winning author of the Cowgirl Dreams series

Anne Nichandros, former research scientist, teacher, and poet

My team at Mill City Press:

Krystle Prashad, Jose Medina, project managers

Pam Nordberg, editor

Groups and organizations:

Women Writing the West, a dynamic and imaginative group of women

The Wednesday Writers Group of Castro Valley, California

The Hayward/Castro Valley American Association of University Women book group

Family and Friends:

My cousin, Clark Messex, and his wife, Judy, of Cheney, Washington

My cousin, Nancy Reinhardt Chinn, and her partner, Harriet Gleeson

Joan Marshall Inman, proofreader and lifetime friend

My soul mate in our mutual quests for our doctorates, Kay Talbot, Ph.D.

My sister-in-the-law, NancyRuth Hoffman

Dorothy Seeger, for reading and commenting on the manuscript

Helblár, who made valuable suggestions related to the plot

BOOK ONE

ANNA:

ARRANGED MARRIAGE

Anna: Cast of Characters

Pollyanna (known as Anna) Meaker Richardson, born 1858: the protagonist

Pollyanna Meaker: her mother

John Meaker: her father

Sarah, John Meaker Jr., Clarence, Ada, Belle, Asher, Emma, and Paul: her brothers and sisters

Donald J. Richardson: her husband

Thomas Richardson: her father-in-law

Dr. Barbara and Dr. Anderson: her doctors

Collin Jones: her son-in-law

Berdina and Victoria: her daughters

Edwin: her son

Pastor John: her pastor

Introduction

Anna: Arranged Marriage, 1874

John Meaker entered the parlor, a formal room for adults only. He was tall, gaunt, and ugly with a long, shaggy beard. Well, my dear, he said, that was a deliciou s dinner.

Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Meaker. His wife, Pollyanna, was a large, unattractive woman, made larger by the birth of twelve babies, nine who lived and three who did not survive. We have another problem with one of our children.

Let us sit down, Mrs. Meaker. We’ve had bad luck with all of them.

Yes. She lowered her large body into a comfortable chair. I will grieve for Junior all the rest of my life. How I wish you could have raised three hundred dollars to keep him from being drafted into the Civil War.

I know. He scowled and waved her comment away. I couldn’t raise that money and another three hundred dollars for Ada’s dowry.

We might still have Junior if you had given the money to the people at the draft board instead of Ada’s husband. He took the money, gambled, and lost it all. That’s why Ada’s with Sarah now, she said bitterly.

One bright light is that Sarah and her husband are doing well. Her marriage has been just fine. Ada’s lucky Sarah took her in.

She nodded, smiling. Then her smile began to fade. She remembered Clarence, who had disappeared out west after Junior died. They hadn’t heard from him for years. She pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed her eyes. The probability of his death overwhelmed her.

Mr. Meaker scowled again. I suppose there is now some problem with Anna? I must go back to the quarry to make a final check of the night.

Yes, Anna needs to be married immediately. I saw her with Francois next door. I knew what they were doing, and I suspect Anna may be in trouble.

John Meaker’s face became red. I won’t have a daughter who gives birth out of wedlock. If Anna’s in trouble, she’s no longer my daughter, nor is she welcome in this house. I’ll throw her out just like my brother did with his daughter.

Mrs. Meaker was briefly silent, while she wiped away tears. Remember, your niece died in an alley in New York City.

I’m very sorry, my dear, but if Anna’s in trouble, that will be her fate.

No, please, Mr. Meaker. She simply needs to be married immediately.

He stood, fidgeted, and marched around the room. Is that what you want more money for? Another dowry? If so, the answer is absolutely no.

She nodded with understanding. His business had been doing well until the panic of ’73, when it failed. He’d had to go to work for Tom Richardson, and they barely had enough to eat. They had five children less than fifteen then.

Mrs. Meaker bit her lip. Please sit down. I have something else in mind.

He continued standing. Get to it quickly. I need to leave.

Tom Richardson told me after church that he wants a wife for his son.

John Meaker slammed his fist against the wall. You can’t mean you want our daughter to marry Mr. Richardson’s simple-minded fool? The boy can’t talk very well and even has trouble walking.

That’s true, but he is sweet and Anna likes him. Mr. Richardson told me he wants his son to enjoy his manhood. He suggested we might accept a generous sum if we were to allow him to marry Anna—something like a reverse dowry.

Good God, woman, you want me to sell my daughter to my boss? You must be out of your mind. He walked toward the door to leave.

She smiled as she stood. I think you’ll change your mind when you find out how much he will pay.

John Meaker slammed the door as he left the room.

Chapter One

Good morning, my dear Anna. Mother woke me. I want to talk to you alone.

I slid out of my warm bed, used the chamber pot, and followed her to the kitchen. My two older sisters and two brothers had left the household, and the four younger children were at school. We had a rare moment alone.

I need to ask you a question. When was your last monthly?

I’m in the middle of it now.

Oh dear, I made a mistake, she muttered and turned her back on me to brew coffee. I can’t change it; there is too much money to give up.

I beg your pardon, Mother, I said. I raised my eyebrows. I don’t understand what you are saying.

My dear, I’m sorry. I was thinking of something else.

I sat down to eat a piece of toast. Please tell me why you wanted to see me.

You finished high school early, and at sixteen, it’s time for you to marry.

Whom do I marry, Mother? No one is courting me.

Mr. Richardson’s boy, Donny, wants you to be his wife. He can’t work, but his father will care for you and give you a good life.

My mouth gaped open. I raised my eyebrows again. Donny’s like a child himself. I wouldn’t think he could marry.

Mother turned and served me coffee with milk from our cow. Well, maybe you can help him. I know you like him.

I do, I do. He is so sweet, but I want to do something else before I marry. I could teach school.

Perhaps later, my sweetie. You can teach your own children. This is what you must do now.

After discussing a few more details with Mother, I threw on my clothes and ran to my sister Sarah’s house in our town of Adoronville, New York, arriving just as she was finishing breakfast with her three older children.

What a great joy, Anna. Come talk to me while I nurse the baby. We sat down.

Mother wants me to marry Donny Richardson.

You mean Tom Richardson’s idiotic fool? That’s horrible.

No, it’s OK. I’ve cared for him for a long time. What I want to know is what married couples do to get their babies.

Oh, Anna, you are such a sweet, innocent child.

Please, Sarah, tell me. I’ve been to the library many times and I can’t find anything on it. They want me to marry in two weeks, and I need to know about this.

Sarah stood and put her baby in the crib. Sure. Help me clean up the dishes and we’ll go talk to my doctor.

We walked two blocks to the doctor’s clinic. She was tall and slim with slightly graying hair. She greeted us warmly. I’m a midwife, Miss Meaker, and a graduate of the Women’s Medical College. Call me Doctor Barbara, or Doc Barb for short.

Tell me about the Women’s Medical College. I didn’t know there was such a thing.

It was founded in 1868 by Doctors Elizabeth and Emily Bradwell. We have many graduates. Come in and tell me what I can do for you.

My mother has arranged a marriage for me, and I need to know about having babies. I’ve looked at the library and can’t find any information on it.

She ushered us into the back of her suite and we sat in comfortable chairs. I can help. You won’t find anything about it in the library.

What I need to know is how to get a baby and how to keep from having one every year. Sarah covered her mouth, and Dr. Barbara turned away to keep me from seeing they were giggling.

It has to do with what men and women have between their legs. Let’s go into the basement and look at my manikins.

We went through several doors, many of them with locks. We came to two life-size figures, neither of which had any clothes on. If Mr. Comstock knew I had these, he would arrest and jail me.

I can’t imagine that, Sarah said.

Yes, it’s true. Anthony Comstock, the postmaster general, convinced Congress last year to enact a law making it illegal to write, disseminate, possess, or mail material containing information about men’s and women’s bodies. I don’t know how he can prohibit us from talking about it: we have to when we deliver babies.

I was astonished when Dr. Barbara took the manikins apart. Look here: this is what people call a ‘channel.’ The right name is ‘vagina,’ but no one calls it that.

I couldn’t take my eyes off them, and was intrigued to see what the boys called either the male member or sometimes, their manhood. Dr. Barbara pushed a button, and the member gradually stood up. Sarah and I rolled in laughter.