Religious Experience

By K'Anne Meinel

Marissa and Reanne, after years of invitro fertilization are finally having the baby they so desperately sought.  There is a surprise though, there isn't just one, there are three.  The mothers-to-be happily look forward to telling their families about the impending births.  Unfortunately, Marissa's mother and father vehemently refuse to accept these extra children.  They believe that multiple offspring are the work of the devil and they will stop at nothing to rid their misguided daughter and her wife of these unwanted offspring.

 

This is based on a true story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: K'Anne Meinel
• Release date: Nov 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201532598

K'Anne Meinel

K’Anne Meinel è una narratrice prolifica, autrice di best seller e vincitrice di premi. Al suo attivo ha più di un centinaio di libri pubblicati che spaziano dai racconti ai romanzi brevi e di lungo respiro. La scrittrice statunitense K’Anne è nata a Milwaukee in Wisonsin ed è cresciuta nei pressi di Oconomowoc. Diplomatasi in anticipo, ha frequentato un'università privata di Milwaukee e poi si è trasferita in California. Molti dei racconti di K’Anne sono stati elogiati per la loro autenticità, le ambientazioni dettagliate in modo esemplare e per le trame avvincenti. È stata paragonata a Danielle Steel e continua a scrivere storie affascinanti in svariati generi letterari. Per saperne di più visita il sito: www.kannemeinel.com. Continua a seguirla… non si sa mai cosa K’Anne potrebbe inventarsi!

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Reanne was crying and Marissa was holding her as the doctor stood nearby holding a clipboard.  She started to look uneasy as the scene went on a little too long but she didn’t wish to leave, her patient’s welfare was too important to her.  She never liked delivering this kind of news, but knew how long this couple had been trying.  The expense had taken all their savings and having one more unsuccessful implantation was causing the heartbreak she was witnessing.

Finally, Reanne pulled back, seeing the tears streaming down Marissa’s face just as hard as her own.  She smiled weakly as she reached to wipe them away from her wife’s cheeks.  Marissa smiled in return as she dabbed at Reanne’s face with a tissue she had been wise enough to be holding.  Sniffling deeply, Reanne blinked rapidly as she pulled herself together.

Better? Marissa asked gruffly, her swollen throat giving away her own grief over this blow to their plans.  They’d had such high hopes that this time would be successful.  They’d had high hopes every time.

Reanne nodded and shrugged, negating whatever could be inferred by her nod.  She smiled wryly at the mixed message but knew that her wife understood.

Seeing her two patients getting it together, the doctor hesitated before saying, You could try again but I would advise letting your body... she began but saw Marissa shaking her head immediately.

We can’t afford it anymore, she stated unequivocally.

The doctor nodded understandingly; they had mentioned that it was getting tight with all the drugs they had to take that weren’t covered by their insurance.  A baby would have been covered and any expenses associated with the pregnancy, it was the getting pregnant part that wasn’t covered for this couple.  She’d often wondered if the insurance company would have covered it if they had been a heterosexual couple.

Marissa sniffed audibly and wiped the last of her tears onto her sleeve looking away, ashamed.  Reanne pulled her back, lifting her wife’s chin with her fingertips.  It’s okay, she whispered.  We can adopt, she waited a few seconds almost counting to five before adding, someday.  They both knew the money was gone.

Marissa smiled at her wife and nodded in agreement.  She swallowed any disappointment she had been feeling, trying to put a positive spin on it for her wife’s sake.  She couldn’t help the resentment she hid so well from everyone from boiling up inside.  She had a tilted uterus and wasn’t a good candidate for the invitro-fertilization they had been attempting.  Something about having an inhospitable uterus, made it sound like a hotel, and almost ominous.  Instead, they had taken her eggs and implanted them in her wife, but this was the fifth time and the result was nothing.  All those hormones that they’d both suffered for the harvest and the implantation so that Reanne was at her fertile best, was all for nothing.

Call me if you want to try again? the doctor asked, looking for a way out.  She had other patients to see and while she had delivered a devastating blow to this couple, it wasn’t the first time.  Sometimes it just simply didn’t take and they didn’t always know the reason.  All the tests had indicated that this should have worked, they simply didn’t know why it hadn’t.  These two deserved a break, they had tried so very hard.

The two nodded as they made themselves presentable and followed her out of the small examination room.  They headed for the exit as the doctor headed for her next patient.  She was still thinking about them as she grabbed the clipboard. 

CHAPTER TWO

Neither said much on the ride home.  Their hopes had been so high for this appointment and everyone in their immediate circle knew how much they wanted a baby to add to their little family.  They’d been trying for two years now and their saving were swallowed up by the procedures as well as the expensive sperm they had debated over for so long.  Choosing a father for their child had been such a big part of the procedure and their parents and friends had input too, Marissa’s parents had insisted that the person be Catholic, which they found amusing.  Reanne’s parents had pointed out they might want to choose someone who looked like them, of European decent and had similar hobbies and such as they liked.  That had made more sense to couple.

As they pulled up in front of the house they had purchased a couple of years ago, they both watched quietly as the garage door silently opened from the clicker.  Marissa sighed when she saw her mother come out of the house, the garage door opening as soon as the other door was only partially overhead.  She didn’t say anything though when she saw her daughter’s and daughter-in-law’s expressions.  She knew.  Her own shoulders slumped in disappointment.  She had been looking forward to a grandchild.  They’d promised.

I thought I’d make dinner for the two of you, she lied as she greeted them, Marissa carefully parking the car next to the other one in garage.

The two women in the car got out and smiled appreciatively, they knew that wasn’t why she had been here waiting for them.  She wanted a grandchild almost as much as they wanted a child. 

Reanne went to lie down, closing her eyes just as she had closed the door of the empty room that was going to be their nursery.  They’d bought the house intending to expand their little family and that room would have been perfect for a baby.  It was right next to the master suite and she closed that door too, leaning against it and wondering, not for the first time, if there was something else she could have done to prevent losing this baby?  How about the other four times?  She went to rest on their bed, their dog Salty joined her, knowing she needed his type of comfort.  She put her arm around him, burying her face in his silky red coat.

I’m sorry darling, her mother told Marissa.

Me too, Marissa replied nodding ruefully as her mother reached into the freezer to pull out a roast.  You don’t have to do that.

Nonsense.  Your father will be here later after work and you should all have a good meal, she told her daughter.  She pulled out a microwave plate and putting the meat on there, wrapped paper and all, programmed the machine to defrost and not cook the meat.  She rummaged in the fridge, tut-tutting under her breath at the offerings they had there as she pulled carrots, celery, and milk out for her meal.  Do you have any real milk? she asked, shaking the carton of soy-milk she had found.

We can’t, you know Reanne is lactose-intolerant, her daughter answered.

Oh yeah, she answered as if she hadn’t known.  After all these years she should know, but refused to remember.  She didn’t know that Reanne always carried tablets with her to eat at their house because Margaret conveniently forgot about her allergies and intolerance to certain foods.  Many times she was still ill after coming home and she sat on the toilet with terrible cramps from the foods her mother-in-law insisted on serving them. 

You don’t have onions or potatoes? Margaret inquired, wondering if she would have to go out and get some from the market, since they didn’t seem to have any.

We keep them in the pantry so the sun can’t get at them, her daughter informed her and slid off the chair to fetch them.  She thought her mother knew this house as well as her own and should have known.  In fact, they had both complained about her mother trying to reorganize where they put things in their cupboards.  She’d done it a couple of times since they moved in.  Still, she meant well.

Peel these, her mother ordered when she came out with the requisite potatoes and an onion.

I like to keep the skins on, it’s supposed to be better for you.  You get more nutrients.

Nonsense, who ever heard of a roast with unpeeled potatoes, Margaret responded dismissively and went to find the tool to thinly slice off the skins, rummaging in the catch-all drawer that contained such things and tut-tutting under her breath at the mess.

Marissa sighed and peeled the potatoes and then the onion under cold water so it wouldn’t make her cry any more than she had already.

You’re wasting water, her mother reprimanded as she cut the potatoes into appropriately sized chunks.

"It’s my water to waste," Marissa thought resentfully but quickly finished peeling the onion and handed it to her mother.  They talked about everything except the reason they had gone to the doctor that day.  Margaret was really proud of the job her daughter had managed to obtain in their small town despite bigger and better offers in larger cities further afield.  Her father showed up, as expected, in time for dinner, Marissa found Reanne asleep on their bed, Salty sprawled out next to her.  He eyed her, his tail wagging apologetically for being on the bed.  He was ready to rise, but she signaled him down as she left the room, closing the door again behind her.

Going to let her sleep, she needs it, she explained to her mother when she returned without her.

She should really eat, her mother responded, sounding affronted that her good meal would go to waste.  She went to get up and was shocked when Marissa put her hand on her arm and held her down.

Let her sleep, she repeated, knowing her mother had been about to get up and awaken her wife.  It’s been a hard day.

Maybe you should find another doctor, her father put in, understanding that they weren’t celebrating like his wife had planned.

She’s one of the best, Marissa reminded him.  We’re so grateful she settled in town here.  Not many with her credentials would come to a town this small.

Well, she can’t seem to... he left off, not really understanding how the procedure to get his daughter-in-law pregnant worked and seeing his daughter was ready to fight with him by the look in her eye.  He swallowed uncomfortably and concentrated on his meal. 

They were just finishing up when Reanne came stumbling out of the hallway that led to the bedrooms followed by Salty.  She was rubbing her eyes, which had been full of sleep from the tears that had dried.  You should have called me, she said sleepily as she covered her mouth from an escaping yawn.

Her mother looked at Marissa with an ‘I told you so’ look.  I’ll make you a plate, she said pleasantly.

No, I will, Marissa said.  You can eat the gravy, Mom used soy milk to make it, she said cheerfully as her wife sat down on the other side of the table.

Yes, and it took longer to heat up in the pan I tell you.  It’s much harder to work with to make gravy and what was that butter? Margaret asked reprovingly, the displeasure apparent in her voice.

Plant based? her daughter put in helpfully, grinning to herself as she put a generous slice of beef on her wife’s plate, along with carrots, potatoes, celery, onions, and plenty of gravy.

Thank you, Reanne said gratefully, realizing the good smells were actually things she could eat.  Something that normally didn’t happen when her well-meaning mother-in-law cooked for her.  Delicious, she proclaimed to her mother-in-law’s delight after the first taste.  Salty sat down near her right elbow, trying unsuccessfully not to beg, his nose telling him whatever they were eating smelled good.

Well, what are you girls going to do? Margaret asked as she watched Reanne eat her meal.

What do you mean? Marissa answered for both of them, afraid she knew what her mother was getting at.

Well, you said this was the last time and if it didn’t work you couldn’t afford to try again.  So what now? she asked.  Although she had her own thoughts on the subject, she had learned to keep them to herself.  Her husband looked at her with a warning look.  He didn’t want to lose his only daughter and she was touchy about some things.

We don’t know, it’s too new, Marissa shrugged.  We haven’t talked about it.  We will let you know, she said dismissively, hoping her mother would take the hint.

Have you told your parents? Margaret asked Reanne, directing the question across the table at the woman who was eating quietly.

Marissa visibly bristled, but her mother didn’t see it.  Reanne looked up and shook her head.  No, haven’t had a chance, she admitted and thought she saw an odd look of triumph in Margaret’s eyes.

"Well, after dinner you should