"Why am here? I hate Sunday school," I said to myself in my head. I had completely tuned out the bitch quoting some church propaganda about abstinence. That seems to be the only thing they preached to us teens in our Sunday school youth group. I stared at the window and caught my own reflection. As the bitch droned on and on about Christ and virginity and whatever else, I saw myself. I certainly looked like I belonged there. I wore a pink cashmere sweater, long knee length, grey pencil skirt, a gold cross on a chain around my neck, saddle shoes, my strawberry blonde hair coifed out to look like a Stepford wife, and almost no makeup. I was brainwashed for so long and I was sitting there letting them continue their brainwashing. I squeezed my head between my hands hoping that my head would pop. When it didn't, I looked around the room.
There was Brad, the captain of the football team, the jock with perfect abs and his good boy haircut, my former boyfriend who tried to rape me, smiling and nodding at the church lady as she spoke. Phony!
There was Tiffany with her flaxen blonde hair and sky blue eyes, a Barbie wannabe, new cheerleader captain, my so called BFF, with her big fake smile, with her perfect teeth, pretending to agree with every word the church lady spoke. I couldn't believe that I had been in love with her. I was an idiot. I wanted to punch her perfect face. Phony!
The class was filled with high school seniors like myself. It was all the good kids from good homes and families, all white and all protestant. I bet all their parents voted Republican. I know mine did. There were about thirty of us which was far from every senior in our school. Sure, it was a small town in Connecticut with only one high school but we were preppies from the right side of the tracks. I stared at their faces and phony smiles, sucking up all that church bullshit. I wanted to puke. I wanted to be anywhere else and away from all those hypocrites.
I wasn't any better though, really. I had always been one of them. I looked at my reflection and wanted to punch my own upturned button nose right in the middle of the freckles. I stared at myself, loathing the sheep that I had become. My green eyes stared back at myself. "No more!" I told myself. "Don't be a sheep anymore. You know who you are. You're eighteen, you can think for yourself. Don't be a sheep anymore Molly Stevens," I said in my head. I kept jabbing a fingernail into my thigh. I told myself I deserved the pain and it was the only thing making me feel alive.
"Molly! Molly!" the church lady, Mrs. Gibbons yelled at me. She had a stern and upset look on her pinched, needed to get fucked face. She caught me not paying attention.
"What?" I asked rudely. I was perturbed for being interrupted from my thoughts. I looked at her with distaste. Sitting upright and staring at her I awaited the question again. Some of the other kids were giggling at me for getting busted. They all expected to see me squirm and beg forgiveness. I wouldn't give any of them the satisfaction.
Mrs. Gibbons repeated her question with a tone of anger in her voice, "What does Jesus say about the sanctity of virtue, Molly?" All eyes were on me, most of the kids sniggering and holding in their laughter. I knew which chapter and verse she wanted me to quote. I had the best marks in Theology class and all my other classes for that matter. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction.
I stood up straight, let out a deep breath and said in a clear voice, "He probably never said anything about it. It doesn't matter anyway because it's all bullshit. This is all church propaganda being shoved down our throats. There aren't any virgins in this class anyway, so what's the point?" There was stone cold silence except for the odd gasp of air. You could have heard a pin drop. Mouths hung open on everyone's face.
The silence dragged on for a long time as Mrs. Gibbons tried to compose herself and think of something to say. She stared at me in disbelief. "Molly Stevens, you, you... Your parents and Reverend Baker will hear about this. More importantly though young lady, what will God think of what you just said?" she finally mustered. She was flushed red and shaking from being caught off guard like that.
As I gathered up my purse and jacket, I calmly replied, "It doesn't matter Mrs. Gibbons. I am an atheist so I don't believe in any gods or devils or heavens or hells. I'm done here. Goodbye." I walked calmly and gracefully to the door and let myself out. The church was still in congregation as I walked out the back. Once out in the parking lot, I pulled out my cell phone and texted my Mom, "Left church early, walking home, nothing to worry about, see you at home."
I took a deep breath and let it out. I smiled and was happy with myself for the first time in ages. I held my head up high and enjoyed the autumn air as I walked home. "That's the first step," I told myself. I put in my ear buds and turned on my iPod. My default play list was modern punk rock music. The first song was "Jesus of Suburbia" by Green Day. I laughed at the irony. I removed the cross necklace from my neck and put it in my purse.
Later on when the rest of my family arrived home back from church, my parents were steaming. I was expecting it. I had already changed into a comfortable, but plain tee shirt and yoga pants. I was in the kitchen, preparing vegetables for Sunday dinner still dancing to the music from my iPod. Joan Jett was playing when they cornered me in the kitchen. They both had hands on hips in an authoritative and pissed off stance. I pulled the ear buds from my ears and faced them. "Hi, I got an early start on dinner. I just put the ham in the oven," I said and bit into a carrot likes Bugs Bunny.
They sent my twelve year old little brother up to his room so they could scold me privately. Once he was upstairs, they laid into me. "Just who do you think you are young lady?" "Are you out of your mind?" "What were you thinking?" "We are shocked. We can't believe you said those things." "You embarrassed our whole family." "You are going back there and apologizing to Mrs. Gibbons and Reverend Baker." They came at me in staccato bursts. I kept my cool.
When they finally ran out of things to say, I asked, "Is it my turn now? May I speak?" Looking at the blank expressions on their faces, I cleared my throat and began, "Mom, Dad, I mean no disrespect to you. I simply spoke my mind. I am eighteen now. I am an adult and I am entitled to my own opinions and beliefs. I have been an atheist now for some time. I will not go back to church again. You cannot force me to. I've thought about this long and hard and I have made an educated and informed decision. Freedom of religion means the right to decide for every individual and I've made my decision."