A Saint in Graceland by Deborah Hining

Author:Deborah Hining
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction;inspirational romance;women's fiction;chick lit;west virginia;romantic comedy;north carolina authors;deborah hining;light messages publishing;Tanzania
Publisher: Light Messages Publishing
Published: 2016-04-08T00:00:00+00:00

Later that afternoon, Sally Beth waited until the lines disappeared and Dr. Sams sat down at her desk for tea. She was still reeling from the horror of the morning.

“I know, Sally Beth,” he said before she could ask. “You’ve never seen anything like that child this morning, have you?”

“No, I haven’t. Nothing near as awful as that. What happened to her?”

He spoke slowly, with great sadness. “It is a practice among the people here—in all of Africa—to circumcise their boys, as we do in America. Of course, we do it when they are babies, and they are anesthetized. Here, it’s considered an important rite of passage, done in a coming-of-age ritual at around puberty. It’s very painful, but people regard the ability to withstand pain an important part of being an adult. Unfortunately, it also sometimes leaves them scarred for life, with a lot of problems.

“In some families—some tribes—many, actually, girls are not exempt from circumcision. Some do it at puberty as a symbol of entering adulthood, and some do it early, for a different purpose. I’ve seen it done as early as three, or as late as fifteen or sixteen. They will cut off part or all of a girl’s clitoris, and sometimes the inner labia.”

Sally Beth gasped, “Why?”

“It’s considered an important step for girls, tradition, a matter of family honor, an entry into womanhood—various reasons—and it’s important for some because it ensures chastity. A woman is less likely to be promiscuous if she doesn’t enjoy sex.” His eyes clouded and he gazed out the window for a long moment before he heaved a great sigh and looked more directly at her. “And then, sometimes, for good measure they infibulate—they sew the outer labia together so that it scars over and seals up. Traditionally, they used Acacia thorns, although not many do now.”

Sally Beth stared at him, horrified, as he continued, “As you can imagine, it can cause all sorts of problems. Once the danger of infection is over, you still have to deal with damaged urethras, and although they leave small openings for urine and menstrual blood to pass through, it can be inadequate and urine backs up into the vagina as well as the urethra. Then there’s terrifyingly painful sex once the girl is married.”

“But why? Why do they do it? And to little girls like Mara?”

He shrugged slightly, his head down. “It’s their way.”

“Why don’t you do something to stop it? Aren’t you supposed to be educating people so that they are healthier?” She had never felt such anger. “You have to make them understand how bad it is!”

Looking pained, he brought his hand up sharply to stop her. “I know how you feel. It’s more complicated than that, and to tell you the truth, Sally Beth, I can’t talk about it right now. I’m just too… tired.” He rose, slowly, as if a great weight pressed against him. “We can speak about it again another time, but please, for now, try not to think about it.

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