Jehovah's Witness Romance Ch. 01

"Shut up, Adam," said Andrea. "You look like a yuppie stockbroker."

The teenagers walked downstairs and their parents gave them the Jehovah's Witness publications, and the keys to their mother's car.

"Now, pick up the O'Brien girls and drive to the area on the map," said Bill.

"We will," said Adam.

Unable to agree upon who was going to drive, the brother and sister played 'paper, rock, scissors', Andrea defeating Adam with scissors over paper. Their mother, however, noticed. "That's gambling," she said. "You know there's no gambling."

Andrea and Adam exchanged a glance. It was like they had been caught at a racetrack or a casino in Las Vegas. "It wasn't gambling, we were playing scissors, rock, paper," Andrea pointed out.

Cindy fumed at her daughter. Andrea seemed to debate every little thing with her since she turned twelve. "You and your brother were gambling on an outcome," she said. "I'm not discussing it any more. In the car, and go door-knocking with Holly and Samantha O'Brien."

Adam and Andrea obeyed the instruction, getting in the car, Andrea reversing out of the driveway and into the street. As she drove down the road, Adam said, "So, I'll door-knock with Holly, and you can door-knock with Samantha."

Andrea inserted a cassette into the car's tape player, the sound of a band their parents would never approve of filling the car. "No, you can go with Samantha, and I'll partner Holly."

His sister forced to stop at a red light, Adam said, "Let's play scissors, rock, and paper to decide. I don't think Mom's hiding in the back watching us." This time Adam won, paper wrapping rock, and punched the air triumphantly, while Andrea swore under her breath.

"Never mind, Sis, it will give you some experience. After all, you'll be sharing a room with them when we go to the conference in two weeks," said Adam.

Andrea glowered at her brother as the light turned green. "Don't remind me. Holly, perfectly fine. Samantha, not fine."

***

Sisters Holly and Samantha O'Brien were like Adam and Andrea aged 18, and seniors at the same high school, belonging to the same Kingdom Hall. The sisters were not twins, identical nor fraternal, nor were they 'Irish twins', a rare occurrence where siblings are born within the same year, but not as twins.

The girls were born just a week apart, and were in fact not biological sisters at all. Holly was the biological daughter of their parents, and Samantha adopted. Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien, older than Cindy and Bill Smith by more than a decade, had spent years and years trying to conceive a baby, all to no avail. When in their thirties, they applied to adopt a child, but were told the wait could be a long one.

Then one day, several years after this with still no news, Mrs. O'Brien found she was late. She thought nothing of it until she continued to be late, and over a month passed since her last period. Then she began feeling sick after waking up in the morning, and when her husband found her fixing herself a broccoli, banana, ketchup, cheese, tuna, boloney and peanut butter sandwich, it was a trip to the doctor's office, and against all odds, Mrs. O'Brien was pregnant.

It was with only days to go in her pregnancy that the news came that there was a baby girl available for adoption, and after Mrs. O'Brien gave birth to their own daughter, they now had not one, but two daughters. There was one fundamental difference between the girls, however. Samantha was black courtesy of an African-American background, and Holly with Caucasian parents, white.

This would have stood out enough, however Holly was not simply Caucasian. She was white. Literally white. When her parents held their newborn, they commented on how fair their daughter's skin was, then remarked how she had unusual purple eyes. When the baby showed intense distress at the sunlight shining through the window into the maternity ward, this set off alarm bells for the doctors, who quickly confirmed that their daughter was born with albinism.

Holly, like many albino people, had poor eyesight, and throughout her life had worn glasses with thick lenses that would darken when exposed to sunlight, and she was pretty much helpless without them. With white skin and hair, Holly was susceptible to the sunlight, and was fortunate to have been born and raised in the Pacific North West, where gray, rainy skies are common, rather than in California, Arizona or Florida. Holly, relatively small at five feet two, had a very thin, willow-like figure, seemingly unable to put on weight no matter what she ate. This made her breasts appear large, despite only being a B-cup. Unconnected with her albinism, Holly also suffered badly from asthma, and had to be careful to take her inhaler with her.

Despite not being the healthiest girl one could ever meet, Holly was without doubt beautiful, her long straight white hair falling down to just below her shoulders framing her very pretty face, a modest fringe at the front. Many people upon first glance took her to be a fair-skinned blonde, and only realized later that she was an albino. Quietly spoken and somewhat shy and timid, Andrea and Adam had always gotten along well with Holly, both at school and Kingdom Hall.

Samantha was also a stunningly attractive girl, tall at five foot eleven, and while she had a full figure with D-cup breasts and a big bottom, was not really overweight. Her long black hair with loose curls grew down below her shoulders. The highlight of her pretty face were her big, wide dark eyes, and her black skin was a perfect color and complexion, with the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet pink. In looks, she could not have been more different from Holly.

However, despite Samantha's beauty, she had some major personality flaws that made her unappealing to Adam and Andrea, and seemingly to most other people. Firstly, she was a little too touchy-feely, hugging anyone upon meeting and saying goodbye, putting her arm around people without invitation. Secondly, she was an over-sharer, and would tell anyone personal details about herself and her family. Thirdly, while Samantha always tried to do the right thing and be nice, it always seemed to go wrong and she would just end up irritating them.

The fourth, and most significant of Samantha's flaws, was her naiveté. Thanks to her sheltered life, Samantha had no concept of the many bad things in the world, and would go about things with a sunny disposition, believing that people were mostly good and kind. While Holly had also lived a sheltered life due to her being Jehovah's Witness and her health problems, she seemed like a streetwise girl from the wrong side of the tracks when compared to Samantha.

Samantha seemed to have a misguided optimism, for example she had not attained her drivers' license after failing the practical test nine times. The teenager sincerely believed that Jehovah would either help her pass next time, or test her resolve by allowing her to fail again. Adam, Andrea and Holly, all of whom passed their driver's tests at the first attempt, agreed that the longer Samantha didn't have a license the safer the world would be, as she was a terrible driver. It was a similar story in gym class, where Samantha was always the last picked for any team. It simply did not bother her, the reality that she was no good at sports and unpopular going right over her head.

Adam and Andrea had sometimes debated Samantha's naïve view of the world between themselves. On one hand, they pondered what would happen one day when Samantha realized that the world wasn't such a nice place. On the other, Samantha was so naïve that perhaps bad things would somehow ironically avoid her, and she would continue through life with not a clue.

Andrea turned the car into the O'Brien's driveway, where Holly and Samantha were waiting. Both girls were nicely attired in dresses that came down to their knees, Holly's light blue with a small bow of the same color in her hair, and Samantha's dress lemon in color. They wore knitted white jackets over their shoulders, and white shoes on their feet. Samantha waved excitedly, while Holly showed little response to their arrival.

Adam and Andrea exited the car, and Samantha flung her arms first around Adam, and then Andrea, the twins both showing no enthusiasm at the girl's tight embrace. "Isn't it so great that we all get to go out door-knocking together today?" she gushed.

Adam decided on a neutral reply. "Yes, the weather is nice for this time of the year."

"I don't mean just that, it's so great to get out and meet people and spread the word of Jehovah," said Samantha. Adam, Andrea, and through her thick lensed glasses, Holly, all rolled their eyes, something Samantha did not see.

"It was so awful all of us being sick last weekend and not able to go door-knocking," Samantha continued. "Well, Holly and I weren't exactly sick, but we had our periods and had cramps, so Mom said we could go out this Saturday instead." She turned to Andrea. "Your mom said to my mom that you had your period too, as well as the flu. That must have felt really bad, but the good thing is, we all get to spend today together now that you're better." An elderly couple working in their garden looked over at Andrea, who turned away, blushing bright red.

Holly rubbed her forehead, a look of complete embarrassment on her pretty face. Adam looked at the sky. He felt deeply uncomfortable with the word 'period', especially with his sister. Andrea seethed, not only at Samantha for her complete lack of discretion, but also her mother.

Andrea considered the details of her menstrual cycle should remain private. Unfortunately, her mother seemed to think that Andrea's periods were a suitable topic of conversation with her friends at Kingdom Hall, at work and in the neighborhood. So they all knew about how Andrea got really bad PMS; suffered from menstrual cramps, bloating and a heavy flow; that she was unable to use tampons because she felt nauseous with one inserted; that when she was menstruating Andrea was one of Oregon's greatest consumers of toilet paper; and even what brand of sanitary pads Andrea used.

Samantha kept right on talking. "It was strange last Saturday, because Holly always starts her period the day before me, and when I got up to go to the bathroom, I saw that she was lying on her bed with a hot water bottle on her tummy like she always does on the first day of her period. Then when I was sitting on the toilet doing number twos, I noticed blood on the toilet paper, felt my tummy cramp, and had to call out for Mom to bring me a pad, because my period was early. Next thing, I was on my bed with a hot water bottle just like Holly."

"Um, perhaps we could go now?" suggested the embarrassed Holly, speaking up for the first time during the morning.

"Good idea, Holly," said Adam.

"Yes," conferred Andrea. She turned to Holly. "So how are you, Holly?"

"Fine thanks," said Holly.

"She's really looking forward to doing Jehovah's work this Saturday, after we missed out lust Saturday, aren't you Holly?" gushed Samantha, giving her sister a huge hug, oblivious to Holly's obvious discomfort and total lack of enthusiasm.

Samantha's non-stop talking dominated the short car ride to the area where they would be going door to door, and Adam and Holly were relieved to step out of the car when Andrea parked. "I am really looking forward to door-knocking with you today," Samantha said, throwing her arms around the less-than-impressed Andrea.

"We'll take this side of the road, you take this side," said Adam, he and Holly taking their Jehovah's Witness literature and leaving Andrea with Samantha. He turned to Holly. "I wonder what we'll be told to do today?" Adam was used to being told to get lost by irritated house-holders, often with four letter words starting with S, F and C.

Holly gave a shy smile. "The last time, this old guy told me I should be in school rather than bothering him. When I pointed out it was Saturday, he said that he wished he was President, so that he could make kids go to school twelve hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year."

Adam laughed. "One time, this lady thought I was a burglar trying to con my way into her house, and was screaming that she was going to call the police. Then her son, this six-foot guy with huge muscles came out with a baseball bat. I and the guy I was door-knocking with just ran."

Holly laughed, this turning into a cough and wheezing. The teenager hastily reached into her purse, taking out her inhaler and taking two deep puffs.

"You okay?" asked Adam in concern.

Holly nodded, catching her breath. "Yes fine, it's just my asthma playing up. It often does in spring."

The teenagers walked to the door of the first house on the street, and rang the bell. A tall blonde lady, mid-thirties, dressed in a pink leotard, matching pink headband and white leg-warmers answered the door. "Yes, can I help you?"

Adam smiled. "Good morning, ma'am. We'd like to talk ..."

"You're Jehovah's Witnesses," said the lady, spying the literature they carried. "I'll save you and me time. I am not interested, and neither is my husband. Goodbye."

The door was slammed shut, so Adam and Andrea went next door, knocking on the door. An Asian man, probably about fifty, short in stature, opened the door. This time, Holly smiled and began to make the introductions. "Good morning sir..."

The Asian man's face soured at the sight of the Jehovah's Witness publications. He broke into a stream of invective in his native tongue, of which neither Adam nor Holly understood one word except that he was not impressed. The door slammed shut.

Adam and Holly went into the next house, with the untidy front garden full of toys. The main door was open, with the screen door closed, Adam and Holly looking through the fly wire to see an equally disorganized hallway, toys strewn everywhere. A little girl aged about four looked up at them in silence, and Holly smiled and waved. "Hi, is your Mommy or your Daddy here?"

The child looked at them, and without warning let out a piercing scream, running away down the hall. "Mommy, help! There's a ghost and a stranger! Help, Mommy!"

A high-pitched woman's voice was heard. "Ella, what is going on?"

"Mommy, don't let the ghost and the stranger in the house," sobbed the child.

A woman aged about thirty, slightly overweight, emerged from a bedroom, a baby on her hip. Two other children, a boy aged about five and another girl, a toddler, emerged from another direction. The woman regarded Adam and Holly with an unwelcoming expression. "Who are you?"

"Good morning Ma'am, I'm sorry but I think we startled your daughter ..." Adam began, but the woman cut him off.

"Yes you did. You can both fuck off. Don't you have anything better to do than go around scaring children and giving me the shits?" The mother addressed Holly directly. "What are you thinking, putting on make-up that makes you look like that? You're lucky my husband's not here ..."

Yet another child, another girl aged about six emerged. "Mom, Justin's taken the cat into the bath with him," she complained.

The woman immediately turned, screeching at her other, unseen son, "Justin, the fucking cat does not belong in the fucking bath!" She made for the bathroom at haste, swearing and cursing as the baby began screaming, the kids following yelling at the tops of their voices, the sound of the cat growling, hissing and spitting now audible.

Adam and Holly simply shook their heads and made for next door. "I'm sorry about what the lady said to you," said Adam.

Holly shrugged. "I'm used to it. I try not to let it bother me. I'm albino, albinos are very rare, people make comments, life goes on."

At the next house, an old lady – a very old lady – opened the door with a smile. "How can I help you both?"

Adam smiled. "Good morning ma'am ..." he began, before the old lady cut him short.

"Herbert? Yes, it is you Herbert. You've come back to me." She opened the door, and threw her arms around a bemused Adam. "The army said you died of Spanish flu, but I knew they were lying. Now we can get married like we planned ..."

"Aunt Lilith, what is happening?" asked another woman aged in her sixties as she appeared at the door.

"It's Herbert, he's come back to marry me," said the old lady.

"No, it's not Herbert, he's been dead since 1918," said the other lady, prizing Adam from her aunt's grip and ushering her back inside. She turned to Adam and Holly. "Sorry, my aunt gets very confused. She thought the postman was her late fiancé the other day. I don't like to be rude, but it would be better if you left, so as not to confuse her anymore."

"Sorry to have bothered you, Ma'am," said Adam, he and Holly going to the next house, where the door was opened by a man aged in his early thirties, tall, good-looking and muscular in a sleeveless muscle shirt and jeans, his light brown hair cut in the mullet style.

"Can I help you?" he asked Adam and Holly.

As Holly began to make her introductions, the man looked at her and cut her short. "Hey, you're an albino aren't you?" he said.

"Yes, that's right," said Holly.

"Holy shit, I've never seen a real albino person before," said the man. He turned and yelled out, "Hey kids, come and look. There's an albino girl at the door!"

Three boys aged about ten, eight and six emerged. Their father pointed at Holly. "Look, there's the albino. See how she's got white skin, hair and funny colored eyes like white mice, rats and rabbits."

"Wow, she's so white," commented the middle boy, he and his brothers staring at Holly.

"Yes, that's because she's albino," said their father. "On Monday at school, you can tell the other kids that you saw an albino on Saturday. I know I'm going to tell everybody at work."

Holly attempted to mask how offended she was as she and Adam made their escape. "And the most tactful person and father of the year awards for 1987 go to ..." Adam said.

"Yeah, it's like the time they asked me to go to the eighth grade biology class at the junior high," said Holly. "They were doing a topic on albinism, and they asked me to go and give a talk. I did, and some of the questions they asked me ..." The girl shook her head at the memory, and looked at the next house. "I'm going to sound like my sister, but I'm sure we'll meet somebody really nice here."

Adam laughed, and went with Holly up the path. He looked across the street, seeing that Andrea and Samantha were level with them, obviously having no success either.

*

Adam was 100 percent correct in his observation that Andrea and Samantha, like he and Holly, were struggling to get householders to take any Jehovah's Witness publications.

Andrea had commenced the door knocking by saying to Samantha, "I think it might be a good idea if I knock on the doors and make the introductions."

Samantha commented, "Everyone I'm partnered with always says that." The girl's voice gave no hint of annoyance, or bewilderment, just naïve acceptance.

Andrea rang the doorbell at the first house, which was opened by a portly man, aged about fifty, with a bald head, moustache, wearing a white string, 'wife-beater' vest and brown trousers. "What?" the man, who looked like he last smiled in 1940, demanded.

Being so good-looking, Andrea could sometimes convince men to take Kingdom Hall literature. This time was not one of them. "Good morning sir, I'm Andrea and this is Samantha and we were wondering if you ever ..." began Andrea.

"Get lost, blondie," snapped the man, slamming the door shut in the teenager's face.

"Rude asshole," Andrea muttered under her breath.

Samantha's eyes went wide. "You can't swear at them like that."

"I didn't swear at him, I swore under my breath," said Andrea impatiently, as they went next door.