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Sanctify

Daryel Groom

    Bath time was sacred and habitual; a ritual before conception he said. He followed the Old Testament and rules he created along the way. They were Christians in a Baptist church. She believed he made up rules the others did not follow. “We must conceive sons and our first son will be named Job.” Rachel hung on every word he said at least she pretended to. “We will never go to those fertility clinics and support the scientific way,” he would say with his eyes full of daggers. “Why, Sarah from Gospel was conceived that way.” “That is not God’s way Rachel, God’s way is fated natural.”
    Each month when she was ovulating, she would take a special bath on her most fertile day of the month. It was ritualistic in performance. He would put drops of three sacred oils into the bath as a cleansing, pure olive oil which is oil of the sick, oil of the catechumens to protect against evil, and Holy Chrism Oil symbolizing the strength of Christ and gifts of the holy spirit. Then they would say a prayer seated on the bathroom floor as the tub was filling. “Aw Father, aw father bless my wife Rachel with fertility, a child of God soon to bless this house we pray, amen lord amen.” They motioned the sign of the cross upon their foreheads until he finally left the bathroom. She began undressing, placing her pink summer shorts and blue t-shirt on the shelf in the bathroom. The warm water bubbled up a little from the oils and she added some Jean Nette which she had hidden in the medicine cabinet. This act symbolized the spirit of her and her own scent and needs he never considered. This was one of the only times where he was not hovering over her like a hungry vulture. When he was not commenting upon the church sermons, he was talking about her hairstyles, which he preferred straight and down, her ability to cook and clean and potentially raise children.
    When they first moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama from Fredericksburg, Virginia ten years ago Job stated, “We need new renewed God energy in our marriage in a place of stricter Baptist practice.” He felt Fredericksburg was more of a college town and becoming a tourist urbanite center as he coined it.
    “This is true southern harmony here, know your neighbor here, know your maker,”he said. He loved to hear himself ramble on just about anything, the good hot Alabama weather a warning of satin’s inferno always upon us. “Yes, dear the weather is even hotter here in Alabama, keeping us on our toes.” She half smiled indignantly hoping he did not see her. She was only happiest when he was working at Ted’s Auto Shop three blocks away on Deliverance Road. He boasted his position as a master mechanic, “No woman of mine is a working, not unless I gots some form of malfunction.” Rachel secretly laughed at this comment often laughing to tears; he was malfunctioning under the sheets. As much as she had once wanted children, she pondered how they would be stifled by him. Her voice had become a dwindling whistle in the wind. She loved the church and God, but his orthodox nature, it was suffocating.
    It was December 24^th, and bath time had come once more Rachel had sewed a red and green night gown to celebrate the occasion. “Ya think lord Jesus Christ wear St. Nicholas pagan colors in heaven do ya Rachel?” “I just thought it’s Christmas Eve you wouldn’t mind might give us good luck ya know.” “Luck ain’t have nothing to do with it now Rachel commercializing Christmas aint no Christian way.” She sunk down on the floor to recite the prayers with him. “Ya know Job I never felt more optimistic about this ceremony than ever before tonight’s it I feel it. “Me too, Rachel me too a sacred night like we was chosen tonight.” The sacred oils bubbled in the bath 1, 2, 3, as she sat meditatively in the bath. A red candle was burning on the bathroom sink. She closed the curtain bath time would finally commence as he left. She was feeling extra free and dunked her head under the warm caressing water for the last time. After a time, he ran to the door in a panic, pulsating, the water still pouring through the bathroom door.

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