Strange Animals by Chad Kultgen Read Free Book Online Page A

fulfilling his purpose as a man.
    At her door, Beth kissed James again, and again he could taste the alcohol in her mouth. She said, “Do you, you know, want to come in for a second?”
    James thought it would be the polite thing to do, if only to make sure she didn’t pass out on her kitchen floor or something similar. He agreed to come in to help her get into bed safely.
    Once inside, Beth excused herself to the bathroom and told James to make himself comfortable. James didn’t plan on staying very long. He went into the kitchen and filled a glass of water from the tap, then sat on the couch. He heard the faucet in the bathroom turn on, then off, then the bathroom door opened. Beth said, “Come here.”
    James followed the sound of Beth’s voice to her bedroom, where she was already sprawled out on top of her comforter. He extended the glass of water and explained that she should drink the whole glass through the course of the night. Beth said, “Thanks. Just put it on the nightstand.” James did as he was instructed, and as he approached the nightstand Beth reached out and pulled him down on top of her, kissing him sloppily and aggressively.
    James pulled back and asked her what she was doing.
    Beth said, “I invited you in. Why else would a girl do that?”
    James explained that he genuinely thought she might just need some help getting into bed. Beth laughed at him and said, “Wait a minute. Are you one of these guys who doesn’t believe in premarital sex?”
    James explained that this was indeed the case.
    Beth laughed again and said, “And you’ve never been married. So . . . you’re a virgin?”
    James explained that he was a virgin and he saw nothing wrong with it. He claimed that he would remain a virgin until God saw fit to change that. Beth said, “Well, it’s possible he’s trying to change it right now,” and leaned out toward him, reaching to grab him again.
    James explained that, while the offer was extremely flattering, he was saving himself until marriage just as God had commanded all his servants to do. He told Beth that he didn’t judge her for her decision to ignore this command from God, but he wouldn’t be able to see her again knowing that she could so easily disobey what he saw as one of God’s most immutable laws where men, women, and love were concerned. James left the apartment, wiping a stray bit of Beth’s saliva from his mouth.
    On his way back home he hoped God was pleased with him.

chapter     
    nine
    In the days that followed Karen’s decision to postpone the abortion, she became increasingly aware of the unique position pregnancy afforded her. Her hatred for religion and the patriarchal culture it inspired in America was something she’d felt from a very early age. She’d never been able to understand why any woman would adhere to the constraints of Christianity, or any major religion for that matter. Most of them described an ethos of subjugation for women in their primary texts.
    The event that stood out in her mind as the moment she became aware of her active hatred for religion was in junior high school. She was walking to algebra class, and she began to feel something making her underwear wet. It was her first period.
    She looked up and down the halls for a female teacher, but the only adult she could find was the male physical education teacher, Mr. Forman. She explained what was happening andasked Mr. Forman for help. Mr. Forman explained to her that all women menstruate, and that this was their punishment for Eve eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden. He further explained that she’d have to deal with this punishment every month of her life, forever, then turned and walked away down the hall, offering her no assistance. Embarrassed and ashamed, Karen tied a sweater around her waist and sat through her next class hoping no one