Confession

In increments, Annie was taught. First, she was taxed to the limit of her consciousness, constant stressors, one after another like burst pipes in her house: a starter in her car that wouldn’t work, a defunct furnace, all instances were instigated by Adam. When she had maneuvered these hardships, Annie had to work at distancing her family. This was actually one of the easier tasks for her. Then, she had to learn to think logically and was given numerous word and mathematical problems. At one point, Annie was ready to throw the logic puzzle book in the trash, but she persevered.

And one Wednesday, as she was exiting church after her Bible study, she noticed the top chief medical officer, Paul Wright, scurrying from the confessional booth.

Curious, Annie took that image home with her. Why, she wondered, did Dr. Wright look so ashamed? Could he be hiding something important, or was it just a private family matter? The thought nagged at her all day. What, if anything, should I do about it? she wondered.

The next morning, Annie strolled down to Visions Electronics and asked about recording devices. It’s one thing to think about it, and quite another to actually do it, thought Annie.

The salesclerk showed her some magnificent, tiny, recording devices. As Annie held one in her hand the reality of what she was thinking of doing became more clear. What are the chances of getting caught? What will God think about this? Will I be able to live with my conscience afterwards? What if I find out something important to myself and the country at large?

Spurred on by the thought of bringing injustice to life, Annie purchased the small black teardrop recording device.

It took little time to find a place to rest the teardrop in the confessional booth Dr. Wright had been in. After the initial adrenalin rush Annie was anxious. “Why did I do that?” she asked Adam. “I’ve always tried to be a good girl and respect other’s privacy.”

“Sometimes it takes boldness to bring about social justice,” Adam stated.