The Hardest: Shattered Pearl

'If you hate les so much why rape one?' Indoors a man and woman sat across each other at a table.

Unveil the past.

'No court would convict me for that lock.' Words directed at Joannie, 51 years old of a slender attractive look.

'The number pad daily changes the digits you press. That information is passed to you from the landlord, who is not missing their days. You have to carry the bucket.'

Bertha's tongue made a sucking sound in irritation. Maintaining her story, 'This woman doesn't have to hang her head for the right actions because she applied the exact digits given her for the apartment lock.'

'The landlord never failed me,' Joannie raised her open hands in front as a peace gesture. 'Responsible people. I'll pass on what you said why you couldn't enter the apartment and sort it. Friends?'

'Friends.' The women shared a friendly head butt in the apartment's living room. Bertha middle aged, approaches her partner's age at ten years junior.

Roof of a storage building a pigeon's buffet. A mid-fifties man regaled the fluttering fliers with bread pieces that day. They'll think less for a meal.

Between this Friday is the all to fast weekend turning to Monday. Women share a kiss before parting, today Joannie headed to her employment. Bertha the stay at home, does some dishes then settles down sprawled on a couch to read a novel Criminal Element - a cops and robbers type of affair. Up again does some housework and

exits the apartment. Later back, grocery in her brown paper bags destined for the kitchen where she prepares victual. Evening swings by, the older woman returns and share a kiss. Joannie says smells good. Bertha prepared in time for dinner.

The man sees. During their daily lives couldn't catch sight of Bertha at all times, but no denying a view from his roof near the apartment peering in from afar.

GSX Roadprinter. Behold laying a road brick by brick laboriously is consigned to the past. Workers brings loose brick to top of the machine, then place bricks on a curved ramp in straight lines the printer swallows. Next oozes out the completed road. The future is with us.

The accomplished woman an engineer who designs and maintains roads, bridges, dams, and similar structures. Basically, makes the infrastructure you use daily. In a filial act she joins the workers of less education, blue collar, placing individual brick in the ramp, earning admiration.

This evening the living room scene where the ladies are locked in argument about Bertha leaving to pursue higher education. Joannie is not onboard. Bertha feels she wants to keep under the roof, she wants to spread her wings as any ambition. Joannie dismisses this an argument. Her career supports two mouths without strain. Disparate visions she calls it.

The younger woman is aggrieved being away from loved ones as her other gripe. A place in her chest is empty. Joannie freely saw them as a pain in the vag. But to bring out Bertha cannot see them is a slap across the face. The reply is as Joannie knows the education would put her closer to family who Joannie is of the mind eat into their time together.

Bertha summons strength to say this less and less of a partnership, she is not one to own.

The older woman exasperates is ready to fall down from all this. As it stands are in want of nothing, she says. 'A lot of people would kill for what I...we have.'

'My life doesn't exist for you alone,' Bertha retorts.

Jo frowns her attractive face and the gears in her mind turn. Bertha tries rejecting her advance but weakly and end up in sex right there on the couch. Who is less assertive is not hard to fathom.

The man of the roof saw the gesticulations of the dispute and what came after but unable to hear. Wears a cringing look on his face.

He stood outside the apartment complex, head craned upward at the women's high floor, of course hasn't worked out an entry.

'Why are you contradicting natural order?' Jo unsuspectingly stumbled into an ambush exiting and walking outside the complex this new morning.

Confused, 'What in hell is this?'

'Woman and woman cannot procreate. This bible makes it so.' Held up to her face a mini bible.

'I don't know you!' Grey sky heralded rain. She gave no thought to how a stranger she sped past knew her private business. Off to work wouldn't give this whoever time of day. Could a career mindset cause for ignoring a threat?

'Unholy union,' he condemns as his turning head follows.

Next he on the roof, feathered companions about him feasting on a bread meal, himself engrossed keenly in the bible.

Raised her skirt up with a stick, stunned, she slapped him and more from surprise than strength of her hand, he spins around. Joannie was proceeding to enter the complex after a day's work. Women are offended he meanwhile feels it a way to "demonstrate" how nature views sex.

Downtown police station. D'amato as he goes by, officers hear him pointedly frame his actions in religious terms - scripture calls lesbianism abomination. When asked how he knows a woman's sex life reveals his roof is tall enough to let him peek into the apartment.

D'amato is cautioned the stick is sexually harassing. Bounces off his skull, he lives by the holy word. Pushback is the law is not set off a clever storybook.

The ladies discuss between the two of them from police are bothered to learn the man, stranger that he is, whose eyes reach into the apartment.

Bertha a morning stares at the roof from home. Nothing but pigeons. The curtain is shut.

'Bertha back this soo...' Joannie turns to footstep sounds to behold the figure of the man in the laundry room with her. Lost her breath else she'd scream.

'They locked you up!'

'God's majesty let me out.'

He walks closer, she backs up into the wall, her back pressing it. He can catch her before reaching its sole exit. She imagines she'll be grabbed. D'amato's arm raises and its that mini bible in her face, 'Repent.'

'For, for damn what?'

'Do you not know the scriptures cannot condone homosexuality?'

'It's a book by old men. Me, I have nothing to do with you.'

'As the Lord's disciple I am never so selfish to make it about me. Drenched in sin I am here to make you learned of the Word.'

'Get away from me.'

'The words in scripture call for the lake of fire. Homosexuals are barred from Heaven's gates. This servant asks again repent.'

'I'd have to share your god's belief first.'

Repentance not forthcoming then it transpires. Drops his underwear and pants, grabs her and pushes down to kneel. His private right in front her face, 'Baby maker,' declares he. 'Scripture teaches a woman must submit to a man.'

He inquires how long within the unholy union. Frightened she responds. The invader asserts as she is locked in sin he is bound to correct, wash the sin away. And, 'I'm homophobic you're hetrophobic.'

She's standing now, bent over, he behind, her secret place exposed. 'Aristotle said you're a deformed man.' Then, 'A woman is wasted on you.' What sounded sinful flesh, 'Much too fine.' Continues, 'Been so long since you felt one down there. Today you're in the presence of a holy man.'

Jo cries.

Once complete backs off and stares, look of shock and appalment on his face - as if saying, Something drove me to this?

'If you hate les so much why rape one?' Indoors a man and woman sat across each other at a table. The present at the station's interrogation room.

Bertha and officers look through two way glass, she a tearful mess.

Her willingly meeting her assaulter as he confined breaks norms yet bares a strength she had. He forbidden making a mental cage for this woman.

'I...I felt compelled by Christ.' His soft answer.

Intriguingly shifted gear. 'Goodly cops outside said they took care of you the first time.'

'Let me out and...pretended a repairman at the clerk to get to your floor and use the door code.'

'The cops lied to me. Only got the memo you let out when you poured all the lust in me. When all said and done was anything but religion driving you?'

'I was before even then in the arms of the Holy Ghost.'

Somehow she grinned momentarily.

Back to her serious demeaner. Thinking about it Jo acts unlike any victim. Changed gears to another topic only to rebound to her assault for a better chance of getting a confession, bring the hypocrisy to the surface. 'I saw your face after you cut me from the inside out. A shamed look. A man certain he holy is not you.'

His head moves like he wants to speak but silent.

'D'amato.' The calm, firm call pierced.

'Was you giving in to lust and God a mask deep down wasn't it?'

'Yeah.' Softly.

The victim succeeded breaking her attacker, preaching and all a pervert. Joannie wants to prove not a broken spirit. 'I say as a woman, a human I want you suffering. Same way no matter what despite you I will spend rest of my long life growing. A changed woman from today. Took something from me not yours to take - so help me I'll get it back. The word of God says they profess themselves to be wise they become fools.'

Author's note - these past months took to what called 'lesbian literature.' I who went church and a religious school. A number of my works paint a unsavoury portrayal of religion. Chalk up to believing less and less in a God in the face of science and logic.

Placed a plug for my first novel, which shares sexual violation that entered my works.

Date - 3 October 2020.