Jill’s mamma was a strong woman; she helped her husband haul in the chicken feed on Wednesdays, and she washed the floors with a heavy mop. She had slightly graying blonde hair that she kept pulled back out of her face, so it wouldn’t bother her while she was working. Jill knew that she wasn’t strong like her mamma, she was skinny, and her mamma always told her she had chicken legs. She kept quiet when her mamma was speaking and sometimes she sang in the church choir on Sundays.

　　　　 Jill listened to the steady rocking of her mamma’s chair on the porch that sounded like an old washboard band, while she watched a lizard climb up the vinyl siding of the old house. She reached for her glass of sweet tea, realizing it was empty only after the glass touched her lips.

　　　　"Want some more?" Her mamma asked, but Jill quietly shook her head. "Are you gonna keep it?" Her mamma asked pointing at Jill’s stomach.

　　　　 "No." Jill whispered, and her mamma got up to shut the door.

　　　　 "You got some parents in mind, Jill?" Her mamma asked shaking.

　　　　"No, mamma, I wasn’t planning on adoption" Jill said staring at the floor.

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Author guidance for This story

This is a piece of a larger work, but I thought it could stand alone for a while. I will add more to the story later, but as you read keep in mind that abortion is just a tool in this story to have readers focus on a larger problem in the story that will appear later.

updated Mar 27 '10 by caffeine_fiend