A Plea

My hands shook slightly as I adjusted the microphone in front of the committee and smoothed the papers of my speech. I felt vaguely nauseous as I remembered that my life story would affect the entire state, but I forced myself to stand still. I nervously cleared my throat, then said, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Michigan State Legislature, I would first like to thank you for considering repealing Michigan State Proposal 04-2, and I would like to thank you for considering my opinion." I cleared my throat again, then flipped to the next page. "My name is Jessica Terra. I am 22 years old, and I am about to lose a fiancee for the second time. Four years ago, when I was eighteen, my boyfriend Carl was in the Army. He proposed to me before he left for Iraq. I said yes, and I planned our wedding while I waited for him to return. With only two weeks left on his 12 month tour of duty, Carl and two other members of his unit were killed by an IED."

I paused and wiped my eyes, which had rebelliously leaked a tear each. I took a deep breath, then continued, "For months I grieved his loss, convinced I had lost the one true love of my life. I had reached out and contacted the families of the other two soldiers before Carl's funeral, hoping to find some sort of relief in connecting with others suffering as I was. John Chinos' parents were sweet, and we mourned our losses together, but we didn't stay in touch after the services. Peter Laker only had a sister, Sarah. She and I became fast friends. In the beginning we only exchanged emails comforting each other, but after a few months her perpetually upbeat attitude charmed me, and we began frequently speaking on the phone and visiting each other.

"A year and a half after that fateful day, I realized the joy I found with Sarah had developed into far more than a friendship, and we finally had a direct conversation about our relationship. We began dating, which, six months later, led to her moving well over a hundred miles to live with me. A year after that, and a year ago today, she proposed to me. I said yes, but I wanted to get married in Michigan, so we decided to wait as long as was necessary to get married here at home. We vowed we would be married within a week of the legalization of same-sex marriage." I flipped another page, and closed my eyes for a moment before forcing myself to continue.

"Six months ago, Sarah began experiencing crippling headaches and dizziness, and she noticed she was having trouble seeing. She scheduled a physical, and we went in together. The doctor said he couldn't find any problems, so he scheduled her for an MRI. With fear pounding in my chest, I again went with her to her appointment. I held her hand for as long as I could, up until I had to let her get ready for the procedure. She came back almost an hour later, and the specialist said to come back in two days. We tried to go about our normal lives, pretending we weren't nearly incapacitated by terror. Finally, the time came for the follow-up appointment. As I drove, Sarah kept repeating that it was nothing. We waited, squeezing each others' hands as tightly as we could. Finally, we were told that Sarah had a malignant tumor. It was considered inoperable. She has grade four terminal brain cancer, and, even with radiation treatment and chemotherapy, her life expectancy was three years then. Now, it's already down to two and half years left." I had to pause again, for a little longer this time, to wipe my eyes again.

"When we found out, we both cried, but Sarah is too optimistic to stay upset, even at the eve of her life. She began to plan our wedding in earnest. When I asked if she wanted to get married in New York or Massachusetts now, she said she would only get married here. She believes with all her heart that Michigan is a loving and accepting state that will allow all its citizens the right to marry given time. Her only question is if it will be in time for us.

"We are like any other couple in Michigan. We laugh together, buy fast food too often, fall asleep with the tv on, fight occasionally, and, most importantly, love each other with all our hearts. We only wish to be given the same rights as everyone else." I began crying, nearly uncontrollably, and barely managed to say, "Please, I beg you, don't force me to lose someone else without ever being allowed to spiritually and legally be bonded. I lost Carl due to government action. Don't force me to lose Sarah because of government inaction."

Reviews

[Enid Blake]

You 'drip-fed' information to the audience with expert timing, creating a pace that keeps the reader intrigued throughout. A great piece of writing.

[Knight in Armor]

Thank you!

[LOfCharlemagne]

I really love how you brought an issue that affects many couples, and made it a compelling and powerful story. This is a really well developed and strong piece. Congradulations, I love it!

[Knight in Armor]

Thank you!

[LOfCharlemagne]

you are very welcome!