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The American Way

© Lea Moore

This article is way beyond the scope of my normal topic, but, in many ways it has much to do with the nature or my next few articles.

WARNING

If you are offended by the idea or actuality of interracial relationship and/or marriages, please do not read this article. I wouldn't want be responsible for offending any of my readers.

On the other hand, if your do read this article, I would appreciate any "positive" comments you may have to offer, or stories about similiar situations.

The year is 1976. The geographic location? A small town in east central Iowa. The place? The local cafe. The topic? The marriage of two of the town's young people.

Many might think that this is just a normal topic of conversation. It might be an annual summer event. But, this day, the conversation is heated. Two couples sit at the table. The parents of a 20 year-old boy. The parents of an 18 year-old girl. The one couple is Catholic, the other Protestant. Although the two couples have maintained a friendship for many years, it may be coming to an abrupt halt. It seems that no one can agree on what they should do about this situation.

For the past two years, both sets of parents have been trying to discourage this love affair between their children. Everyone knows that a marriage between the two faiths will not survive. How will they raise their children. if there are any? And of course there will be, and probably many. What church will they be raised in? Which of the two will give up their faith to convert to the other's?

It seems, at this point in time, that the best solution is to find a way to separate the two. Should they send the boy off to the military? Should they send the girl to some distant college? Or, maybe, the priest and the minister can speak to each of the children and convince them that this would be a terrible mistake.

Just a few years before, this whole situation might never have occurred. But the world was changing. The new generation was becoming more tolerant of those who were different than they. Parents were losing control. Children were beginning to think for themselves. They were beginning to understand that they both believed in the same God (if they believed all).

The two couples at the table, regardless of their friendship, could not come to an agreement, other than the one to keep the two children away from each other.

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