From: scm3775@tamsun.tamu.edu (Sean Malloy)
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
Subject: Re: nothing much
Date: 10 Apr 92 11:26:32 GMT
Organization: Texas A&M University, College Station

Nick Chopper wrote in an eariler article:
>"Up, Soapbox! Thanx.
>
>"Someone spoke of taking the abortion issue out of here until people
>could start seriously talking about compromise. May I point out that Roe
>v Wade WAS a compromise. The court could have ruled that abortion was
>legal. Period. Instead it put a number of restrictions on it. But some
>people do not LIKE compromises." He looks down at the soapbox. Not too
>bad. He jumps off KLANK!
 
CD sighs deeply.  "I've been skimming my news for the past few weeks,
and I missed the eariler discussion on this topic."  He mounts the 
recently-vacated soapbox with a heavy step upwards.  "This is not
a pretty topic, and those who do not wish to hear anymore on the matter
are advised to add this thread to their kill-file...  it's likely to
bring some follow-ups."  Disclaimer in place, CD stares at his feet
and chuckles nervously.
 
"I'm 21 years old right now.  If it weren't for Roe v. Wade, I'd have
a 4 1/2 year-old child due to a contraceptive failure.  I would have
likely been married and divorced already, since this woman and I only
rarely speak these days...  I'd not have gone to college.  This much is
certain."  CD swallows hard.  "I might not have graduated High School,
even."
 
CD screws his eyes tightly shut and slowly clenches and unclenches
his fists.  After a moment, his eyes open, and he is a changed man.
Fire burns in his eyes, and there is an edge of steel in his carefully
controlled voice.  "It was the hardest thing I've ever done, and my
pain is but a fraction of what the young woman went through.  
-And-I-RESENT-it- when people who don't even -know- me imply that
it's a decision easily made."
 
CD breathes deeply for a moment, finds his center, and resumes speaking
in a more normal tone.  "I've brought this up before in here, and was
happy to find nothing save support and empathy.  It's part of the
reason I'm still around.  It's the people who fight to be able 
to make my decisions for me that need to worry about my long 
memory."
 
CD bows his head in concentration, and the lights dim in the 
place.  A slightly transparent, somewhat younger, image of 
himself appears, frozen, at the chalkline.  CD speaks softly.
"29 June, 1990" and the image animates:
 
>  "I wonder what I'd be doing right now if I had a child... most likely,
>I'd be earning next to nothing so that I could live and make child-
>support payments.  I don't think that Jennifer and I would still be together
>if we had gotten married (which probably would have happened if her parents
>had found out).  I cannot help but think that all I have today, and all
>that I will become in the future, I owe, in some part, to Scott's
>friendship...
> 
>  "Here's to friendship!" he cried as his glass flew through the air and
>shattered savagely against the bricks of the fireplace.  With that, he 
>stumbled onto a chair, and Callahan helped him to the cot in the back room
>where he could sleep it off...
 
The lights come up as the image fades.  CD stands in silent 
contemplation for a moment before speaking.  "This experience 
made me realize who I could count on in a crisis at a rather 
young age.  And I can only hope that any woman... or couple... 
going through a similar situation have several people backing 
them up who are as worthy of the title 'friend' as Scott is."
 
After a short moment's thought, he adds to persons unknown, 
"Compromise?  Nick is right, there's precious little room for 
that, I'm afraid.  I'm not entirely close-minded, but the 
chance of swaying my opinion on this issue is very slight."
 
CD steps down from the soapbox and fades into the background 
as he rejoins a previous conversation.
 
-cd

-- 

   Sean C. Malloy    |  "You live & learn, or you   |  scm@tamu.edu 
Texas A&M University |   don't live long." - RAH    |  scm3775@tamsun.tamu.edu