Question A

[Jonetta]

Rose is indeed pregnant and shows no signs of regret and the women in her family seem to embrace her decision. Talk about the impact of her pregnancy on the family and community.

[Charlene]

Some people who know the situation may think a child born of rape is not to be kept in the family, but Rose is loving this unborn child, no matter how she came to be pregnant. I'm looking forward to more of this storyline.

[Sharon]

My guess is Rose never thought she would have a baby. To her it is a prayer answered, even though the baby wasn't conceived in love, Rose is a very loving person. I am a little worried for her, but I'm sure she is going to surprise everyone.

Most likely there will be people who call her and the baby names, but the community appears to love Rose. Most people will support her, and many will stand up against her detractors. Since she teaches for the preacher, I'm sure he will extend support from the pulpit.

My worry is with her father. I think the women in her family will do whatever she needs. Even her father is close to Rose. She is special to him, but I'm not sure if that will change as her pregnancy progresses.

Like Charlene, I'm looking forward to this story line.

[Jonetta]

I’ve thought about this a lot, especially why Rose so willingly accepted this child, even hoped for it. So, I thought about the reasons most women couldn’t do what she’s doing. The biggest reason I’ve learned about for most women facing this decision is seeing the rapist’s face every time they would look at the child. Maybe Rose’s lack of sight takes away one of the biggest impediments to accepting the child. Just something that came to mind.

Whatever it is that makes Rose behave differently, it certainly illustrates her high level of empathy and compassion. I agree that the community at large is sympathetic and will be supportive towards her. With that said, there are probably lots of the men that will see her as “damaged goods” given their outlook about the role of women. But they won’t be mean about it. Those men that assaulted her were part of McDonald’s group and they seem to be outliers.

I’m also looking forward to this continuing storyline.

[Sharon]

Good point Jonetta. Rose sees with her hands. When she sees the baby there won't be anything to remind her of her rapist.

[Robin]

I'm looking forward to more of this storyline too. I think she is going to get a lot of flack from her father about being an unmarried mother. We know he has talked to Owen about getting her married off. Their whole attitude, along with some of the men in town, seems so backwards to me.

[Sharon]

Robin you reminded me of her father trying to find a husband for Rose. I wonder if it is the fact that she is an unwed mother, or worry about her disability and her need for help.

Regardless of how capable she is, there are times that will be difficult if she is alone. From the perspective of someone with a disability, I remember my parents worried what will happen when they die. My guess Kirk is a combination of both.

[Jonetta]

They were willing to marry her off to someone they knew little about. That seems less about caring for Rose and more about their image. If they really were concerned about her being taken care of, they’d first look to family.

I completely understand about parents worry about children with disabilities living alone. But they weren’t concerned until she got pregnant. And, this happened in their home.

[Sharon]

You're right. I forgot that they didn't know the guy they wanted her to marry.

[Charlene]

Jonetta, your point about Rose not being able to see the rapist's face in her child is an excellent one. I hadn't thought that far about this aspect.

[Jonetta]

Thanks, Charlene. It finally occurred to me while I was watching a Law & Order - SVU episode.

[Sandra]

I agree that not ever seeing her child's face probably helps Rose accept the child's she's carrying. On the other hand, I wonder if she even thinks of it that way?? If it really occurs to her that since she won't see the face, she won't be reminded of the rape every time she "looks" at it? I'm truly not sure, just asking. Part of me just believes that Rose is the type of person who loves unconditionally, is very accepting & forgiving, and couldn't conceive of not carrying this innocent child & loving and raising it. I love the character of Rose and think she's amazing.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Sandra ~ ♥ Cross My Heart ♥ wrote: "I agree that not ever seeing her child's face probably helps Rose accept the child's she's carrying. On the other hand, I wonder if she even thinks of it that way?? If it really occurs to her that ..."

I agree Sandra. I think that is just Rose's personality. Perhaps also being visually impaired adapts her thoughts on what is acceptable to her. I mean unfortunately there are still people who are uncomfortable with anything that doesn't fit into "normal". Rose doesn't see herself as disabled and in the same way wouldn't think of her child as a burden because of the circumstances of their conception. And Yes, maybe she never thought she would be able to become a mother and thus embraces the positive side of the situation. Still a remarkable woman.

[Sandra]

I agree, Lisa. That's the way I felt about it and Rose. I think she is who she is in spite of her handicap, not because of it. I love that she's so open & accepting - just an amazing character, I think.

[Sharon]

I love Rose's character too. She is very loving, and I think she plays an important part of pulling Mercy back into the family.

I was thinking about her father and Owen trying to get Rose married while I was watching an old movie last night.

There are still a lot of people who think a woman needs to be married to be happy. I constantly see folks post on social media something like "don't worry you will find someone to make you happy." These are young people too.

My sense is Kirk is a little older so I can see Owen and his father looking for a "good" match for Rose. I hope they look to people they know better in the future. However, I think Rose is more contemporary and won't bow to their wishes. She is too strong to cave.

[Christina T]

Jonetta wrote: "Rose is indeed pregnant and shows no signs of regret and the women in her family seem to embrace her decision. Talk about the impact of her pregnancy on the family and community."

I'm assuming you're talking about the prepper community and not the town as a community because my first reaction is the town can just butt out. However tongues wag in small towns when a single woman ends up pregnant. People can be cruel but Rose has enough supportive people around her to counteract the negativity of others.

It's a shame the men in her life feel a woman's place is taking care of a man and his needs. They feel men are better equipped at protecting and they feel Rose, especially, needs more protection than others.

I'd like to see Rose seek out more independence for her and the baby buy getting her own place. I think being under her family's thumb (mainly her dad and brother) could continue to bring unwanted conflict. She's going to be pushed and pushed to marry "for her own good". I think she's going to stick to her guns and continue to say no but this is an added stressor in her life I don't think she needs.

[Sharon]

I know that most of the readers believe the men in Rose's life want her in a marriage to take care of a man. I don't believe that is true. In the real world, one of the most difficult challenges for blind parents is for people to see their abilities instead of their disabilities.

I don't think the work she does with the church is a paying job. She needs money to keep her own place. To me, Rose's father and brother are concerned that she will need help with the baby. Everyone in her family knows she has skills to take care of herself, but infants are so dependent and toddlers are hard to manage. They aren't aware that the blind can resolve these challenges.

Regarding Rose finding her own place, I believe she likes the interaction with the other adults. What we know so far is Rose takes care of her family more than they take care of her. Transportation in a small community, is not readily available. She can't walk out the front door and get a bus or call Uber.

Rose is too strong to allow anyone to convince her to marry without love.