The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

Eula is a pious, God-fearing Christian woman. She is a schoolteacher and attends Bible study on a regular basis. She is convinced that she needs a husband to really be happy and successful in her life, but she continually finds herself spending time and being intimate with her lifelong friend, Caroletta. She is afraid of her own desires and does not openly acknowledge them. She has been convinced that it is a sin to be with someone of the same sex, so she doesn’t allow herself to imagine a real relationship with Caroletta. Eula represents the hypocritical Christian, a common character in these stories. She thwarts her own desires and self in order to follow her religion, but she fails time and time again. Her friend, Caroletta, sees the futility of this battle but is unable to convince Eula.

The unnamed protagonist in “Not-Daniel” is a woman whose mother is in hospice care for ovarian cancer. She finds herself carrying the burden of being the dutiful daughter, with her mother at the end of her life while also taking care of practical things like insurance and bills and talking to relatives. She is in a state of limbo, waiting for the day her mother passes, grieving and worrying, needing comfort.