Shackled and handcuffed in the back of the transport van on the way to sentencing, Jan asked herself when her feminist crusade had actually started. The newspaper spouted theories galore, but what did they know? Was it the first time she was overlooked for promotion at Dell in favor of incompetent Earl? Or maybe when Mr. Jackson, her high school English teacher, reserved A-plusses only for boys, arguing they’d need them more for university applications? No, Jan thought, it was years before that.

On the first snow-sparkled day of December, warmish yet freezing, Jan and her brothers charged outside mitted and snowsuited. It was packy snow, perfect for balling, fort building, and making men, and they aimed to populate the square patch of scrub Dad called a front lawn. They rolled and strained, shoved and heaved, ignoring the crispy, dried leaves panko-breading their bases, middles, and heads. By the time they’d hoovered up all available snow, they’d succeeded in building one huge man and a row of six smaller people. 

The lumpy, big-bellied fella looked so much like Preacher Bergen that Jan ran in the house demanding an old imitation-silk tie, wide from the ‘70s, and Grampie’s oily fedora. With Preacher Bergen dressed, this left six bare snow people forming a rapt but scant congregation. Jan flew back to the kitchen, asking for beads from the junk drawer and tattered satin scarves. Mama handed them over but drew the line at Jan’s request for red lipstick. 

“But they’re church ladies,” Jan whined, picturing the pretty, made-up Sunday faces. 

“No lipstick, Janice, they don’t need mouths. You know very well that the Church of Christ forbids women from speaking in the service.” 

Janice sagged back outside with her loot and forlornly watched her brothers whoop and holler as they finished accessorizing the snow people, enthusiastically adding stick fingers and pebble eyes. Then Jan spied it. The boys had given Preacher Bergen a massive open mouth using snippets of red twig dogwood. He was all set to launch into a mighty long sermon while Jan was left there waiting in the snow ladies’ pew, obedient, lipless, and silent.