Stolen Innocence - Lisa Pulitzer [139]
It was a riddle, and Lamont couldn’t decipher it. He persevered with the support of his grandfather, but all that ended in late 2002 when Lamont’s next youngest brother, Mike, was assigned a wife. While he was happy for his brother, it was at this moment that Lamont realized that he had no future with the FLDS. His only remaining unmarried brother was handicapped, which meant that he had been passed over by the prophet for marriage intentionally. With Warren as the prophet, he would never be assigned a wife. To compound his confusion and frustration, Lamont had started a concrete company with two of his cousins, and was beginning to plant its footprint when disaster struck. After the expulsion of Lamont’s uncle Jethro he’d agreed to help him move his things from the community. But word got around that Lamont was fraternizing with apostates and his partners turned on him, thus pushing him out and dissolving the company, leaving Lamont financially destroyed. It seemed that in an instant, the priesthood had again taken everything from him. His company was destitute and he’d been again passed over for a wife. Even though his mind and heart were still true to the religion, he’d lost all hope.
The following morning he paid his grandfather a visit and in a tearful exchange explained why he was leaving the church. George Barlow did his best to try to persuade him to stay and even followed Lamont to Salt Lake City to convince him to come home. In Salt Lake, Lamont was living with some other friends who had just left the church, but in less than two months, he was out of money and sleeping in his truck. Word of his failed business precluded him from finding work, as potential employers in the Salt Lake Valley who’d once been affiliated with the FLDS were swayed by the rumors that Lamont was to blame for his business’ failure and declined to hire him. While his efforts to get on his feet had been valiant, he’d repeatedly been turned down wherever he went. He hadn’t eaten in days and his cell phone was about to be shut off. That’s when his grandfather came to him with an offer of redemption. Grandfather Barlow told him that there was still a chance for him to come back and make a life for himself in Colorado City. All he had to do was follow the will of the prophet, and the will of the prophet was for him to sign a paper in order to prove his faithfulness to the church.
Apparently, the wife of a prominent FLDS member had fled the community with her children and had sought refuge with Lamont’s aunt in Salt Lake City. During his time in Salt Lake, he had seen the woman over at his aunt’s house, and now his grandfather wanted him to sign a court affidavit listing a number of accusations to help the woman’s husband, a leading church elder, fight to obtain custody of their children. In return, Lamont would have the opportunity for a life in the FLDS and be reunited with his family. Since it was the prophet making this request, chances were excellent that if he complied, Lamont would gain Warren’s good favor and be allowed to come back to Colorado City and perhaps have a chance at the future he’d been working so hard toward.
Destitute and longing for his family and friends, Lamont agreed. Short Creek was the only place where he’d ever felt useful, and the idea of returning home filled him with joy. Five hundred dollars in cash was suddenly placed in his hand.
“Warren said you’re going to need this,” his grandfather told him.
It was the prophet’s wish that Lamont check in to a hotel in St. George where he was to remain for one week. He was to use the money for the room and board and stay inside, have no contact with anyone except his grandfather, and write a letter of confession to the prophet. Determined to prove his worthiness,