by Claire Adams
It belonged to him — the gorgeous man I’d given my virginity to.
No way; it can’t be him. This is a priest! I let that settle for a moment and then he said something really strange that got my suspicions aroused again. Before we prayed he said, “Does anyone else know about your…indiscretion?”
What an odd question. Why would that matter? A sin was still a sin, whether you told anyone about it or not.
“No, Father, I am too ashamed to tell anyone else. Besides, I believe that it’s between God and me at this point.”
He hesitated again. This was the oddest confession I’d ever had. Finally, I heard him take a deep breath and imagined him having more questions. He didn’t ask any, however. Instead, he said, “Bless you. Please go and say three Hail Marys and two Our Fathers and sin no more.” I wondered now if the shakiness in his voice was because he recognized my voice, as well.
He began to recite the Act of Contrition, and although I knew this drill very well, it took me a few seconds to jump in because I was still freaked out and trying to figure out what I should do.
I remembered back to the night I met the man in the bar. I had thought about how much I liked his voice. It was soft and gentle, but still masculine…like silk, almost. Just like this man’s voice — my new priest. I assured myself that the man I had sex with was not a priest and jumped in at, “I detest all of my sins because they offend thee…”
Even as I prayed, it was suddenly impossible to get the image of the gorgeous man that the voice had drummed up out of my head. I knelt at the altar and offered my penance, the entire time almost hoping the priest would step out of his side of the booth so that I could see his face. There was no way, no way at all…that would just be way too much for God to expect me to bear.
I finished my prayers and said one more, “Dear God in heaven, please let me be horribly mistaken about Father Jace.”
I left with my soul feeling somewhat lighter. Church always did that for me, no matter what the situation. But, I didn’t feel quite as light as I normally did after I confessed my sins. Something was different about it this time. I don’t know if it’s my own paranoia and concerns about his voice sounding so familiar or if this priest just wasn’t as warm and comforting as the ones I’ve known in the past.
This one seemed to be more concerned with whether or not I had told anyone than anything else…and that was just odd.
Chapter Ten
Jace
As soon as I heard the sound of her voice, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I may have even gasped aloud and I hoped that she didn’t hear me.
Life as I had come to know it seemed to be ending rapidly. First, I had lost my grandmother, and then I gave in to the sins of the bottle and then the sins of the flesh. Now, I heard the beautiful young woman’s voice again…in the confessional, of all places.
I remembered the sound of it clearly. It had a sweet little timbre to it, and besides, when a priest has a moment like that — or an entire night, such as I did that night — he’s going to vividly remember every detail, no matter how drunk he was.
I couldn't believe that I had asked her if she’d told anyone. That was a very un-priestly question. I didn’t offer any words of support or encouragement, I just slapped her penance on her and sent her on her way.
Now, I couldn’t help myself. I had to know for sure. I had to be certain that the potential end to my career was kneeling in my church. I was treading all over the sacraments. I pushed open the confessional door just a tiny little crack. Luckily, no one else was waiting for confession.
I could see the shapely young lady walk towards the altar in her skirt and heels. I begged myself to remember where I was and to not enjoy watching her walk away. It was hard. She had to have shapeliest legs and backside that I’d seen in a long time…or maybe it was just the only one I’d noticed.
Before she knelt down, she glanced up at the huge crucifix on the wall. I could clearly see her profile and make out her pretty features. This was absolutely, without a doubt, the girl I broke my vows with.
I pulled the door closed and once more felt sick to my stomach. What have I done? If she tells anyone, the scandal will surely make the papers, I could lose my job…and my brothers would find out. They’re both so proud of me, like Grandmother always was. Grandmother would turn over in her grave and my brothers…well, I’m sure they’d still love me as much as ever, but the scandal would be humiliating for them, as well.
I closed my eyes and prayed, “Dear Father, please forgive me for my trespasses against you, and please God, give me the strength to walk the straight and narrow path you’ve laid out before me.”
Chapter Eleven
Daphne
I didn’t make it to church the Sunday after confession. I had to work and I was disappointed for more than one reason. The first one being that I really did love going to church. It made me feel close to God and like things were going to be right with the world.
The second reason was that I was dying to see the new priest. I kept trying to convince myself that it absolutely was not him…it couldn’t be, but until I actually saw him, it was going to continue to niggle away at me. I wanted to see him so that I could tell myself once and for all that it was all in my head.
My guilt was trying to convince me that I had created a much more grievous sin than I’d originally thought. It was eating away at me and I’d have to wait one more week to find out for certain. I prayed every night that the sound of his voice was nothing more than a coincidence.
I decided to cook myself some dinner after I got home from work on Monday night. I’d bought some lean beef and I cut it in strips and marinated it. I caramelized some red onions, bell peppers, and Portobello mushrooms cut up into quarter-sized pieces. Then I mixed it all together with some fried rice and rolled it in a whole wheat wrap. I took a big bite before I even made it to the table. It was delicious and I was proud of myself for cooking and not eating fast food.
That was just too easy sometimes when I was alone and it was so bad for me. I poured myself a glass of iced tea and just as I finally sat down to eat, my phone rang.
I picked it up off the counter, looked at the face of it and smiled. As soon as I said hello I heard, “Hi, girl!” It was Carla. Carla was my best friend all throughout high school and through two years of Community college. She was probably the only person in the entire world who knew my entire backstory. Poor Carla.
“Hi, Carla! How are you?”
She laughed. “That’s what I called to ask you. You’re the one who moved. I haven’t heard from you in weeks.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy with the move and my new job.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I could hear the smile in her voice. “How is the new apartment?” Carla had given me a lot of the kitchen items I’d just used to make dinner. When I moved, the only things I took from my father’s home were my own personal things. I didn’t want to give that man any reason to think that I owed him anything.
“It’s good. I really like it here so far.” Except the part where I got drunk and decide to give my virginity to a priest. “I even cooked dinner for myself tonight thanks to you and some of the utensils you gave me.”
She laughed again. “You’re so domestic,” she said.
I giggled. “Yeah right…not,” I said. “I’m getting better, though, that’s for sure. I’m actually enjoying what I made tonight, not just eating to stay alive.”
“What about the job? How is that going?”
“It’s good. They’ve all been really nice to me, and I haven’t dropped any trays of food or burnt anyone with a hot pot of coffee yet.”
“That’s always good,” she said with a laugh. “You know, I hate seeing you work as a waitress. You’re so smart. You were the smartest girl in our class. You should be in nursing school already.”
“I’ll save enough to go back in a couple of years. I’ll still be young.”
“Well, at least we don’t have to w
orry about you getting pregnant and ruining it for yourself,” she said. “Since you’re a saint, as well.”
I felt a pang of guilt stab me in the chest. “I’m thinking sainthood is not in my future,” I told her.
“No? I want details.”
“I’m just saying that I’m no saint.”
“Really? You could have fooled me. How many other 22-year old virgins do you know? Especially hot ones.”
“Oh hush,” I said, feeling my eyes fill with tears. Did I really give my virginity up during the act of committing one of the greatest sins against the Catholic Church? She had me thinking about it again. Damn! “Hey, Carla…I need to tell you something.”
“Good, fess up!” she said. I could tell she was smiling. Carla loved nothing better than dishing dirt.
“I lost my virginity.”
“You did? To who? Where? How?”
Laughing, I said, “Whoa! Slow down there. I was angry with my father-”
“He hasn’t been up there bothering you, has he?”
“No. He called and said some stupid things, as usual. But afterwards, I was stressed out. I went and found a little hole in the wall bar and I got drunk. There was this guy there…
“Carla, he was the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen. He had these really pretty eyes with long eyelashes and short, sandy blond hair. And, he also had a killer body to go along with it. He was pretty drunk himself…drunker than me, I think.”
“Whoa! What is his name?”
“I have no idea…”
“You slut!” She giggled. She had no idea that was exactly what I felt like.
“I went to his apartment with him and we had sex. It was pretty amazing sex, too. He was sweet and gentle and all man at the same time.”
“That sounds better than anything I’ve had in recent years. Why do you sound so flat?”
“Well, first of all, you know how I feel about my faith. I was going to wait until I was married…and I blew that on a one-night stand.”
“Oh, don’t be so hard on yourself. You waited longer than most. Five years longer than me.”
“That doesn’t count,” I told her. “It’s not about how long you wait. It’s about saving it for the man you intend to spend the rest of your life with.”
“So maybe this guy is that man.”
That was when I lost it. I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I said, “Oh, Carla! I did something terrible…I think…”
“Oh no! You’re not pregnant, are you?”
“No. I’ve taken a pregnancy test. But I went to confession last week…”
“Girl, you beat yourself up enough. You don’t need to be confessing to some old priest that’s going to look down his nose at you.”
I didn’t get angry with her when she said things like that. I knew she didn’t have the same belief system as I did, and that was alright. We loved each other anyways.
“They have the old-fashioned confessionals, at least, so I didn’t have to face him. But the thing is…his voice sounded really familiar. It took me a bit to figure out where I knew it from. Carla, I think he was the guy.”
She sounded like she was choking on whatever she’d taken a drink of right then. “What the hell? You think you slept with a priest? Baby, your Catholic guilt is working overtime. Did you see him? I’m sure you’ve been to church since you’ve been there. Can’t you tell by looking at him if he’s the same guy or not?”
“I haven’t seen him. He’s new at the church, and I’m new in town. The guy I slept with that night told me he’d just moved into town. He had boxes all over his apartment.”
“Any priestly stuff?”
“No, no ‘priestly’ stuff,” I said with a laugh.
“No crosses hanging upside down on the walls?”
Giggling I said, “No, Carla! That’s so bad!”
She laughed. “Well, I just thought maybe this guy was the devil, dressed up as a priest to tempt you.”
“Maybe he is.” I wasn’t joking. What if that was the case?
“Oh, come on, honey. You’re the best person I know. You didn’t sleep with a priest.”
“Well, I haven’t really told you what practically convinced me that I did. When I told the priest about having sex, he asked me if I’d told anyone else. I thought that was really strange. Why would he ask me that?”
“What did you tell him when he asked you that?”
“I told him that I was too ashamed…but that I thought that it was between God and me anyways and no one else needed to know.”
“So, maybe that was what he was going for. Maybe he could sense you beating up on yourself the way you do. I know that you believe God still loves you, right?”
“Of course.”
“Okay, so maybe that’s all he was going for. He wanted you to know that your whole life didn’t have to change for one mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, honey, even saints like you, apparently.”
“Stop calling me that,” I told her. “I don’t know, Carla. I really sensed he was relieved when I told him I hadn’t told anyone.”
“Baby, you are letting your guilt eat away at your brain. You feel guilty for losing your cherry.”
“Carla!”
“Oh Lord, fine. You feel guilty for giving your maidenhead to a man.”
I laughed and shook my head; she was too much. “Yes, I do feel guilty.”
“So, your head is messing with you because of it. You’ll see. You’ll take one look at the priest when you see him and you’ll know that there is now way you slept with that guy.”
I laughed again and she said, “In all seriousness, he was probably just trying to understand your situation and your frame of mind better. Or, I know how fast you talk when you want to just get something over with. Maybe he just wanted you to slow down and think about it so you can learn from it. That’s what priests do, right?”
“I suppose…”
“Did he give you a stricter penance than other priests?”
“No, it was about the same.”
“Well then, I’m sure that I’m right. Of course, I usually am. You’re letting your thoughts and emotions drive you crazy. You do it all the time, baby. You’re your own worst enemy.”
That much I knew was true. For the time being, I wanted to believe she was right and I hadn’t done anything as horrible as I feared. I changed the subject back to her and we had a 20-minute conversation about her new boyfriend.
Carla loves men. She unfortunately looks for love in all the wrong places…except rectories, that’s apparently my department. Each man she goes out with starts perfect and she thinks, “This is it, I’ve met the one.” Then by the end of the first or second month, he turns into a two-headed sloth and she has to try and get rid of him.
The good news is that she never gives up. The bad news is that she never gives up.
Chapter Twelve
Jace
The Saturday after I listened to the woman I’d have sex with confess her sins, I cancelled on my brothers for lunch. I didn’t know how to deal with all of it myself, but I knew that my brothers were the wrong ones to ask. I love them more than my next breath, but neither of them is very religious. Grandmother tried, but I was the only one it stuck onto to…and look how that turned out.
Anyway, I needed some quiet time so I spent all day Saturday organizing my new apartment and talking aloud to God as I did. I wished so badly that He could just tell me what to do. I suddenly understood those parishioners who came to me and said, “God gives me all of these choices…why doesn’t he just put the right one in front of me so I know which one it is?”
I knew what the Catholic Church expected of me. I’d taken vows to serve God and to remain pious as I did so. I knew that I should confess my own sins to the priest at our Diocese, and I knew that once I did that, there would have to be consequences for my actions beyond those of my tortured soul. I hadn’t been able to do any of that. It’s like I was stuck in limbo, waiting for someone to tell me which di
rection to go in.
The following Saturday morning, my brother Ryan called me. “Hey! You have to show up for lunch today.”
“I don’t know, Rye…”
“Come on! Too much is changing. Grandmother is gone, and you’re pulling away from us. I can’t handle it, Jace!”
“I’m not pulling away. I’ve just had a lot to do and a lot on my mind with the move and all.”
“Two hours, one afternoon. Come on, bro. Please.”
How could I say no? I dressed in street clothes and met them at the Applebee’s in town. Max was dressed in his usual button down dress shirt and slacks, and Ryan had on faded jeans with holes in them, a Levi jacket with the sleeves cut off to make a vest, and a white-t-shirt. Colorful tattoos covered both of his arms. They looked like an odd couple and I had to chuckle at what we would have looked like together had I worn my collar.
“Hey, there’s the wayward brother. Are you trying to steal Ryan’s role?” Max asked me as I walked up.
“Nope, he’s still the wayward one,” I said with a grin. Max got up and hugged me and Ryan followed suit.
“I’m so glad you showed up that I’m not even going to let your insults get to me,” he said. We all sat down and ordered. My brothers ordered beers with their lunch. I hadn’t had a drink at all since that night. I ordered water.
“So, how are things going for you, Rye?” I felt bad that I hadn’t called more to check in on him. I knew that he was a grown man, but I also knew that my grandmother had coddled him and made it hard for him to be able to do things on his own that grown men should be able to do.
“Things are okay. One day at a time, you know?”
“He’s just mostly having a hard time learning how to work the appliances,” Max joked. “You know, washer, dryer, coffee pot…” Ryan flipped him the bird. “Not in front of the priest!” Max scolded him.
I rolled my eyes and said, “Are you kidding? He’s blatantly picked up women right in front of me.”
Ryan laughed and said, “Well, in my defense…I was drunk.”
