“The windows were imported from Austria in the eighteen hundreds in pieces. The pieces were assembled and leaded on site.”
“That’s amazing.”
The priest walked up the steps where the railing was, knelt quickly and crossed himself. He gave a backward glance to Luke.
“Not Catholic, are you?”
“I’m not anything.”
The priest continued past the altar and into a side room.
“We call this the vestry. It’s where I dress for services.”
“Oh, I should leave.”
“No need. All I do is put on the chasuble and the alb. Here, give me those.”
“What are they?”
“The Eucharist and the sacramental wine for the service.”
“Better be careful there, Father. Your Boss might not appreciate someone like me handling them.”
The priest chuckled and took the bags.
“You mean that stuff on your jacket?”
“Well, they aren’t stuff. Those patches mean something.”
“I’m sure they do, like my vestments. If I remember my Greek literature, Hades was the god of the dead. Some people equate Hades with transformation. Oh, not like death, but the deep changes that happen from time to time in their lives.”
“That sounds about familiar,” Luke said, amazed the priest was even having a conversation with him.
“So are you going through one of those changes now?”
Luke looked away and nodded. He wasn’t going to lie to a priest.
“And you blame God?”
Damn, he had heard Luke outside. “No, it’s really her parents. The girl’s.” He tried to laugh. “It’s always about a girl, isn’t it?” He shook his head as the priest patiently waited for him to finish. “It’s just that they are very Catholic, and they don’t think someone like me is good enough for their daughter.”
“Really?” asked the priest, his face completely unreadable. “Have you broken the law?”
“No.”
“Drink or do drugs?”
“I drink socially, but I never do drugs.”
“Disrespected their daughter?”
“No.” He didn’t think he had.
“Disrespected them?”
“No.” He hadn’t seen them in over a decade. Well, aside from driving by to drop their twenty-eight-year-old daughter off at her house.
“You work?”
“I own my own business. It does well.”
“Then I won’t ask you who they are, because I might know them, and I surely will know their priest, but I’ll ask you one more thing. Do you love her?”
“Yes,” said Luke quietly. “I always have.”
“Then I’ll tell you a secret,” the priest said conspiratorially. “That’s all that matters.”
Luke shook his head. “That doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“No, it is always the case. It is the loving that is important. Achieving that, that is the purpose of life. Whether or not you are together isn’t the point.”
“Then I don’t see the point.”
Father Peters sighed. “It’s a difficult concept. On the other hand, I don’t think that once God brings two people together he means for them to be apart. That is why we say in the marriage vows “what God has brought together, let no man break asunder”.
Luke looked into the man’s eyes and the priest nodded. “Thanks, Father.”
“I hope things work out for you. Now,” the priest smiled, “unless you care to join me, I have to prepare for my service.”
#
When Emily pulled in her driveway from work she found a motorbike parked in her spot and Luke sitting on the rocking chair on the porch. Her heart sped and danced a crazy rhythm. “Luke? What’re you doing here?”
“Please hear me out.” He stood. “If you still say no, then I’ll walk away and never bother you again. There’s something I have to know.”
“What is it?” He shouldn’t be here. If Evan was lurking somewhere and reporting to the police, everything could be ruined.
“Why didn’t you visit me that summer?”
Emily hung her head. She knew what he was talking about and was surprised he hadn’t brought it up the other day. “My parents wouldn’t allow me. My dad, well, he was only trying to protect me.”
“From what?” He threw his hands up in the air. “And now? They won’t allow you to see me?”
“No! It’s just that things are complicated with Evan and my court case.”
“Fuck Evan!”
Emily looked at him, shocked.
“And for that matter, fuck the court case! Em, are you seriously going to tell me that you’re going to let bullshit like this get in the way of us?”
“Luke, please,” pleaded Emily.
“No.” He shook his head. “It’s time for you to grow up, Em. I’m a man, an adult, and I’m not going to play these high school games with you. You’ve got a problem, then solve it. That’s what adults do. I’m offering, if you want, to solve it together. But for the love of all that’s holy, stop thinking that pushing me away is going to solve your problems! It sure as hell didn’t solve a single thing for me.”