O'Father where art thou...

Jul 7th, 2011 03:11 PM

Back when Daysha was a kid church was something she went to because her parents did that on Sundays. The dress for first communion and confirmation were such a big deal….. to her mother. Debbie is/was a social butterfly at church. She hated that. Keeping faith when you’re a cop isn’t easy and she tried to go to Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow (how depressing) with her family for years. After her divorce, she quit going cause that’s all it seemed to be was a social gathering.

This time, she was lost. In more ways than one. Maybe God had her answers. Doubtful.

Daysha's old church was on the other side of town and completely inconvenient, so she thought she'd try one that was closer. Did it really matter? So she was sitting in the back pew of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament after Wednesday mass. Wednesday masses were usually less populated, but wow, this was sad. She waited for the Priest to walk into the confessional.

Shit, I’m the only one here waiting…. Damn it. Does it count as a sin if I swear in my head. Man I don’t remember.

**Rory** · Jul 7th, 2011 09:51 PM

Rory scratched absentmindedly at his light beard as he fastened his cincture and draped his stole over the black cassock. The beard was as much a part of his liturgical vestments as the other pieces; he'd learned early on that it made him look older. Which, in his line of work, translated into comfort and trust.

He'd also learned that people waiting for confession didn't particularly like being looked at; that baring the immortal soul for peace needed to be done with an impersonal stranger. And so he didn't particularly note anything except that there was only one parishioner waiting. Silent footfalls turned into hollow thumps as he stepped into the booth. A few moments of adjusting the volumes of cloth he was draped in, and finally he exhaled and relaxed.

Then he took off his shoes.

Ready, he slid his window open and turned on the switch that would illuminate the light that would signal the booth was unoccupied until a confessor applied weight to the kneeler.

Jul 8th, 2011 12:00 PM

Daysha waited a few minutes. Partially to see if anyone else was lurking about waiting and partially because she wasn't sure if she was ready. What am I doing here. She decided to go in, she assumed Priests didn't like their time wasted either.

She walked over to the confessional slowly and opened the door just as slow. Turning around and checking the doorknob she wondered. You'd think with all the Priest scandals there would be locks on the inside of the parishioner's confessionals by now. Granted, not all men of the cloth were like that, but lately the world was about covering your own ass.

She shook her head and knelt down waiting for Father Somethingorother to speak first. I think that's how it goes. How did I forget all of this when it was like nothing when I was a kid.

She cleared her throat and waited.

**Rory** · Jul 8th, 2011 01:40 PM

The seconds dragged by, and Rory waited until he was sure that the penitent wasn't merely saying a quick prayer in preparation.

Or taking off their shoes, too.

Nor did he hear the soft rustle of cloth that would accompany one crossing themselves. And yet they had waited for him, which meant that some things were remembered, and some forgotten.

"Welcome back to the Church," he said softly, with just the slightest hint of humor.

No sense coming out guns blazing.

"How long has it been since your last Confession?"

Jul 8th, 2011 11:21 PM

Daysha shook her head. I didn't think it was that obvious. She thought yet then again, it was a job like hers. People have patterns and you pick them up quick.

Yet for some reason she was nervous, and the lilt of it was probably in her voice as she spoke. "Uh," Thinking, marriage, kid, divorce when was it. "Maybe 10 years ago. I can't remember." With a soft apologetic tone.

She snickered a little. "I bet you get that a lot." She unzipped her jacket, she was starting to get warm in the confessional. That or it was nerves.

**Rory** · Jul 8th, 2011 11:36 PM

"Oh, no, not at all. Usually they just say a month or two. No one ever admits to ten years."

The humor was a calculated risk. On the one hand, it could be off-putting, and stain his credibility. On the other, he'd heard the soft snicker and rolled the dice. People shied from condemnation and judgmet. Bringing someone back to the Church was much more about how their fellow man would receive them rather than how He would.

"We're very happy to have you return..."
The statement ended on a slight lilt; a question, unasked but inviting her to explain what had happened to bring her back.

Jul 9th, 2011 12:07 AM

This guy seemed rather nice. Not like Father Cholewinski at Sorrow.

“Well, at least I’m honest.” She replied with some embarrassment.

Where do I begin….

“First of all Father, can you pull the screen back?” She sighed with a little guilt. “We both know I was the only one out there anyway.” Then she quickly interjected. “Unless of course it’s against your policy or something.” Policy probably wasn’t the right word but it was the quickest one she could think of. She bit her lip. Daysha was a cop this should have been easier, not reverse interrogation.

Christ, I thought this place had A/C… ah, whoops.

**Rory** · Jul 9th, 2011 07:18 PM

There was a few moments of silence, then the harsh sound of the screen sliding back before bluish-grey eyes were revealed.

They crinkled and his brow furrowed for a moment. He hadn't really looked at her in the nave.

"Of course, it's just a device for privacy, to put people more at ease."

He paused, then added, "Just so you know, for the future, you can do confessions in a priest's office, some take appointments."

It was done more with Anglicans but he knew the difference between dogma and tradition.

Jul 9th, 2011 07:58 PM

Maybe coming here was a mistake.... too late now. Why am I so nervous?

"Thank you Father. I'm not sure where to begin." Daysha said while she looked into his eyes for a moment, then looked down. "There's a couple of reasons why I'm here." She paused, and still wasn't sure how to start. "Since I haven't been here for a while, maybe I'll ask this first." There was another pause, and it was a nervous one. "What's the Church's position on relationships outside of marriage?" She asked, but it didn't come out right.

Why do I feel so humble? I don't even have this problem with dad.

**Rory** · Jul 9th, 2011 09:12 PM

For just a second he wondered if the guys down at the bar were playing a prank. He wouldn't be the first priest to have friends think it was funny to send a stripper to 'confession'.

"The Church's position is quite clear and based on Scripture; that the joining of a man and woman is reserved for the sanctity of marriage. It is also considered a 'mortal' sin," he said. "But that only means that one must address it before the eucharist."

There really wasn't any way to sugar-coat it.

"Are you married?"

Plenty of soccer moms confessed to cheating; he'd just never had one want to do it face to face.

It was slightly disconcerting.

O'Father where art thou...

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