'Forbidden Fruit'

[alidiabin]

Title: Forbidden Fruit
Words: 1,008
Warnings: Will offend someone... sorry my muse is in a dark place.
Summary: A priest looks at what he will never have.
Yes it's an orignial fic. *gasps in shock* no stealing.

 

Forbidden Fruit

Father Patrick Lucas straightened the bibles and hymnbooks in the old rickety pews. Such was a life for a Catholic priest in a crowded seemingly secular city; people did not have time for religion any longer, in his two years at the St Peters Square Parish, he had yet to see a full house even during the binge worshipping holidays of Christmas and Easter.

His own country church had been quite the opposite it was always a full house. With children littering the aisles and adults sticking together on the sweaty, summer mornings. With a charismatic priest named Father Robert Yandall who with his piercing blue eyes and fluent words told religion like it was something worth getting involved in.

Of course, Father Yandall was hardly the next prophet he had a dark side buried deep in, a side only few got to witness. It started with an accidental graze at choir practice and often led to private meetings in Father Yandalls office behind a big heavy wooden door.

Father Lucas ran his fingers through his graying blonde hair; he had never spoken about what had happened to him. Never told how it had repressed all sexual urges in him. He had never explained that those secret meetings and a desire to repent for the sin committed against him were the reasons why he joined the Church as a priest.

Lucas own self-pity was interrupted by a woman entering the church. He offered her a smile as she walked in but she looked away. He admired her black curly hair and soft skin. She had been coming in for nearly a week now while the city ate their foil wrapped sushi lunches. Lucas turned to look at her as she slid down the pew second from the back, right into the middle, leaned her hands on the wooden back on the pew in front and begun to pray.

Her name was Mara; she worked at the bank down the road as a loans officer. She was like any other worker in the city; she worked hard during the week and retreated to the comfort of her apartment during the weekends. She had a boyfriend named Baxter, they had been together since they met in a grimy backpackers hostel somewhere between Germany and Belgium. Mara originally hailed from Lithuania, at night, she still dreamed of it, but it was no longer home. Home was wherever Baxter was.

She and Baxter had accidently made themselves a family, a forgotten pill and a drunken night had led to a surprise. Mara had cried in the bathroom when she discovered she was pregnant, so fearful Baxter would leave her. Instead he picked her up from the bathroom carried her to bed and kissed her.

Mara never felt quite right about the pregnancy, according to all the books and women at work it was normal the hormones and nerves were just screwing with her. She tried to believe them.

When the doctor stood in the room with a sad look on her own face, Mara begun to worry. The doctor began spouting off about testing and how it had all been double-checked twice and how there was truly know easy what to say the words about to come from her pink lipped mouth. It all came down to a truly soul destroying sentence if Mara had her baby it would probably kill her.

Baxter and most of the girls at work tried to persuade her to get an abortion. Still Mara clung to her little miracle, her gift from God. Maybe not the thing inside her but the idea of a baby.

Her family in Lithuania had been religious; she attended mass every Sunday morning. Therefore, in a desperately vain hope Mara came in on her lunch hour and prayed. She prayed to a God whose existence she had seriously questioned. She reasoned with him, claiming she would go to church every damn day if he just gave her what she wanted. So far, her prayers had been unanswered.

Lucas stopped and looked at Mara, her back was arched and leaning across the pew. Her black coiled hair fell onto her back. The midday light pouring in through the stain glass windows illuminated her pale skin making it glow. Lucas could just see her full and perfectly kissable lips.

Feelings that had been repressed for thirty years erupted from his heart and a certain appendage as if he was fifteen again. He admired the beautiful young woman in his church. He wanted her but he knew he could not have her.

Still he found himself pulled to her as sobs erupted from her tiny frame. Lucas sat down next to her. Mara looked up aware of the warm presence beside her, she had vainly hoped it was Baxter with his rock star hair cut and emerald eyes, she wanted Baxter to tell it was ok. Instead Mara found herself next to a priest. He offered his hand as comfort. She obliged him and squeezed it. He smiled at the tiny touch. The clock struck one and Mara got up and rushed out of the church. Lucas just watched, with a sad look on his face. He felt abandoned.

Mara called Baxter as she walked back to work. She said she would be booking the appointment and that she needed him there. He told her would be. Mara had taken the priests comfort as a sign from god that it would all be all right. She would be ok. .

Lucas never saw her again. She never once stepped foot in the church again. Lucas wondered about her when he dreamed. He dreamed of black curly hair flowing like a Goddess. Her piercing aqua eyes. She was alive in his dreams.

She was dead in reality. A car hit her while she walking across the street to get back to work. Her scarlet blood had never fully been washed from the ebony road. There would always be a tiny part of her soul there.

A/N: This was not intended to insult Catholics. And I own it so no stealing.

 

Comments

[sunshine-80.livejournal.com]

Original fic, you have tons of stories in your head, huh? I wasn't offended, but I think we (or me and your characters) have pretty different views on things. Thanks for sharing.
I was not expecting the ending.

[alidiabin]

This is one I have been brewing for months. I left it alone then came back, it's probably like the tenth re-write. And I've been reading a lot of short story collections so it felt like the write time to publish it.

Thank you for reading and reviewing. *happy dance* I'm glad you enjoyedi it.

[alidiabin]

Thank you!