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HIS WHITE COLLAR JOB

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

A solitary man sat huddled in the corner of the church pew, thinking, praying, pondering his next move, occasionally glancing at the little light above the confessional door indicating that a priest was available to listen, to advise, to absolve; rubbing his chafed neck, the man looked down at his Roman collar now resting on the pew next to him, as he contemplated how many years it had been since his ordination, how many baptisms he had performed, weddings he had celebrated, funerals he had officiated – more than he could count. 

He was a good priest – some might even say excellent – not perfect by any stretch but he was no thief, no murderer and the rights certainly outweighed the wrongs – all except THIS wrong; no one knew his secret so who was he hurting, he asked himself endless times, always able to justify his actions for even Jesus said that the sins of the flesh were human and the easiest to forgive. 

They were friends and saw each other every day at the hospital where they both worked – she as a nurse and he as a chaplain – respected, trusted and admired by staff and patients alike for she possessed an amazing ability to calm the fears of the sick and console the grief-stricken and he to provide solace in the form of prayer to the heavy-hearted and forlorn, to offer hope to the hopeless, to lay his hands on those in the throes of death and perform last rights when the end was upon them.

They told themselves they were drawn together by their mutual empathy for the suffering, which was true at first, but now the unthinkable had happened – they had become lovers, adulterers, for he was married to the church and she was married to his best friend; he was happiest when he was with her and yet this wrong which felt so right was eating him alive. 

He glanced up again to see the little light was still burning brightly – a beacon to him in his bleakness – and he knew the three lonely choices before him: confess his sins, beg forgiveness and give her up, go on living a lie and continue their affair or abandon his beloved church not knowing if she would leave her husband for him; whatever his decision, the toll would be unbearable. 

Making the sign of the cross, he rose and slowly walked toward the confessional, steeling himself as he reached out for the handle of the confessional booth but at that exact moment when he looked up, the little light had been switched off; knowing he missed his chance at forgiveness, he was despondent, his head hanging, tears falling as he turned and disappeared into the blackness of the night. 

NAR © 2023

Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt!

33 thoughts on “HIS WHITE COLLAR JOB”

      1. 😁 He was a good dancer too.
        He must’ve performed an amazing grand jeté to leap over his old monastery’s wall.
        (btw, true story. It was how he described his escape from religious orders)

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  7. Did you know my stepfather is an ex-Jesuit? He was, in fact, the pastor of our parish in Chicago. He met Mom when he went to visit Dad at the hospital. Slowly, they became friends, then lovers. Long story, he left the priesthood, married Mom, they had a baby… Anyway, I know he had moments like this, because he told me. Great story!

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    1. No, I didn’t have any idea, John. That’s quite some story. You’ve just proven my point that priests are human and the restraints put on them by the church these days are unrealistic. Of course, there are priests who are content in life and happy with the vows they have taken. Good for them! I believe priests should be allowed to marry and married men should be allowed to become priests. Thank you for sharing such a personal comment with us.

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    1. Thanks so much, Vera! It must be extremely difficult for priests who want to keep their vows but also want a wife and family. It’s allowed in just about every other religious denomination and the priests are just as effective, productive and devoted to their parishes.

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  13. “Between the velvet lies
    There’s a truth that’s hard as steel, yeah
    The vision never dies
    Life’s a never ending wheel, say
    Holy diver
    You’re the star of the masquerade”

    Now… do you honestly expect me to have anything coherent to say, cara?
    After you have masterfully paired in MEDIC your Six with Dio?

    One thing remains…up the malocchio!!

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