The Confession (33 page)

At that moment, Jenny felt
Olivia pull on her dress. “What is
it,
honey?”

“Mommy, can we walk on the sand? Gramps
said we could.”

“We’ll take them,” Colin
said and looked
at
John for confirmation. “Our beautiful
wives can sit and relax.”

“Oh my, my heart is all pitter patter,”
Margaret joked. “When was the last time you said I as
beautiful?”

Colin frowned. “I’m sorry
if I don’t say
it,
honey. I have always thought you
were beautiful, and I love you very much.”

Rendered speechless by Colin’s
heartfelt words, she walked over to him and kissed him
passionately. “I love you madly, you old codger.”

“I love you too,
Maggie.
”

John and Colin walked to
the dune not far from the house. The children immediately ran off
to play in the sand. John brought along a couple of
buckets
and showed the children how to make a sand castle.

Once seated, John took a deep breath
and sifted sand through his fingers. “I remember the last time I
sat here. My life is so different now. Look at them Dad. They are
my children. We signed the adoption papers the day before the
wedding. I’m a father and it feels wonderful.”

Colin patted him on the back. “You are
so different John. I have watched you blossom this past year. You
made the right decision with your life. I anxiously await your
first sermon. Your mother and I are converting. We want the family
to remain united in our faith.”

Stunned, John turned to
face his father. “You would do that for
my family and me
?”

“Of
course,
we would John. You are our son, and
this past year has taught me that time is too short to miss bonding
with my family.” Colin moved closer to John and whispered, “How was
last night? Was it everything you hoped it would be?”

“It was the most beautiful night of my
life. For the first time since I resigned, I did not feel like a
priest. I felt like a man, with strong, intense need for my wife.
These feeling are new for me. It felt wonderful waking up this
morning and feeling my wife’s warm body wrapped around
me.”

Colin sighed. “I often wondered what
would have happened had you signed the confidentiality agreement
and remained a priest.”

“I know what would have happened. I
would have asked for a transfer, and once again leave my family. It
was an impossible situation. It surprised me seeing Father Mallard
at the wedding. Our last meeting was not a pleasant
one.”

Colin scoffed. “He’s
probably afraid you’ll steal some of his parishioners. I don’t buy
into his ‘let’s be friends act’. Watch your
back,
John. He’s up to
something.”

John laughed. “Don’t worry Dad. I’m a
big boy and can take care of myself.”

Later that night, Colin and
Maggie said
goodbye
to everyone. John carried the
children up to their room and helped them
to bed
. They were fast
asleep five minutes later. He stood
in
the doorway and watched his
children sleeping peacefully. Tears pricked his eyes because they
were now legally his children. The turmoil of the past year faded
away, and his new life
lies
on the horizon.

John felt his wife’s hand on his back.
“Why are you standing in the doorway?” she asked
quietly.

“I love watching them
sleep. Olivia smiles when she is sleeping. I can always tell when
she
has
a dream. She gets the cutest look on her face.
Jason likes
to sleep
with
his little butt in the air, and his
head under the covers. My heart is full honey. For the first time
in my life, I feel like I am
indeed
living, and not just
existing. It’s a humbling feeling knowing my family needs
me.”

“We will always need
you,
John. You are their daddy and my cherished husband. Come to
bed. Your wife needs a little TLC.”

“Never let it be said that I do not
take care of my wife.”

Later that night, John
awoke with the strangest feeling that someone was watching him, and
felt the hands of one of his children
touch
his arm. When he
turned on the light, Jason was standing by the side of the bed
sucking his thumb.

“Daddy, I had a scary
dream.”

John sat up in bed and
lifted Jason onto his lap. “Do you want to tell
me
about your
dream? It will make you feel better.”

Jason rubbed his
tear-stained eyes. “I dreamed a green monster was chasing me. He
had big teeth and
he
tried to bite me. I was scared and
ran fast.”

John suppressed a laugh. “Well, I heard
that green monsters are afraid of water. Tomorrow we’ll go to the
store and I will get you a water pistol. You can keep it under your
pillow, and if you see another green monster, squirt him with water
and he will disappear.”

“I shoot him with water and he goes
away?”

“Yes. He gets gooey and disappears. Do
you feel better little man?”

Jason nodded his head. “Can
I sleep with
you,
Daddy? I’m still
scared.”

John lifted the sheet and
Jason crawled into bed. He
raised
his arm, and Jason
snuggled against his body. John whispered, “You’re safe with me
Jason. Close your eyes and go to sleep.”

“Ok,
Daddy.”

John felt his wife squeeze his hand. He
lifted it to his lips and kissed her, because if he tried to speak,
he would cry like a baby.

The remainder of the week
passed quickly. The children enjoyed spending the day at the beach
building sand castles. John and Jennifer sat
by
the dune,
enjoying the sun and the infectious laughter of their children.
“This has been the best week of my life,” John said as he reached
for a bottle of water. “I remember the last time I sat here. It was
after my surgery, and my arm was killing me. I was at a
crossroads
in
my life, and now a year later, my life is so
different. I am a husband and father, and I love all of you so very
much.”

At that moment, John felt a
wet ball of sand hit his face. Olivia clapped her hands and ran in
circles. John
leaped
to his feet, scooped her up in
his arms, and ran towards the water. Their final day in Cape May
was a happy one.

Three months later

John sat in his office
preparing for his first sermon as the Church’s new pastor. Reverend
Butler officially retired as pastor, and John would now replace
him. He worked diligently on his
speech
, and felt confident, and
more than a little nervous.

Jenny walked into the room
holding a bottle of ginger ale. John looked up when he heard the
door open. She looked a little sick, and he became concerned. “How
are you feeling honey? You look
pale
.”

“I
'm all right
John. It’s
just a little morning sickness. Don’t worry about me. I’ll
be
okay
. I just need a little
cold
air. The heat makes
it
worse. The doctor gave me a
prescription that should help with
nausea.
I’ve started taking it,
and I don’t feel as bad as I did a few days ago.”

“Don’t you know it is a sin to lie to
your husband, the Pastor?”

Jenny laughed. “Well, technically, I am
not lying to you, but I have kept something from you. I wanted to
be absolutely sure before I said anything.”

Concerned, John held her
tightly. “Are you sick? Is there something wrong with the baby?
What is
it,
Jenny? Please tell me!”

“I think you need to sit
down,” Jenny said as she walked him to the small love seat in his
office. “I’ve had a severe case of morning sickness for almost two
weeks, and it reminded me of my last pregnancy. I had an
appointment
with Dr. Cassidy on Tuesday. She took a blood
sample, and I had an ultrasound on Friday. John, my HCG levels are
extremely high. Honey, we are having twins. Do you want to see the
ultrasound picture?”

It took John a few seconds
for his brain to comprehend what she was saying. “What did you say?
We’re having twins! Let me see the picture.” John held the
image
in his trembling hands. “Ok, show me our babies. I have no
idea what I’m looking at.”

Jenny pointed to each baby
as she leaned against his arm. Tears pricked her eyes and she
stared down at their precious
children
. A sudden wave of
nausea had her dizzy. She reached for the ginger ale and sipped it
slowly.

“Honey, are you still
nauseous?”

She nodded her head as she
closed her eyes. John picked up his phone and called the
groundskeeper. “Aaron, turn down the air in the church ten degrees.
Mrs. Brady is feeling a little nauseous due to the heat.
Thank
you,
Aaron.”

“Have I told you today how much I love
you, Pastor Brady?”

“Yes, but please do tell me
again. I
like
hearing it.”

“I love you John, and I am
so happy for you today. You’ve waited a long time
for
this day. Your sermon is
beautiful
.”

“I love you too sweetheart. You have
blessed me with your love, your friendship, and now, two new lives
grow in your beautiful body. I could not be happier than I am at
this moment. I want to announce the happy news to the
congregation.”

The church bells tolled,
signaling the beginning of
Mass
. John escorted his
wife
to
the
church
and was surprised to see his
entire family sitting in the front pew. He walked over to them and
embraced each member of his family. “I am happy all of you are here
today.”

The church was full of
parishioners, and it surprised him to see a few from his former
parish. Taking his place behind the pulpit, John officiated his
first mass. The homily was especially important to John. He wanted
to be truthful with his
parishioners
and spoke from the heart.
“I had a prepared sermon, but upon seeing all of you here today, I
want to take this opportunity to
talk
to you from the heart. As
many of you know, I was at one time a Roman Catholic priest. I want
to share with you the story of my life.” Thirty minutes later,
there was not a dry eye in the church.

“My life has taken many
unexpected turns these past two years. Sitting before me are the
people I cherish most in this world. In the front pew are my
parents Colin and Margaret and my sister Mary. Next to them are my
brother Adam, his wife Lydia and their children, Gail and Bobby.
Thank you for being here with me today. Your love and
support
touch
me deeply.”

“Most of you know that I
recently married the most incredible woman I have ever known.
Sitting next to my parents is my beautiful wife Jennifer and our
children, Olivia and Jason.” John looked down at the image of his
children, which held a place of prominence
in
the pulpit.
“A few weeks ago, Jennifer
blessed me with the news that I am to become a father.This morning,
she showed me the images of our two babies, nestled safe and sound
in her womb.”

Overcome with emotion, John wiped the
tears that now stained his face. “I had always assumed I would live
a solitary life. My years as a Catholic priest were fulfilling, and
lonely. I had denied myself the opportunity of having a family, and
at the time, I thought I could live with that decision. Olivia and
Jason changed my life the minute I laid my eyes on them. Their
unconditional love, exuberance, and innocence melted my heart. I
found myself needing something more in my life. I wanted a wife and
children. At the end of the day, I return home to a loving wife,
and two beautiful children who ambush me the minute I step into the
house.”