“It’s fine.” What was she getting herself into? This man only made things a game. Or complicated. She couldn’t decide which was worse.
“You know what else is fine?” he said with a smile.
“What?” She knew exactly what was coming.
“You.”
“I think you’re changing the subject.” She had no intention of letting him off the hook that easily.
“What subject?”
“That this isn’t your church.”
“What?”
“Don’t play innocent.”
“For the record, I never said I was bringing you to my church.”
“I think you’re playing with words here,” she accused with a teasing tone.
“What I said is that the priest would know my name. And he will. Now, shush, the service is starting.
The organist began to play, and they stood with the congregation as the priest and the altar boys walked the aisle to the sacristy. True to Saks’ word, he sang with the skeleton choir. What’s more, not only did he have a beautiful tenor voice but he knew every word of the hymn. He didn’t even have to look at the aging hymn book jammed into the book holder attached to the back side of the pew before them.
Chrissy looked at him with new appreciation. There was something beneath the rough biker exterior that was deep and fine. She was sure the whole ‘going to church’ thing was a pretense meant to impress but would miss the mark. But she was obviously wrong.
The priest moved through the service, and Saks followed every prompt and said every prayer as if he knew them forward and back.
The homily was the Wedding at Cana, where Jesus changed the water into wine, and marked the first public act recorded in the new testament of Jesus’ role as teacher. From here the priest launched into a sermon about young people coming to him to arrange their weddings, and how their ‘occasions of sin’ raised an impediment to marriage. Chrissy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She never could believe in her heart that sex before marriage was wrong.
“Those of you looking to come to me to have your marriage performed in this church will have to do penance, and of course, take pre-Cana classes. This is a lengthy course of study, so don’t expect to come to my office and get a wedding date right away. Marriage, like any important path of life, takes planning and preparation. I promise you, if you get it right in the beginning it will lay a foundation for the years to come. So, make your appointments if you have a wedding to plan for the future, and let’s get you started.”
She glanced at Saks, who had a thoughtful expression on his face. He returned the look and squeezed her hand with a quick smile.
After the service, they crowded at the door as the parishioners shook the priest’s hand and spoke with him. When Saks and Chrissy reached him, the priest’s face registered surprise.
“Anthony?” he said. “I haven’t seen you since Luke’s wedding.”
“Pay up,” Saks said, and elbowed Chrissy. “It’s great to see you, Father.”
“Excuse me?” Father Peters said.
“Forgive us,” Chrissy said. “I knew not what I was doing. It was nice meeting you.”
“Oh, okay then,” the clearly confused priest replied. They walked past him and Chrissy fished a fifty from her purse. “I guess I just paid for breakfast.”
“Nope,” Saks said. He took the bill, folded it, and stuck in the poor box by the door. “I said I’d pay for breakfast and I am.”
“Aren’t you full of surprises?”
“I’m flush. I just got a promotion at work.”
“A promotion?”
“Yes, I’m shop manager now.”
“Upwardly mobile, I see.”