Chapter Thirteen

Nuel's POV

“ Good morning sisters, how are you all doing?” I said to the sisters, forcing myself to smile. I was pretty sure that my thirty-two teeth was all out in display.

“ We are doing fine father”, the eldest one among them replied, smiling even harder than I did, showcasing her open-teeth which made it seem as if the two parts of the teeth were running away from each other. “ How about you father?”

“ We thank the Lord sisters. Forgive me for being ill-mannered, please have a seat”, I said, pointing at the cushion seats around.

“ Thank you father”, they all said, one after the other, as if they had practiced it that way.

“ So please”, I said, taking my own seat, “ to what do I owe this wonderful August visit? Mh? Hope I'm safe?” I said, raising my eyebrows and sounding cutely inquisitive.

They chuckled at my expression, shaking their heads - mission accomplished; I wanted to make them smile.

“ No, not at all father”, the eldest amongst them said.

The very thought of the toast bread I had left upstairs crossed my mind, and I swallowed my saliva; it didn't taste like the toast would've tasted.

“ We just came to see you and you know, introduce ourselves”, she continued, “ we would've met you after the mass but you were the typical kind that runs away after the mass, so we decided to come in”.

“ Forgive me, I had something very urgent to attend to”, I said, hoping that they get to understand it as ‘ I was running to the toilet’. I mean, that was what every priest said whenever they needed to heed to nature's call. It was a more polite way of saying it, and truth be told, it has led to so many people, especially children, to think that we priests don't use the bathroom: you just never hear us say the word.

“ Oh, not to bother, we understand. Um, first things first, I am Sister Rebecca, the provincial superior”, she said with evident pride in her voice.

“ Wow, are you serious?” I said, trying my very best to sound surprised and bewildered.

She smiled and nodded, her lips extending to her ears.

“ Then I am truly honored. Really honored”, I said, keeping up with my own smile.

She looked nothing like a provincial superior, nothing like the type that others do call ‘ mother'.

She was petite, and not even in a good way, with her glasses that were confidently and rigidly hanged on her big nose. I was literally scared that if she exhaled sharply, she was likely to suck up everyone in the room. Even though I could discern that she was probably in her early fifties, she looked so much like she was way past hundred. Meemaw from Young Sheldon could easily pass off as a teenager if they stood side by side.

“ How about you sisters?” I asked the other two, “ I'll also like to know you people, in case one of you turn out to be a special councilor of the Vatican”, I said jokingly and we all chuckled.

“ I'm sister Celestine, the community superior”, the one who sat on the right hand side of sister Rebecca said, with her teeth which was protruding from her mouth.

What was wrong with all their teeth? Like, was crooked teeth a criteria for being a nun?

“ I'm sister Scholastica, the proprietress of the Handmaid's kindergarten school”, the other one said with a smile too on her face. There wasn't much to look at, but at least she didn't have a problem with her teeth; a noticable one at least.

“ It's so nice to meet all of you”, I said to them, still smiling as my tummy grumbled loudly. It was either they heard the grumbling sound and didn't react or that they didn't hear it at all. Nevertheless, I really needed to consume that toast bread.

Tuesdays were office days and it was my first time in office as the parish priest. According to what the catechist had told me in the morning, the office hours ran from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM.

What he had forgotten to warn me about was that the place was crowded. My jaw almost fell to the ground when I saw the crowd waiting outside the building complex. I checked my wrist watch just to make sure that I wasn't late and the time was 7:28, not even 8:00. I brought out my cellphone - my wrist watch might be broken or something, and still, the time was 7:28.

There was no way that I was going to attend to everyone there under just two hours.

“ Good morning father, good morning father”, greetings came from every angle, as I walked into my office. The ones that were sitting on the waiting bench stood to their feet as a sign of respect - mehn, they really revered their priests here. Where I come from, that shit just wasn't normal. People were ready to beat their priests to a pulp if they misbehaved.

“ Good morning everyone. The crowd here is quite spectacular”, the last statement was meant to be in my head, but I just couldn't tell when my lips deceived me and let everything out.

The people there chuckled lightly and stopped immediately, like a deja vu of the background laughter in all these TV shows.

It was evident; they had problems, problems that couldn't just allow them laugh freely, problems that they thought I could solve, problems that I could only hope that I can solve.

“ Okay. So I was told that the meeting starts by 8:00 AM, is that correct?” I asked.

“ Yes father”, they all said in unism, their eyes bulging out of their sockets.

“ And you all are already here by this time?”

“ We were all just trying to be the first to meet you”, a lady I couldn't recognize said.

“ Okay. Um, well, you lot are a heavy population, so I will be starting the meeting right now so that I can attend to all of you, okay?” I said, hoping that I sounded reassuring.

“ Okay father, thank you father”, they all chorused again.

I opened the office, walking gently as if it wasn't mine. I still hadn't gotten used to it. I sat behind the desk and rang the bell on the table after settling down, inviting the first person to come in.

A middle-aged woman walked in with a boy of about twelve years old. The woman had no sense of joy on her face, and the poor boy looked like someone who had been spanked and scolded that morning. It was obvious that he didn't like where he was.

“ Good morning father”, the woman greeted.

“ Good morning madam. Please have a seat”, I said, pointing at the two chairs on the other side of the desk.

The woman sat while the boy still stood, kind of acting reluctant. The woman gave the boy that motherly glare that screamed “ behave yourself young man!” and the boy sat, hissing like a snake, together with his frowned face that looked so much like that of a chimpanzee; a cute chimpanzee.

“ So, what can I help you with madam?” I asked with a smile and an eager voice, hoping that I would be perfect for the task ahead.

“ Father, I am dead”, she said, almost about to cry.

I was just confused. How can a dead person say that she was dead.

“ Madam, what's wrong?” I asked.

“ Father, this son of mine has killed me and buried me”, she said again, sounding all dramatic as tears swelled up in her eyes.

I looked at the boy. He wouldn't even need evidence to prove that he was innocent of murder. He just didn't seem like the type to even squash an ant.

“ Calm down ma, okay, calm down. Tell me, what did he do?” I asked, trying to get over with the whole drama.

“ Tell him Andrew, tell him you scumbag, forgive me father, I just…….”, she couldn't talk any further.

“ Hey, madam, calm down, okay, just calm down”, I looked at the Andrew. He was also starting to tear up, and I just couldn't discern what was so serious that it was making both of them cry. “ Andrew, what is the matter?” I asked him passionately, hoping that my style of interrogation was welcoming. At least I felt that it was better than asking “ what did you do”.

The boy couldn't talk. There was shame on his face, he couldn't even meet my eyes.

“ Andrew, look at me, what is the problem?”

“ He is gay! that is the problem father”, the mom said, “ he is gay”, she said again, lowering her voice probably just in case that someone outside might hear.