Two Idiots and a Priest

epilogue

John awoke hours later. Instead of sitting in the passenger seat of his car, he was laying on the couch. He was shirtless, a blanket covering his bare chest. He still wore his jeans, though his belt had been discarded to the floor, along with his jacket. He raised a hand to feel his face, feeling small bits of cloth all around. The priest was confused, but didn't question it for now.

He sat up with a groan, briefly stretching his arms before covering his chest with the blanket again. The TV was on to some news channel, currently talking about the weather for the afternoon. In the loveseat next to the couch was Mark, eating what looked to be chicken and dumplings. The man looked over at John when he sat up, hiving a small smile. He swallowed whatever was in his mouth, then spoke.

"Morning." He said humorously.

John looked confused. He glanced around for a bit, seeing sunlight streaming inside from curtains nearby, though not in the God-rays that he came to expect in the morning.

"What..." he mumbled, throat dry, "what time is it?"

"Around one P.M." Mark said, "Seán already left."

John was surprised at the time. "Why didn't you wake me?" He asked.

"I thought to be nice and let you sleep as long as you needed to." The black-haired man said, "Oh, I also called Molly to let her know that you're with me, so she doesn't call the police or anything."

The priest shirked further into his blanket. He hated when his wife worried, especially for him. With their marriage on the line, these situations really put them both on the edge. He didn't display these worries to Mark, merely nodding so that he knew he understood. Mark continued.

"There's some leftover pancakes in the fridge, if you're interested." He said, "I also made coffee not long ago, so it should still be warm."

As hungry as John was, he shook his head. "I'll just eat at home." He insisted.

His friend looked over at him, giving a concerned look.

"John, I know that you'll just get buried in your work when you get home." He stated, "Please, have something here before you starve yourself to death."

John wasn't surprised, and he even nodded. He stood, taking the blanket with him, and slowly walked into the kitchen.

"Make whatever you want! I trust you!" Mark called.

The priest opened the fridge scanning around all the items inside. He decided that scrambled eggs sounded good, so he pulled out the carton of eggs and set it on the counter. He hunted for a pan, placing it on the stove once he found it. He turned the heat on to medium, then grabbed three eggs -- one at a time -- and cracked them open over the pan. Once all of them were in, he grabbed a spatula and started breaking up the yolks, then continuously scraping along the bottom and the edges to make the scrambled eggs.

Mark came into the kitchen and rinsed off his plate, drying it with a towel and putting it away. He briefly watched his friend work, then leaving the kitchen.

When John knew the eggs were done, he turned off the heat and put the spatula down. He grabbed a plate from the cabinet, then began scraping the eggs onto the plate. He went to the fridge again and grabbed some shredded cheese and the bottle of ketchup. He sprinkled some cheese atop the eggs, then squirted some ketchup in lines on it all. After putting the cold stuffs away, he grabbed a glass and poured milk inside, then taking his breakfast to the kitchen table -- first the plate, then the glass. Finally, John grabbed a fork, then sat down at the table.

He was quite proud of himself for making this. Sure, scrambled eggs were one of the easiest foods to make, but he's been having more losses than wins lately. He dug in, savoring every bite of egg, cheese, and ketchup all mixed together. He heard someone walk to the edge of the kitchen, and he looked up. It was a woman with medium-length brown hair, still wearing pajamas, and looking surprised to see John there. He swallowed, then gave a sheepish wave.

"Oh, sorry, Amy! I forgot to tell you that John was still here!" Mark called from the couch, "I told him to eat before he went!"

The woman -- Amy -- sighed and rolled her eyes, smiling.

"Don't forget next time!" She called back.

Amy walked behind John, going over to the coffee pot and pouring herself some coffee. She walked over to the table and sat near John, who went back to eating his breakfast. He glanced up at her for a second, then looked away, as to not be rude.

"So, you're John?" She asked, though it felt more like a statement.

John nodded. "Y-yes. And you're...?" He hesitated.

"Amy. Mark's girlfriend." She said, smiling, "Nice to finally meet the guy who drags Mark all over the place."

She gave a small chuckle, taking a sip of her coffee. John tried hard not to wince at her name; he knew it couldn't be helped, but it was already bringing back last night's memories to the surface. He nodded stiffly, trying to give a natural smile to be polite.

"It's nice to meet you, too." He said, "I didn't think Mark even had a girlfriend."

"That's insulting!" Mark called from the living room.

Both adults in the kitchen laughed. Amy sipped more of her coffee.

"So, what do you do for a living?" She asked.

John hesitated for a moment, as if trying to remember how to answer a question such as that.

"I work at the church." He said, then elaborating, "Snake Meadow Hill Church. I'm an ordained minister."

"Oh, interesting." Amy mumbled, seeming truly interested, "I'm not religious or anything, so I don't talk to church-goers very often."

"Really?" John asked, "I guess that makes three people I know who aren't religious."

"Who're the other two?" Amy asked.

"Mark and Seán." The priest said, "Well, I guess Mark used to be religious, but after high school, he pretty much dropped it."

"Huh, you two have been friends for a while." Amy said.

John nodded, smiling as he remembered.

They met at a catholic high school -- it was Mark's first time in a religious school, while John had been through a catholic elementary and junior-high school. Their first meet was an interesting case, to say the least.

Mark asked what was, at the time, a "stupid" question about the Bible. He was berated by the teacher for a moment, then the lecture went on as normal. Throughout the day, people were making it painfully obvious that they were making fun of him. John felt for the boy, and became quick friends with him. He helped Mark answer questions he had that he thought would he deemed "stupid," and (thankfully) passed their freshman year. Then, their sophomore year, then junior, and finally senior.

No one made fun of Mark after that. His excellent memory made it easy for him to pass his classes with flying colors, to the point where teachers would suggest that he become an ordained minister, or even a teacher at the school. He quickly shut down the idea every time, saying that he wanted to get into engineering instead. The teachers would be disappointed, saying "well, think about it if engineering fails you!" John was glad to say that their teachers never saw him again, neither in church nor in the school.

He was successful in his trade, and that was all that John could ask God to give to his friend.

He snapped back to reality, looking at Amy, who seemed to be awaiting an answer. He cleared his throat, then went on to recount his fond memories of Mark.

It was a peaceful afternoon -- speaking with Amy, who occasionally asked questions or laughed at Mark's introjections, before allowing John to continue his retelling.

Despite all that happened the night before, it felg as if it happened weeks ago. It was far behind him as he was in this moment, laughing with his friend's girlfriend, and smiling more than he had in months.

He knew, he was finally feeling, getting, being... better.