Everything is Perfect

The Man Behind the Mask

Varian was a good boy. 

Well, okay he was an adult man with bad impulse control who'd already been to jail, and maybe he'd set fire to his dad's carpet enough times that the local firemen knew him by name, but other than that...

Okay, he also had these 'inappropriate urges' that he was working through with his paster. He was to go one year without relapsing if he wanted to be considered worthy at his church. Maybe his father might actually be proud of him then. 

So far, things were going well, and it'd already been—Varian checked the time on his phone—three hours since he'd disappointed anyone. 

Now all he had to do was keep this up for the rest of his degree, possibly his life. 

No problem there.

"Are you nervous, Son?" Quirin asked from behind the wheel of the moving truck as he turned down the religious choral music on the stereo. "You'll be meeting new people, and this time, they won't all be members of the church."

"Oh, yeah, I guess I'm nervous to be the newbie again," Varian replied, swiping on his phone. "I just hope none of my roommates are too rowdy that I can't get homework done. I hate studying in libraries with all the crowds and human proximity with strangers—"

"Hey, I told you Pinterest isn't allowed!" He swiped Varian's phone and the young man cried out in complaint. "Who knows what un-Christlike, pro-gay things are on there." 

"Dad! Come on. I'm twenty."

"Yes, and you still have a problem, Varian, and multiple sins to repent for. We all have our cross to bear..."

Blue eyes rolled. "Dad, the church clearly states that gay thoughts are not a sin."

"But masturbation is, and so is acting on gay thoughts, and I'm pretty sure God doesn't think very highly of someone who's been to prison either. It's all a slippery slope. If you start looking at things that support the gay agenda, then you'll start believing in it. You've been working on everything Bishop Sunshine has assigned you, I hope?"

He sighed. "Yes. We talk every Sunday, and every Sunday, he tells me about the sacredness of sex between a married man and woman then gives me a list of church songs to listen to when I'm feeling 'tempted.' It's been three months since my last relapse. Now, can I have my phone back now?"

"Watch that tone of yours, Var. The second I hear of you partaking in any sinful behavior, you're getting cut off. No tuition. No board. You're on your own. This is a gift, Varian. Don't make me regret it." He handed him back his phone which Varian took deflatedly.

"Yes, Sir." 

"Also, the moment we get to your apartment, I'm blocking that sinful app off your phone."

"Yes, Sir."

It was decided. The first thing Varian was going to do in this new town was get his own phone plan.

***

The outside of the apartment was neat and tidy, and the green trim was actually kind of pretty against the white gables. The atmosphere was quiet and professional: just what Varian needed to focus his everything on his studies. 

"Now Son," Quirin turned to him seriously, holding a large suitcase in each hand, "this isn't a religious school, and that means you must not follow the crowd. If I could send you back to PPU, I would, but an expulsion can't be reversed, so this is your chance to prove you can get back on the righteous path."