Church Boy ♱ nh

Chapter 3

When Father Collins was nearing the end of his readings, Niall felt his nerves rushing through him. He hadn't yet seen Winter Conaway in the congregation and he couldn't recall hearing her come in, either. He'd be a liar if he were to say that he wasn't disappointed. He was, for some reason he couldn't identify, excited to see Winter Conaway in his church – what meant the most to him. He was thinking that maybe she'd be proud of him when she heard his speech. It was something he'd spent a lot of time on, put a lot of thought in.

Father Collins finished his readings and then announced Niall. All eyes were on the church boy as he stood from his pew, his body trembling with nerves. He stumbled and nearly tripped over his own feet as he stood. His father chuckled lightly from where he stood near the altar, before beckoning for Niall to continue. He let out a shaky breath and obeyed, making his way down the aisle. He felt a million eyes on him, and it only added to how nervous he was feeling.

Niall kept his head down as he walked, stepping around the podium. He set his notes down on the stand and adjusted the microphone to better fit his height. After inhaling and exhaling a deep breath, Niall lifted his eyes to his audience. He allowed himself a second to scan the congregation and that's when his heart froze, yet fluttered, all at once.

He spotted her, Winter Conaway, sat all the way in the back. He almost had to squint to see her. She was smiling at him, wearing a black dress. She looked more like she were present at a funeral, rather than a Catholic mass, but Niall was pleased to see her there, all the same. He offered a shy smile, of which he could only hope Winter would know was meant for her. He was relieved, to see that she'd made it, after all. But at the same time, he also felt even more nervous than before. Now, if he were to make a mistake, not only would it be in front of his entire Church community – but also in front of Winter. He didn't want to look like even more of a fool before her, than he already had in the past.

Niall dropped his eyes to his notes and scanned them for a second, soaking in the silence that filled the church. Then he cleared his throat and began his speech with, "Good morning, fellow people, fellow citizens of God." He could just imagine Winter rolling her eyes from where she sat in the back. Niall nervously scratched his neck. "I am delighted to be given this chance to speak to you all this morning about a topic that I think affects us all in some way – and that's difference. God, as we know, accepts difference. He accepts it to a degree, does he not? If you're tall or short, wide or thin, light or dark... God accepts you into his hands, his church. He accepts you to worship him and live life according to his ways. He accepts you in his congregation-" Niall motioned toward the people sat before him, "To honor him, no matter how many A's you get in school, or how many dollars you have in your pocket. He'll accept you all the same."

Niall lifted his eyes for a moment, to catch Winter shifting in her seat, her eyes locked on him. She looked truly interested. Niall proceeded to speak. "But where does God draw the line? What's too different for the Lord? Is there a point at all which God no longer accepts? And even better yet, what's too different for society? Difference at all – whereas this is accepted at the hands of God, is it even accepted at all in society? How can we get along when God opens his arms for us, but the rest of the world shuts us out? Why is it that some of us are set apart from others, while some of us can fit right in like a snug puzzle piece? Who decides, when it isn't God, what's acceptable and what's different?"

For the following ten minutes, Niall continued to rant about differences and how they affect his life, for example. His words were inspirational to those in the congregation, but to the people that truly knew Niall, his words were eye-opening. To Winter, it was a doorway to a new part of Niall that she hadn't yet had the pleasure of knowing until now. And to his father, it was a shock, opening his eyes to the thoughts Niall kept within him.