Mount Asteria

Chapter Eighteen

"You're very young, to want to be a priest," she said, licking her ice-cream and savouring the cool creamy texture on her tongue. There were sitting on a bench near the pier, looking out at the traffic in the sea.

"That's what everyone says," Liam replied, shrugging. "I always wanted to be a priest. I would have gone straight to the seminary after school but my parents made me promise to go to university first. I think they were hoping I'd change my mind, but here I am."

"Your parents weren't keen on you becoming a priest?"

He shook his head. "I think they believe I'm throwing my life away, but I'm not. It's all I want to do. I'm quite sure it's all I've ever wanted to do."

"I think it must be tough, being a priest. Never getting married and all that. Must be lonely."

"But it shows great devotion to God."

Laura pursed her lips.

"You don't agree?"

"I'm not exactly a devout Catholic, you know. I believe in God, but studying so many world religions and cultures makes you think a lot about how much is true, and how much is made up by people who saw an opportunity to take advantage of others."

"Oh?"

"It's everywhere, don't you see it? Like the stories in the Old Testament scaring people into submission. And all these new religions and cults with their donations policies. Or how ancient laws are still taken literally – you may beat your wife or you may have multiple wives... It gives people reasons to do bad things, wrong things."

"A rather poor view of religion."

Laura shrugged. "It's a reality. Religion is the work of humans, so naturally it is flawed."

"Are all Mount Asteria girls so philosophical?" he laughed.

"Oh no, the rest are much more outspoken. I just don't want to scare you off so soon. You should hear what some of them have to say on feminism in the Catholic Church."

Liam might have paled a little then. "I'm just about getting used to the school."

"It does take a while for outsiders. My family's been there almost from the start, on both sides, so I've grown up with the system."

"Ah. So are your family all Nobel Laureates and CEOs of Amnesty International?"

Laura laughed. "No, but my friend Macey's mum has a Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Katie Nig Fhionnbar, a girl in third year is descended from Séan MacBride who, of course, founded Amnesty International. No, dad's just a security advisor, but he... he's just gone back to work."

She looked away and ate the last of her cone, staring at the cargo ships and ferries coming out of Dublin port. So there it was. They had hit it at last.

"Do you want to talk about that?" Liam asked gently.

Laura examined a seagull in front of her who seemed to be eyeing what remained of her ice cream. "What's there to say? Mum died. It was tough. But now Dad's gone back to work and I'm back in school and my little brother's back in school and we're moving on with everything."

Liam nodded slowly.

"Okay?" she asked.

"Okay. So how about you show me around here a bit and then we head back?"

"Alright." She started off down the pier at a brisk pace, not waiting to see if he was following.