MARIEL

6~ Goodbye, Mariel ~

"Damn it!" Fr. Jerome yanked his hand from the coffee mug. Loudly, Harlow meowed and scurried away as the priest rubbed his fingers and shook his head. "This is your fault, Harlow!" he called after the cat. "Distracting me and all..."

His heart pounded frustratingly fast. Fr. Jerome felt excited about this evening, but something felt wrong. It was easy to attribute it to the anxiety he often suffered, but tonight was different.

His forehead wrinkled as he glanced towards the time on the stove. Good... he still had a little time to journal before company arrived. Despite everything that had happened in the last week, he was extremely grateful for his cat, his coffee, and his journal of thoughts. If Fr. Jerome had learned anything, it was that he needed to appreciate the small, beautiful things. His sanity depended on it.

If Fr. Jerome had any left.

Whistling for Harlow (which rarely worked and didn't this time), Fr. Jerome brought his mug to the dining room table and seated himself. After sipping his coffee and contentedly smacking his lips, Fr. Jerome retrieved his pen and began to write.

'I'm surprised I am in such a good mood. The last week hasn't been spectacularly wonderful in any way, and something feels strange tonight. My heart is racing. I am both anxious and content. I've felt content since meeting my new friends and I truly believe they are a blessing from God... I think He knew I needed someone. I can't imagine how lonely I'd be without them, especially since I still haven't heard from my son.

As for this very moment, I'm not sure why I'm anxious, but I refuse to obsess about it. Whatever is wrong, and if something is wrong... it will eventually surface. After seeing the comet and meeting my new group of friends (I dub them the Dreamers), it feels so much easier to give the director's chair to God and let it be.

I will have company soon. I think I am partially nervous about that. To be frank, Phil Jameson was the last company I've had in my home. That doesn't really count, because that red-haired spawn of Satan was only there to record our conversation as a means to get me fired from my church.

About that.

The higher clergymen allowed me to conduct Gabe's funeral. Afterwards, I was asked to meet with the Dean and the Bishop. You can probably guess what happened during that meeting. I will give them the benefit of the doubt... they did not want to let me go. The Bishop, whom I've known for years (a good man), looked so crestfallen that I almost felt more sorry for him than I did for myself. Nonetheless, he pleaded with me multiple times, asking that I cooperate with the new priest (Fr. Paul). I told him that I couldn't, and then I asked why the church stood behind the blasphemies that had occurred that Sunday? How could they punish me for a social media hack, but allow Phil Jameson and his supposed 'healing powers' take over the church?

They pleaded with me to attempt to understand, that Phil's circumstance was one with which they'd never dealt before. They didn't understand it. All they 'knew' was this: the Orthodox church, being the original, true Church of Christ, could not bring evil within its walls. In other words, they believe that Phil Jameson's 'gift' is, indeed, God-given. It had to be. According to them, there'd be no way that satanic activities could occur in the church, especially near the altar.

Yes, I swore. I prayed for forgiveness due to the fact that it was out of anger, but I lost it. I told them that their thoughts regarding the matter were bullshit. I challenged them. I asked if they genuinely believed that I had been treated fairly. For a moment, they could not find the proper words to respond, until the Bishop looked me squarely in the eyes and said: "I love you as a brother in Christ, Jerome. You've done very well as a priest in this parish. However, the church and Biblical teachings have been very clear about homosexuality and the Sacraments. You blatantly admitted that you would allow homosexuals to partake in the Sacraments. You, a priest, would be willing to partake in a lie against the church. Don't you understand the severity of this?"