Dimensions of Genesis (13 page)

“Yes.” She replied as she fought to stay
awake.

“Let’s go to Greece.” He whispered into her
ear, pushing her long hair aside and kissing the nape of her
neck.

Smiling, she assumed he was joking with her,
“Sure…when?” she asked wryly.

“How about next week?”

“Serious?” She asked, turning her head with
renewed interest.

“Yes.”

Sitting up, now intrigued, she turned to face
him.

“I inherited some money when my father died.
I’d like to show you where I grew up.” He added.

A huge smile spread across her face as she
realized he wasn’t joking.

“Oh Gabe!! That would be amazing!” She hugged
him tightly around the neck like a small child who just got a pony
for Christmas.

Choking from her hardy grip, he laughed and
began tickling her to get her to release him. After wrestling
playfully for a few minutes, they flopped down on the bed,
breathless and giggling.

After discussing their trip for another hour,
exhaustion finally overwhelmed them. Facing one another, they gazed
into each other’s eyes until they both fell asleep.

The next morning, Gabe decided he must tell
his mother the truth. Not to mention, he had some business to
attend to with Father Matt. Resigning his position at the church
wasn’t going to be easy, but it was nothing compared to the upset
his news was going to cause his mother.

Reluctantly, he drove Lily back out to the
acreage, letting her off the bike a ways from the house, to not
attract the attention of her parents.

“Promise me you won’t say anything to your
parents until I’m there, okay?” Gabe said giving Lily a serious
look.

“I promise.” Lily stated, crossing her
heart.

Kissing her good-bye, he set off to town.

Pulling up to the church, Gabe’s stomach
twisted as he contemplated what he was going to tell Father Matt.
He felt guilty as he opened the large church doors.

Once inside, Gabe hung up his jacket and
smoothed back his wild hair. Out of habit, he dipped his fingers in
the holy water and formed the sign of the cross.

Nearing Father Matt’s office, Gabe could hear
voices. Knocking lightly on the door, the voices suddenly
ceased.

“Yes, come in.” Father Matt’s voice stated
pleasantly.

“Pardon me, Father, its Gabe. I just wanted
to…” Gabe began as he opened the door, but paused when he saw
Father Francis standing beside Father Matt.

“Father Gabe, speak of the devil.” Father
Francis said coldly, looking at him suspiciously.

Instantly ashamed for abandoning the exorcism
without explanation, Gabe lowered his eyes.

“Father Francis, I must apologize for my
behavior the other day, I…” He started with sincerity.

“Yes,” Father Francis interrupted him,
“it was rather inconvenient, to say the least.” His words
biting.

Gritting his teeth, Gabe felt a wave of anger
ripple through him.

How dare this man come here and blame me
for anything that went wrong with the exorcism! Gabe thought,
fuming. As if he spent any time at all preparing me for what might
happen.

Seething inside, he suppressed his anger and
forced a weak smile.

“Yes, well, I apologize for any trouble I may
have caused you.” He tried to sound sincere, but instead, sounded
brash.

Father Francis eyed the younger priest with
disdain, his piercing glare brimming with contempt.

“Well, apologies aside, I came to inform you
that the young lady in which we…I…” he corrected, shooting Gabe a
sideways glance, then continued, “performed the exorcism on is now
completely cleansed.”

Father Matt, standing beside Father Francis,
nearly jumped with happiness.

“Oh my, well, that is wonderful news! Isn’t
it Father Gabe?” Father Matt clapped his hands jubilantly.

Nodding, Gabe was thankful the girl was well.
He hadn’t allowed himself to recall the experience, but he was
still curious about the black shadow around the girl’s neck. As
curious as he was, however, he’d rather face a firing squad than
ask Father Francis’ opinion on the subject, or any subject for that
matter.

“Yes, well, I’ll take my leave then. It’s
apparent that Father Gabe wishes to discuss something with you
Father Matthew.” Father Francis tipped his hat and walked out the
door.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Gabe hoped he’d
never see Father Francis again. Normally, he gave everyone the
benefit of the doubt, but in this case, that man deserved no such
benediction.

Distracted by the revelation of the young
girl and Father Francis’ demeanor, Gabe almost forgot why he was
there in the first place.

“Father Matthew,” Gabe began solemnly,
“I need to discuss something important with you.”

Delicately, Gabe broke the news to Father
Matt, that even though it was a rewarding career, he felt he could
no longer continue. Choosing to omit the biggest reason he was
leaving, a woman, Gabe explained how he felt a calling in other
areas of life. After almost an hour of discussing the pros and cons
of giving up his position, Father Matt hugged Gabe good-bye.

Clearing out his tiny apartment, Gabe felt
strangely relieved at how easy it was to leave. He hadn’t
anticipated feeling so free. The priesthood had many wonderful
benefits, but sacrificing love, marriage and children was just too
big a cross to bear.

It only took a few minutes to pack his humble
belongings. Everything he owned fit into a simple gym bag. When he
moved to the tiny apartment, which was a bachelor suite in
disguise, he brought only the necessities. All other belongings,
he’d opted to leave at his mother’s house.

Oh, my mother. He thought grimly as he
realized he had yet to face the true music. Looking upwards, he
prayed he was still in God’s good graces, at least enough to make
it over this next big mountain.

~

“Gabriel!” His mother clasped her hands
together with joy when she saw him. “What a beautiful surprise.”
Her eyes glowed at she smiled at him. Anxiety and guilt coalesced
in his stomach making him feel slightly nauseous.

“Hello, mama.” Gabe said as he leaned over to
kiss her cheek.

“Sit, sit. Can I get you some baklava? I just
made it this morning.” She asked, but was already heading into the
kitchen to get it.

“Um…sure. Thank you.” He knew better than to
argue with his mother about food, it was a Greek prerequisite to
eat heartily, even when you weren’t hungry. He followed her into
the kitchen and sat at the table.

Though his nervous stomach repelled the
notion of food, Gabe’s mouth savored the rich, sweet pastry
willingly.

Setting his plate on the table, he looked at
his mother sitting across from him. Her wary expression indicated
she knew he wanted something.

“Mama,” Gabe started, “I need to talk to
you. I need you to listen and be open, okay?”

Crossing her arms, as though arming herself
with an invisible shield, Gabe knew this might be difficult. Her
eyes and face hardened, already making the decision to be
obstinate.

“Mama…I resigned my position at the church.”
He said as his eyes averted from her face.

“What?!!!” She exclaimed. “Gabriel! Why would
you do such a thing?” Her voice wavered as tears formed in the
corners of her eyes.

Sighing deeply, he tried to explain without
shedding tears himself.

“I have other dreams I wish to pursue,
Mama. Dreams that are not supported by the priesthood.”

Flustered, she stood up and began cleaning
the kitchen, a habit she'd developed whenever agitated.

“What dreams? What dreams could be more
important than serving our Lord? What dreams could be more
important than making your Papa proud?” Her words penetrated Gabe’s
soul. As he hung his head, hot, salty tears fell down his
cheeks.

His tears did not deter her wrath. She leaned
into him from the other side of the table, her eyes boring into the
top of his head.

“What dreams Gabriel?! Tell me of these
dreams, go on, tell me!”

“Lily.” Was the only word to escape his
lips.

Shocked, she sat down onto the kitchen chair,
her hand covering her mouth.

“I see.” She said in a quiet voice.

“Mama,” Gabe started with a long sigh. “I
love her. I want to marry her and have children together.”

His mother nodded, seemingly lost in her own
thoughts.

He continued, “I...feel like I only became a
priest for...Dad.” Gabe announced carefully, his mother flashing
him a cautionary glance. Searching his soul for the words, he
stated, “I always felt pressure from him, like I wasn't good
enough, unless I became a priest. It was like, he didn't approve of
me,” Gabe muttered, “like he cared for Anna and Dimitris more.”

His mother was strangely silent. Her eyes
gazed sightlessly at the floor as she contemplated everything she’d
heard. Tears suddenly flooded her eyes as she buried her face in
her hands, her body wracked with sobs.

“Mama?” Gabe asked, alarmed.

“Gabriel, I have something to tell you.” She
said through her tears.

Suddenly nervous, Gabe stared at her, waiting
for her to speak. After several deep breaths, she finally
spoke.

“Angelo was not your father.” Her eyes
brimmed with fresh tears.

Gabe’s head spun, for the first time since
witnessing his father’s murder, he thought he might faint.

“Wh…what?” He stuttered, shaking his
head.

“I…I had an...affair, after Angelo and I were
married.” She struggled with the words as though they were caught
in her throat.

Gabe lowered his head into his hands,
disbelief shrouding his mind like dark clouds blocking the sun.

She continued without looking at her son, “I
was a sad and foolish little girl. We married so young. Our parents
chose us for one another...betrothed years before. We married a
week after my sixteenth birthday.” Sighing, she paused and went to
the stove to heat some water for tea.

“One afternoon, a few months after our
wedding, I met a young man in the market. He was selling exotic
spices.” She blushed in spite of herself as she recalled. “He
flirted with me, made me feel pretty, desired. I didn’t mean to
fall in love with him.” Pouring the steaming water into two mugs,
she dropped the tea bags in and walked back to the table.

“What was his name?” Gabe asked his voice
quiet.

“Estevan.” She replied wistfully, as though
she hadn’t said the name in years. “You have his eyes. They were
the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen. That’s also how I knew…” She
paused, hesitant. “you were his…and so did Angelo.”

“He knew about the affair?” Gabe asked,
surprised.

“Yes,” she said, bowing her head.
“Gabriel, you must never repeat what I’m about to tell you.”
Looking at him sternly, she waited for his promise.

Confused, Gabe nodded in agreement.

“Angelo found out about the affair, I don’t
know how, but he did. He hunted Estevan down and confronted him.
There was a terrible argument and a fight broke out. I don’t know
all the details, but in the end…” she stopped, fighting back
tears, “Estevan was dead.”

Gabe gasped, pure shock coursed through his
veins. His father, Angelo, killed someone?

“Angelo told me it was an accident, but he
refused to speak of it ever again. I never really knew the whole
truth, only that he always seemed tormented by it.” Shaking her
head sadly, she sighed.

Gabe now understood why his father appeared
to have a shadow of guilt following him. He must have felt he
committed the worst crime ever and was going to go to hell for
it.

“Then, the day that Angelo was
killed,” she began slowly, “he came home from work early, all
sweaty and scared. He said we had to pack up our things and go.”
She said, wringing her hands. “You had gone fishing, so I made
Angelo wait until you got back. Angelo was acting paranoid,
checking the windows. A little while later, a man broke through the
door with a gun. He told us he was Estevan’s brother and he was
seeking revenge and…well, you know the rest.” She said sadly,
lowering her eyes.

Slowly, his mother's words absorbed into his
system. It was hard to believe that after all of these years, he
was finally being told the truth. All the secrets and lies that had
been told.

“I…don’t know what to say.” Gabe
stammered.

It all made sense now. Angelo felt such guilt
for his own sins; he misplaced the obligation of penance onto his
sons. Thinking that somehow, if he were to get back into God’s good
graces, he might not go to Hell. Only, he passed the burden onto
Gabe.

“Angelo did love you, Gabriel, very much. He
didn’t mean to be harsh with you; it was his own demons that
blinded him.”

“Thank you.” He rose from the table, walked
to her and hugged her tight.

“S'ayapo, my son, my angel Gabriel. I will
respect any decision you make.” She said as she squeezed him.

“I love you too, Mama.

~

Driving back to the acreage to see Lily, the
conversation with his mother replayed in his mind. The whole story
was bittersweet in a strange way. It explained why his father
treated him the way he did, not to mention the bizarre
circumstances surrounding his death. His mother never once talked
to the children about the man who killed their father. They simply
were told to pack up their things and they moved far away from
their home in Greece.

Though it was a traumatic time in his
family's life, it brought him to Lily.

Rounding the corner to Lily’s house, he
smiled as he realized how excited he was to see her. Even though it
had only been a few hours since he dropped her off, he couldn’t
bear to be away from her.

As he arrived at the house, Lily came
bursting out of the front door. She jumped right into his arms
planting a big kiss on his lips. Quinn, who had been walking past
the living room window, witnessed the event. Not knowing of her
sister’s new-found love, her expression was priceless. She looked
like she'd just seen an alien space ship land in their front
yard.