"Says it all. He wanted all my attention, wanted to smother me with his fake affection, and was determined we were going to have sex."
"And you disagreed."
"Yeah! When did it become a sin to abstain?"
Obi chuckled. "I think you'll find that's pretty much the polar opposite of a sin. Says so in the Bible."
"As I thought. But you'd think Bardo was going to die, if he didn't get some nooky!"
She was starting to get rather shrill. The few customers and workers nearby, stared. Blushing, she ducked her head.
"Way to make a spectacle of myself."
"Most men would side with him."
"And where do you fall in that spectrum?" she bridled somewhat, crossing her arms defensively.
"Not really your business, is it?"
"Just curious."
"I'm a single, thirty-two year old man. I think you can pretty well do the math on that."
Their food arrived. Grabbing the bags, he headed toward the door, with Wynter in his wake.
"I'm being intrusive," she said as they settled in the car once more. "I can't seem to just make conversation, I have to know every detail. No, it's not my business. Just—with this being such a bone of contention with Bardo...."
"You wondered where a religious man, such as myself, sided."
"Exactly."
Fastening his belt, he thought about that for a moment. "Cieran and I were—" he tried to think of a nice way to say it. "Intimate. Happy now?"
"You didn't have to tell me. But thank you."
"Are you a virgin?"
"Excuse me?" she bridled at his intrusive question.
"I thought we were being blatantly honest. Did I read it wrong? Or is it just my sex life that's called to question?" He couldn't keep the annoyance from his voice.
"No. Not a virgin. I had a few years, in college, where I was a party girl Then I got mono, and realized I had to turn my life around. I stopped the destructive behavior and put my life in order. One thing that made it possible, was to become a Born Again Virgin."
Obi was familiar with the practice. Many churches preached celibacy, offering those who had fallen away, to declare themselves Born Again. They practiced a sex-free lifestyle, abstaining from intercourse. He'd never gotten behind the idea, because he knew that, men in particular, had difficulty with abstinence. He thought it was far more important to inform young people of the dangers of underage, unprotected sex, than to make them strive for an unattainable goal.
"That's admirable," his voice lacked conviction.
"But you think it's stupid."
"I didn't say that."
"Your tone did."
Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly as he turned into the hospital parking lot. "It's been a bad twenty-four hours," he said as calmly as he could muster. "For me, it's not a viable option."
"Why not?" her tone was defensive.
"Are you determined to lay all my secrets bare? Is that your intention?" he wasn't quite yelling, but it was close.
Wynter's lip trembled. Tears spilled from her eyes.
Feeling horrible, Obi put his hand on her shoulder. Shaking his head, he fought his own tears. Cieran had said awful things to him, flaying his soul, baring his indiscretions and insecurities. She was no better than he, but she had a way of making him feel he was unworthy.
Scrabbling at the handle, Wynter tried to get out of the car. Sobbing loudly, she gave up, burying her face in her hands.
Feeling horrible, Obi parked the car. Leaving the engine running, he pressed his lips together.
"We met on our worst days," he murmured. "I'm not usually this big a jerk, and I apologize. If I'm honest, I'm hungover. And I'm recoiling from everything Cieran said to me last night. She was—" He didn't have words. She had eviscerated him, cutting deep. Everything from incompetence in his job, to inadequacies in his sexual performance, had been fuel for her diatribe. "Let's start over." He held out his hand to her. "Hello, I'm Father Obadiah Randolph. I'm very pleased to meet you, Ms. Whitley."
Laughing a little, she shook his hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Father Randolph."
"Let's go see your mother," he suggested.
"With a stop at the restroom, so I can put my face back together. If I come in looking like the Wrath of God, Mama will fuss."
Obi burst out laughing. "If you truly looked like the Wrath of God, I think I'd be cowering in fear. You're a bit pink, and decidedly damp, but still beautiful." He hadn't meant to say that, but it was true. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met. "Grab the bags, I'll come get the door."
"Thank you." Doing as he suggested, she waited until he opened her door and helped her out.
The hospital sat on a rise, overlooking the massive parking lot. What had started as a small, Catholic hospital in the Sixties, St. Mary's – Metro Hospital was the second largest in the city. It was now a Class 4, in one of the busiest parts of town. Only minutes from the interstate, and the roughest part of the hood, their emergency department was generally crowded. It wasn't unusual to have accident victims being treated side by side with gang bangers caught in drive bys. They had the best trauma surgeons in the state, top in the nation, who were also world renowned.
They were fairly far from the door, so Obi waved down the driver with the golf cart. Josiah was a man Obi knew well. A long time parishioner, he also hung out at Obi's favorite pub – owned by another parishioner.
"Hey there, Father. Good to see ya! Who's your friend?"
©Dellani Oakes 2023
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