License to Love

Chapter 19 Secrets and Lies

"Church? Really?" Michelle asked an hour later after they had left home.

"Hey, my girlfriend is a good influence," he said with a twinkle in his eye, "plus, there's someone I really want you to meet," Brook said with a furtive smile. Michelle's eyes narrowed.

"Brook, what are you planning?" She asked suspiciously. He grinned and pulled her along.

"Come on, just trust me," he said.

After attending the service, Brook led her to the back of the church where the priest was removing his cassock. He was an elderly man with a balding grey head and tanned features indicating his Hispanic origin.

"Padre Manuel?" Brook called to him. He turned around and on seeing Brook his face broke into a joyous smile.

"Brook! ¡Es tan bueno verte de nuevo!" He exclaimed in Spanish.

"Tú también padre. Ha pasado demasiado tiempo." Brook chattered in fluent Spanish. Michelle looked blank. Her second language in school had been French so she had no clue what he said. But hearing him talk in Spanish suddenly made her heart flutter. He sounded much more romantic and seductive... she had to shake herself out of the trance.

"What brings you here, mi hijo? I have missed your visits." The padre said.

"Well, I have missed you, padre. And I wanted to introduce you to a very special girl. Padre Manuel, this is Michelle Patterson, my fiancee," Brook said, guiding Michelle forward. The padre turned to Michelle and suddenly gasped. His eyes bulged out as he stared at her.

"Your – fiancee?" He asked as though he couldn't believe it. Brook nodded with a wide smile.

"Michelle, this is Padre Manuel, the priest who blessed my parents' marriage," he said. Michelle broke into a smile, finally understanding.

"It's so nice to meet you – Padre?" She looked unsure as the padre began to stare at her strangely.

"Yes... yes, of course, Miss Patterson," the Padre suddenly seemed to come to his senses and shook her hand vigorously. Michelle wondered why he had spaced out earlier.

"Padre Manuel was a newly ordained priest when he presided over my parents' wedding," Brook explained. The Padre tried visibly to compose himself as if trying to get over some major shock.

"Yes, yes, I told young Ripley Havens it was better to be a husband to Miss Brooklyn Sanchez before he became a father," he said, continuing to stare at Michelle. Michelle smiled.

"You must have known them well," she said.

"Oh yes, they were very good people, my best friends in fact. Blessing their marriage was the first of my priestly duties. Made me downright nervous, if I may say so myself," he said with a nervous laugh. His tone suddenly became serious.

"But I gave the same advice to Nick Patterson," he said suddenly. Both Michelle and Brook blinked.

"I'm sorry?" Brook asked. The Padre merely peered at Michelle.

"Nick Patterson wanted to rush into marriage as well. Happened soon after the Havens went off on their honeymoon. He didn't tell anyone, wanted it to be a quiet affair... Malorie Moreno... Such a sweet girl she was, always had a smile for everyone, knew how to cheer people up..." A tear escaped his eye.

"Made Ripley downright mad, he did, getting married without telling his best friend... but it all turned out well, didn't it?" the Padre said, glancing between Brook and Michelle. Both of them looked bewildered.

"Padre, I don't understand..." Brook began. The Padre held up his hand.

"Nine months after Ripley's wedding, they showed up with a little boy in their arms asking me to baptize their son," he said. "Eight months later, Nick Patterson and his wife showed up at my parish, asking me to baptize their baby girl." Michelle felt her breath leave her lungs, realizing where this was going.