Chapter 6

Father Ollie waited in the confessional booth. Oliver Johns was his real name, however, during a supper at the rectory one of his buddies from the congregation called him Father Ollie in front of several dozen people. Since then, the name stuck.

Father Ollie was a young man in his early thirties, slightly balding and wore a goatee and mustache. His frame was big and his gut had began to fall over his belt. The collar of his priesthood was undone most of the time, except for when it was his turn to lead mass. His style was casual and according to his head Priest, he was an unorthodox fellow that lacked motivation. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he agreed with the head priest and because of such, he was actually seriously considering leaving the priesthood.

Father Ollie loved the days that he drew the confessional assignment so he wouldn't have to interact with the other priests in the congregation. The confessional was particularly boring today and as usual, Father Ollie was fighting to stay awake. The confessional seemed to be his favorite place to nap anymore. He could sit in there for hours on some days and not a soul would walk into one of the confessionals that were adjacent to him. Some days, however, there would seem to be an endless line of people.

The seat in the confessional booth was almost too comfortable. He often thought of why they would make it so comfortable and he joked with some of his favorites in the congregation about how it would be nice if they would just put a recliner in there for him.

Father Ollie sat there and looked at both sides of the confessional. One window opened up to a thin piece of wood with holes all over it. That confessional was the one that most people used. Apparently it made those that gave their confessions feel like things were a little more private. Though most of the time he recognized the voices. On the other side of the confessional was a small screened window. This partition was seldom used since the priest could see the face of the person through the screen.

He sat there thinking. His mind kept flashing to the chance meeting he had with a man that just happened upon his church the past weekend. The story the man told haunted Father Ollie. It was confusing and painful to hear.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Father Ollie gathered his senses and realized that someone had walked into the privacy confessional and had tapped on the window to alert him that someone was ready to give a confession.

He slid the wood partition to the side. Light shined through the wood piece full of holes. Father Ollie could see movement behind the partition.

"Yes." Father Ollie muttered, his voice barely audible. He bowed his head in prayer.

"I'm here to give a confession." The voice behind the wall was distant and deep and reverberated through the booth that Father was sitting in. He couldn't make out who it was.

"Go ahead son, I am here to help." Father Ollie said.

"My confession is serious. " The voice from beyond the partition sounded eerie.

"I am serious as well, my son. Your confession is serious. Now tell me what is on your mind." Father Ollie leaned against the wall adjacent to the confessional.

"Bless me father, for I have sinned. My last confession was at least a decade ago." The voice was firm and serious.

Father Ollie composed himself in the confessional. He straightened his collar and ran his fingers over his semi-bald head. "Please continue," Father Ollie said.

"Continue?" The voice from behind the partition sounded angry. "Continue?!? "

Father Ollie got nervous and he could feel something was uncertain.

"What do I need to continue for? I have sinned. Is that not good enough?" The voice was angry.

"I do not understand." Father Ollie strained to see the eyes of the individual through the screen and wooden board with holes in it.

"Is me telling you that I have sinned not good enough? Must I tell you the sins that I have committed over the last 10 years? Do you think I can remember all of them? There are almost too many to count" The voice echoed through the confessional, louder this time than the first.

Father Ollie gained his composure, loosened his collar and said, "In order to confess, you must tell me what the sins were."

"I saw him this past weekend." The voice remained eerie.

Father Ollie had no idea what the man was talking about.

"Son, you need not bring this to the confessional. I am here to help you for your sins." Father Ollie said without inflection in his voice.

"Sure." The voice said.


"Do you want to share your sins with me?" Father Ollie strained to see through the partition.

"Oh, I want to share them with you alright. But I won't tell you everything. There's no need for you to know them all, just yet." The voice said.

"I am here to help, not play games." Father Ollie was growing impatient.

The voice continued without regard to Father Ollie's impatient statement, "I saw him at church on Sunday."

"You saw who at church?" Father Ollie asked.

"I saw the man."

"The man?"

"During your last service on Sunday morning, I saw the husband of the woman I was with. He was here, sitting in the back of the church. I couldn't believe that he was at the church. You know, I'd seen him once before, a couple of months back. It was the morning after the night her and I made love. I followed her home from my place. As she was walking into their building, he was walking out. It was almost humorous, she had just made love to me the night before, yet she fell into his arms that morning - she wrapped her arms around him for quite a while. He had to pry her off of him so he could leave. I just sat there in my car and watched her watching him. "

Father Ollie was silent.

"Did you hear me?"

"Yes." Father Ollie tried to be casual, but the voice pressured him.

"I made love to a woman in your congregation."

"I am not sure that that is considered a sin." Father Ollie was struggling to understand the confession.

"Were you not listening to me? She was a married woman."

"What do you want me to do for you?"

"You can start by telling me that I am forgiven for being with a married woman."

"That's not how it works. You must be sorry for your sins. You simply telling me about them, does not itself induce forgiveness from the Lord."

The man became silent.

"Are you sorry for the sin that you have committed?" Father asked.

There was no sound. Father Ollie looked up from his prayer position and glared through the holes in the partition. The man didn't move.

"Are you there?"

"Of course I am. Did you hear me leave?" The man said sarcastically.

"Are you sorry for your sin?"

"I am sorry for some and not sorry for others. I guess it just depends on the circumstances. Sometimes it's okay to sin, is it not?" The man sounded almost professional in his demeanor this time.

"Are you sorry for the sin that you bring to me today? The one that you have told me about?" Father Ollie's impatience grew and could be heard in his voice.

"Absolutely not." The voice in the confessional was cold and distant.

"Then there is nothing that I can do for you."

"Are you turning away from me? Will you not help me?" The voice screamed through the partition.

"I can't help if you are not willing to help yourself."

"Do you know of the man that I talk about?"

"I will not discuss anyone else with you. This confession is about you. It is not a place to discuss others."

Father Ollie looked through the holes and tried to make out the man's face. He couldn't. He could tell that the man was wearing a hat and his face was tilted slightly down towards his feet. He continued to strain his eyes through the holes.

SLAM!

The man's hand slammed against the partition, causing Father Ollie to jump in fear.

The man, in a loud audible whisper said, "If you don't want to forgive me, then I will continue to sin."

The door of the man's confessional then opened up with a bang and Father Ollie could hear him leaving. The man laughed as he exited the church.

Father Ollie remained seated in the confessional. He was almost afraid to move.