Chosen Paths

Chosen Paths

He collapsed into the chair next to the open widow and whispered, "What have I done?"
Gazing out across the fields towards the river, he heard the bell in a nearby church tolling out the Angelus. Instinctively he steepled his fingers and silently followed the prayer he had known since early childhood. Within moments he recalled the perfume of the incense used during the High Mass. Once again he found himself under the strict scrutiny of the Monsignor as each of the altar boys prepared for the Midnight Service on Christmas Eve.
His parents had always beamed with pride as they were frequently informed of his potential to serve God in the Church. Privately though he had wondered about following his own path. He'd always had his own ideas but out of respect for those he loved, they had never been vocalized. Until now.
"Praying for a reprieve perhaps?" A voice in the entrance opposite startled him back to the present. Geoff looked up to see the pastor standing in the doorway studying him.
"I heard it also." He nodded in the direction of the rectory. "I wondered if you remembered."
Geoff considered his features for a moment. Did the man ever age? For as long as he could remember Father Tom had always been a tall lanky figure with dark wavy hair and sparkling blue eyes. Geoff had always imagined that his companion's muscular frame and endless energy levels would have made him a natural for any professional sports team. However, despite an athletic scholarship, he had surprised everyone by choosing to serve God instead.
"How could I forget?" Geoff grinned. "But, I think I was supposed to be the Priest though."
The cleric smiled in return and nodded as he watched his boyhood chum. Although he was a bit shorter than himself, Tom MacKinnon had always admired his friend's academic abilities and easygoing nature with other people. A vocation to the Priesthood would have been as ordinary as breathing air for him. That he himself had missed prison was a miracle in itself as he had always been the risk taker. He had often reflected on how he had ended up with the Roman collar instead of the man opposite.
The sky was graduating from gold to crimson now with the setting sun. Outside both men could hear the ducks and pheasants in the nearby marshes cry out to each other as the blanket of night began its crawl across the land. Geoff shivered as a cool breeze seemed to snuff the heat of the day.
He glanced quizzically at his mentor.
"Everything's all taken care of." Affirmed the other.
Geoff bowed his head and began to pray quietly.
"They're ready, Father" A male voice intoned from the hallway.
"Coming." The priest acknowledged.
Picking up a prayer book from the table he looked seriously at Geoff and began, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of death…"
"Tom! I'm getting married, not buried!" Geoff laughed with his older brother.