baby’s cheek, the infant grabbed his finger and held on, looking right into his eyes. Tom experienced that tug in his chest that he had several times before, as if he was being pulled toward something warm and wonderful.
“I think he’s feeling better,” Anne said. “Maybe—”
She stopped in midsentence when an attendant from the retirement home suddenly raced up to Tom. He was a bantam-size man with perky white teeth and was holding out a slip of paper. “This message just came in for you, Father,” he said.
Tom extracted his finger from Tommy’s grasp, took the note and thanked the attendant.
The man turned to retrace his steps back to the retirement home. Tom quickly read the note, which brought a frown to his face.
“Problem?” Anne asked.
“I need to make a stop at the hospital,” he said as he reached down to open the car door for her.
* * *
A NNE STOOD IN THE doorway as she watched Tom bend over the elderly man in the hospital bed. There were tubes coming out of the man’s chest and an IV stuck in his arm.
“So, Joe, we missed you in church this morning,” Tom said, his manner light and playful. “I suppose you think I’m going to let you off the hook just because you’re all hooked up here?”
Joe smiled. “Actually, Father, I do need you to get me off the hook for something,” he said, his voice a heavy wheeze. “I need you to marry us.”
Tom glanced to the other side of the bed, where a grave woman with gray-white hair stood, holding Joe’s hand.
“Betty, you’re not married to Joe?” Tom asked.
Betty shook her head as though in shame. “I know we told everybody in Cooper’s Corner we were when we moved in together. But we couldn’t. Joe’s children were so against it. They thought it meant Joe didn’t love and honor the memory of their mother. Please, don’t be disappointed in us, Father.”
Tom smiled. “I could never be disappointed in two people so committed to each other. Is the marriage ceremony what you both want now?”
“Yes,” Joe wheezed, looking over at Betty as though she were the most beautiful girl in the world.
Betty smiled back as though Joe were her ardent young lover. “Yes, Father,” she said.
“Then it would be my pleasure,” Tom assured them, drawing out the Book of Common Prayer from his pocket.
As Tom’s deep, rich voice recited the marriage ceremony, Anne listened to Joe and Betty promise to love and comfort each other in sickness and in health as long as they both would live. There was no white dress, no flowers, no organ music, no candles. Just the full joy of love to light their faces.
And Anne felt tears stinging the back of her eyes.
It was later, when she and Tom walked down the hospital hallway to the exit, that she asked, “How much time does Joe have left?”
“Not much,” Tom said.
Anne heard it in his voice then. Tom felt for Joe and Betty. He had not found a nice, safe, comfortable place from which to view their pain. He was part of Joe and Betty’s intimacy of suffering.
“Couldn’t you get in trouble with your bishop for performing an illegal ceremony?” Anne asked after a moment.
“Probably. Going to tell on me, Anne?”
Tom didn’t sound worried. It struck Anne then that this was not a man who did the safe thing. This was a man who got into the full fray of life and let himself feel.
“I could issue a waiver of the three-day waiting period for a marriage license,” Anne offered. “They could make their marriage official.”
“It’s official in their hearts,” Tom replied. “Has been for a long time. They just needed the comfort of saying the words aloud to each other in a ceremonial context.”
“Even if the ritual doesn’t mean anything?”
“Ritual means a great deal,” Tom said. “We’re constantly seeking the tangible evidence to our intangible side. Ritual helps to put the bone and muscle on our beliefs.”
Anne considered Tom’s words and had to admit they had merit. “I
“I think he’s feeling better,” Anne said. “Maybe—”
She stopped in midsentence when an attendant from the retirement home suddenly raced up to Tom. He was a bantam-size man with perky white teeth and was holding out a slip of paper. “This message just came in for you, Father,” he said.
Tom extracted his finger from Tommy’s grasp, took the note and thanked the attendant.
The man turned to retrace his steps back to the retirement home. Tom quickly read the note, which brought a frown to his face.
“Problem?” Anne asked.
“I need to make a stop at the hospital,” he said as he reached down to open the car door for her.
* * *
A NNE STOOD IN THE doorway as she watched Tom bend over the elderly man in the hospital bed. There were tubes coming out of the man’s chest and an IV stuck in his arm.
“So, Joe, we missed you in church this morning,” Tom said, his manner light and playful. “I suppose you think I’m going to let you off the hook just because you’re all hooked up here?”
Joe smiled. “Actually, Father, I do need you to get me off the hook for something,” he said, his voice a heavy wheeze. “I need you to marry us.”
Tom glanced to the other side of the bed, where a grave woman with gray-white hair stood, holding Joe’s hand.
“Betty, you’re not married to Joe?” Tom asked.
Betty shook her head as though in shame. “I know we told everybody in Cooper’s Corner we were when we moved in together. But we couldn’t. Joe’s children were so against it. They thought it meant Joe didn’t love and honor the memory of their mother. Please, don’t be disappointed in us, Father.”
Tom smiled. “I could never be disappointed in two people so committed to each other. Is the marriage ceremony what you both want now?”
“Yes,” Joe wheezed, looking over at Betty as though she were the most beautiful girl in the world.
Betty smiled back as though Joe were her ardent young lover. “Yes, Father,” she said.
“Then it would be my pleasure,” Tom assured them, drawing out the Book of Common Prayer from his pocket.
As Tom’s deep, rich voice recited the marriage ceremony, Anne listened to Joe and Betty promise to love and comfort each other in sickness and in health as long as they both would live. There was no white dress, no flowers, no organ music, no candles. Just the full joy of love to light their faces.
And Anne felt tears stinging the back of her eyes.
It was later, when she and Tom walked down the hospital hallway to the exit, that she asked, “How much time does Joe have left?”
“Not much,” Tom said.
Anne heard it in his voice then. Tom felt for Joe and Betty. He had not found a nice, safe, comfortable place from which to view their pain. He was part of Joe and Betty’s intimacy of suffering.
“Couldn’t you get in trouble with your bishop for performing an illegal ceremony?” Anne asked after a moment.
“Probably. Going to tell on me, Anne?”
Tom didn’t sound worried. It struck Anne then that this was not a man who did the safe thing. This was a man who got into the full fray of life and let himself feel.
“I could issue a waiver of the three-day waiting period for a marriage license,” Anne offered. “They could make their marriage official.”
“It’s official in their hearts,” Tom replied. “Has been for a long time. They just needed the comfort of saying the words aloud to each other in a ceremonial context.”
“Even if the ritual doesn’t mean anything?”
“Ritual means a great deal,” Tom said. “We’re constantly seeking the tangible evidence to our intangible side. Ritual helps to put the bone and muscle on our beliefs.”
Anne considered Tom’s words and had to admit they had merit. “I
Similar Books
