E’tienne?”
“Russians...” he said, as his blue eyes bulged out of their sockets. “Some bad men paid me half a year’s salary if I threw the game against Spain. I purposely missed a penalty kick that would’ve tied the match...I got greedy.” E’tienne dropped to the floor into a crouch and placed his hand over his eyes.
I bent down a little and placed my hand on his back. “You can ask for forgiveness. But it would have to be done through Father Anton. I don’t have the authority to grant you your confession.”
E’tienne continued staring down at the dirt field. His voice was frayed with guilt. “I can’t. He thinks I’m a hero to the country. He would probably die of a heart attack if he knew I were a fraud.”
“I’m afraid there is nothing I can do.”
E’tienne stood up and squared his solid pectorals. With sudden defiance he said, “Who said you can’t grant me forgiveness?”
“The church,” I softly scolded.
“I guess I don’t need forgiveness, my work here is my penance,” he said, as he began walking back to the village in a huff.
“What?” I asked, surprised at his swift change in demeanor. See, what made E’tienne such a great athlete was his ability to justify his actions and then learn from his mistakes. However, E’tienne’s transgressions were unforgivable if they leaked to the public. They had to be addressed with someone and with God.
I grabbed his arm. I immediately felt what wired strength was when my skin touched his. My mouth opened. Saliva started building up inside of my mouth when I realized how strong he was. My grip was no match for his benign movements. “E’tienne, stop,” I exclaimed.
He turned around, revealing his watery eyes. “I’ll pray for you,” I proclaimed. “It’s the best I can do.”
“Will I be forgiven?” he asked.
My eyes naturally shifted their focus away from E’tienne as I entered a moment of deep thought. I had secrets, too. Up until his question I thought I had achieved closure without revealing my sins. “I have sought forgiveness without a confession and the Lord has granted it to me,” I said. “I’m at peace now.”
“You’re young, beautiful and innocent,” E’tienne said. I blushed at his compliment. “Your sins are nowhere near as bad as mine.”
“If you only knew,” I mumbled.
“How bad could they be?” he asked, with a higher pitched and curious inflection.
I shook my head. But there was something about E’tienne that made me want to reveal more. “ I’ve done worse than cheating on a simple game,” I confided. “It’s true that what you have done might cause more grief to more people but it still is not as bad as what I have done in the eyes of God.”
E’Tienne squinted his eyes and stopped looking inward as he approached me. He looked decidedly curious about my revelation. “Please tell, I will not judge.”
“ I can’t,” I said, shaking my head.
“ But I told you what I did—the least you can do is return the sentiment by trusting me.”
I felt guilty about the events in the hot tub that one night, but there was a part of me that wanted to let E’Tienne know what I did. I wanted to see if he would respond with disgust, arousal, or neutrality. Telling him what I did was a definite risk, but my endorphins and my adrenaline compelled me to reveal all. I felt a sudden rush of blood to my chest and groin. I opened my mouth and said, “I participated in group sex.”
E’Tienne’s eyes grew large and a smile slowly began to overtake the grimness he had on his face. “Uh-huh,” he said.
“ I know...I know...” I shook my head. “I’m a horrible human being.”
E’Tienne came over and put his hand underneath my chin and softly tilted my head upward. “There is nothing sinful about expressing yourself sexually.”
I turned away from him. “I can’t...”
“ Can’t what?” he asked.
“ Thinking about sex, you being here...I don’t want to lose
“Russians...” he said, as his blue eyes bulged out of their sockets. “Some bad men paid me half a year’s salary if I threw the game against Spain. I purposely missed a penalty kick that would’ve tied the match...I got greedy.” E’tienne dropped to the floor into a crouch and placed his hand over his eyes.
I bent down a little and placed my hand on his back. “You can ask for forgiveness. But it would have to be done through Father Anton. I don’t have the authority to grant you your confession.”
E’tienne continued staring down at the dirt field. His voice was frayed with guilt. “I can’t. He thinks I’m a hero to the country. He would probably die of a heart attack if he knew I were a fraud.”
“I’m afraid there is nothing I can do.”
E’tienne stood up and squared his solid pectorals. With sudden defiance he said, “Who said you can’t grant me forgiveness?”
“The church,” I softly scolded.
“I guess I don’t need forgiveness, my work here is my penance,” he said, as he began walking back to the village in a huff.
“What?” I asked, surprised at his swift change in demeanor. See, what made E’tienne such a great athlete was his ability to justify his actions and then learn from his mistakes. However, E’tienne’s transgressions were unforgivable if they leaked to the public. They had to be addressed with someone and with God.
I grabbed his arm. I immediately felt what wired strength was when my skin touched his. My mouth opened. Saliva started building up inside of my mouth when I realized how strong he was. My grip was no match for his benign movements. “E’tienne, stop,” I exclaimed.
He turned around, revealing his watery eyes. “I’ll pray for you,” I proclaimed. “It’s the best I can do.”
“Will I be forgiven?” he asked.
My eyes naturally shifted their focus away from E’tienne as I entered a moment of deep thought. I had secrets, too. Up until his question I thought I had achieved closure without revealing my sins. “I have sought forgiveness without a confession and the Lord has granted it to me,” I said. “I’m at peace now.”
“You’re young, beautiful and innocent,” E’tienne said. I blushed at his compliment. “Your sins are nowhere near as bad as mine.”
“If you only knew,” I mumbled.
“How bad could they be?” he asked, with a higher pitched and curious inflection.
I shook my head. But there was something about E’tienne that made me want to reveal more. “ I’ve done worse than cheating on a simple game,” I confided. “It’s true that what you have done might cause more grief to more people but it still is not as bad as what I have done in the eyes of God.”
E’Tienne squinted his eyes and stopped looking inward as he approached me. He looked decidedly curious about my revelation. “Please tell, I will not judge.”
“ I can’t,” I said, shaking my head.
“ But I told you what I did—the least you can do is return the sentiment by trusting me.”
I felt guilty about the events in the hot tub that one night, but there was a part of me that wanted to let E’Tienne know what I did. I wanted to see if he would respond with disgust, arousal, or neutrality. Telling him what I did was a definite risk, but my endorphins and my adrenaline compelled me to reveal all. I felt a sudden rush of blood to my chest and groin. I opened my mouth and said, “I participated in group sex.”
E’Tienne’s eyes grew large and a smile slowly began to overtake the grimness he had on his face. “Uh-huh,” he said.
“ I know...I know...” I shook my head. “I’m a horrible human being.”
E’Tienne came over and put his hand underneath my chin and softly tilted my head upward. “There is nothing sinful about expressing yourself sexually.”
I turned away from him. “I can’t...”
“ Can’t what?” he asked.
“ Thinking about sex, you being here...I don’t want to lose
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