"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned."
"How long has it been since your last confession, my child?"
"It has been two weeks, Father."
And with that well-practiced introduction, so began yet another confession for Father John Sullivan; the lone, fifty-two years young priest at St. Ann's church. Of course, the female voice asking forgiveness was no child and the priest knew that well, even in the darkness of a confessional. He is, after all, the voice of the earthly presence of God, for the devout Catholic woman.
It was he alone who took on the task of healing the faithful in the Lord's name at St. Ann's. And it was he who would ask the questions necessary to clarify exactly which of the Ten Commandments had been broken by the confessor that required forgiveness from God, and penance for the sinner.
Father John can absolve the sins of the confessor in any way he sees fit. The priest could free the woman of her sins by having her recite an Our Father or a Hail Mary; or he could impose whatever act of contrition he felt the Lord would require of the sinner.
"And what sins are you here to confess?"
"Father, I am married, but have had impure thoughts of another man," came Carol's whispered response.
"I see," began Father John, in the darkness of the cubicle opposite the female, through the woven wicker mesh that separates penitent from priest in the confessional. He toyed with his rosary beads.
"And who is this man to whom you are not married?"
"Father, he is the brother of my husband," she replied shamefully, sure that even her whispered admission was echoing into the church beyond the draped doorway of the confessional. The priest remained silent for a time, allowing her to appreciate the gravity of speaking of the taboo nature of her sin against God.
"I see. And what brought about these impure thoughts, my child?"
This would be difficult for Carol, as she needed to find the right words to keep from uttering the sordid details of her act. "Father, while I was flirting with my brother-in-law. I..."
Father John interrupted with, "Were you two alone when this happened?"
"Um, no. My husband was there as well."
"And did he witness your sinful act of flirting with his own brother?"
"Well, it was his idea, Father. He had asked me to be playful around his younger brother and to show him things he needed to learn. I knew it is against God's will for me to do such things with a man I am not married to, yet I didn't have the strength to say so to my husband."
"Understand, my child, you did take a vow to love, honor and obey your husband. God cannot blame a loving wife for obeying her husband's willful command." Of course, the drivel of the centuries-old patriarchy of the church came naturally to the priest of over thirty years. "So, why do you think your husband would ask you to be sinful with his own brother?"
"Mike's brother..." began Carol, who realized too late that she had just offered information that might identify her to the priest. After all, Carol learned in grade school that confession was meant to be anonymous and that a priest does not concern himself with which parishioner is speaking. Therefore one wasn't supposed to self-identify when confessing.
She went on, "Well, my husband's brother just came back from college and hasn't yet been with a girl. My husband wanted me to help him feel more comfortable around the female sex, so he asked him to come stay with us for a while."
"I see. And your conscience couldn't bear the thought of something so taboo? Even if it was at your husband's bidding?"
"Yes, Father. He and I have talked in bed about how dangerous it would be for me to be caught being sinful with his brother. But he did ask me to show him ways to be intimate with a woman. It was these acts that caused my mind to be snatched up by the devil." She bowed her head in shame.
Father John smiled to himself. This had to be Carol Braun, that vivacious twenty-five year old with the wondrous swaying D cups, and delicious rounded ass. This is the same woman who always sits in the front pew at mass with her socially uncomfortable husband, Mike. A temptress for the priest, and now ready to become his prey.
Mike Braun, he thought. A bastard child born out of wedlock to a horny 18 year-old at the time named Bernadette, who couldn't be satisfied with one cock; she had to experience many of them. He recalled many late night trips to "counsel" this horny mommy when Mike was just a young boy. And of course, no one will ever know the identity of the father of Mike's younger bastard brother, Eric. Except, of course, Father John and the Bernadette herself.
She just couldn't get enough "counseling" from Father John and he was more than happy to give it to her. Her second pregnancy, he supposed, was inevitable, but brought about an end to their illicit play.
"I see," offered the priest, quietly. The next five seconds of pure silence was to exaggerate the gravity of her sins. Then, Father John said, "Well, it seems that the only way to address this sin is for God to speak with you and your husband - through me, of course. Do you think that you could ask him to accompany you to the rectory so we could explore this dire situation more?"
Carol gulped out loud. "Do you mean, like, marriage counseling?"
"Yes. God is more than happy to assist both of you in dealing with these sinful acts. I can help you to be better Christians through guidance from above. So, I would like you to tell your husband that Father John wants to meet with you both this evening - say, eight o'clock?" As the priest said that, he wondered if hearing the priest's name uttered by his wife would trigger Mike to remember the decadent noises made behind his mother's bedroom door so often, when he was such a young boy.
"Uh, yes, Father. I will do that. Thank you, Father."
"Go in peace, my child." And so ended the confession. The young woman got up from the kneeler and parted the curtains of the confessional. Father John knew that the religious couple would listen to anything he would offer, and he had a wonderful plan to see much more of Carol than he had previously.