Bless Us Father (17 page)

“You’re right,” Mrs. Riley said, finally breaking the silence. “I don’t want to know what’s wrong. But one thing I do know for sure is that you’d better be dressed and ready to go out to dinner by six, and your attitude had better have changed or else.”

“Or else, what?” Mary Margaret asked, her hands now on her hips.

“Just try it and you’ll find out,” Mrs. Riley said, turning on her heel and walking out of the room.

Mary Margaret waited until she was sure her mother wasn’t coming back, then closed her bedroom door. She sat back down on the bed and put her face in her hands, crying softly into them.

Glancing at the clock, she realized she only had about an hour before Father Antonio would be back to take them to dinner. She forced herself to stop crying so her eyes wouldn’t be all red and swollen, and went to the closet to find something appropriate to wear to a fancy restaurant for dinner.

She knew she’d better pull herself together or her mother would make her life even more miserable than it already was. Then she thought of something else. Her mom had gone to the beauty shop to have her hair and makeup done. Something she’d never bothered to do for Mary Margaret’s dad, even though Mary Margaret had suggested it. Was she doing this to impress Father Antonio? That thought depressed her terribly.

Pulling clothes out of the closet, she finally decided the only thing she had to wear was the dyed to match sweater and skirt set she’d bought in the fall. She’d gained a bit of weight, so it fit her tighter now and when she tried it on, decided it made her look sexy. Maybe that would help keep Father Antonio’s mind on her, and not on her mother. She certainly didn’t want anything to happen to her parents’ marriage, and God knows you couldn’t trust Father Antonio.

She went to the bathroom and filled the tub with water as hot as she could stand. She got in and scrubbed herself with soap and a wash cloth until her skin was red. She wanted to immerse herself completely in the water, but didn’t have time to dry her hair before dinner. She got out, toweled herself dry, wrapped her robe around her and padded back to her room.

Mary Margaret got her secret stash of makeup out of the shoebox she kept it in under her bed and applied a thin layer of blue eye shadow to her lids. She dabbed just a bit of mascara on her lashes and powdered her nose, then finished off with just a touch of blush and a swipe of pink lipstick. She hoped her mother would be too excited about dinner in a fancy restaurant to notice.

Having gone this far, she ratted her hair, then smoothed it into a tight French roll, combing most of the ratting out in the process. She took the tail of the comb and lifted the top portion up at the crown. She stood back and surveyed herself and decided she looked very grown up and mature. She dressed quickly, and was ready when she heard her mother open the front door to let Father in.

She got her purse and coat, put the coat on, and followed the sound of voices into the living room.

“Well, look at you, Mary Margaret. Don’t you look beautiful, and all grown up,” Father Antonio said, turning to greet her.

“Hello, Father. I’m ready to go.”

“I can see you are. Ellen? Are you ready?” he asked.

“Yes, Antonio, I’ll get my coat.”

Mary Margaret couldn’t believe her ears. Antonio? She was calling him Antonio. She couldn’t believe her eyes, either. Instead of the usual housedress her mom wore, she was now wearing a black, fitted sheath dress, nylons and high heels. She had her only jewelry on, a strand of pearls and earrings to match. And of course, the velvet bow in her mom’s hair was still there.

The three walked out to the car together and Father Antonio helped Mrs. Riley in on the passenger side before opening the back door for Mary Margaret to slide in. He winked and smiled at her before closing the door.

Located in Pico Rivera, the Dal Rae Restaurant wasn’t too far from Whittier and the drive didn’t take long. Father Antonio and Mary Margaret’s mother chatted politely with each other as they rode along. No one seemed to notice that Mary Margaret was in the back seat.

Father Antonio parked the car and walked around to help Mrs. Riley out.

Mary Margaret didn’t wait for him, but got out of the car and began walking to the front door of the restaurant, head held high. She could hear footsteps behind her, and her mother’s heels were making rapid staccato sounds on the pavement.

“Wait for us,” Father Antonio said, walking faster. He caught up to her and took her by the arm.

They entered the restaurant and had to wait a bit for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. Smoke wafted towards them and Mary Margaret was reminded of her father by the faint scent of the pipe tobacco intermingled with cigarette smoke.

A hostess soon greeted them and asked if she could take their coats. Mrs. Riley quickly handed hers to the woman and turned towards Mary Margaret, who hesitated briefly before taking her own coat off.

Mary Margaret heard her mother let out a whoosh of air when she saw what she was wearing. Her skirt was now so tight that it fit her like a glove, and she was only wearing the sleeveless sweater shell that went to the twin set. It was cut in at the shoulders and fit her much tighter now, too. It was obvious that Mary Margaret’s bust size had increased a lot in the months since she’d bought the outfit.

“Shall we go to our table, ladies?” Father Antonio asked.

Mary Margaret nodded and stepped in front of him to follow the hostess.

“Come on Ellen. Close your mouth. Your little girl is all grown up. Let’s go have a nice birthday dinner.” Mary Margaret heard Father Antonio say as she walked away.

They were seated in a black Naugahyde booth that looked out over the restaurant. Mary Margaret couldn’t stop looking around at all the people that were seated eating, drinking and talking. Everyone was dressed up and looked very elegant. This was the first time she’d ever been in a restaurant this fancy and she wasn’t sure what to do with the napkin that was folded next to her plate.

The waiter arrived, introduced himself, and handed them their menus. Out of the corner of her eye, Mary Margaret saw that Father Antonio took the napkin and placed it in his lap, so she did the same.

“How about a steak for the birthday girl?” Father asked.

“Gee, I don’t know if I really like steak. All I’ve ever had is Swiss steak.”

“Oh, Mary Margaret. Don’t be silly. Of course you’ve had steak,” Mrs. Riley said, blushing.

“I have?”

“Well, of course you have. Don’t you remember?”

“Oh yeah, I remember now. I think I liked it,” Mary Margaret said, knowing full well they’d never had steak in her home in her life. Mom just didn’t want Father to think she was unsophisticated, that’s all.

“Wonderful. You know we South Americans love our steaks,” Father Antonio said. “How about I order for us?” He raised his hand and gestured for the waiter to come to the table.

“Thank you, Antonio. I can’t remember the last time I had a good steak,” Mrs. Riley said.

“And thank you for your company,” he responded. “I can’t remember the last time I was out with two beautiful women, either.”

“Oh my goodness,” Mrs. Riley exclaimed, then giggled. “I didn’t think priests went out with women. And Mary Margaret isn’t a woman yet, either.”

Mary Margaret’s face flushed red. Maybe she hadn’t been a woman when she’d left the house this morning, but she was definitely a woman now. Father Antonio had seen to that.

“We don’t, usually. This is a special occasion in honor of Mary Margaret’s sixteenth birthday. Your husband should be here tonight, but since he can’t be, I hope I can be a good enough substitute.”

Fury washed over Mary Margaret. Who did he think he was? Pushing his way into their family and trying to take over for her dad. “Excuse me. I need to go to the restroom.” She stood and abruptly left the table.

When she returned, the steaks had been delivered along with a bottle of wine. Her mother and Father Antonio didn’t acknowledge her when she sat down.

“May I have a coke?” she asked.

“I just ordered you one,” Father said. “You’re not quite old enough for wine yet, though sixteen is pretty grown up.”

“Children grow up way too fast these days,” Mrs. Riley said. “I wish she was still a little girl with braids in her hair. All too soon she’s going to be gone away to college.”

“That can’t come soon enough for me,” Mary Margaret said. “I can’t wait.”

“Now Mary Margaret,” Father Antonio said. “Don’t rush things.”

“That’s interesting coming from you,” she retorted.

Mrs. Riley leaned forward and quietly said, “Apologize to Father for your rudeness, right now. I don’t care how old you are. You’re not too old for me to punish.”

“I’m sorry, Father. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“I accept your apology. You’d better eat your steak before it gets cold.”

Mary Margaret tried to relax and enjoy her meal. Her mother and Father Antonio spent most of the time talking to each other, but every now and then they would remember she was there and include her in the conversation.

She was actually relieved when dessert was over and it was time for them to go home. She sat quietly as they drove home and thought about how much she had changed in less than a year. Being a grown up wasn’t starting out well for her.

Father Antonio walked them to the door and made sure they were safely back inside the house before going back to his car. Mary Margaret watched him get in his car and start the engine. She was just closing the front door when she heard the telephone ringing in the kitchen. She raced for it, beating her mother who had already gone to her room.

“Hello,” she said breathlessly. “Oh, hi Daddy! It’s so nice to hear your voice. You’ve been trying to call all day? We just got home. Mom took me out for a burger. Yes, Daddy, I’m sixteen now. I’m all grown up. When are you coming home, Daddy? I miss you so much.”

Loss leaves us alone and empty, but learn not to close your heart and mind in grief. Allow life to replenish you. When sorrow comes it seems impossible, but new joys wait to fill the void.

-Pam Brown-

CHAPTER NINETEEN

April, 1965

Life went on, and in most ways stayed pretty much the same, contrary to Mary Margaret’s prediction that nothing would ever be the same again following her trip to the mountains with Father Antonio.

Sitting in English class, she was supposed to be reading on her own, but couldn’t focus on the book, so resorted to daydreaming about the events of the past year. She doubted Sister Theresa would notice since she seemed to be sleeping, rather than grading the papers she had in front of her on her desk.

She was now seventeen and allowed to date, though no one had asked her out yet. Her junior prom was in one month and she really wanted to go. She had even saved up money to buy a dress and had one picked out, though she’d probably never get a chance to wear it.

Her relationship with Father Antonio continued and their former heavy petting had been replaced by real sex. It didn’t happen very often because they were seldom alone together, but he would find a way once or twice a month. She’d gone to the library and done some research, and found that the things in the foil packets that he always fumbled with were condoms, and were to prevent her from getting pregnant. She knew they were against the rules of the Catholic Church, but she was glad he was using them all the same.

Mary Margaret’s father returned from Oklahoma after six months, and had a fit over her mom’s new look. Her mom said she didn’t care and her hair was going to stay red--other people liked it fine. The family had fallen back into their old routines though her mom and dad seemed to snap at each other a lot more than they had before, and they hadn’t gotten along well to begin with.

Still, Mary Margaret was glad her dad was home. He called her his baby girl and told her she was growing up way too fast. She wanted to talk to him and tell him about Father Antonio, but knew she never would. He might not love her as much if he knew what she was doing with Father Antonio, and she couldn’t bear that thought. Better to leave well enough alone.

In the fall of her junior year, Father O’Malley had also returned. His hip was finally healed up and he was able to walk using a cane, though with a limp. Sadly, he was grouchy all the time and seemed awfully mad at Father Antonio. Sometimes she could hear them arguing when they were having dinner, but she couldn’t make the words out well enough to understand what the problem was. She got the feeling it had something to do with how Father Antonio had managed the parish while Father O’Malley was in Ireland, but she didn’t know for sure.

Today, she had to ask Father O’Malley if she could decrease her work hours for a few weeks, and she hoped he would be there when she got to work.

The bell rang signaling the end to the school day, so she picked up her books and started the walk to the rectory. She could see Danny Ellis walking on the sidewalk in front of her, so quickened her pace to try to catch up to him. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to him since she’d turned seventeen. Maybe, just maybe he’d ask her to the prom.