The postulant (part 4)

 

One month later

Valeria's vision was blurred and her head was spinning. She decided to act as if nothing had happened, and began her catechism lesson.

“Who's going to write the Ave Maria on the blackboard?

- In English or Latin?

- Latin first, then English. Do you want to do it Gabriel?”

The little blond boy said yes, and Valeria handed him the Weleda felt-tip pen.

“Ave Maria Gratia plena

Hail Mary full of grace

Dominus Tecum

The Lord is with you

Blessed art thou...”

Gabriel didn't have time to write the rest, as Valeria fell heavily, feeling faint. She then sat on the floor, not daring to get up.

Martin, the scout called in to replace Rémi who had suddenly disappeared the day after Valeria's birthday, phoned Father Soubiran to ask him to come as soon as possible.

The priest arrived three minutes later.

“Good children, you're going to wait with Martin and pray for your catechist. The firemen will arrive to take her to hospital.

- Is she going to die, Father?” asked Gabriel.

- No, don't worry, there's probably nothing wrong with her, we'll just run a few tests to make sure... that everything's okay.

- Why does she have to go to hospital if she's fine?” Léonie wondered aloud.

- Oh Father, I can't lie to the children! I'm expecting a baby, my darlings. said Valeria in a tone that pretended to be cheerful

.“- That's great, Valeria! Your sweetheat will be happy.” Martin replies

“I don't have a sweetheat and never will, Martin. Someone has done me a lot of harm, but out of that God has given me life. Blessed be He.

- Yes. Children, what name could your catechist's child have?” asked the scout to distract the children.

Answers came from everywhere. Valeria smiled sweetly at each little parishioner giving her opinion, but didn't really listen to their answers... She could only think of one thing: how would her parents react when they heard about her pregnancy?

The postulant (part 3)

 

.

The father didn't linger long downstairs. He took the belongings handed to him by Ondine, thanked her politely before quickly taking his leave to return to Valeria.

“Here's a nightgown. You can take a bath and change, then Ondine will take you home for the night.

-My parents will be worried!

- I'll call them and tell them Ondine drove you home after a late singing rehearsal.”

This explanation was quite plausible, since Ondine was the choirmaster of the parish choir and Valeria the soloist.

“- Can't I stay here instead, Father?

- I can't, my dear Valeria. I'll be accused of hurting you!

- Oh Father, I know you're an upright man and so do all your parishioners... Please let me stay!”

“- All right, but you'll leave tomorrow at Lauds and won't tell anyone where you spent the night.

- I promise. Thank you, Father.

- You're welcome, my dear Valeria. Ondine has also brought you a sweater, jeans and sneakers. I put them on the chair next to the bed.

- Yes, thank you so much.

- Good night Valeria

- Good night, Father Soubiran.

The priest turned off the light and went down to the sofa where his cat Nougat was waiting for him.

“Ah my little one, what a day! We're going to pray for Miss Valeria, aren't we?”

The feline nodded with a  meow .Father Soubiran smiled as he grabbed his breviary and prayed the Office of Compline before falling asleep with the cat on his lap.

Valeria left a quarter of an hour before Lauds and made her way to the church. Ondine gave her a knowing smile, and the service began. The young woman left the church half an hour later, relieved that no one had asked her about her outfit.  The parishioners had never seen a woman wearing pants. In this traditional parish, all the women wore dresses. Father Soubiran had discreetly suggested that Ondine bring a pair of pants so that Valeria could hide the scratches on her thighs, the stigmata of her attack.

The postulant (part 2)

Rémi waited for the young woman to leave, then rushed outside, grabbed the woman he loved by the arm, forcing her to turn around, and stole a kiss. Valeria slapped him, went back inside, hid in the bathroom and locked the door. She thought she was safe, but Rémi managed to break the lock, started to undress and then lifted Valeria's long white dress. She wanted to call for help, but fear rendered her speechless. The scout succeeded in abusing the young woman.  Then he left her alone. Valeria didn't have the strength to get out, so she dragged herself into a small corner of the bathroom, waiting patiently for someone to find her.

Father Soubiran had no trouble lifting his parishioner, who was very slight. He entered the chapel, took the blanket used to protect the piano from dust and covered Valeria, who was shivering with cold, with it, then the duo left the church halls. The priest walked quickly to avoid attracting the gaze of passers-by.

Once at the presbytery, the clergyman pushed open the ever-open green door of the big yellow house, climbed the stairs to the second floor and laid Valeria in her own bed.

“I'll turn on the heating for you.

Father Soubiran plugged in the electric radiator, then sat down at the end of the bed.

“It's your birthday, my dear Valeria. How old are you?

- Sixteen, Father, but we're not celebrating... Today... ”

Valeria paused and, unable to hold back her sobs any longer, burst into tears. The priest waited patiently for his parishioner to calm down. After a long moment, the young woman spoke again:

“Today a man stole my virginity. I wanted to remain a virgin all my life for the love of Christ...”.

Valeria began to cry again. Father Soubiran then had a vision: Valeria was holding a little girl in a white dress. The young catechist's smile left no doubt: she was the mother of this child. The clergyman smiled and said:

“Fear not, my daughter. God will bring good out of this evil.

Valeria was not convinced of this, but she had no time to express her doubts. There was a knock at the presbytery door.

“Ah, it must be Ondine bringing you clean clothes. Don't move, I'll be right back.

- Yes, Father.” Valeria replied in a small voice.

 

The postulant ( part 1)

 Valeria's parents, friends and family were unanimous on this point: the girl's  facial features were of a rare beauty. These compliments didn't flatter Valeria's ego; on the contrary, she seemed weary of hearing them... The schoolgirl didn't care about her physical appearance, preferring to cultivate the beauty of her soul. No one realized this except Father Soubiran, Valeria's confessor, to whom Valeria had confided her desire to leave school at eighteen and enter holy orders. Father Soubiran nurtured this holy desire in her by entrusting her with more and more responsibilities in the parish.

Valeria was now in charge of a group of children of First Communion age at the catechism school, and Rémi, a scout, was helping her with this task by preparing games for the little ones after the lesson. Rémi seemed fascinated by the catechist's beauty, and on this special day decided to confess his attraction to her. He fetched a bouquet of white roses, which until then had been hidden in the parish hall cupboard.

“- Happy birthday Valeria!” Rémi said happily, proudly holding up his bouquet.

Valeria was startled to hear him speak behind her. She hadn't seen the young man arrive, too busy sweeping the room. She turned and Rémi held out his bouquet, stammering:

"- Valeria, for a long time I... I've been looking for a way to tell you, but I can't find the words... I love you! Please accept this bouquet as a token of my sincere feelings.

- I thank you for your gesture, but my heart is already taken.

- Do I have a rival?" Rémi asked, laughing, sure of his appeal

"Yes and no.  My sweetheart, no one can match Him. Rémi, I want to be a nun. Goodbye Rémi, see you soon."

Valeria left the catechism room, singing one of her favorite hymns, “J'irai la voir un jour."

A Modern fairytale-The end

 "- Good morning, darling. I brought you breakfast!" Julian said with a smile

"- Good morning my love. I've had enough of these vitaminized yogurts and look at me, I'm as fat as a pig!" complained Kelly. 

"- Your body has changed but in your heart and soul, you're still the same. I still love you just as much." replied her husband, unfazed by his wife's bad mood. After a brief silence he continued, “And you're going to love your new caregiver.” He then opened the door wide to let in their daughter pushing the cart.

"Hello, Mom. I'm going to give you breakfast today!

- You look very pretty like this. Come closer so I can see you better!"

Mary-Annella obeyed, then gently gave her mother her spoonfuls of yoghurt, followed by a glass of orange juice to help digestion. Then she summoned up the courage to announce to her parents:

"-Dad, Mom, I've rediscovered my faith. At the end of the summer, I'll be joining the Daughters of Charity in Paris"

Kelly and Julian were upset by this news: with a son who was a priest and a daughter who will become a nun, they would never have grandchildren, but they didn't oppose Mary-Annella's vocation.

Kelly died on the day her daughter entered the congregation. Julian was inconsolable and promised never to remarry.

Two years later, a neighbor worried that Julian hadn't come out to water his flowers entered the house, whose door was never locked. He found Julian dead in his bed. An inquest concluded that he had died of a natural heart attack. The children had the following words engraved on his grave:

"Here lies a loving father and devoted husband".

The end

A modern fairytale part 18

"- I'm going to cook dinner so Dad can spend more time with Mom. Do you want to help me?" Brennan offered his sister

"- Sure, why not?" replied Mary-Annella, not wanting to upset her brother.

While preparing a tomato sauce for pasta, Brennan asked his sister:

"- Tell me, little sister, why do you have so many one-night stands?

- I'm looking for love. I want to get married and have lots of children!

- You could be pregnant as a result of one of your relationships and not know who the father of your baby is. Have you thought about that, Mary-Annella?

- No." The young woman confessed, lowering her eyes guiltily."

She went to cook the pasta, hoping to avoid further reproaches.

- Well, dinner's ready, go and set the table. After dinner, you'll see what true love is all about." Concluded the young priest.

After clearing the table, washing and putting away the dishes Brennan invited Mary-Annella to look through the half-open door of their parents' bedroom

"-Come. Look, this is love." Brennan said in ASL

In the bedroom, Julian tenderly kissed his wife, now bedridden, before lying down on an air mattress beside Kelly's medical bed.

Mary-Annella had tears in her eyes and went to bed without a word. The next day, Julian was astonished to see his daughter arrive dressed in a simple red T-shirt, jeans and ballet flats that matched her top.

"What a change, my girl! You look lovely." He complimented her at

- Thanks, Dad. It's a more practical outfit to help you

- Help me with what?

- Taking care of Mom...if you agree, of course.

- That's very kind of you. Come on, let's take her breakfast." Julian said, grabbing a tub of vitamin-enriched yoghurt from the fridge.

A modern fairytale part 17

 Mary-Annella's behavior worried her father. She dressed very provocatively and had many one-night stands. Julian had tried several times to reason with her, but to no avail. He decided to put it out of his mind and enjoy Brennan's visit.

"Hello, son. It's always a pleasure to see you! Are you staying with us all summer?

- Yes, Dad. I've been granted exceptional permission, given Mom's state of health. How is she?

- Worse and worse. More tumors are forming in her body, there's no hope of recovery."

Brennan burst into tears.

"Dry your tears, my son. Be brave!" Said Julian

"- Yes, you're right, Dad. I'm going to say hello to Mom.

A broad smile appeared on Kelly's face as she saw her son enter her room.

"-Hello, son. Come closer so I can get a better look at you."

Brennan approached his mother's bed. He was shocked to see her with a body deformed by tumors. She had gained a lot of weight.

- You look good." he complimented

"- You're sweet, son, but I know I'm going to die. I offer my life to the Lord for your sister's conversion.

- My sister's conversion?  She's so religious!

- She's lost her faith, dresses inappropriately and consorts with a lot of men. Your father tried to bring her back to her senses but couldn't. Try talking to her during your vacation.

- I will, Mom. I'll let you rest now." Brennan said before leaving the room.