CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE – AS STARS LOOK DOWN
Patrick arrived back to Ballyk very late that evening. The town was quiet and he had been missing for about a week. Father Mac covered his service and told the locals Patrick was leading a class in Dublin for a while. Patrick opened the red door to his little white house and found it exactly as he had left it with the exception of it being a little cleaner. The summer evening was warm, and the house stuffy. He went around opening windows and taking in the fresh air of the night. In the parking lot in front of the church he heard a female voice as she encouraged her dog to chase the ball. Against his better judgment Patrick stepped outside to investigate.
Anne stood at one end of the parking lot as she tiredly hurled a tennis ball to the other in a vain attempt to wear out the young dog. She drank coffee from a tumbler at her side and cheered Fionn on each time he successfully completed a game of fetch.
"He's grown since I last saw him," Patrick said awkwardly in the darkness.
"How's God?" Anne snapped, "Tell him 'Hi' for us mortals."
"You know it's not like that."
"Do I?"
"Anne all my life I wanted to be a priest, and then I met you and …"
"And what?" she asked softly.
"I met you and I, I can't breathe."
"I've asked Aidan to come back to Dublin with me at the end of the season."
"Really, when did you decide this?"
"This evening."
"And is this what you really want?"
"You have made it quite clear that only your feelings matter in this, not mine."
"What do you want me to say?"
"I thought it was obvious."
"Well it's not."
"Tell me you love me, tell me you want me in your life, tell me you want to run away with me and start over and build a life together."
"It's not that easy."
"What? To know what you want? I beg to differ."
"I need time."
"You've had time," Anne barked angrily, "and you knew what you wanted in Dublin that night, I asked you to make sure and you knew what we were doing was wrong and you wanted it anyway. You're selfish! Have your cake and eat it too!"
"Cheap shot."
"It's true though isn't it, you know it is!"
"I'm not having this discussion right now, I am just telling you I need time," Patrick said turning his back on her to leave him.
"Aidan wants me to marry him." Anne blurted out.
Patrick stopped cold.
"What?"
"He mentioned it tonight."
"What did you tell him?"
"I'd think about it," Anne paused and then glared at Patrick, "What do you think I should do?"
"I thought you didn't need my help making decisions."
Anne could hear the door to Patrick's house close in the night, she crumped to the ground in tears. Aidan had made no such offer she just wanted to hurt him, and now she was the one who was hurt. Fionn rushed over to her side and bounded into her lap. She held him and sobbed.
Patrick closed the door behind him and pressed his back against it. His chest rose and fell heavily. A few tears formed in the corners of his eyes and he angrily brushed them away. A cross of Jesus hung on the wall opposite him. He tore it from the wall and hurled it across the room. He paced angrily before reaching for the phone.
"I don't care if he's asleep!" Patrick shouted down the end of the receiver, "Wake him up it's an emergency!"