Let's get back to Diego, there is still at least one wedding to celebrate and we can't do it without him.
Chapter 15. Seal of Confession.
The day before the wedding Diego was nervous, Padre Benitez had insisted that if he did not confess to him he would not marry them, and Diego was not sure he could confess his sins without revealing to the priest what he was really doing on the sly.
He went to the church and approached the priest.
"Padre, I come to confess my sins."
"Of course, son." He was surprised to see him so tense. "Diego, we are all sinners. I don't think you're going to tell me anything I haven't already heard."
Maybe I'll surprise you. Diego thought. Then he made a decision. "I would like to ask that instead of in the confessional we talk in the mission garden. I would feel more comfortable in the open air." And in an open area where he could keep an eye out that no one could eavesdrop on us. He added to himself.
"It's unorthodox, but I don't see any inconvenience." said the priest heading for the door.
They walked a few meters and Diego could see that there was no one around.
"Padre, forgive me for I have sinned."
"How long has it been since your last confession?"
"A little over two months."
"My son, what are you accusing yourself of?"
"Mostly of lying. I have been hiding things from everyone, but especially from my father and señorita Escalante."
"And the sins of the flesh?"
"I've been tempted by several women, especially señorita Escalante, she's the only one I've..." he said looking away.
"Have you committed carnal acts with her?"
"I only kissed her and some caresses, nothing more."
"That's good my son, remember to avoid carnal acts with her until you are married."
Diego smiled slightly. "I am sure I will be able to restrain myself until tomorrow."
The priest looked at him very seriously. "You must renounce all other women. Marriage is a sacrament, and she must be the only one for you."
Diego held his gaze. "She will be, padre. I give you my word."
The padre visibly relaxed. "I hope you can keep it. I know you are an honorable man even though you may have made mistakes."
"Thank you padre." Diego said, trying to sound remorseful for something he had never actually done.
"Regarding the lies, I hope that from now on you will not repeat the situation where they seemed necessary to you and you will not be tempted to fall for them again."
Diego hoped that the padre would not delve into that matter, he could not lie to a priest in confession and he was getting dangerously close to the kind of questions to which he could not give a sincere answer "I will do my best to avoid the situations to which you refer. I have trusted my father and my fiancée and I am sure I will never need to deceive them again."
The priest was very experienced in confessions and was puzzled by the way Diego was expressing himself. He seemed too specific, too eager to convince him that he would not make the same mistake again, but he found it odd that Diego was so insistent on naming his father and Victoria, as if he was promising only not to lie "to them" again and not including in his confession the lies to the rest of the people, including the priest himself.
"I know you are sincere when you talk about them, but it still seems to me that there is something else you are not telling me." Diego did not respond. "What you say is under seal of confession. I will never reveal it to anyone, but you must tell me the truth or I cannot give you absolution. I can only forgive your sins if you really intend not to sin again."
That was just what Diego had feared. The priest could see in his expression that there was indeed something else, something very important that the young man did not want to talk about.
"Tell me what it is that you are hiding and why it is so important to keep hiding it."
"Padre, I don't want you to be burdened with something like this." said Diego worriedly.
"Diego, I have known you since I came here, I know you are a good man. If something is tormenting you perhaps I can advise you. Have you confessed what you are hiding from me to any other priest?"
"What I am hiding is precisely why I am forced to lie." Diego was somewhere between angry and anxious, like a child trying to justify something he is ashamed or afraid of and does not want to talk about.
The priest felt a growing concern about what this shameful secret could be and spoke to him in an increasingly paternal tone. "Then you have never told anyone what that reason is."
"Not in confession."
"But your father and your fiancée know."
"They do now."
The priest was perplexed. "Don't you understand Diego? As long as you keep in your heart a secret that compels you to lie those absolutions are worthless, you must have purpose to amend your conduct. Secrets are always dangerous for the soul, but in this case in which you seem to lie indiscriminately to everyone the weight of guilt can come to condemn you, and I cannot allow that to happen, it is my obligation as your parish priest to take care of your immortal soul."
Diego sighed and, absorbed in his thoughts, shook his head, his gesture did not go unnoticed by the priest. With a firmer voice he insisted.
"Tell me at once what is going on so I can help you Diego. It is my obligation."
Diego looked up at him. "It's all right father. There is a reason I deceive others, and I admit that sometimes I enjoy hiding things from them."
"That is very wrong my son, what is that motive?" Mentally he was bracing himself for something very serious or embarrassing, though he couldn't quite figure out exactly what, and it scared him that Don Alejandro and señorita Escalante knew and were supporting him. It didn't make sense.
"I am Zorro." Diego said in a resigned voice.
"You are... What?" he finally looked like he had mentally prepared himself for anything but this. The priest looked equal parts confused and angry, as if he partly believed it was a joke in poor taste. Diego found himself having to explain himself.
"You know, I put on the black clothes, the mask and go out there to capture bandits, sabotage the alcalde's plans and patrol around. I can't stop lying to others because if the alcalde finds out he'll hang me, and sometimes, well, actually almost always, I get a kick out of foiling his plans."
The priest looked around, suddenly aware that the conversation should remain private. His head was spinning. "I understand." he said at last. Although he actually had the feeling that he understood less and less.
"So what should I do?" said Diego.
"So, when you confessed in another church you didn't tell the other priest what you were really doing." The priest was still turning it over in his head, he looked very thoughtful.
"No, I was telling him that there was a man who out of greed was trying to harm me and the others, that to avoid that I had to tell some lies and that I would try to lie as little as possible and he thought that was enough."
"It makes sense, but I insisted because I thought what you were hiding had to do with other women."
"There are no other women, just Victoria."
"And why does everyone think that?"
"The alcalde thought he had discovered a secret and we let him go on thinking he was right, so he doesn't suspect what I've really been doing all this time. We also wanted to justify Victoria suddenly changing her mind and consenting to marry me, well, Diego, when everyone knew she was in love with Zorro, so we made people believe that Diego had seduced and defiled her and that there was no choice but marriage to keep her honor intact."
The priest nodded. His expression grew more thoughtful by the moment.
"I can't let everyone know what I do, and the truth is that I don't regret lying to the alcalde at all." Diego continued as he saw that the priest said nothing more. "I will understand that you cannot absolve me of that sin, but don't stop me from marrying Victoria. We've been waiting a long time."
"Then that's what they already know."
"Yes, she and my father have known for a few weeks now, when we told you we had decided to marry."
"So that mark on your neck..."
Diego nodded somewhat embarrassed. "She gave it to me, yes."
Padre Benitez reflected. "It is something complicated, I would have to consult with the bishop..." he saw Diego's worried face "... but it would not be wise to do so, so I will be guided by my own conscience."
Diego nodded, and looked at him tensely as he awaited his decision.
"Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti." said the padre absolving Diego as he made the sign of the cross over him.
Diego smiled, much less tense than before.
"Go thou and sin no… I mean, sin as little as possible."
"Thank you padre."
Diego noticed that padre Benitez was concentrating on thinking something. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?" he asked him.
"It's just that Victoria confessed to me yesterday and I told her something that now, after having listened to you, I don't know if it was accurate." the priest stared at Diego fixedly, as if studying him, and finally nodded. "Don't worry, now that I think about it I think that the advice was somewhat wrong, but that it is still valid." he said smiling.
"Good, then I'll be going now." Diego couldn't entirely hide his curiosity, but said no more.
"Sure, I'm sure you have a lot of things to do."
Diego smiled as he nodded and the priest patted him on the shoulder. "God bless you, son."
"Thank you, padre."