Read Online Beautiful Child by David Menon - Free Book Online Page B

taking over from Daddy as the one who puts the smile back on her face by giving her exactly what she wants.’
    Matt scoffed. ‘And they say that women grow up faster than men?’ He shook his head. ‘Christ, I’m so glad I’m not straight and having to pander to this nonsense.’
    ‘That’s a point of view, mate.’
    ‘And all so that you can continue to gain access to your girlfriend’s front bottom.’
    Charlie laughed. ‘You always blind me with your wisdom, my friend. But look, Matt, can you can afford to buy me out?’
    ‘Yes’ said Matt. ‘I may have to borrow some but I should be able to manage it. But that’s not the point, Charlie.’
    ‘I know, mate, I know, but it’s not like we’re ever going to stop being friends.’
    ‘Well how could we? We’re like a divorced couple with two kids to give us a reason to maintain contact.’
    ‘Quite,’ said Charlie, who was still feeling guilty about leaving the boys with Matt all through his weekend contact visit. He was feeling guilty about a lot of things to do with his ‘old’ life. ‘It’s just that we won’t be working together, that’s all.’
    ‘But I’ll miss that, Charlie,’ said Matt with more tenderness than he’d wanted to give away.
    ‘And I’ll miss it too,’ said Charlie, softly, ‘but life moves on, mate. Sorry, but that’s what it does.’
    *
    Brendan popped his head round the door of Phillip’s study and saw that he was concentrating on the blank sheet of paper in front of him on his desk.
    ‘Sorry, Phillip’ said Brendan. I might’ve known that if a priest is sitting alone on a Saturday night it must be because he’s working on his sermon for Sunday.’
    Phillip held up the blank sheet of paper. ‘Well as you can see, Brendan, I’m finding the inspiration a little hard to nail down tonight. So any distractions are welcome. Come in.’
    Brendan went in and closed the door before sitting in the armchair that was at one end of Phillip’s desk.’ What is it you’re wrestling with? I can tell there’s something by your eyes.’
    ‘I’ve got a married couple who are set on divorce,’ said Philip, ‘The more I try and talk to them the more intent they seem to be.’
    ‘Do you think that all marriages should be saved regardless of what is or isn’t going on inside them, Phillip?’
    ‘Should that be a question a Catholic priest should be asking?’
    ‘Brendan, we can level with each other, I believe, you’d be exactly like me if you were starting out today.’
    ‘Would I now?’ asked Brendan who was rather flattered by the young man’s affirmation.
    ‘You know you would be.’
    ‘Yes,’ said Brendan, thoughtfully, ‘I believe we’re cut from the same cloth, Phillip. And I don’t believe that marriages should be kept together if the glue isn’t there. We just make people miserable.’
    ‘So what does that say about my future career?’
    ‘Maybe you should try social work?’
    ‘I thought I already was.’
    They laughed and then Phillip began to probe Brendan’s free spirit.
    ‘It must’ve been hard to come into the church at a time of such conservatism, Brendan. Especially when you’ve always been such a radical thinker.’
    ‘And you think it isn’t wracked with conservatism now? No, it’s been hard at times, I do confess. And I’ve nearly left on a couple of occasions. But my overriding faith in God has kept me here.’
    ‘What type of occasions were they?’
    ‘Have you ever heard of a group called the liberation theologists?’
    ‘Oh yes,’ said Phil, ‘the group of Latin American priests from the eighties.’
    ‘That’s them. Latin America was one big torture chamber back then. Every government of every country was a fascist dictatorship and the United States under Reagan thought that was okay as long as they weren’t communists. They didn’t care how much the people suffered as long as the allegiance of the nation was to Washington and not Moscow. It used to annoy the hell out