Read Online Bless Us Father by Kathy Pratt - Free Book Online Page A

didn’t take long for Mary Margaret to realize the pictures were all of her. There were many of her working in the booth, handing stuffed animals out to kids, tidying up, and giving instructions to the other workers. There were also a couple of pictures of her wearing the tight black capris and blue and black peasant blouse. She hadn’t realized the pants were so tight until seeing a picture of herself.
    An uneasy feeling washed over her and she hurriedly placed the pictures back in the box, closed the lid, and put it back on the floor where she’d found it.
    Suddenly, she heard the back door to the rectory open. Tiptoeing out into the hallway, she stopped every few steps to listen. Her heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest. She had to get back downstairs before getting caught, but how? And who’d come in?
    When she got to the top of the stairway, she heard someone call out her name. It was Father Antonio. His voice close enough that she knew he was almost to the bottom of the stairs.
    “I’m up here, Father Antonio.” She started down the stairs and said, “I’ll be right down.”
    He met her on the bottom. “What are you doing up there?”
    What was she going to tell him? He’d be so angry if he knew she was snooping, and she couldn’t bear the thought of him being angry at her. He was the only authority figure that had ever noticed her. She couldn’t let him down.
    Suddenly she hit on an idea. She grabbed his arm and feigned terror. “I am so glad you’re home. I heard noises and I got really scared, so I ran upstairs to hide. I’ve been hiding in the first room for awhile now. I didn’t think a burglar would come upstairs to look,” she said, forcing her voice to tremble.
    Father Antonio put his arms around her and drew her close. “There, there, Mary Margaret. You’re safe now. I’m here to protect you.”
    “I was so, so scared. I’ve never been so frightened before, but those noises were just too much. What could it have been, I wonder?”
    “I don’t know, sweetheart,” he said, nuzzling his mouth and nose against the top of her head. “The doors are all locked and there’s no one outside. Maybe it was an animal. I saw raccoons running across the parking lot the other night.”
    “I’ll bet that’s what it was,” she said, relieved that her little lie was believed.
    Father Antonio pulled her tighter against him and began stroking her hair. “Your hair smells so nice, and it’s so soft.”
    Mary Margaret began to feel uneasy. His hug seemed to be changing from comforting to something else. Her father and uncles had never hugged this tightly. This was a whole body hug. Father Antonio was pressing his lower body against her and was moving back and forth slightly. He was much taller than she and her head was resting on his chest. Something hard was beginning to press into her upper abdomen.
    “You’re so special, my little assistant. I knew it the day I arrived and first met you. I just knew we were going to work well together.”
    She pushed away a bit, but he just pulled her closer. He bent his head down and touched his lips to her ear. He moved his mouth a bit lower and parted his lips and pressed them to her neck.
    She could feel the moisture and warmth of his mouth on her neck, and the warm air from his nostrils was tickling her ear. The sensations were almost pleasant, and although she knew she should pull away, she just couldn’t.
    A car horn blared outside the rectory.
    “That’s my mom, Father Antonio. I’ve got to go,” she said, relief flooding over her.
    His shoulders slumped and he exhaled loudly. He still held her tightly against him, but the hard lump against her stomach was gone.
    “Yes, Mary Margaret. You do have to go,” he said, releasing her finally. “I hope you’re not frightened anymore.”
    “No, I’m not,” she said, and she wasn’t. Confused maybe? But not frightened. “I’ll see you Sunday at Mass, okay?”
    “Yes, dear. And Mary