Miss M.'s Confession
Miss M. just continued looking at Helmut, as if she couldn't bear to look away from him. After a brief moment, she gathered herself up and sighed. “Well, if I must...”She turned her attention to me and began, ”First, you must remember just how angry Helmut was with me for forcing his hand that night. I wasn't sure he would ever forgive me, and I don't think I would have blamed him if he hadn't. “ She hesitated long enough for me to remember just how upset she had been that night too. “By the time I left Mike's that night, I had already resolved to keep my distance for as long as it took. I thought that if I approached him after forcing him into something he was so vehemently opposed to...Well, it just wouldn't be a good idea.”
“Yeah, and we all saw how long that lasted,” Helmut chuckled.
“Hey! Not my idea,” she protested.
“Andi again?” I asked, assuming nothing but supernatural intervention could change Miss M.'s mind once it was made up.
“No,” she said simply. “Kevin's.” She nodded toward him with her eyes, but he was once again engrossed with his smart phone.
"Kevin's? Really?" I looked at the distracted teenager, who suddenly looked up when he heard his name.
"What? Umm..."
"No phones at the dinner table, young man," Miss M. Gently chided.
"Come on, I was there," he pleaded. "I already know what happened."
"That's not the point," Helmut added, giving him a stern look that demanded compliance.
"Fine!" He set the phone on the table and asked, "What was the question?"
"How did you convince Auntie Phil to come over the next day?" I kept it simple, hoping he would fill in the gaps.
"I asked him." was all he said.
This time it was Miss M.'s turn to roll her eyes. "I think Joey would like a bit more detail than that," she encouraged.
He looked at me with the devil in his eyes and said, "I asked her, and said please."
"Well that explains so much more," I stated in the most serious tone I could muster, but Miss M. and Helmut were also struggling to keep from laughing, and as soon as I made eye contact with them it was over.
When the laughter subsided, Miss M. Continued, "He just said his dad needed me, no explanation, just a simple request, bring a picnic lunch, and suggest we spend some time with the congregation. He wanted me to make it sound like it was my idea for some reason."
"Really?" I asked. "Do tell."
"Simple," he said. "I just thought dad would be more likely to do it if Auntie Phil suggested it."
"But why did you want to visit the congregation?" I asked still puzzled.
"I just had a hunch," he answered. "I remembered how calming their singing was, and the stories he told of how hypnotic it was for him when he first started working there. I thought it might help him let go of all that guilt he was carrying. That's all."
"And did it?"
I aimed this question at Helmut, but it was Miss M. That answered. "I'm not sure what their singing did, but it was transformative. I slowly began to see how I was still carrying resentment, believing that an intellectual choice to forgive was enough, and not engaging in the work of healing and moving forward." She gave Helmut a long lingering look as she said, "I realized that, even with years of watching him prove to me just how much he had changed, I was still living with decisions I had made before those changes had begun. I realized that he had not been able to forgive himself because I had never truely forgiven him, showed faith in him, returned to my love for him."
As Miss M. Turned her gaze inward, Helmut continued, "I had a similar epiphany, seeing my own stubborn guilt as pride, not contrition." He paused, then added, "So now we're working on this together."
"We've signed up with a couples councilor who specializes in queer relationships," Miss M. Interjected. "Our first real session is tomorrow."
I didn't know what to say. After a long moment, I settled on, "Thank you for sharing that. I'm so happy for both of you."
"I'm waiting for the day when they tell me to call Auntie Phil 'mom'," Kevin snorted as Helmut and Miss M. Shared a kiss.
"Auntie Phil will always be fine, dear," Miss M. Chuckled, as we returned to our food.
After another silence I asked Kevin, "So what did you get from the congregation? I saw you were there too."
He considered me for a moment, then smirking at Helmut, he said, “They told me that now my dad is turning into a big marshmallow, I'm going to have to be twice the asshole, just to keep the universe in balance.”
“Just wait,” Helmut chuckled, still looking at Miss M. “Some things are just...more important.”
After dinner I decided to stop in the cottage to freshen up before heading over to see Ben. It was the first time I had been in the space since the spirit had been driven out. I was stunned with how different it felt. Empty and silent. Even the ever present sound of the sea seemed muted and dull. I stepped out onto the back porch, where the sea and the stars had held such power before, but it felt flat. Mr. Bouchard had described the spirit's influence as seduction, and I began to understand what he meant. I wondered if this were the best place to bring Ben once they discharged him, but thought that now was not the time for decisions. I just needed to be with him.
Visiting hours were over, but it wasn't really late. I found Ben sitting up in a chair, crocheting a new piece of lace. “I haven't seen that before,” I observed. “What is it?”
“It's for one of the nurses,” he said. “She was admiring the doily I just finished for Phil, so I offered to make her a miniature version with the left over thread.”
“You finally finished the big one?” I asked.
“Yeah, it just needs to be starched and it will be ready to go. But it may be a while before I'm up to the task.”
“Really? What did the doctors say after I left?”
“Nothing, really,” he mused. “They haven't got a clue why I keep having these sudden improvements, although I have an inkling.”
“So do I,” I smiled. “Shall we compare notes?”
“Might as well,” he smirked. “We've compared everything else.”
“Okay, I'll tell you my theory, if you tell me yours,” I offered suggestively.
“Why do I have to go first?” he whined.
“Because I don't want you to feel bad if my theory is...bigger,” I answered with a chuckle.
“Fine, fine,” he conceded. I'll go first. “I think it's no coincidence that each improvement happened immediately after I had a run in with some sort of spiritual force. First the dream where Mr. Bouchard laid hands on me, and second when I was possessed by that demon thing this morning.”
“I agree,” I said. I think that each event offered some sort of shock to your nervous system, stimulating your nerves to regenerate, or wake up, or whatever it was they did.”
”Not that I can ask my doctors about it,” he joked. “Just a bit outside of the approved therapeutic techniques most doctors are familiar with.”
“Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it for most people,” I added. “Especially with the unexpected side effects. How are the cuts doing, anyway?”
“Still sore, but down to a dull throb at this point.” He pulled at the loose fitting shirt he was wearing and complained, “As loose as this is, it still rubs against them and hurts sometimes.”
“So take it off,” I suggested. “You don't need to wear it all the time.”
“I know, but it just feels weird to be half naked all day long.”
“You could be fully naked for half the day,” I mused. “That would average out the same. Of course my preference is that you be all naked all the time, but I suppose the staff might have something to say about that.”
“Well that didn't take long,” he chuckled.
“What?”
“Getting me naked...in your mind, at least. You sure that sex demon thing is really gone?”
“Why?” I grinned. “You looking to be ravaged?”
“Not tonight,” he demurred. “I'm a bit...exhausted. Long day. But a little cuddle before bed wouldn't be unwelcome.”
I agreed, and we settled in for a quiet evening of television and gossip. I filled him in on what I had learned at dinner, sharing that I had been given permission to tell him, but we were not to tell anyone else, not yet, at least. After a while I remembered the two slices of pie Miss M. had sent for a 'midnight snack', as she called it. Ben was beside himself at the taste of non-institutional food, and I decided to leave my slice with him for breakfast, having had a full meal not two hours earlier.
I wanted to stay and hold him all night, but he wasn't the only one exhausted by the day's events, and I found myself fading much earlier than my normal bed time. It was Ben, who finally kicked me out for the night, and I barely made it to the cottage before I had no choice but to climb into the rather uninspiring bed and fall into a long and uneventful sleep.
If you enjoyed this story, consider supporting the author on Wattpad.
To get in touch with the author, send them an email.
