"Turn left."

"I'm not allowed to, Miss."

"I said that you should be turning left."

"I said that it's illegal for me to turn left on this road."

"Well, I said that you should."

Violet, once parked at the stoplight, rubbed her temple. Although her up-most desire would be to exit out of the driver's seat of her taxi, march over to the back of the car, and push the whiny, pre-pubescent girl out of the taxi, her desire to receive her next paycheck overruled that.

As the light above her flashed an olive green, Violet tightened the grip on the wheel and swerved down the road. The road she was driving on was grimy and filled with a myriad of potholes, smoothie cups (from the nearby smoothie place on the block), and trashbags.

"God," the girl screeched behind her, "can you try to limit the amount of bumps that you hit? I'm getting nauseous!"

Violet's teeth gritted. I swear, I'll kick her ass out of this car if she pukes in my car!

Luckily, a bright blue sign sparkled with the name of the girl's desired location on it. Violet gingerly pulled over, ensuring that the ground near the parked car was kempt enough for the princess in the back seat to walk on.

Before Violet could even utter a word, the blonde girl threw a chunk of bills into the front of the car and sprinted out towards a group of other teenagers, dressed in slutty crop tops and shorts.

"Thanks for the tip!" she mumbled to herself, seeing that the brat had given her fifty-cents more than necessary.

How generous! This would go towards Violet's life savings, which weren't much. Despite having a photography degree from a renown university, she had difficulty finding a stable job. She had been a waitress, a personal shopper, a clerk at an arts and craft store, and a taxi driver. Unfortunately, no photography studio was willing to hire the petite blonde with a knack for the camera.

Her job choices had made her blunder financially. Her checking account was losing money rather than gaining money, and sadly, Violet had nowhere to turn to for financial assistance. Her mother would berate her for choosing a career in photography that would lead her to everywhere except the bank; her father would make her beg for a dollar. 

And asking Shannon? Well, Violet didn't even consider that a plausible option. She would never ask her perfect sister for anything. Especially after the Noah situation.

Violet groaned. She couldn't believe that she had agreed to hide the secret for the rest of their lives. Surprisingly, Violet had no trouble talking to Shannon; guilt only occasionally pulled on her heart strings.

"Are you available?"

Violet's head shot up to find a middle-aged man with a face covered in grey and brown scruff. He had one foot in the door and one foot on the street.

"Yeah," Violet replied, "where to?"

Where are you going in your life, Violet? she thought to herself.

Relgion had never been an important aspect in Noah's life. Sure, he went to church here and there, but he was never a devot Catholic. Besides, he had questioned whether there was a God after his father had died such a painful death.

But, here he was, sitting in front of a priest, with his lovely soon-to-be wife beside him. Unlike Noah, Shannon and her parents sought after God's guidance for any decision in life. It was not fate, Shannon had stated, but God's way that ultimately caused them to meet.

"Noah, I'm not sure if Shannon had told you, but this is required for all couples wishing to be wedded at our church."

Shannon had definitely told him. In fact, she had mentioned these monthly meetings with the priest a countless number of times. And each time, Noah had lied, saying that he couldn't wait to meet with her favorite priest.

"Yes, Sir. Shannon had told me about our meetings."

The priest pushed his framed glasses up towards the bridge of his nose. "Great. Let's get started by praying."

Noah's eyebrows furrowed. Did he have to pray? What if he didn't want to pray? Noah wasn't exactly sure that there was a God, and he didn't believe in all of the teachings of the church. Once Shannon bowed her head and cupped her hands, Noah mimicked those actions without another thought.

"Dear Heavenly Father," the priest coughed out while rubbing the bottom of his nose with a handkerchief, "Thank you for this life, for the gift of love, and the blessing of our prospective marriage. We give you praise for the joy you've poured into our hearts through this love, for the contentment of family, and the happiness of our home. May we always treasure the experience of loving each other in this holy union. Help us to remain forever committed to our vows, those we will make to each other, and to you, Lord.."

Help us remain forever committed to our vows, those we will make to each other, and to you, Lord.

Noah's eyes flashed open as his mind focused on that vital line of the prayer. He pictured Violet in his mind, and he nearly spilled his lunch all over the floor. Without a word, he picked himself off of the chair and scurried to a nearby bathroom.

"Noah, where are you going?" Shannon wondered, watching as Noah's feet left the room. 

But, Noah didn't reply. He locked himself in the stall and knelt on the white tile. Running a sweaty palm through his hair, he muttered, "Be a man, Anderson. You chose not to tell her, so you have to live with whatever you did. You made that choice a few weeks ago at that party."

However, Noah's stomach didn't rest although he had commanded himself to do so. Plucking a nearby trash can from the corner of the room, he emptied his food into it and groaned in discomfort.

"Noah, honey, are you okay?" Shannon's soft and worried voice appeared from the other side of the door. "Are you sick?"

Sick of what? Sick of living a lie? Sick from lunch? Or a combination of both?

Noah stared at his reflection in the mirror, completely ignoring Shannon's question. He looked the same as before the incident. His eyes were not clouded with guilt; no worry lines were etched on his face. He appeared to be as happy and healthy as before he had committed the act of betrayal.

How could he look so good when his actions weren't good at all? After begging Violet at that party to never mention their deed to Shannon, Noah rushed back to his girl and pretended that nothing was wrong. They ate dinner and cut the engagement cake, all while looking like an outstanding couple. Violet, although she had refused to comply with Noah's wishes at first, also appeared to be fine with their decision during the rest of the gathering.

"Do you need me to come in? I'm worried..."

His eyes closed. This was why he loved the girl behind the door. She didn't care that Noah had stormed out of the room while her favorite priest (a priest she considered to be a second father) was placing a blessing on their future marriage. She cared more about his well-being, and Noah was awestruck over her ability to care for others.

"Our lunch from that sketchy diner is ripping out my insides," he fibbed, attempting to lace his voice with pain and sorrow. "I'm so sorry, babe, but I don't think I can make it through the rest of our meeting. Can we reschedule?"

A deep breathe came from the other side of the door. "Sure. Priest David is coming towards me anyways. I can ask him. Do you want to spend the night at my place? I can make you your favorite chicken soup."

A grin spread over Noah's face. "And my favorite jello with strawberries?"

She laughed, making his heart melt. "Of course."

Noah chuckled and placed the basket back in its original location. Scraping a few specks of dirt off of his pants, he walked over to the door and unlocked it. Before him was his beautiful girl, dressed in her Sunday best. Her eyes indicted her disappointment over their abated appointment, but her face stated otherwise.

"David said that I can call and reschedule for an appointment next week."

Great. Another day for me to puke, Noah groaned mentally.

Shannon grabbed his arm and began leading him towards the door. But, before Noah could leave, Priest David ushered him to come over to him. Noah quickly told Shannon that he was capable of meeting her in the car after he talked to David; he handed her the keys.

Walking over to David almost made Noah to vomit all over again. Although Noah was a muscular, tall man, and David was a short, elderly person with a long grey beard and with an astronomical amount of wrinkles, something about him made Noah fear him.

Once Noah reached him, David silently placed his hands onto the man's shoulders. The end of his mouth slithered upwards.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

And he left, leaving Noah with a dumbfounded expression alone in the middle of the church atrium.

*Picture of Luke on the side