/nove/

After the way in which he lied to Fiorella Vanella, he could no longer face her for what felt like sorrow filled eternities. But during their session in the confessional, he had ended up promising her that their love was something approved by God, and that they would need a place of their own to spend time together. They needed a place where no one would see them, as Luke explained that people wouldn't be so willing to understand their love quite like God would understand and still love them.

The very next day, he skipped out on the morning service with the claim that he was feeling ill. In reality he didn't want to see Fiorella--or more accurately--he did want to see her, but he denied himself the pleasure of seeing her. That was something he didn't feel he deserved.

He stayed in bed all morning during services and when Father Cesar returned to check on him, offering to take him out for breakfast, Luke politely declined. They would be eating at the restaurant owned by Antonella Vanella, and her daughter Fiorella worked there as well. 

When the older priest left, Luke jumped out of bed and hurried to get dressed.

He would set out to find a place in the village secure enough to see Fiorella privately. He changed into a plain t-shirt and a pair of jeans, most of his clothes were simple enough. But he would need to get himself different clothes soon. He stood out against all the people in the village for more than just his appearance. Luke thought he would blend in better if he wore clothes similar to theirs. 

The priest rushed out of his room and went for one of the back exists of the church when he ran into someone. He was Jose, one of the workers of the rectory who often stayed behind after services to separate paper money from coins in the collection baskets. The coins were then put into other special boxes and taken to the bank to be changed into paper money. Father Cesar and Father Luke were then entitled to a percentage of what was donated that week, and the rest was saved for things that might be needed at the church.

The middle aged man bowed his head to the priest he had bumped into, removing the straw hat from his head as he apologized. "I'm sorry, padre. I didn't see you there. I was just on my way out since the collection money has been sorted."

"Don't worry, Jose. It was my fault." Luke assured him and walked past him in something of a hurry.

As Luke got further away, Jose called out to him with some hesitance. "Father Hemmings," He said the name with a silent H just like Fiorella did. Emmings. "I was wondering if maybe you would like to come to my house for breakfast since Father Cesar is gone to Antonella's restaurant. I live in the rural part of town, in the outskirts."

Luke turned to face the middle aged man, crinkling up his nose as he was getting ready to decline the offer. "Sorry Jose. I was just on my way out. I have a few errands to run..." He trailed off as the last of the older man's words registered in his brain. "Wait, did you say you live out by the outskirts?" He eyed Jose with sudden interest. 

Jose gave a nod of his head, taking a few steps to the priest in order to lessen their distance in the small path that led to the housing area. "Yes. Are you heading out of town, father?"

"Uh, yes. I mean...something like that." Luke lied. Another lie, another sin committed. If his teachers at the seminary could see him now, he knew they would have been highly disappointed with his current behavior. "When I arrived in Valle Daza I was dropped off by a bus near the outskirts and I dropped a necklace the order gave me when I finally became a priest. I just wanted to check the surrounding areas and see if I could find it." Though he had indeed been given a necklace, he hadn't lost it when he arrived in Argentina. He was wearing it around his neck in that moment, but it was hidden underneath his shirt.

"I'll get you there in my truck." The older man smiled in a friendly manner and gestured for the young priest to follow him. "You can have breakfast at my place and then I'll drive you out to the place where you dropped your necklace."

Luke nodded with a smile forming on his lips. "That sounds great. Thank you Jose."

He followed the rectory worker and he was led out to the church parking lot. At this time of the morning it was empty except for an old truck which Luke knew belonged to Jose. The two men climbed in and took off.

The priest was anxious to see Jose's house. He knew that Jose spent most of his day either helping out at the church or repairing people's cars to make a living for himself. He didn't know if the man had any family living with him, but Jose had never mentioned anything. If he lived alone, Luke would find away to use that house to meet with Fiorella Vanella without any one else in town ever finding out their secret.

-

The drive out to the rural parts of the village was nearly thirty minutes, and each house seemed to be apart from the other for at least a half mile. Jose's house was a small shack seemingly in the middle of nowhere and Luke liked what he saw. It would provide the privacy he and Fiorella so desperately needed. At the church, there were always prying eyes that would never leave him alone. Any moments of privacy where when Father Cesar would call in Antonella Vanella and Luke couldn't call over Antonella's daughter. She would have been seen by her own mother, following her footsteps.

Jose parked his old creaky truck out front and both got out. The older man led Luke around the back to the only door that gave way into the house. As soon as they entered the house there was a cot on one side of the room and on it was a young woman who started making moaning sounds and smiling when she saw them.

"That's my daughter Amelina." He gestured to her with pity in his expression. "She can't move of talk anymore. But she tries, that's why she makes those noises. She wants to talk to us."

Luke was moved by the sight of her. She looked so young, about Fiorella's age, and she was already condemned to a bed where she was just rotting away with no one ever paying any attention to her. Taking a few steps towards her, Luke asked her dad, "Was she born this way or did it happen over time?" He almost wished Jose would tell him it had happened from her birth. It was much more terrible to have been a normal--and healthy--person and to have lost it than to have never had it at all.

"She used to be normal." Jose explained. "But she lost her speech and movements eventually. She can move her hands a little bit, and her head, but that's it. Her mother got tired of taking care of her while I was out working and she ran away."

"That's terrible." Luke cut the final distance between himself and Amelina with a few strides. Placing a hand on her forehead, he muttered a small prayer for her and traced a cross on her forehead. Lord have mercy on her. In his studies at the seminary Luke was never able to understand the concept of suffering, or why it was that people suffered. If God was love, as he had been taught his entire life, why did he allow people to suffer? It just didn't make sense to him. Amelina was just a girl who would probably never get to live a normal life and possibly never be happy because of her limitations. "What do the doctors say about her condition?" He asked her dad another question.

Jose looked at his daughter, again with pity in his eyes. "The town doctor doesn't know. He doesn't have the proper tools to diagnose her. He just gives her pills for the anxiety attacks she sometimes has."

Just as Luke was about to protest that, and recommend that the girl see a proper doctor, perhaps in the capital, he felt Amelina grip his arm tightly. Her grip was so tight that Luke almost felt like she could possibly shatter his bones. He tore his gaze from Jose and looked down at the girl, startled. With shaking hands but a firm grip, she forced his hand slowly away from her forehead and down her body, stopping at her chest area. Amelina pushed his hand down on her breasts, and Luke tried to pull his hand away.

"What the hell is she doing?" He called to her dad in a panic.

She rubbed his hand on her body with a satisfied smile on her face. Her father rushed to Luke's aid, pulling on her hands' firm grip until he was able to release Luke from her. The teenage girl started thrashing in her cot rather violently and her father had to pin her down with all his strength. The priest pulled his hand close to himself and took a few steps back away from Amelina, watching as the girl yelled out unintelligible things. There were no words, just moans and groans.

"I'm sorry father." Jose said, nearly in tears. He had reached for a bedside table where there was a bottle of pills which he opened. He grabbed two of them and forced them into her mouth. "She's uncontrollable, especially now that she's older. She's done that to Father Cesar too when he came to pray for her on a few ocassions." Her father continued to hold her still in her cot for a few minutes until her medicine kicked in.

His breath caught in his throat from the surprise, Luke nodded his head. "Its alright, Jose. She's probably not aware of what behavior is correct around a priest. But I really suggest you get her to a doctor instead of drugging her all the time."

Finally letting his daughter go, Jose replied, "I don't have the money to buy her this medicine, much less take her to a specialist. The town doctor gives me her medicines for free. But Fiorellina assured me that when the hospital is built, there will be a specialist that can treat my Amelina."

Fiorella is so kind hearted, Luke thought to himself.

-

After the incident with Amelina, Jose led Luke to the kitchen area. He fixed them up some breakfast which was beans, rice and some meat. It was a humble meal, but something that Luke enjoyed because it was home cooked and delicious. The incident from earlier had been long forgotten.

The two talked over breakfast and Luke tried to make casual conversation concerning the house. According to Jose, he would work all day and give Amelina her morning medicine before leaving. He would give her the night medicine upon returning, and during the day a neighbor would arrive in the afternoon to give her her second dose of medicine. No one else lived with him. It was just him and his daughter.

Still in his attempt at keeping the conversation casual, Luke commented, "Well Fiorella Vanella told me she plans to become a nun."

Jose's eyes widened. "Fiorellina?"

Luke gave a nod of his head. "Yes."

"I thought she had a boyfriend." Jose pointed out, bringing a spoonful of refried beans into his mouth.

Rubens, Luke recalled with disdain. But instead he said aloud, "They're not together anymore."

"Oh." was all the older man said. He didn't seem particularly interested with Fiorella's sentimental life. He had just been confused about the fact that she wanted to be a nun when she had a boyfriend.

"She wants to become a nun now, and she asked for my help to prepare her." Luke began to explain. "So, I was wondering if I could borrow your house to meet up with her. And she could also give sunday school and bible lessons to Amelina. What do you think?"

"Why can't you teach her at the church?" Jose wondered, raising an eyebrow at the young priest.

Luke bit down on his lip. He had to think up a lie, and he had to be quick about it. When the lie flashed into his mind, he said it without any difficulty. "She wants to hide it from her mother. She told me she's afraid Antonella won't let her go because she'll be left alone with the restaurant."

Jose thought about it for a minute before he finally made his decision. "I don't mind, father. You can use my house to teach Fiorellita all she needs to know to become a nun."

"Thank you Jose." Luke grinned. "Fiorella and I will take good care of Amelina."

He was overjoyed that he and Fiorella now had a place to share their love.

-

finally an update for paradiso. i feel like i hadn't updated this in ages, and i really hadn't. so amelina might not seem very important, but there is a hidden message to her strange behavior with luke earlier. but yeah. it will be revealed at a later time. 

now fiorella and luke have their little lover's nest. its only going to continue getting darker from here. thank you all so much for reading and supporting. it means a lot.

i hope you all have a great week!

-clary xx