A Beautiful Sin Read Online Free

he figure me out.
    His eyes flew across the page with a frown then a blossoming grin.
    “Sad news about the father. May his soul rest in peace.”
    May his soul rot in Hell .
    “It’s not the best way to get an assignment, but you’ll do fine.”
    He patted my back to congratulate me. Act happy, Canaan. I pasted an acrylic smile on my face as he rambled on about how great this was. All the time he talked, I could feel the snake twisting inside of my guts. If only he knew the truth.
    “Why so glum? This is your home parish. Were you close to this Father O’Brien?”
    Acid burned my throat, forcing me to clear it.
    “He was there, yes.”
    He studied me and I knew I’d blown it. He would see the stain that would forever mar my soul no matter how much penance I paid for my sins.
    “You know you can talk to me about anything.”
    When his hand lightly touched my arm, I nearly jumped out of my skin. To cover up my reaction, jumbled words left my mouth in haste.
    “It’s going to be strange going back there, to my hometown. I’m a little more than nervous to face family and friends as not the boy, but the priest.”
    “Canaan, you’ll do well there. You’re a great counselor, and your heart is in exactly the right place. Of all the seminarians that have passed through here, you have been the ideal everything. I’m going to selfishly miss you.”
    The sad, forced smile shouldn’t have convinced him of anything.
    “I’ll only be a little over an hour away. I’ll come back to visit or you can come visit me.”
    “True,” Father Tony said as he patted my shoulder, “but I have a feeling you’re going to be so busy, you won’t have time for us back here.”
    “Never. This is my home,” I objected.
    He grinned. “Not anymore. Since this is a death, you’re needed now. You’d better start packing.”
    “It’s a good thing I don’t own much.”
    We both laughed.
    “Canaan, one thing is true—your parents are going to be very excited about this news.”
    “That they will. I better give them a call. And Tony—thanks for everything these past few years. You’ve been the best mentor I could’ve asked for.”
    “It’s been my pleasure.”
    We hugged for a few seconds, and I watched him walk away until he disappeared around the corner.
    I reached for the wall to hold myself up. I couldn’t imagine the fate I was facing. Going back there would be like facing Hell. But it looked as though I had no choice.
    Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I called Mom and Dad. They were shocked. None of us thought I’d end up back home. My mom kept giggling like a schoolgirl, while Dad talked about all the father/son things we could do.
    “Dad, that sounds great, but keep in mind, I’ll have a lot of parish obligations too.”
    “Oh, right, son. Someday you’ll take over the parish and be like Father O’Brien was. He’d just asked about you recently.”
    My blood froze. I barely formed the coherent question not much louder than a whisper.
    “What did he want?”
    “The usual. He’s been asking about you off and on over the years. Wondering how you were faring and if you planned to come back home. He was very fond of you.”
    When I didn’t respond fast enough for fear I would gag on any words I tried to say, Dad called out my name.
    “I’m—I’m here. Do you know what happened to him?”
    “You know, that’s the strange thing. He took a bad fall. He was healthy as could be, but they say he could have had a heart attack. The man took great care of himself, so it’s hard to believe.”
    There was something disquieting about Dad’s thoughts regarding Father O’Brien’s death. Perhaps there was something more to the story. Had my dreams of the pits of Hell opening up and swallowing the man whole come true? And if so, how much penance would I have to do to cleanse myself of the stain of relief from my belief that the world would be a better place without him?
    “Sometimes those things just happen,” I