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Father Jerry smiled and nodded. He saw Eric sound asleep on the couch and sat down in the lazy boy. He was admiring the recently decorated tree when Mom came into the room.
"I'm so sorry about that," Mom said. "I didn't realize I had been on the phone that long and Eric had fallen asleep."
"No problem. Don't worry about it. It gave me a chance to see how nice the tree turned out. How's Eric feeling?"
"Oh, he seems to be doing just fine. No complications. We actually had a nice morning talking and decorating the tree. Let me grab your book, I left it the kitchen." After a couple of minutes Mom yelled, "That's strange. I can't find it. I know I left it on the counter."
Father Jerry was about to walk towards the kitchen when he noticed something red between Eric's arm and the cushion of the couch. He smiled as he recognized his book. "Annmarie, I think I found it."
"You did? Where?" Mom wondered as she walked back to the living room.
"I think Eric must have been looking at it when he fell asleep."
Mom's face blushed with embarrassment. "What? I'm so sorry. I don't even know what to say." As Mom went to grab the book she "accidentally" hit my arm and woke me up. "Eric, Father Jerry is here for his book."
I repeated what Mom just said in my head, "Father Jerry is here for his book." It only took about 10 seconds for the meaning of Mom's words to sink in and wake up my brain. I shot straight up wondering where I put it. My eyes started darting back and forth trying to locate it. Why was I even sleeping? I was so confused.
"Eric relax for a minute. We found it already. It was between you and the couch pillows." I could hear the annoyance in Mom's voice. She was using her "I can't believe you did that" voice.
"Hi Eric!" said Father Jerry. "How are you feeling?"
My first thought was "Well I feel pretty stupid for getting caught reading your book," but I didn't say that. Instead I think I mumbled the words "I'm okay. Just a little tired and sore."
"I'm glad to hear your doing alright. Hey were you reading my book? What did you think?"
I thought for a minute. Was that enthusiasm in his voice? Maybe...he's not mad? I didn't really know him well enough to gage his response. I decided to just be honest and beg for mercy. I was still too groggy to come up with a believable lie. "Father Jerry, I'm sorry. I should have respected your privacy. I was just going to take a quick glance, but you have some really interesting thoughts in there....I'm sorry....I was wrong...." I started to shake my head back and forth and look down at my feet. I felt like I was eight years old again caught in a lie with no way out.
Father Jerry laughed and said, "Eric this isn't the confessional. But I would like you to say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be." I looked up at him and heard him start laughing really hard. "I'm just kidding. That's what my friends would call a 'Father Jerry joke'." Next I could hear my mom laughing as well. "Eric I don't care if you read my prayer book. Did I hear you say you thought it was interesting?"
"Ya, I did. I've never seen a book like that before. It's actually pretty cool. How old is it?"
"Well I started writing in this just before the seminary, so maybe 20 or 25 years. Whenever I find something that inspires me, I jot it down so I won't forget it."
"There's a lot of pictures in there, too. Do you travel a lot?"
"I don't think I would say I travel a lot, but I've been to a few places. I was blessed to attend a retreat and conference in Assisi. That is one of my favorite places in Italy. Here let me show you the pictures so you can see what I'm talking about." Father Jerry, Mom, and I spent the next hour talking about the places he has been and the people he has encountered. It was fun to listen to his stories. I could tell he was just the type of person that really enjoys life. He made everything sound so interesting-even praying. I was going to ask him about that quote by Pope Benedict when his phone started ringing.
"Hi Charles....yes I'm still over here....what's that?....oh sure I can pick that up. Is it ready now?.....Okay I'll leave now...I'll see you soon. Bye." Father Jerry put his phone back in his pocket and said, "Well it looks like I need to get a prescription for Charles. I've enjoyed spending the afternoon with the both of you. It was fun. Eric before I go I would like to give you something from the book."
"Really? You have something for me?" I wondered what it could be.
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