After the young man hung up, Jimmy had second thoughts about how effective he had been. He was kicking himself for telling the man it was OK to experiment with gay sex. Then he rationalized that he had also said not to push it, and to experiment only if it felt right. Well, what's done cannot be undone. In fact, he felt rather good. He had just done some ministering and that was what he was trained to do. He decided to surprise Roger and have dinner ready when he came home.
He opened the freezer and found some chicken breasts. In a basket on the kitchen table he found some baking potatoes. There were eggs in the fridge and bread crumbs and corn starch in the pantry. Jimmy defrosted the chicken in the microwave, and when the breasts were soft, he soaked them in the scrambled eggs, patted them on the starch and then the breadcrumbs. He found a cookie platter and put the breasts on the platter, which he then put in the oven to bake. His southern soul would have preferred to fry the breasts in corn oil, but he wanted to take good care of his new heart. On a separate shelf in the oven, he placed two potatoes to bake.
He was setting the table when Roger came in. "What are you doing? You should be resting," Roger said as he embraced Jimmy and kissed him hard on the lips.
"I slept most of the day, and I assure you, I'm up to this. You can finish setting the table, and put out any condiments you would like with the chicken and potatoes."
Roger changed into a pair of shorts and a sexy tank top shirt. When he came out of the bedroom, Jimmy distinctly heard Robbie say, Wow!
"Wow!" Jimmy repeated and Roger laughed.
Dinner was very tasty and Roger kept telling Jimmy over and over again how much he was enjoying it. During the meal, Jimmy told Roger about his dream.
"God has blessed both of us," was Roger's only comment.
Then he told Roger about the young man's telephone call.
"I hope he lets us know what happens. I wouldn't have told him anything different than you did," Roger said.
"I am so glad to hear that," Jimmy sighed in relief. "How is your sermon going?"
"It's finished."
"Can I hear it?"
"Yes, tomorrow in church. I wrote it for everyone, but it's really for you," Roger smiled at Jimmy.
"I'll just have to be patient then."
The day's events were not particularly strenuous, but they were a bit much for a transplanted heart. The moment the two lovers got into bed, Jimmy fell asleep just as he was hunkering up to Roger. Roger smiled to himself thinking that lesson number two would have to wait until tomorrow. His mind repeated Jimmy's words, "I'll just have to be patient then." As he thought that, Roger distinctly heard a young voice whisper in his ear, Don't sweat it. You have a lifetime to love. As he fell asleep his eyes were wet with tears.
When Jimmy entered St. Benedict Episcopal Church the next morning, he was awestruck by how ornate the décor was. His humble little Baptist church had no stained glass windows and certainly no statues of saints or of the Holy Family. Of course Robbie could read his thoughts, and he heard the boy whisper in his ear, My temple has lots of stained glass windows, but no statues either.
What's heaven like? Jimmy thought, hoping that Robbie could hear him.
Aah, I have no words.
Jimmy sat in the second row of pews. Roger had suggested that he sit in the first row, but he didn't want to be conspicuous. Peter and Ellie spotted him and sat down beside him. Peter introduced Ellie to Jimmy, and Jimmy hardly noticed that she was black. He was becoming color blind.
"It is so nice to meet you at last," Ellie said. "Father Roger never stops talking about you. You are as handsome as he said you were." Jimmy blushed a deep shade of crimson. He was totally unused to compliments.
Jimmy had never witnessed so much pomp and circumstances in his life. It seemed to him like a theatrical production by the time all the priests and deacons had finally walked down the center aisle and to the altar. He was awestruck by the swinging incense and the solemnity of the procession. Frankly he preferred the simplicity of his church, but he was not critical of what he was witnessing. It had a certain majesty.
Jimmy tried to follow the unfamiliar service, and at last Roger got up to deliver his sermon. For a moment, Jimmy could not breathe, but he heard Robbie telling him to relax and he did.
Roger smiled at his flock and welcomed them all to God's house on this beautiful Sunday morning. Jimmy realized that he had never welcomed his flock, but always dove right in to his fire and brimstone sermon. He wasn't regretful, but rather he was learning a new way.
"Our God be with you!" Roger intoned.
"And also with you!" the congregation responded.
"You know," Roger began in a conversational way, "the other day I started to list all the lessons I could think of that Jesus had taught us in his short three year ministry. My list included charity, forgiveness, love, service, loyalty to our fellow men, and loyalty to God. Then I tried to list these lessons in the order of their importance. That became a real challenge. Obviously they are all important.
"We are always influenced in matters of choice by what is going on in our lives at that particular moment, and I found myself returning over and over again to the lesson of love. Why? Because that is what is going on most strongly in my life right now." Roger smiled at his congregation.
The congregation all looked at each other and smiled right back at him.
Roger went on to describe all the different kinds of love; the love of parents and children, husband and wife, sister and brother, neighbors and friends. Then there was the hard kind of love; the almost impossible ability to love your enemy. "Jesus said that it was possible, and therefore it must be so." Roger paused here and smiled at his flock.
"There is a love, however, beyond all others," he said in deep and florid tones, "and that is the love of two soul mates. Sometimes two people fall so deeply in love on this earth plain, that their souls are destined to retain that love through all eternity. It might be the love of two friends, two brothers, a husband and wife. Who knows what fuses those two souls together? Imagine what a blessing it is from God, when two souls on earth find themselves so deeply in love that their love is destined to last until the end of time.
"My dear friends be happy for me. I have found my soul mate. I ask you to please join me in the social hall after the service so that I may introduce him to all of you." Roger then read a biblical verse apropos to his sermon.
"This is the good news," Roger concluded.
"Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ," the congregation responded.
Roger directed everyone to his favorite hymn and the service concluded with everyone singing loudly and joyously.
In the social hall, Roger introduced Jimmy as Pastor Jim Winningham, and long before it was over, Jimmy's hand hurt from all the hand shaking and the well wishes. If this had happened in my church, he thought, I would probably have been stoned. A wave of remorse washed over him.
Several people invited the two pastors to lunch, but they declined. Roger explained that Jimmy was recuperating from major surgery and rest was essential. In fact, Roger hustled Jimmy back home as soon as possible. As soon as they got there, Jimmy stripped to his shorts and sat down on the living room recliner, and Roger made them salads for lunch. As he prepared the salads, Roger was quiet and Jimmy dozed off. As he slipped deeper into sleep, Jimmy distinctly heard Robbie. There is nothing wrong with my heart. It will serve you for your entire life. You two need to get out more and enjoy the scenery.
"Did you hear that?" Roger asked. His question fell on deaf ears. Jimmy was fast asleep. Roger looked at his sleeping partner. Jimmy's face looked so angelic that Roger nearly cried. Yes Robbie, he thought. After lunch, I'm going to air him out in the park and take him out to dinner.
If you had to create the perfect day, today would be it. Everything was perfect, the temperature, the humidity, the breezes, and the lack of clouds in the sky. Jimmy and Roger sat on a bench watching a girls' soft ball game. Somewhere during the game, Roger took hold of Jimmy's hand. They were in a public place and Jimmy wanted to pull his hand away, but his heart would not let him. Instead he smiled at Roger and said, "Robbie is definitely winning out."
"I love you," Roger whispered, "and we are going to celebrate tonight. I'm taking you to a very fine restaurant. We'll relax your diet a little for the occasion."
"I'd rather stay home and continue our lessons," Jimmy said.
"After dinner sweetheart! I won't neglect your education. I promise."
Roger had a filet mignon steak for dinner, and Jimmy splurged with a roast half chicken with the skin removed. He couldn't resist a little vanilla ice cream for dessert. He hadn't had ice cream in years.
"Thank you for dinner, Father," Jimmy said as they were driving home. "You sure know how to spoil a guy."
"You ain't seen nuthin' yet!" Roger joked.
They were standing in the shower. The water was cascading down their united bodies, as they soaped each other all over and allowed their fingers to enter forbidden erogenous zones. Jimmy was making little whimpering sounds. The joys of the flesh had been forbidden to him for almost four decades, and he could not believe how wonderful Roger made him feel.
His brain kept imploring God to forgive him for his transgression of having sex with a man, and for having sex as an unwed person, but his heart answered, Nonsense! This is where you were meant to be. You are in the right place at the exact right time. You are with your soul mate. It is God's will.
When they got into bed, Roger was afraid to place his full weight on Jimmy so he straddled him and supported his weight with his arms as if he was doing push-ups. It was uncomfortable but his thoughts were only with Jimmy and to please him. He leaned down and kissed Jimmy on his lips forcing them apart, so that their tongues could caress each other. Jimmy's whimpering sound resumed anew.
When Roger reached Jimmy's nipples and began to suckle them, the room was filled with Jimmy's cries of "Aah!" Roger continued downward, sucking Jimmy's navel, then his pubic area. At last, Roger began to run his tongue all up and down Jimmy's balls, which nearly caused Jimmy to pass out. When Jimmy felt the first stroke of Roger's tongue running up and down the shaft of his penis, he cried out, much to Roger's surprise, "Thank you God for this great gift!"
Encouraged by this outcry, Roger enveloped Jimmy's entire cock in his mouth and deep throated him. Jimmy wanted to cry out and warn Roger that he was about to cum, but of course, Roger knew that. When Jimmy came, spurting his jism down Roger's throat, he gave out one final wail and began to cry hysterically. He was still crying when Roger released him and lay chastely down beside him. "Now I know what love is," Jimmy cried to no one in particular.
"Yes, just as you said, it is one of God's many gifts to us," Roger affirmed his belief.
Jimmy said, "I can't now. I'm just too done out, but in the morning after we have rested, I want to do all that to you. I want to show you how much I love you."
"Yes, my darling, in the morning." They fell fast asleep in each other's arms, and as they did they each felt a kiss on their cheeks.
"Goodnight Robbie," they said in unison.
To be continued........