Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2020 19:56:07 GMT -6
Valora’s Gym, Los Angeles, California:
Nathan tugged at the habit around his neck. It had been years since he had worn the outfit and it did feel like it fit like it once did. Fiona smirked. “You. A priest. Mom would laugh her ass off.” Nathan gave his daughter a deadpan look. “Actually your mother would likely knock me out with her patented left cross again. While she paid respect to the Catholic religion, Her heart was with some of the more pagan beliefs of our island. And she was angry with the Catholic persecution of pagans.” Fiona nods. “Speaking of.. Umm you stopped right? You won’t get in trouble for this? And the Church… with you.. And me…”
Nathan smiled. “I had you before I became a priest. Rome cannae do a damned thing about the fact that you are my daughter. And yes I dunnae work for the Church anymore but once a priest, always a priest so I’m not breaking any rules by providing help to the faithful.”
The day progressed slowly, with Nathan listening mostly to confessions, Catholics coming in, confessing their sins and asking for forgiveness. First up was a young boy about 10 or 11. His face was red as he sat down. It was a look Nathan was used to seeing. The embarrassed look of the sinner. It was often looked for as a sign of contrition. The young man spoke. “S..so I umm.. I might have stolen.. I mean borrowed, my parents’ credit card to buy a video game.” Nathan smirked. “Borrowed? If you borrowed it without asking your parents first, you were right the first time, lad. What did you do when your parents asked about the charge?” The kid sighed. “I pretended they had told me that I could use it.” Nathan nods, knowingly. “So lying too.” He makes a tsk sound while shaking his head. “Not doing so well with the honoring thy father and mother, are we, lad?” The kid looks down and Nathan smiles. “It’s okay. No one’s perfect. Our Lord doesn’t ask perfection of us. All he asks is that we wake up each day and try to do better than we did the day before. So.. Penance. Firstly, I want you to make material recompense to your parents. Do extra chores, help them out. earn the money you stole from them. Also, I want you to tell them you lied and ask for their forgiveness. Dunnae try to trick them. None of this. “Ohhh Father Nathan said if you dunnae forgive me I cannae go to Heaven’ Malarkey. Just. “Mom. Dad. I’m sorry I lied to you about the money. Please forgive me.’ I’m pretty sure they know you fibbed anyways, so the apology will mean a lot to them. Oh.. Say an Our Father and a Hail Mary on the way home. One for the Father and one for Our Heavenly Mother.”
The kid headed out and Fiona walked over, smirking a bit as she looked at her father. “So what about you? Hitting a girl need confessing?” Nathan laughed a bit. “Well she’s a professional fighter, knew what she was getting into also, losing to a roll up is prolly sufficient penance for me.” Fiona’s smile disappears as she nods. “Upset?” Nathan shrugged. “Surprised. She beat me fair and square. The woman is amazingly talented. I got nothing wrong with her beating me.”
Fiona blinks. “Uh huh. This coming from the man whose face turned three shades of red as he yelled at his defenders when they made a mistake and gave the other side a shot on goal? Aye, I remember that. And come on, Da.. where’s your pride? Your sense of competition?”
Nathan smirked, nodding his head both at the memory of the man he used to be and the man he was now. The long, hard road taken to get here from there. After a long moment to think, he nodded. “I sometimes forget the plight of youth. The ever present need to prove yourself. To achieve. Ambition in small doses is good. A desire to strive to achieve and leave your mark is also good, but all things in moderation lass. If you obsess over wins and losses, titles won and titles lost. This and that. You forget to enjoy the bigger truths. Truth one. Just the fact a fighter is here is a remarkable accomplishment. You know how many people are fighting in bars and parking lots and abandoned building for nothing or literally for money for crappy fast food and bedding in a shite motel by the highway? Just being a professional sets you above most of the others. I’ll win some fights and I’ll lose some and, God Willing, I’ll find a title or two here. But I got nothin’ to prove lass. I am a multi-time champion. I’ve fought in every continent on Earth except Antartica. I’ve made friends. I’ve made enemies. I’ve met people like Valora, who I turned from an enemy into a friend. I’m not here because I’m so over the hill fighter struggling for one more run to prove he’s relevant. I’m here because part of me is curious how bad age is hamperin’ me. A large part of why I’m here is my daughter asked me. Also, a friend helped me to help her run her gym.. And apparently to take up the role of bloody priest every so often though she left that outta the bloody…” Nathan descends into typical old man grumbling and muttering in a mixture of English and the native Irish tongue as Fiona rolls her eyes.
“Fine, well your daughter would like to see you win once in a while, so try to put your heart into it, okay?” She said before heading off in a hunt for another couple bottles of water for both her and her father. Nathan watches her head off and sighs, shaking his head. “She asks this when I’m fighting Ares…” Nathan looks up to Heaven. “I swear to God she’s just like you, Amy. Might wanna say a prayer for me… cause at my age.. Divine intervention is about the only chance I have.”
Nathan tugged at the habit around his neck. It had been years since he had worn the outfit and it did feel like it fit like it once did. Fiona smirked. “You. A priest. Mom would laugh her ass off.” Nathan gave his daughter a deadpan look. “Actually your mother would likely knock me out with her patented left cross again. While she paid respect to the Catholic religion, Her heart was with some of the more pagan beliefs of our island. And she was angry with the Catholic persecution of pagans.” Fiona nods. “Speaking of.. Umm you stopped right? You won’t get in trouble for this? And the Church… with you.. And me…”
Nathan smiled. “I had you before I became a priest. Rome cannae do a damned thing about the fact that you are my daughter. And yes I dunnae work for the Church anymore but once a priest, always a priest so I’m not breaking any rules by providing help to the faithful.”
The day progressed slowly, with Nathan listening mostly to confessions, Catholics coming in, confessing their sins and asking for forgiveness. First up was a young boy about 10 or 11. His face was red as he sat down. It was a look Nathan was used to seeing. The embarrassed look of the sinner. It was often looked for as a sign of contrition. The young man spoke. “S..so I umm.. I might have stolen.. I mean borrowed, my parents’ credit card to buy a video game.” Nathan smirked. “Borrowed? If you borrowed it without asking your parents first, you were right the first time, lad. What did you do when your parents asked about the charge?” The kid sighed. “I pretended they had told me that I could use it.” Nathan nods, knowingly. “So lying too.” He makes a tsk sound while shaking his head. “Not doing so well with the honoring thy father and mother, are we, lad?” The kid looks down and Nathan smiles. “It’s okay. No one’s perfect. Our Lord doesn’t ask perfection of us. All he asks is that we wake up each day and try to do better than we did the day before. So.. Penance. Firstly, I want you to make material recompense to your parents. Do extra chores, help them out. earn the money you stole from them. Also, I want you to tell them you lied and ask for their forgiveness. Dunnae try to trick them. None of this. “Ohhh Father Nathan said if you dunnae forgive me I cannae go to Heaven’ Malarkey. Just. “Mom. Dad. I’m sorry I lied to you about the money. Please forgive me.’ I’m pretty sure they know you fibbed anyways, so the apology will mean a lot to them. Oh.. Say an Our Father and a Hail Mary on the way home. One for the Father and one for Our Heavenly Mother.”
The kid headed out and Fiona walked over, smirking a bit as she looked at her father. “So what about you? Hitting a girl need confessing?” Nathan laughed a bit. “Well she’s a professional fighter, knew what she was getting into also, losing to a roll up is prolly sufficient penance for me.” Fiona’s smile disappears as she nods. “Upset?” Nathan shrugged. “Surprised. She beat me fair and square. The woman is amazingly talented. I got nothing wrong with her beating me.”
Fiona blinks. “Uh huh. This coming from the man whose face turned three shades of red as he yelled at his defenders when they made a mistake and gave the other side a shot on goal? Aye, I remember that. And come on, Da.. where’s your pride? Your sense of competition?”
Nathan smirked, nodding his head both at the memory of the man he used to be and the man he was now. The long, hard road taken to get here from there. After a long moment to think, he nodded. “I sometimes forget the plight of youth. The ever present need to prove yourself. To achieve. Ambition in small doses is good. A desire to strive to achieve and leave your mark is also good, but all things in moderation lass. If you obsess over wins and losses, titles won and titles lost. This and that. You forget to enjoy the bigger truths. Truth one. Just the fact a fighter is here is a remarkable accomplishment. You know how many people are fighting in bars and parking lots and abandoned building for nothing or literally for money for crappy fast food and bedding in a shite motel by the highway? Just being a professional sets you above most of the others. I’ll win some fights and I’ll lose some and, God Willing, I’ll find a title or two here. But I got nothin’ to prove lass. I am a multi-time champion. I’ve fought in every continent on Earth except Antartica. I’ve made friends. I’ve made enemies. I’ve met people like Valora, who I turned from an enemy into a friend. I’m not here because I’m so over the hill fighter struggling for one more run to prove he’s relevant. I’m here because part of me is curious how bad age is hamperin’ me. A large part of why I’m here is my daughter asked me. Also, a friend helped me to help her run her gym.. And apparently to take up the role of bloody priest every so often though she left that outta the bloody…” Nathan descends into typical old man grumbling and muttering in a mixture of English and the native Irish tongue as Fiona rolls her eyes.
“Fine, well your daughter would like to see you win once in a while, so try to put your heart into it, okay?” She said before heading off in a hunt for another couple bottles of water for both her and her father. Nathan watches her head off and sighs, shaking his head. “She asks this when I’m fighting Ares…” Nathan looks up to Heaven. “I swear to God she’s just like you, Amy. Might wanna say a prayer for me… cause at my age.. Divine intervention is about the only chance I have.”