Page 1 of Vespertine
Chapter One
ALITTLEBELL JINGLED ABOVEthe antiquated white and yellow bakery door as itopened.
“You know, gluttonyisa sin,Father.”
Without lifting his eyes from the chocolate-filledcroissants, cherry-stuffed mini tarts, cinnamon rolls, raisin rolls, andcolorful macarons, Father Jasper Hendricks said to his companion, “Everythingin moderation, Andrew.”
Easter had come and gone, but a white basket still held acollection of colorful little plastic eggs. The croissants appealed to Jasperthis morning, and the sugar glaze on the cinnamon buns was dripping, like theywere so fresh from the oven they were still hot.
“Shouldn’t you be getting ready for Mass, Father?” DeaconAndrew Evans asked. Jasper kept his smile under control when he heard the hintof amusement in the old man’s voice.
“That’s why I have you. Besides, the Bible says you shouldn’twork on an empty stomach.”
“I’m pretty sure it says no such thing.”
At last Jasper straightened and looked at Andrew, his righthand man in everything but…well no. In everything, really. “It should. Don’tyou think, Irena?” Jasper winked at the woman behind the counter.
“How about a cinnamon rollandacroissant today, Father?” She’d lived in Little Heights most of her life andyet she’d never entirely lost her Polish accent.
“The decadence,” Andrew said, but Jasper paid him no mind,especially since he’d most likely end up eating half.
“Sounds wonderful.” He turned to the deacon as he opened hiswallet. “Anything for you?”
With a hand on his rotund stomach, Andrew said, “Oh, Icouldn’t possibly.”
Jasper laughed and accepted the fragrant paper bag. “Come onthen. Thanks to all your chit-chat, we’ll be late for Mass.”
Andrew sputtered as he followed Jasper outside.
Little Heights hugged the Little Bay shore and even from MainStreet Jasper could smell the sea air. He breathed deeply as he listened totraffic and beyond it the exuberant call of birds welcoming summer. It’d been abrutal winter, even for Maine, but as always the town embraced summer as if thelong months of ice and cold had never existed and would never come again.
Andrew cleared his throat. “So…” He eyed the paper bag. “Yougoing to walk and eat?”
“I am.” For a moment Jasper said nothing else, then helaughed under his breath and opened the bag. “And I’ll break bread with you.”He watched Andrew’s eyes twinkle under their white, bushy eyebrows. “But onlybecause it’s Sunday.”
Andrew laughed and nodded, accepting half a sticky cinnamonbun. They’d stopped walking, and Andrew lifted his face to the sky to soak upthe sun. After a moment of silence, he said, “It’s going to be a good summer,Father Hendricks.”
Jasper’s eyebrows lifted in curiosity as he bit into thestill-warm bun. Cinnamon burst over his tongue. “You think so?” he asked, moreto hear Andrew’s reasoning than that he doubted it. As far as he was concerned,the summer couldn’t get much better.
“Hmm.” Andrew peered up at Jasper. “An interesting summer.But a good one.”
With that cryptic statement, Andrew walked off and Jasperfollowed, a little bemused but not worried. Andrew had always been…not oddexactly, but certainly different.
The Sacred Heart Cathedral was built in the mid-eighteenhundreds and stood proudly in the center of Little Heights. It made Jasperthink he’d gone soft over the years, but he truly considered it the heart ofthe town. The beautiful neo-Gothic building never failed to take his breathaway, especially on a day like today when the sky seemed painted in crayonblues and cartoon sunshine. He didn’t love a lot of worldly things, but thisbuilding, this house of God, felt as much part of him as his own soul.
As he always did when they climbed the steps to the backentrance, he ran his fingers along the sturdy wooden doorframe and offered alittle prayer of thanks. For what, exactly, he didn’t know. Maybe just the factthat a building this old would stand proudly for another day.
Andrew didn’t say much as they walked the pews, making sureeverything was in order. They’d worked together for eight years now, and Jasperliked to prepare for Mass in silence. He didn’t need to clear his mind, really.He just enjoyed these peaceful moments in his church, with his God, alone. Aselfish sentiment, maybe, but Jasper believed taking comfort where one couldevery once in a while wasn’t necessarily sinful.
Soon the first churchgoers would enter and take theirplaces, so they retired to the sacristy and worked companionably side by sideuntil it was time.
Jasper took a deep, cleansing breath and let it out slowlyas he closed his eyes. When he found the center of peace in his mind, he softlyspoke.
“Give virtue, O Lord, unto my hands thatevery stain may be wiped away, that I may be enabled to serve Thee withoutdefilement of mind or body.”
Andrew stood with his head bent and eyes closed as Jasper reachedfor the amice, placed it on his own shoulders and fastened it.
“Place, O Lord, the helmet of salvationupon my head that I may overcome the assaults of the devil.”
