HIS SECRET SIN

Part Five: Leaving for the seminary

I might have grumbled and complained about not having a party in my honour, but last night with family and friends was great. It felt good to spend my last moments in what might be years before I see my family with my loved ones.

I looked up at my siblings, who were lying lazily on my bed, and rolled my eyes. They each had a sad look on their faces. They had tricked me into my room one after the other when I went up to pack my things. I wasn't able to do it last night because the party ran late, and I was tired after all the excitement.

" And here I was thinking you guys would be happy to see me go. There would be no one to keep you in line or scold you for cursing, " I joked with a pointed look at Julia, but they didn't laugh at my joke.

" Guys, what is it? " I asked, turning serious. I have never seen my siblings this moody, except for Julia. Julia is always gloomy and locked up in her room most of the time.

They all cast their gaze to the floor, unwilling to meet mine. Then Josh raised to speak—ever the bold one.

" We are sad that you are leaving, and we will not see you again soon. "

" Don't worry, guys. Time is like a bird; it flies, and before you know it, you guys miss me much, and I'm back with my ugly face, " I tried to reassure them with a faint smile.

My smile grew wider when i got an answering one from them.

" D, you have got to stop thinking you are ugly. You are the most beautiful one among us, " Julia commented.

I looked up at her in surprise, blushing slightly as the twins nodded their heads in agreement. Julia has never been the kind to dish out compliments; she is more the type to mock than compliment. Even though I didn't agree with her assessment of me being better looking than them—I think that title belongs to her—I thanked her with a little bit of shyness.

" D, can I ask you something? " I looked up at my brother Caleb to see a puzzled look on his young face.

" What is it, bro? "

" Are you going to give up s*x? "

I choked on my spit, shocked by his question, just as a hard smack landed on the back of his head.

" Awh!! " Caleb moaned, turning to glare at the culprit. " What did you do that for? " he whined.

Julia rolled her eyes. " Typical of a man to always think of his d**k. "

Caleb's question still bumped me, but I quickly snapped out of it when Julia spoke.

" Hey, that was crude, " I scolded her and received an eye roll for my question.

" D, " Caleb prompted when I didn't answer his question, making a blush appear.

If I was being honest, I am a little uncomfortable talking about s*x with my siblings. I know it is a topic I can never avoid, even with being a priest, but still, I am a little grossed out by it. I have had a lot of teens my age talk about it and to hear them talk, the activity itself seems animalistic and gross.

" To answer your question C, yes. As a priest, my sole duty is serving the Lord, and that means serving him with my body, heart, and soul. " I continued to pack, hoping that would end my brother's curiosity.

How mistaken.

" Why do you have to give up the s*x? Other churches have s*x and still serve the Lord. "

" What is your fixation on s*x, C? " Josh asked, chirping in.

We all turned to look at Caleb, whose face was as red as ripe juicy tomatoes.

" Nothing, " he denied hotly.

The slight shake of his voice revealed that he was lying, which roused our curiosity.

" What are you hiding? " Josh demanded, going closer to stare into his twin's eyes as if trying to compel him to tell the truth.

Caleb's blush deepened before he blurted out. " I kissed a girl a few days ago. "

" What! "

" Good for you, " Josh and Julia said at once while I gaped at him. How is it again that he is already messing with girls?

" Who? " Josh asked, more interested in satisfying his curiosity. Even Julia looked eager for his response. I, on the other hand, had a worried look in my eyes.

To me it was too early for my brother to be thinking about s*x i mean he is just eleven years old. I know these days that abstinence is a thing of the past and is considered outdated and not cool if you decide to wait to meet the right person before having s*x, but still, I felt it my obligation to talk to my siblings; I wouldn't want them doing things that will hot them in the future.

While I was lost in my thoughts, I heard Caleb mention the name of the girl. Apparently, a girl in his class has a crush on him and decides to declare her feelings for him.

" C, " I began in a gentle voice I could mutter. I didn't want to come off as if I was scolding him, yet I wanted him to know that what he was doing was not right.

Before I continued my words, he quickly cut me off.

" I know what you are going to say, and I tell you, we have already had that talk with Dad. "

I looked at him, lost. What talk is he talking about, I wondered.

" What talk? " I asked.

" The s*x talk, of course, " Josh answered before Caleb could speak. His voice sounded as if i should be in the know but honestly i have no idea what they are talking about. My dad never had such a talk with me. Maybe he felt that since I was grooming to be a priest that i didn't need.

I wish my dad would treat me just like he would treat every one of my siblings.

" Alright, since Dad has already spoken to you about this, I am sure you know it is too early for you to mess with girls. "

Caleb shrugged. " It was just a kiss. No biggy. " I was slightly irritated by his laissez-faire attitude. He wasn't getting it. " Look, Caleb, that is beside the point, " I snapped, coming off harsher than I expected.

Caleb rolled his eyes at me. " I know you are a stick in the mud when having fun, but not all of us want to be priests. "

My heart lurched painfully in my chest. His words hurt.

" C, that was uncalled for, " Josh chastised his brother. Caleb looked away for a second before looking in my direction. " I am sorry, " he apologized.

I nodded, unable to speak. Though I accepted his apology, I was still smarting from the sting of his words. His accusation hurt. I wasn't trying to be a stick in the mud as he explicitly put it, I am just trying to protect them from being hurt and also protect their soul from internal damnation because no matter how we spin s*x before marriage is a sin.

I finished packing without speaking on the topic again. If they are not willing to listen to me, there is no need to waste my breath. Everyone has free will, and it is up to them to choose the right path.

A knock on the door drew our attention. The door opened, and my mum walked in. " Your dad is back. Are you done packing? "

She walked further into the room towards my closet and began to look through my things.

This morning, my dad went to one of his shops early to settle some things before driving me to school.

" Yes, mum, I am done. " I frowned when she continued to snoop through my unpacked things.

" Is there something you are looking for?" I queried.

My mum paused what she was doing to face me. " I am just making sure that you have everything. "

I rolled my eyes. " Yes, mum, I have got everything I need. "

" Well if you are done then come downstairs, breakfast is ready. "

Her words had yet to leave her lips before my siblings were up and out the door. My mum and I looked at each other before breaking into loud laughter. My siblings, especially Caleb, don't joke with their food.

I turned to follow them out the door, only to be pulled back into my mum's arms.

" I am going to miss you, baby, " she cried, clutching me to her bossom so tightly that I could barely breathe, but I didn't complain, instead raised my hand to return her loving embrace.

When we got downstairs, my siblings and our father were already at the dining table digging into their meal.

" Son you have to be fast with your meal, we are already late leaving, " dad said as soon as I took my seat.

The seminary school that I was heading to was in the city and about four hours drive from our small town. It was already mid-morning, so we needed to get there on time so my dad could also get home on time. My mum hates it when he drives at night.

At fifty, my dad is not as strong as he used to be. Age is catching up with him, which has affected his eyes. But being a stubborn mule, he refuses to wear his glasses despite the many times Mum has tried to get him to wear them. He always says that he is not yet that old and needs help seeing.

Our meal was quick, and I was a little sad when it ended. This is the last meal I will have with my family in a long, long while. In seminary school, it could be months or even a year before you are given a break.

It seems that everyone realized that fact because no one moved after the last bite was cleaned from our plate. This slight cloud of melancholy was hanging over us, and no one spoke until Dad broke the heavy silence.

" I am proud of you, son, " he said, getting to his feet.

" Thanks, Dad, " I said, joining him.

Josh helped clear the dish while Julia and Caleb helped get my luggage to Dad's truck.

Finally, it was time to say my goodbyes. I promised myself I wasn't going to cry, but tears trailed down my cheeks as I hugged my family goodbye.

The journey to the school was silent, filled with the gospel music my dad played on his stereo.

When we got to the school, there were a lot of boys also coming back. Most looked older than me. Some looked the same age, while few looked younger.

Dad followed me to the administrative block to meet the rector. The rector looked older with very kind eyes. Immediately, I liked him and knew he was someone I would be looking up to. He attended to us mildly and lovingly.

After my registration, I was taken to a room where I was assigned a room before being directed to where I would get my uniform.

There will be times when we are allowed to wear our Mufti, but most times, we will be in our uniform: a white long-sleeve dress shirt with black trousers.

The uniform room had a cue, so Dad went to wait outside while I stood on the cue.

The line was moving slowly, and I was getting a little tired on my feet, so I began to move them around to avoid getting cramps. I felt a stare on me but ignored it. Seeing that I didn't know anyone here, there was no reason for anyone to be staring at me.

The stare persisted, forcing me to turn around and find the source. After a few seconds of searching, my eyes met the soulful brown eyes of a dark young man my age. Everyone looking at him would consider him stunning. He was the most handsome boy I had ever seen.

I got sucked in by his intense regard, unable to look away, and then something weird happened. My heart began to race in my chest.

We stared at each other for a few seconds, but it felt like ours before the boy smiled at me. My breath caught in my throat. I thought he was stunning before his smile transformed his look into something out of this world.

Freaked out by my weird reaction to this boy, I quickly looked away; my face flushed hard.

Luckily, I didn't spend much time on the cue before it got to me. Once I had my uniform in my hand, I tried to escape quickly but couldn't resist looking in the boy's direction.

He was also looking at me.

My heart lurched hard against my chest as our eyes met again, and I quickly looked away and got the hell out of there.

My dad helped me carry my things to my room, and when I got there, the moderate-sized room was empty with two bunk beds. My roommate was not yet here.

I chose the bed on the left, and my dad helped me settle in. When he turned to leave, he pulled me into a bear hug.

" I love you, son, " he whispered before disappearing out the door.

After my dad left, I put the remaining few things in order and then settled down on my bed to read one of the books I had brought.

A few minutes into that, the door opened, and I looked up in that direction. Standing tall against the doorway was the dark, handsome boy I had clashed eyes within the uniform room.