Confession Box
By: ConfusedAngel

Lot's of things can happen that we don't know, we do not expect. They say it is fate that destines us all but I know that it isn't or maybe I did just for awhile.

I am what you may call an average person. I don't have anything to boast nor anything to be jealous of. I just live the way my life is. I wake up, go to school and then go home. But there is one thing which I do uniquely that is going to confession every Saturday afternoon. It's not just I wanted to confess but also talk to my brother as well. It was there when I met her.

The 2nd Saturday of September, I arrived at the church at my usual time. There I was about to shout. "Hey brother you there already, I going inside okay," But I stopped when I saw the confession box occupied. All the time I thought I was the very first person to confess but I was wrong. So I waited for that person to finish.

5: 15, 15 min have passed since I arrived. "This is somehow taking too long," I said. I stood up as my impatience caught up to my head.
"Hey, excuse me there are also people here who wants also to confess their sins you know.," Accidentally, I said it in a rude manner and it was just in time when they got out of the box. My brother looked at me with disappointed eyes while the confessor a girl looked somehow ashamed because of what I've said.

"Now you've done it.," I said to myself.

"I'm very sorry, I really took too long did I, I'm really sorry," She bowed down to me and that made my face red as a tomato.

"Alex! You should learn the virtue of patience, you are the one who should ask forgiveness to Ms. Jeana," He said in calm manner.
"I know, I know I just got carried away, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," I also bowed down in return for her kindness. "It's alright, it's not a big thing, and besides I really did took too long,"

"Well there's no point in arguing about it, there is nothing to hurry about when you seek God's guidance, the name's Alex Mendoza," I offered a hand to her. She kindly accepted it. "Name's Jeana Santos," Then a smile popped out of her face.
"Eherrm, well now that you've known each other's names, I'll be the one to introduce the both of yourselves alright, Jeana, this is my younger brother Alex, the one I've been talking about, he may be a bit hot-tempered but he's just fine, while Alex, this is Ms. Jeana Santos, you maybe wondering why I know her so much, she's also one of the frequent confessors here at St. Michaels and she arrives definitely much more earlier than you,"
My holy brother has spoken and I have nothing against it, well his explanation really got me the details about the young who stood in front of me that day.
That was not definitely our last meeting of course, fate earned its way and again let us meet and this time we knew we were schoolmates but of different class. This coincidence made an entry for a deeper relationship. We would meet after each class and she even introduced me to her other friends which really awoken my sleeping social life.

She helped me get out of the house often by tugging me and irritating me during my peaceful Friday afternoon rests to beaches and outings. She even taught me a lot of things which I have definitely forgotten to do, one thing is to laugh.

But the most important fact that I learned from her is never breaking the bonds with God. Now we are together when we visit the Church. Whenever we pray together I would just look at her face and glaze at her eyes, eyes which tell me happiness but inside a sad voice is crying, I can't help but admire her sincerity in praying which we really definitely do. You might be wondering also why we both confess every Saturday, well our reasons are the same, which are we just want to talk to God through my brother. And I didn't think that it was again a mere fate or coincidence but maybe God really has placed her in my life.

December, the Christmas Season, everybody was supposed to be happy but ironically Jeana and her mom didn't have happy Christmas Season. Her father died in an accident, a fellow construction worker of her father was working when a beam of hard metal suddenly snapped over him, Jeana's father saw it and saved the construction worker just in time but sadly Jeana's father died

Guess where we spent the Christmas, where else but at St. Michaels, it was there when she told me what happened her, surprisingly her mom also was with her. Me and my brother consoled both of them together with the other brothers in the church.

"Don't be sad, I know God has always a purpose in the events that occur in our life," I said to her as I offered her a glass of red iced tea.

"I'm not sad, I'm happy, can't you see the smile ha-ha," I was glad that she cheered up somehow as she took a sip of the iced tea.
"Hey, you two don't look so gloomy, come and join us in a sing of praise, don't worry we will also sing for your father," I was glad that my brother was there to support me in comforting Jeana and her mom.

When I went home at my small apartment that day, I didn't know but tears just suddenly fell out of my eyes. Maybe Jeana's father made me remember my parents. They died also in an accident also, we were in our car that night, going home from a party, I was sleeping soundly at the back while my brother sat on front, my dad handled the driving and my mom slept with me. With one swift stroke, our car suddenly crashed into a 10-wheeler truck which lost its brakes and couldn't stop its speed. All I remembered was flashes of light and a glimpse of what had happened. When I woke up, I saw my father and mother die in front of my eyes, my brother barely made it. After that my 22 year old brother went to priesthood and while he was studying, the brothers also helped me study, I was just 10 years old at that time. Today, we pledged our lives to the Church and to God.

Two months have passed and Jeana, has fully recovered from at the loss of her father. Our friendship even blossomed further and she, as a woman has also noticeably changed. Her eyes were more serene but full of courage and happiness. Also, I looked at myself and how she transformed my average life into a higher ground.
As the exams drew closer, me, Jeana and our friends did study-groups. And you know studying is never fun without jokes and a little mischief.

Everything was all fine, I was happy but I know sometimes this happiness has an equivalent factor which is sadness.

I found Jeana at the Church, she was awfully very early and was just staring at the altar. I sat down beside her and asked "What's wrong?" She didn't answer and signaled me to wait as she entered the confession box together with my brother. And like the first day we met, she stayed there for 15 whole minutes. After that, they both went outside, my brother also looked gloomy and tapped my shoulder.

Again, I asked as we sat at the nearby bench "Jeana, tell me what's wrong?"

"Alex, my mother and I are leaving for the United States next Saturday..,"

"How long will you be staying there?" I asked fearfully.
"..she wants me to study because my aunt has given me a scholarship at the a University in Los Angeles, ..but I don't want to leave.. I don't want to leave my friends behind and I don't want to leave my best friend behind..Alex, what will I do?" Her tears started to build up in her eyes but with my handkerchief I stopped them from flowing.

"I think it would be best if you follow your mom, she just wants what's the best for you, don't worry about me nor our friends, we understand your situation, and we will support you all the way, even if you are far, just think of us and know always that we are always right behind you, I will always be here for you,"

After that she just hugged me and said "Thank you," I lied that day, my heart was shattered to pieces and I didn't know how to pick them up again.

A week past and the day when she leaves for the States has now become a reality. She called me if I was coming to see her off but I didn't instead I ran to the church and confined myself inside the Confession box and I started to realease my feelings, I didn't care whether my brother was listening or not but I just wanted to talk to God.

"God, why, why do things happen this way. She was the very first person that changed my life and now that person is leaving me behind. That person, who made me smile, made me laugh and made me the way I am now. I know I just lied yesterday about what I really feel and I resent my actions for doing so, the truth is I don't want to let her go, I don't want to let her leave. I wanted her to be with me forever and now how will I now confess to her, to tell that I do really care, that I really love her,"

"Really..do you really ,"

"Yes, ?" I froze and heard not my brother's voice but the voice of my angel. I stepped slowly outside of the Confession Box to see if it was truly her and without doubt, wearing her favorite Blue Jacket, and her smile, her eyes looking at me, it was Jeana.

"Jeana.,"

"He-he, I didn't know but I had this feeling that I would find you I was right," She smiled again as tears gathered both in her eyes but that time I didn't stopped it. My feelings overflowed, my feet moved on its own and I let my arms embrace and feel her presence. I saw my brother at the distance looking at me and gave me a thumb's up and I smiled in reply.

-THE END-