Kelvin silently cursed Stephanie as he swept the carpetted aisle with a long broom.
She had clearly declined the offer of joining him in carrying out his penance when he asked her.
Half way through the work, he had started to realize why she refused to come along.
The church was really big in width size measuring over 3000 square footage and there was only so much Kelvin could clean all at once. It took him one hour to be done with the sweeping of the church's interior.
As he was about to gather the dirt into a large dustpan outside the church, he heard voice.
"Aren't you thirsty?" The voice echoed from a distance through the empty space that was the church compound.
Kelvin had heard the voice before but he couldn't quite remember where. He raised his head to look for it's source. It was coming from the balcony of the one storey building erected close to church.
Oh shoot, it's the priest!
"Sir?" Kelvin came closer to where the house stood. He had heard the voice clearly the first time but pretended not to hear for no particular reason.
"I said, you have been working for sometime now." The man standing in the balcony said with that same polite voice he used during confessions.
"I thought you might be hydrated and in need of a drink like maybe water."
"Yes sir, thank you Father." Kelvin really needed that drink. The sun wasn't merciful in any way and by now he was already sweating like a criminal being led to the gallows.
"Come inside and take it then."the man disappeared through a door into his house without waiting for a response.
Kelvin was a bit uneasy because he had never entered the house of the priest before.
He walked gingerly towards the metallic front door and knocked on it.
There was no answer from inside. He decided to wait a while and then knock again. The second time, he got an answer from the priest to come in.
Kelvin twisted the door handle and let himself in.
The living room was decorated in a cliché bachelor fashion. It wasn't as tidy as Kelvin hoped, with pictures of a younger version of the priest hanging on the wall.
As he was getting comfortable surveying his environment, a man walked out of a room that kelvin concluded was the kitchen with a bottle of drinking water. Kelvin immediately realized that he was the same man talking to him from the balcony.
The man was really good looking for someone in his mid forties. He was dark skinned in complexion with low cut hair and an athletic build. Kelvin thought that no one could guess he was a Catholic priest without knowing him personally.. He had the looks of an average family man with kids.
"here it is." the sweaty man who wore a tight Tshirt handed him the bottle. Kelvin collected it and turned to leave but the man stopped him.
"hey. Um what's your name?"
"its kelvin father." he answered, not sure why the priest asked for his name. "kelvin adeniyi."
"okay, kelvin. I would love you to mop the tiled floors in the church. Especially the ones on the altar." the priest said, putting on a serious look.
"okay father." kelvin genuinely didn't want to do it and he didn't hide his displeasure in the work.
"but I don't know where the mop is kept."
"i don't know that either but I guess there is a mop in one of my closets upstairs" he didn't blink or flinch when he said this.
"you should go upstairs and check it out. The first room to your right." kelvin hesitated but agreed to go up and look for the mop.
He walked into the first room he saw and started to thoroughly check each closet for the mop. The room was really packed with unwanted junk and the only thing that was not in disarray was the king sized bed made with white bed sheets.
Kelvin was too invested in looking for the mop to notice when the older man walked into the room. The only thing that eventually got his attention was the sound of the cringy door hinges as the priest quietly locked it. Kelvin stood at alert at the sight of the older man in the room.
"there is no mop."he said with a cackle. "you got me, okay. I lied."
kelvin gave him a puzzled look. He had a flirty yet dangerous tone in his voice. The kind of tone used by a serial killer to its victim or an attorney trying to favour the judge in a court of law.
"you know I've been thinking deeply about your confession" he walked up close to kelvin and sat on the bed, motioning the younger man to do the same.
Kelvin was feeling uncomfortable at this moment but it was like he was compelled to obey the man's instructions.
"only half of the things I told you were right."
"what wasn't? " kelvin tried not to make eye contact with him in hopes that he would soon go away..
"its not your fault that you feel the way you do." he spoke like he was counting his words.
"then whose fault is it?" kelvin wasn't liking the idea of talking this intimately with a priest but if it would help him understand himself better, he was all for it.
"i don't know. it is called many names by different people. A demon, the devil, a choice, Love or even God" he was now using a serious tone in his voice, a tone kelvin had never heard him use before.
"the truth is I don't know and I may never know. But one thing I know is its not our fault." he smoothly slid his hands to touch kelvin's thighs but kelvin slid away just in time.
"ive been watching you in church ever since you joined us and I know you are watching me too." he tried to get a glimpse of kelvin's face but kelvin still wouldnt look him in the eye.
"I saw how you looked at me when I gave you the bottle, how you always look at me." kelvin still didn't say a word.
"I want you kelvin, and you cant deny you want me too." he took kelvins hands prompting him to turn and look him in the eye for the first time, then he went for a kiss.
The kiss lasted for a minute before kelvin pulled back.
"this is wrong." kelvin said with a strong sense of shame. The priest was getting really frustrated and impatient with kelvin.
"I have to get going and I promise I wont tell anybody." this triggered the older man.
He violently grabbed kelvin's wrist and pushed him back to the bed when he tried to leave.
"you cant leave now." he had the fire of desire in his eyes.
"its already too late for that" he gave a really scary smile now that evolved into a laugh.
Kelvin laid there and stared at him in horror as the older man began to undress. He really wanted to shout for help but it was useless. No one could hear him scream from miles away and they were alone in the church compound.
He was forced by the older man to strip, which he did out of fear. He definitely hadnt seen anyone looking so hungry with desire in all his life.
When they were both naked, the priest overpowered him on the bed. Kelvin had just realized why the bed was the only thing that was tidy. It was a pre meditated crime.
It didn't take the older man so much time to succeed in gaining carnal knowledge of the young boy and when the time actually came, there was nothing kelvin could do to stop it.
***
Kelvin just lay still on the bed fully naked. He looked like he was exhausted and all the life he had left was drained from his body.
He wasn't really sure what just happened. This was not because he actually didn't remember or know what the priest did to him. It was because from the moment it was over, he tried so hard to forget every memory of it, to erase every picture that still lingered in his subconcious mind.
As he lay there, almost lifeless, the older man was starting to get dressed. He had an evil smirk on his face, a smirk that never ceased while he sexually mutilated kelvin.
"you can get up now. I'm done with you." as he tightened his leather belt, he took a peek at kelvin's snort coverd face.
"oh please, don't give me that face. I really enjoyed it. We really enjoyed it." kelvin just kept on sobbing and didn't reply
"I mean, you couldn't stop screaming and moaning in pleasure." kelvin's unresponsiveness started to make him really angry.
"I said get up and clean yourself up. Someone might come in and see you like this." kelvin had no choice but to get up and put his clothes on.
"that's a good boy. Now Take some money for your trouble.I would love to do this again some other time." he handed kelvin some money which he hesitantly took.
"now wipe your face and go home. Your sins are forgiven."