This story is by Diana Sanders and was part of our 2024 Spring Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.
Alize LaTour stands before the church of her ancestors with a sense of unease. She had yet to attend Mass since moving to Chicago in 1943. Now a successful designer, she had returned home ten years later for a family reunion. She hesitates and would have run if it hadn’t been for her promise to her mother.
Alize straightens her hat, squares her shoulders, and walks through the open door. The comforting scent of burning incense, old wood, and lemon oil envelops her. Memories of her first communion wash over her, kneeling at the rail, wearing her sister’s white dress and veil, her small, gloved hands pressed in prayer. She didn’t understand why, but she felt special as the wafer was placed on her small tongue, “Body of Christ,” the priest said softly. She realized that every significant event of her youth had occurred in this church.
She follows her mother’s lead, dips her fingers in holy water, crosses herself, and wonders why holy water smells stagnant. They genuflect and interrupt Mrs. Martin’s prayers as they enter the pew. Alize kneels and prays for this god-forsaken world. Unable to swallow her cynicism, she whispers, “Are you there?.”
Suddenly, a surprising peace comes over her, and a warm glow surrounds her. “You are not alone, Alize,” is whispered in her ear. She would have thought it was God answering her if not for the soft breath tickling her ear, a breath that caused a familiar shiver to flutter through her. She slowly redirects her gaze and gasps. Robert is kneeling beside her. How is this possible? He looks at her with eyes so intensely blue that they steal her breath; his dark, wavy hair, thick black brows, and lashes remain unchanged. There’s a distinct tan line on his forehead from wearing a hat in the sun and sun-kissed skin that won’t stay young for long. A shadow of a beard frames his perfect face, and when she gazes at him wide-eyed, his mouth spreads into a beautiful, heartfelt smile.
“Bonjour, ma belle,” Robert whispers, touching her hand with his pinky. She doesn’t flinch, which encourages him. Robert leans in closer and whispers. “Dieu merci, my prayers have been answered.” They hear a ‘shush’ coming from the row behind them and realize that the priest has entered and everyone else is standing. They stand exchanging blushing smiles. Robert’s hand creeps closer to hers, and he wraps his calloused fingers around her soft hand. They hear a huff from behind them and know they will be the subject of gossip around every dinner table today. Robert doesn’t seem to care, so she allows her feelings to follow his. She glances at her mother and sees a small smile as Maman looks straight ahead and answers the priest in Latin.
Feeling the warmth of his hand fills Alize with a delightful giddiness. Suddenly, she is a young girl rushing to get to church early. She enters the fan-cooled building and walks straight to the back, knowing he’ll be waiting.
After their prayers, they sat close, shoulders touching despite the hot air surrounding them. It was scandalous to sit like this, especially in the church, but they didn’t care. They followed the Mass perfectly and received communion. They had confessed their impure thoughts on Saturday and vowed to do so again next Saturday. They were too young and inexperienced to understand their feelings or why they were so attracted to each other. They just knew it was something they could not walk away from. Alize was a shy, petite girl with dark hair, brown eyes, and dimples on her cheeks. Robert, only fourteen, was tall and skinny with laughing blue eyes and black wavey hair. He smiled a lot, finding humor in the most mundane things. His family had moved here last summer. His father was sent to this small Louisiana town to open a Carbon Black Plant. They had status in the community. Alize LaTour had an old family name but no status.
She felt the disapproving looks from his mother and other people when they walked together holding hands. Robert didn’t seem to mind, “You are my girlfriend, Alize. You will always be my girlfriend.” He told her this while they sat on her porch swing, heads touching. He kissed her cheek one day, and she felt like she would burst from the sweet touch of his warm lips. They were inseparable throughout the school year, and everyone was scandalized that he would be courting her. The other girls were angry with her. She tried not to listen to what they said. “Robert is too good for trash like you,” they taunted. “You should go to the fields where you belong.” Robert fought to protect her: “Alize is my girlfriend, and I don’t care what any of you think.” He was strong for his age and filled with the confidence that growing up with status gives you. “Don’t listen to them, Alize. They are jealous because you are intelligent and beautiful,” Robert said as he draped his arm over her shoulder.
But like all things, it’s good until it ends. His parents decided he needed a better education and enrolled him in the Military Academy in Baton Rouge. He fought, argued, and threatened to run away with Alize, but they were young and had nowhere to go. “You will never keep me from her,” he yelled at his parents as he ran out of the house. Alize sat on her porch swing, waiting. Robert bounded up the steps, grabbed her hand, and ran with her until they reached a small lake in the nearby woods. It was an unusually cool summer night; a soft breeze quelled the mosquitoes and caused cicadas and frogs to sing boisterously. They fell on the bank of the black lake and lay there as the sky darkened, and their breath finally returned to them. Gazing at the inky sky, they watched stars appear one by one, resembling diamonds scattered onto black velvet. Alize whispered, “I love you, Robert,” her gaze fixed on the stars. “Let’s choose two stars that are ours so we will always be together.” He turned to her and gathered her into his arms.
“I can’t leave you,” He kissed her fervently, pressing their lips together. Deepening the kiss, their lips parted, and they savored the taste of each other’s mouths. His embrace intensified; lost in the moment and breathing heavily, his hand wrapped around her small breast, her breath quickened, and she rubbed against his leg; he threw his leg over her, and she felt his hardness. Her mind faltered momentarily, then she gently drew back and tenderly kissed the tears from his face. He stopped and gazed into her eyes, “I’ll never love anyone but you, Alize. I swear to you.” He sighed in resignation and pulled away, took her hand, and they sat for hours and silently experienced each other’s presence. He walked her home later and kissed her with purpose. She tasted salt from their tears on his lips as promises were made and young hearts shattered.
The next day, he boarded the train and was gone. She watched from the platform; he caught her eye and threw her a kiss, and she smiled through her tears. After the train disappeared from view, she turned and walked home. They wrote letters full of promises and grief for a while, but his parents moved shortly after, and contact was eventually lost.
Yet, he is here, holding her hand, and all the old feelings have come rushing back. She sees him watching her thoughtfully, and she wipes a lone tear from his cheek. They do not receive communion on this day. Innocence is lost, and they understand their passion and recognize it to be a sin but accept it, knowing they will have each other before she leaves again. Realizing they will be breaking vows and sinning in the eyes of the church and the community, they will do it anyway. Because they love each other, they have stars that have watched over them all these years, so they are never really apart, no matter what life throws their way.
As the sun sets, a cool evening breeze ruffles Robert’s wavy hair as he stops his old truck at the crossroads. He can see the LaTour house, Alize waiting on the porch swing, hands clasped tightly in her lap. He notices the shiny red convertible with Illinois plates parked in the yard. He hesitates momentarily, knowing she is now part of a bigger world and will not be in this small town for long. His mind swirls, telling him to turn and take the road home, that she will only bring him heartache. But when he looks back at her, she is standing by the porch railing, watching him, and she smiles. He inhales and smiles in kind. She is his for now; regardless of their chosen paths, she is his.
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