Men are men, vows are words, and words are wind. - George RR Martin
Father Oswald's most difficult challenge as a priest was hearing confessions from women recounting their carnal sins. At times it was torturous for him to listen to young females conflicted by guilt pouring out revelations of their sexual desires and transgressions. No matter how hard he tried to deny his impulses, the padre was frequently aroused by these deep secrets murmured in the dark shadows of the confessional booth. In twenty-two years, these roilings in his soul had never caused him to break his vow of celibacy, but he did occasionally falter in fantasyland.
It was even more troublesome when he recognized the penitent, as he did when Sister Mary Marilyn, a devoted second-grade teacher at the parish school, began to confess to him twice a month at his Saturday night absolution duty. In the beginning, she spoke in general terms, but after a few months, she revealed that all her sexual fantasies focused on him alone. He was stunned, but the Catholic priestess could intuitively sense that his nervous efforts to chastise her were obstructive barriers with weak foundations. Her desire for him evolved into an obsession she was unable to arrest.
In a later Penance, the young nun progressed to touching herself in the booth while whispering passionate entreaties to her confessor. The clergyman tried to stifle his excitement by giving the straying sister corrective lectures with heavy penances to perform. These measures did not deter her from making three more false efforts at atonement in which her practice of admitting to her sins while masturbating became more explicit. During her third confession, the Father lost his struggle with the enemy within. He ejaculated as he rubbed his penis through his clothes while listening to the sister describing her desire for him. His shame consumed him for days afterward.
The Church hierarchy has always concentrated authority in male hands. Female members on the ladder of power are, at best, pawns. Thus it was easy for the guilt-ridden priest to secretly pull the necessary strings to have this Bride of Christ relocated to a parish thousands of miles away at the end of the school year. He didn't even need to state the reason for the transfer.
The day before the sister was scheduled to leave was a Sunday. At 11 am, Father Oswald was in his studio apartment at the rectory putting on his priestly vestments in preparation for celebrating the noon Mass. While dressing in the mirror, he heard the door to the hallway open and close. Turning around, he saw a hooded figure in a black overcoat locking the door.
"May I help you?"
The religious novitiate walked up to the Father she idolized, stopping three feet in front of him. In one smooth motion, she threw off the coat, tossing it to the side. Sister Mary Marilyn was naked except for the four-inch crucifix on a silver chain dangling between her breasts.
"Father, I am leaving tomorrow. Before I go, I want to give myself in love to you."