“Your sister should be in prison,” said father Sergei, and Nikola sighed. The defeated sound made Sadik want to go in the confessional and drag him out. Then, to ask him about all the shit that was going on in his life.
“People have tried to get her there. People have died,” Sadik could imagine the guilty expression on Nikola’s face. His torn-up face.
“Do the right thing, young man,” said the priest. Then, he cleared his throat.
“Not that it is any of my business, but, have you sinned with the man you came with?” Sadik heard Nikola choke, and guessed it was on nothing. When it came to sex, Nikola was very ashamed, it seemed.
“We just kissed, twice,” the priest hummed and then gave his verdict.
“Help in the soup kitchen for an hour. You are on dish washing duty after the morning crowd,” no say a thousand prayers? No, donate to the church? Sadik’s respect for father Sergei rose a little.
“Thank you, father,” said Nikola, and they both exited the confessional. Sadik was pretending to look at the icon of Christ at the altar when they came to him.
“Thank you for coming,” Nikola then traced Sadik’s gaze. “It is impressive, is it not? Directly from Jerusalem.”
Sadik hummed and then turned to the priest.
“Did Niki confess to sinning?” He asked, teasingly. Father Sergei was not amused.
“He did. I’d tell you the same that I did him. For what you have done with him, you should be working with Nikola in the soup kitchen for an hour. But, I am certain that if you confessed to imam Hasan that he would tell you something similar. The mosque has its soup kitchen, does it not?” It did.
Imam Hasan had them all work there on rotational principal, sins or no sins. They also had a second-hand charity giveaway that happened on Sundays. From clothes to shoes and household items. Sadik had donated more than once, when he felt that he had misbehaved too much.
“I’ll take my punishment then. But, is it because we are both men that you disapprove?” Sadik wanted to know if the man was one of those that judged people by their orientation.
“No. It is because it is outside of wedlock. Times have changed, young man. And we, and I speak for all Orthodox priests, feel shame for the way gay people have been treated in the past. Personally, I have never had a problem with them,” Sadik nodded.
Out of wedlock? He looked at Nikola, who looked down at the ground in shame. Did that mean he needed to marry the lamb to get him in bed? Or did that mean slaving away in the soup kitchen when it did happen? Because he was not ready for marriage.
“Take the door to the left, and you will get in the soup kitchen’s kitchen area,” father Sergei pointed to a newer looking door. So, a part of the church had been made into the soup kitchen? Imam Hasan had bought more land to build it. But father Sergei had gone a step further. Sadik knew for a fact that both kitchens were recent developments.
“And, Nikola. Remember, you must do the right thing,” father Sergei extended his ring clad hand to Nikola and Nikola kissed the middle ring. The priest didn’t make the same offer to Sadik, for which the Turk was grateful. He would have had to refuse, and then things would have become awkward.
They made it in the soup kitchen cooking area, and Nikola immediately put on an apron and plastic gloves. Then, he began to wash the piled-up dishes in the sink.
“So, what do I do?” Asked Sadik. The place looked spotless and there was no one inside. Just the two of them.
“Well,” Nikola looked around, and then his eyes locked on a blackboard that was hanging on the fridge. “It says there that there will be potato soup for lunch. So, I think it is a safe bet for you to peel some potatoes.”
Sadik took a knife and a potato sack and made himself comfortable on the kitchen counter.
“Who works here?” Sadik broke the silence after the first potato was placed in an empty bowl. Then, he stood up and picked a pitcher with water and emptied it in the bowl. There was no telling when the soup will be cooked. So, he might as well take precautions so that the potatoes wouldn’t turn brown.
“Father Sergei cooks the food. He feeds a hundred people each day. Most of the churchgoers do the washing and cleaning. Ivan does the fixing of the tables and chairs. They are old and so need mending, from time to time,” Sadik nodded. Placing the second potato in the bowl.
“Is that your friend? The one you mentioned fell down the stairs?” The one who was pushed. He sounded like an upstanding guy, if he spent his leisure time making sure that a soup kitchen could have furniture.
“Ivan Yaroslavsky, he is father Sergei’s nephew. Came all the way from Russia to help him spread Orthodoxy in the USA. He is a giant of a man. Two meter tall and a wrestler. But, his demeanor is mild. In all the time I have known him, he had never raised his voice at anyone,” Sadik placed the third potato in the water and nodded. It sounded like someone that he could see Nikola being friends with.
“And, after this, do you mind introducing us?” Sadik knew that, without the bond, he would need to make Nikola fall for him the old-fashioned way. Which included making nice with the man’s friends.
“You want to come with me to see Vanya? He’d be happy for a fresh face,” they worked the rest of the hour in silence. Nikola was done with the plates by the end of the hour, and Sadik had a couple of potatoes filled bowls.
“Shall we?” Sadik stood, then, he dried his hands in a paper towel. Nikola did the same, and then he hanged his apron back where he had found it. And they were off.
