A Phone Call from Church

A Phone Call from Church

A Story by Clara
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This was my cousin's project for school which he made me write for him. The requirement was that the story had to deal with a topic that is taboo... Hence, this is what we came up with.

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It was pitch-black outside and only Heaven knew what time it was. Aiden knew he ought to be tired from all those promotional activities with their band, yet he just couldn’t bring himself to fall asleep. Nathan’s gentle snores and murmurs of cake filled the eerie silence. He envied the “baby’s” ability to fall asleep quickly.

 

The thin walls of the apartment barely muted the phone conversation between Marcus and Vincent in the room next door. Aiden shuddered, due to the cold and a soft moan coming from Marcus’s room. He did not even want to know what they were talking about. As tempted as he was to punch the wall to get Marcus to shut up, he knew that it wouldn’t help him get any sleep anyway.

 

Aiden looked at his clock and it read 3:25 AM. At that point, he had given up all hope of sleeping and silently exited from the room he shared with Nathan. He went to the kitchen to get himself a cup of hot chocolate.

 

After he had prepared his chocolate, he took the cup back to the room, not caring if Nathan would be on his case about it the following morning. He settled himself on the armchair beside the window. He was about to take a sip of his hot chocolate when ‘My Everything’ suddenly started playing. Aiden ran to his phone before Nathan could even wake up.

 

“Hello?” he whispered to his phone, not even bothering to see who was calling him. That ringing tone was designated for only one person. “Why are you still up at this hour?” he asked.

 

“I’m actually in front of the church right now.” Spencer’s voice answered. “And man… It is pretty cold out here.”

 

“Why don’t you step inside, then?” Aiden asked, wondering why on earth Spencer was calling him from church.

 

As though he heard Aiden’s thoughts, Spencer said, “We’re visiting my sister Sara. She’s just joined the monastery, remember?”  

 

“This early in the morning?!” Aiden asked curiously. For all he knew, nuns were early risers, but not this early. He seriously hoped that his shock did not wake Nathan. He looked to his left and saw that his roommate was still sleeping like a baby.

 

“It was her first time to be a soloist at a Mass, a night mass at that.” Spencer patiently explained.

 

“What’s so important about the night mass? It’s not any different from the regular mass, is it?” Aiden asked. 

 

“It’s the sixteenth of December isn’t it?”

 

Aiden pulled his face into a frown. “Yes, it is…”

 

“There is this tradition that my mom and my older sister firmly believe in.” Spencer began. Aiden felt like this was going to be a long explanation so he leaned back to his armchair while he listened to Spencer take a deep breath before he began his explanation.

 

“There is this tradition of a nine-day night mass before Christmas Day. It goes on from the sixteenth of December until Christmas Eve. The belief is that if one manages to complete all nine days, without falling asleep in Mass, the wish one makes on the last day will come true.”

 

Aiden smiled at the explanation, but he felt like something was missing. “What brought this on?”

 

He listened to the sound of his friend’s feet stepping on the snow as he took another sip of his hot chocolate.

 

“Well,” Spencer began, “this whole going to mass nine days before Christmas is supposed to be a preparation for Christmas itself. At least, that was what my sister told me when I was younger. Satisfied yet?” Aiden could practically see Spencer smiling his familiar gummy smile when he asked the question.

 

“Yes.” Aiden smirked, although he knew Spencer could not see him anyway. “What time does the mass begin that you’re up so late?” he added as an afterthought.

 

“The mass starts at four. That means I still have twenty minutes to talk to you.”

 

“Why’d you decide to call now? And why do they hold the mass so early in the morning?” Aiden asked, wanting to know the answer to the first question more than the second one. He truly hoped that the answer Spencer would give was the one he wanted to hear.

 

 

Spencer knew Aiden would never let a question go. Luckily for him, there were two questions. He could evade one and elaborate on the other.

 

“Sara told me that it’s set really early because it is a way for mass-goers to prove their devotion and faith. And if you manage to complete all nine days, it is believed that a wish you make will come true, as I already told you earlier.”

 

Spencer wrapped his jacket tighter around himself after he tucked his cell phone between his ear and his shoulder. It was cold outside the church, but he wanted to talk with Aiden some more. It was already tough that Aiden was going to be in China for Christmas, what was worse was that they would not get to see each other until after New Year’s since Aiden intended to return straight to Mokpo to spend New Year’s Day with his family.

 

For a place of comfort, the church seemed to be oddly daunting for Spencer. He wasn’t exactly Andrew. He was an ordinary mortal who sometime neglected his religion. Now, he couldn’t believe that he had enough guts to actually set foot in front of a church and seek God’s help for something that he was sure was against the beliefs of the church.

 

“Spencer,” Aiden’s concerned voice asked, “are you still there?” He felt the concern in Aiden’s voice.  

 

Spencer was snapped out of his musings and sat on a bench that didn’t have much snow on it. He put the phone back in his hand and looked at the clock outside the church before he answered, “Yes. I’m still here, Aiden. Don’t worry… I’m not going to fall asleep on you.”

 

“Good. I thought that you had fallen asleep and that I’d have to shout for someone to realize that you’re outside the church, dying due to the cold.”

 

Spencer rolled his eyes and laughed. He saw his mother from the corner of his eye, looking at him curiously. He smiled at his mother and mouthed “Aiden” to her. She pointed at the clock and indicated that he only had fifteen minutes left before the mass began.

 

“So,” Aiden trailed off since he was about to ask something very personal, “why’d you suddenly decide to try doing that nine-day dawn mass?”

 

“I told you,” Spencer stubbornly emphasized, “I’m going to support my sister. It’s her first time to sing solo at a mass. I want her to see that I’m there for her.”

 

“If you say so…” Aiden sang.

 

The church bells rang, indicating that the mass was beginning in ten minutes. “Aiden, look, I have to go in a while. The mass is about to begin.”

 

Aiden did not say his usual goodbye to him… Instead he said something that Spencer had never expected him to say.

 

 

 

“Can you leave your phone on, Spencer? I think I’d like to hear the mass too…” Aiden requested impulsively.

 

The words came out of his mouth even before he could think about them. All that Spencer said about wishes and faith were things he didn’t usually believe in. Aiden was more likely to believe that aliens from outer space would go and invade planet Earth instead of having a wish come true because of a nine day mass.

 

Ever since his father died, he had no idea what to believe in anymore. Anything was possible and he knew it. Maybe, if he tried this nine day dawn mass thing, maybe this time, his wish would come true.

 

“Hey, Spencer?” Aiden asked, worried since Spencer was not answering at all. “I know it’s a weird request, but I’d like to see if the stuff you said about wishes coming true is right.”

 

“Uhm… sure.” Spencer replied a little late for Aiden’s liking. “You’re right. It’s an odd request coming from you… I guess there’s something you really want, huh?”

 

“Yes,” Aiden replied, “it’s been something I’ve wanted ever since I laid my eyes on it for the first time.”

 

 

“Really?” Spencer asked, trying to keep the sadness from his voice. He knew that he’d never be the person Aiden would want to be with forever, yet Aiden was all he’s ever wanted and needed.

 

“Your wish must be something wonderful if you want it so badly.”

 

 

“Yes, it is.” Aiden replied with a hint of sadness and regret in his voice. “I just wish I had the courage to reach out and actually take hold of it.”

 

Aiden looked out his window and noticed that the church across their apartment had its lanterns on. He smiled at the sight of people attempting that practice Spencer had explained to him. He was suddenly struck by an idea, but then there was something he had to ask Spencer before he said goodbye. 

 

 

“Hey?” Spencer noticed the sudden happiness in Aiden’s voice. “What are you going to wish for?”

 

“That’s a secret. I don’t want to jinx it.” Spencer said, smiling as his friend childishly whined about being unfair. “Don’t tell me yours, I won’t tell you mine. Let’s just let each other know if our wishes would come true. Deal?”

 

 

“Deal.” Aiden replied. He and Spencer heard the bells from both churches ringing even louder than before.

 

“Well, looks like you’ve got to go. No need to leave the phone on. There’s a church across the apartment. I’ll try completing the nine days there.” He continued.

 

“Bye. Take care of yourself. We all miss you… I miss you.” Spencer said.

 

“I miss you too…” Aiden replied. “You go take care of yourself and make sure that you don’t fall asleep.” They shared a laugh before they hung up.

 

Aiden got out of the armchair and changed his clothes. He observed his surroundings and noticed that Nathan was still fast asleep and Marcus was no longer on the phone with Vincent. He rummaged through his things and found what he was looking for. After hastily scribbling a note to Nathan of his whereabouts for the next hour or so, he stepped out the door with a prayer book in his hands.

 

 

Spencer noticed his mother’s smile as she beckoned him to come inside. The mass was about to begin and he had to take his seat. Of all people, he couldn’t let Aiden know what he planned to wish for during this dawn mass.

 

Aiden was the one person he needed the most. He was the reason Spencer pushed himself to become a better person. As cliched as it sounded, Aiden was the person who held his heart.

 

When he took his seat inside the church, he prayed with all his heart for one thing…

 

 

Aiden ran as fast as he could so that he could make it to the mass. He ignored the bitter cold and the harsh wind as he made his way to the church. He spied the yellow lanterns illuminating the chruch and this gave him extra strength to run even faster.

 

Spencer was his everything, plain and simple. Seeing him dance, hearing him sing, and making him smile that annoyingly summy smile completed the missings pieces of Aiden’s heart.

 

He finally arrived at the church just in time for the mass to begin. He barely managed to find a seat before the priest came in. He didn’t care about any of that, since there was only one thing in his mind.

 

 

Although miles apart, they had no idea that they only wanted one thing.

 

“If only I could tell him that I loved him…”

© 2010 Clara


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Added on April 29, 2010
Last Updated on April 29, 2010

Author

Clara
Clara

Philippines



About
Hello! I am Clara. Anyway, this site is run by a crazy nineteen year old girl. She is a junior majoring in Communication Arts, Journalism track. She enjoys dancing, acting all diva, writing, r.. more..

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