Unholy Behavior

Sean and Leon went outside the rectory to discover it was a beautiful day. A relatively new Ford pickup truck was parked in the driveway. Leon opened the front door and balked.

"Is this truck ours? Can we take it? Doesn't it belong to the Catholic Church? We don't want them following us to Saskatchewan over a stolen truck...so can we take it?" he questioned.

Leon was running his hands through his golden hair. He was nervous, still, Sean thought his lover looked hotter than ever. He wanted to take Leon right then and there. It sucked because stupid people were around. Who knew who was spying out their curtains and looking at Sean and Leon? People always getting in the way...SUCKED!

Hopefully, soon, they'd be rid of all that. It would just be Sean and Leon...to do whatever they wanted without shame. Sean had doubts, but he wanted to leave, he couldn't bear to live without Leon. Leon and Sean were already committing a crime by being together. They didn't need a stolen Ford truck to worry about!

Sean lackadaisically tossed his duffle bag in the backseat and ironically smiled. Now that they had a plan Sean wanted to get going, as soon as possible. He couldn't wait to get going and actually "'be" with Leon. Sean wanted to take Leon at any time...and anywhere.

"When it comes to the pick-up, the short answer is NO it doesn't belong to the Catholic Church. It belongs to ME. The registration, insurance and all that legal crap is under my name. I submit my receipts to them. IF the Church wants to waste a buttload of money to track us down over this...then I guess the car is theirs? I'd need a real lawyer to explain it to me. I have about $250 in the bank. Priests don't get paid much, do we? I'm going to take all my clothes and some furniture, like the record player from the rectory...I gotta have MY records, you should bring the TV so we can watch The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. I hope they have it in Saskatchewan! It's still in Canada but it's so far away it may as well be on the other side of the world or on the moon!"

"We have to start a new life and it's going to be a bit rough going at first. So we may as well take some stuff, to help us get started. Trust me, the Catholic Church can afford to take a hit."

Mrs. O'Leary would never know that Fr. Sean and Leon had "absconded to be gay". In her wildest dreams, Mrs. O'Leary would never imagine that two men could or would copulate. She would never be able to figure out the mechanics. Sex for Mrs. O'Leary had never been earth-shattering or toe-curling, she'd never broken the bed in pleasurable bliss. Sex was only for getting babies. The world and the Catholic Church needed more babies...because God said so? Could two men produce a baby? She didn't know.

Sex for Mrs. O'Leary was not enjoyable. It was her husband rolling over on her once---or twice a week. (If he was lucky.) He'd perform his "obligatory husbandly duty as mandated by the Catholic Church". Mrs. O'Leary would think of England and the duties a woman must perform for the Catholic Church and shower after becoming sticky.

Obligatory husbandly duty as mandated by the Church would eventually get Mrs. O'Leary fourteen children. She would have been continuously pregnant for nearly twenty years. Mrs. O'Leary would never have the earth-rattling, toe-curling sex that Leon and Sean were constantly having.

Still, for fifty years Mrs. O'Leary would hold a grudge against every priest at St. Patrick's Parish and St. Bernadette Parish. She would storm the rectory several times daily, ensuring the newest priests hadn't stolen the second-hand furniture. If anyone truly hated, Sean and Leon, it was the priests who followed in their footsteps. Anything that was out of line or not up to her standards of strict Catholic moral code, was quickly reported to Mrs. O'Leary's second cousin--- the archbishop!

"I have about $300 in my savings. We should go to the bank...withdraw our money and leave. I mean we don't have that much. But, if we aren't extravagant or anything. We'll survive...you and I are lovers. We have each other. That's supposed to count for something." stated Leon. He kissed Sean on the cheek.

Now that they were both packed and had their meagre savings. Both Sean and Leon knew there was no turning back. Although in the back of their mind, they both thought they might have the courage of drunken fools.

Soon Leon and Sean finished packing all their worldly belongings plus some extra stuff they purloined from the rectory. (Which they more than deserved for all their unpaid work!)

For instance, what good would the TV do in St. Bernadette's rectory? It had been gotten for the school children but Sister Mary Francis disapproved. The TV might bring fun to learning! Learning should not be fun. Learning was work because life is work, not fun!

So the priests took the TV. They also took all the food. Ladies from the parish would often bring both priests Tupperware containers full of pot roasts and casseroles. They said not to worry about the containers so Sean and Leon took all the food. However, the "don't worry about the Tupperware" statement was a lie. All the parish ladies wanted their Tupperware back. Many of the women would be cheesed off for a while at the loss of their Tupperware.

Then they withdrew their money from the bank and left Northern Quebec forever! It was a 917 km (570 miles) journey just to the Ontario border and even further to Saskatchewan This would not be a trip to make in a day, or even a week. This trip was really an Odessey, an Odessey of bonding, intense passion and true love.

Still, Leon and Sean drove away from Northern Quebec confident in their true love. Inside, they both doubted their relationship, although neither dared say it for fear of jinxing it. Their relationship felt like a 1/2 baked cake or Jello...on the verge of collapse. There were SO many doubts and so much they didn't know about each other. Sean and Leon both had questions and uncertainty. These next few days would be a litmus test for their relationship. Still, both Sean and Leon had hope. For true pure love, from the marrow of a person's bones, will follow any couple forever.

Leon was a bundle of nerves; he never stopped running his hands through his golden locks. He was also constantly looking over his shoulder or in the pick-up truck's rear-view mirror. Surely, it couldn't be this simple? Was this all some long-played-out cruel trick for entertainment purposes?

They had just left and headed down the highway. Leon wanted to know why the Royal Canadian Mountain Police (RCMP) wasn't chasing them down. Leon felt like the RCMP should be chasing him and Sean down. What they were doing was so wrong...it was illegal wasn't' it? So where was the RCMP? Surely, he and Sean were fugitives from justice? There should be red lights and sirens everywhere! Surely, Drag-net detectives or Petter Gunn should be chasing them down? It couldn't have been this simple. They'd just left the rectory and headed into the world?

"Leon sweetheart, I know you're worried. It's a crazy situation we're in. Love is a lot of things but none of them are rational. Stop thinking about what is best. Start thinking from your heart and do what feels right in your gut. You know it's right to run away with me Leon. We're in love!" stated Sean. Sean kissed Leon lightly on the cheek. He continued driving the Ford pick-up down the highway. Still, Leon worried and looked for lights and sirens. Was it really this easy?

Naturally, given the long distance, Leon and Sean were not able to make it to the Quebec/Ontario border in one go. They found a tiny hotel outside Les Chanaux Quebec. It was not a great hotel...to say the least. The cheap hotel bordered both a busy highway, a roaring river and railroad tracks. The inside of the hotel was steaming hot and infested with insects and small animals.

Leon and Sean had a long journey to Saskatchewan. Then they had to set up a home, take care of a farm, and in an unknown place. Five-star hotels were not an option. Still, the small and terrible hotel was beautiful to the lovers, for it would be the first place they could be together without shame. There were three different rivers and deep green woods. Leon and Sean also had each other. They were alone at last.

Now they were hungry. Sean and Leon hadn't eaten all day, thanks to Mrs. O'Leary's...brazen attitude of storming the rectory. They asked the clerk if there was a good place to eat.

"Sure, it's Ralph's Hog Dog Joint and it's about 2 miles (3km) down the highway. The food is delicious and they're open 24/7. I recommend sugar doughnuts but those are only available in the morning. Still, all the food at Ralph's Hot Dog Joint is delicious. It's the best place around. The sign says they're world famous and they're open 24/7." said the clerk. She went back to reading her tabloid magazine.

Sean and Leon walked hand in hand down the highway to Ralph's Hot Dawg Joint the motel owner had recommended. It was embarrassing and awkward for them both. They'd never been SO...public before. Yes, they were just holding hands but Leon and Sean felt like they were naked to the world. They felt like drivers passing them would chastise them or toss garbage at them for their behaviour. Sean and Leon felt guilty simply by holding hands, surely the RCMP would burst would and arrest them any second?

Eventually, the couple reached Ralph's Hot Dawg Joint.

"We'll have five chilli cheese dawgs, two orders of poutine and two Molsons beer," said Fr. Sean.

"Comin right out, grab a seat. I'll bring them out to you on the picnic table." said the teenager. She looked beyond bored at her job. Christiana quickly made their food and brought it out to them. Sean and Leon devoured their chilli cheese dawgs and opened their beers.

"It's very pretty around here, isn't it? I love the forest. It's too bad Saskatchewan is so flat...and treeless." stated Sean. He liked the woods, the rushing of the river and the budding trees. He was excited, he was starting a new life with Leon. He'd be willing to start a new life with him anywhere!

"It's lovely, but we can't stay here! Quebec is still a VERY Catholic province. Someone from, our parish, in northern Quebec may drive down here to see Quebec City or Montreal and catch us. THEN we'd have to go back to our parishes." said Leon. He was running his hands through his golden, Greek god-like hair. Leon was having a panic attack. He didn't know if he had done something wrong but it sure felt like it.

"Sweetheart, Leon, my love, please stop thinking about the worst-case scenario. Mrs. O'Leary and the RCMP won't be chasing us. It's sad to say but no one really cares that much." stated Sean. He drank some more Molson's beer. Sure he was a little worried but the Catholic Church could hardly drag them by the ears and make them perform mass.

Sean was more concerned that the Catholic Church would have them forcefully hospitalized or arrested. This still happened to gay men. Homosexuality was considered a disease of the mind. Men were given EST (electroshock therapy) administered to both the groin and brain OR chemically castrated or physically castrated. Mostly both "treatments" were administered to homosexual men, in the hope they could be "cured".

Sean was worried all of this could befall them simply for being deeply in love. Still, he had to put on a brave face for Leon. Leon was like a big puppy. Leon had a gentle soul and thought the best of everyone. Sean knew his beloved was frightened, as he had every right to be. Sean would have to have nerves of steel to get this and to Saskatchewan, where hopefully they'd be safe.

"Oh my god! It's Friday and I'm eating meat!" exclaimed Leon. He rapidly spit 1/2 of his 2nd chill cheezy dawg out.

Sean heartedly laughed and took a swig of Molson beer. He ate some poutine, with extra goey cheese curds, reached across the table and wiped a bit of chilli cheese sauce off Leon's face.

Sean continued laughing, as he crumpled up the paper napkin He wasn't laughing at Leon though. He loved Leon! He was laughing at the absurdity of their situation.

"We've run away from our parishes, taken a car, a TV that was supposed to belong to little school children, and Tupperware full of terrible casseroles...also dishes and furniture. You're still worried about eating meat on a Friday!"

Sean laughed heartedly and unceasingly, truth be told he was probably a bit hysterical. It was hard being this brave. If Sean was phschoyanalysed any decent therapist would say he was having his own form of a nervous breakdown. Still, Sean wanted nothing more than to be here with Leon. He always wanted to be with Leon.

"If it makes any difference to you, sweetheart, I, while I still have the power to do this, IF I ever had the power at all, I absolve you!" Sean stated still hysterically laughing as he booped Leon on the nose. "There you're absolved, no Hail Mary's or Our Father's...but hopefully a kiss for me," said Sean.

Leon kissed him, then deeply French kissed Sean. It surprised Sean a bit because he didn't think Leon would show him this much affection in public After all, there was a bored teenager running Ralph's Hot Dawg Joint, as well as several other couples who sat at nearby picnic tables, drinking Molson beer and eating chilli cheese dawgs. (Ralph's Hot Dawgs were world-famous after all!) There were cars were going by on the highway.

Still, Leon continued to kiss Sean. At long last, he broke the kiss. "That means more than you know," he said to Sean. "You make me feel so loved...so cherished. I was a foster kid and I've never felt like this before. But, I'm really afraid the more you get to know me, the less you'll like me...I've mostly been Fr. Leon around you and at the parish...I've never just been Leon. I want to be just Leon, I want to be me...for you Sean..because I love you."

"Leon, we have lots to learn about each other...tonight I learned you don't like onions on your Chilli Cheese Dawgs" said Sean.

"Oh, I don't like onions at all...they reminded me of the onion soup we had to eat in the worst of the foster homes I was in. My foster parents were always trying to get by as cheaply as possible...so they could make the most money from the province...you know what I mean. It was always onion soup...not even good French Onion soup with gooey cheese, red wine and croutons. It was weak and tasteless. So I hate onions...even on delicious things like chilli cheese dawgs." said Leon. He took another swig of Moloson's beer.

Leon didn't want to look back. He only wanted to look forward to his future with Sean. Still, he was nervous, what if Sean left him? Nothing else in his life had worked out, so he expected Sean to leave him. After all, what did he have to offer? He was just a regular man.

Sean picked up Leon's hand and kissed his knuckles. "Well...if eating meat on Fridays is such a big deal...such a sin for you...I absolve you, again. I'll absolve you as many times as you want. When it comes to hating foods I loathe liver. My mother made me eat it for the iron or something but I HATE it! So as a couple, we'll never have Liver and Onions on our table. I'll promise you that!" said Sean, laughing a little.

It was hard for him to be this brave...laughter was his only mechanism of defence. Still, as he looked at his beloved from across the picnic table, there was nothing but adoration in Sean's eyes. He wanted to pin Leon right then and there.

Sean knew that Leon was still unsure about their relationship and who he was. Both Sean and Leon had been raised to believe that homosexuality was wrong. Society condemned their actions. Society shamed them. Programs ran on TV about the dangers of homosexuality. A huge part of both Sean and Leon believed they were committing some terrible crime---they loved each other though...so how could something as pure as cold clear mountain spring water be wrong?

Still, Sean and Leon had true love, even if it was frowned upon by society. True love doesn't happen every day, unfortunately, it doesn't happen to everyone. Yet, Sean and Leon were lucky enough to have it and to be together...even if they had to move away from everything they knew.

Sean mediated on the potential serious consequences of their relationship. If he and Leon were caught in their "supposed" deviant acts, Sean would take the blame. He would say he tricked Leon into this relationship. He would go to a mental asylum or be castrated. Sean's love was fierce and strong. Sean was older than Leon, although only by two years. Sean felt that he was more of a mid-evil knight, on a quest to the Holy Land. Sean was a lone cowboy. He was a solitary man who kept his word. Meanwhile, Leon was a golden retriever, who'd fade in a prison or mental asylum. If it came to the worst, Sean would bare it for Leon. He'd do anything for Leon.

It wasn't just sex. Sean wanted Leon and although it was difficult for Leon to recognize it, he wanted Sean. A poem encapsulated how Sean felt perfectly.

To live and love together, hand in hand,

Through sunlit days and storms that sweep the land,

A shared embrace, a bond that cannot break,

Two souls entwined, a love that will not fade.

In quiet moments, whispers in the breeze,

A knowing glance, hearts finding sweet release,

Laughter echoing, tears gently wiped away,

Each day a treasure, in love's tender sway.

To build a life, a home where dreams reside,

With open arms, where love will always abide,

Through trials faced, and victories we claim,

Together we'll rise, forever etched in fame.

The tapestry of life, woven with care,

With every thread, our love, a vibrant flair,

In this grand dance, our steps in perfect time,

To live and love together, forever entwined.

Sean could never remember who'd written the poem but it reflected how he and Leon felt. They both wanted a relationship that was, more than fucking, no matter how good the fucking was. They wanted each other to have and to hold. To comfort and talk to, to live and love.

In, foster care, Leon had been caught looking at boys with desire in his eyes. He'd been beaten by his foster father. So Leon was afraid their love was some terrible sin. Sean knew it wasn't a sin for true love is never wrong or a sin. Leon and Sean had a love that was sweet as wine and strong as whisky.

Sean just had to show Leon how devout and deep their love was. He also didn't see how a love like that could be wrong for wasn't all love supposed to be like that? It was the loved Sean had preached of, back when he used to be a priest. It seemed like a thousand years ago, even though it had only been a few days!

Suddenly, Sean swept aside his worries. He stood up and fiercely kissed Leon. They walked back to the hotel as the sunset, hand in hand just enjoying being together. They were a couple in love after all. The sex was phenomenal but real lasting relationships can't be built on sex.

That night back at the terrible motel, Sean and Leon lay in bed. They'd always made love in northern Quebec with the church next door...yet despite, having been intimate for nearly a year, tonight they were as nervous as blushing brides.

Somehow now that they were no longer hiding, Sean and Leon felt more naked than ever. Both turgid and in the dark, they explored each other's bodies with feather kisses and invisible movements. Eventually, they both fell asleep in each other arms. For once, it was a deep sleep. They didn't have to worry about parishioners busting in on them.

Sean awoke first. He was a bit surprised to see Leon, cuddled up under blankets on the other side of the bed. (Leon was a blanket hog!) Sean had expected Leon to leave in the middle of the night. He had expected Leon to do a French exit. If Leon had left him, Sean wouldn't have blamed him after all he and Sean were on a frightening journey. Neither knew what lay over the next corner. They were discovering new things every day! About themselves and about the world!