The priest pulled out his finger from the stripper’s ear lobe in shock.
“Im
sorry,” he stammered, “I didn't think you were going to make a noise like
that…”
She
looked up at him, the dirty neon of the club splashed across her face. She half
smiled, trying to mix a coy face with that of a sultry one.
“Honey,
whatever you’re into… I’ll make it good for you.”
Taking
his hand, she started to guide it towards her ear once more but the
priest hastily pulled free. There was an awkward pause.
“I...
I shouldn't be doing this”, he said shifting in his seat uncomfortably.
Sensing
that this was probably a lost cause, the stripper gently rolled her eyes, stood
up and sashayed off to another area of the club. He could have sworn he heard
her mutter ‘weirdo’ under her breath but was more preoccupied with nervously
glancing around, seeing if anyone was watching. It suddenly occurred to him he
was still wearing his dog collar, so he quickly pulled it off and stuffed it
his pocket.
Certain
events had recently made him start to question his faith; but then there was
that strange dream that he had last night, and even in these sober waking hours that one
powerful image still burned in his mind.
A
glowing big red circle…
Surely
it was a sign. It had to have meant
something. Why else would that image remain in his consciousness so resolutely?
Why could he not push it out of his thoughts no matter how hard he tried?
His
whole existence, the path he had chosen in life, was based on faith - belief in
signs, belief in meaning within everything around him. God moves in mysterious ways - he had preached it so often and yet
now he felt it was really happening to him, testing him and not just something
you might say to excuse the unexplainable.
Exiting
the club, the priest turned momentarily to look up at the strip club’s neon sign.
The outline of the girl’s torso lay etched against the concrete hue of the building;
the circle that made up her red lips glowed brightly. A slight flicker of the
lights gave the appearance that the sign was winking at him trying to get his
attention and so he turned away, feeling uneasy.
Why
was he there? Did he really believe that glowing red circle of her lips was a
sign for him? The doorway he had just stepped out of, curved and painted red,
shaped like a rising sun, had invited him in. That girl in there, she had stretched
earlobes with red flesh tunnel piercing. She was speaking to him but he
couldn't hear what she was saying. That piercing… The hole was pretty big
enough to…
Before
he knew it he was reaching forward, finger outstretched.
How
do you explain the signs he’s been seeing? It has to be leading him somewhere.
It couldn't be just a coincidence could it? Something more? His eyes drifted up
toward the lamppost next to him. It had a stop sign sitting on top of it. The
priest glanced up the road and shivered. Further up was a tube station sign.
Across the road from that was a taxi rank, a row of red brake lamps glaring at
him. A coffee shop sign with an enlarged ‘O’. A poppy wreath at the foot of a
monument in the park.
His
heart sank.
Over
the river, The London Eye glowed red, casting its light across the water.
11th July 2012
11th July 2012
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