Library ----- Table of Contents
Patrick questions Dimas about his dating methods — Aria joins the interrogation — An obvious flaw is revealed — Dimas questions reality — The maid receives a compliment — Dimas can no longer tell his tale from a 1st-person POV — The young lord contemplates how to remove the knight from the yard so he may spend some time alone with the maid — For entertaining demonic thoughts, disgust wells up inside Dimas — He attempts to send them away — Patrick convinces Dimas to let them stay — The three spend a Sunday together at the house of Dimas after mass — The maid and knight leave the young lord alone to his depraved thoughts — The young lord dreams a dream
Petting Brown’s fur, Aria checked her watch.
‘I guess I could. What do you want to know?’
‘Nothing, actually. I just wanted to
Break the ice. Wait, no, I do want to know.
I just don’t know where to start. Excuse me, I’m tired.
Patrick,’ I looked to the man. ‘As our chaperone,
Do we pretend that you’re not here or are
You supposed to guide us in our … I’ve never
Done anything like this before. With a
Chaperone, I mean, so please explain.’
Patrick yawned. ‘If I were Aria’s dad,
I would probably care more to … I’ve
Never done this either, Dimas. I’m
Surprised, why couldn’t you date her normally?’
To Patrick, Aria chimed, ‘Actually
If you were my dad, you wouldn’t care.’
‘What do you—oh.’ Patrick drooped. Suppose the
Old man heard from Father Tell about the girl
Being an unwanted child. Citing discomfort,
The old man got up and sat on a different couch.
Brown, the human-faced dog, wishing to sit
On a different lap jumped from Aria’s to Patrick’s,
That or perhaps the mutt sensed a change in mood.
Either way, at Brown’s leaving Aria puffed her cheeks.
Then she looked at me, eye raised. ‘Yeah, Dimas,
Why did you ask my dad first instead of
Asking me out on a date directly?
Not that I’m complaining. I wouldn’t have it
Any other way, but why do you even
Know how to do things the old-fashioned way?’
‘Old-fashioned way?’ Patrick huffed. ‘In my day,
You dated! You didn’t have to get a chaperone
To wake up at 4 in the morning to
Manage talk between a woman and man.
Granted, in my day I got drafted before
I could get a date to prom and—’ He stared
At a place not here. Then he rubbed Brown’s ears.
‘—Never mind. You did have to ask the dad,
But you also didn’t need to, which was wrong.
So you two want to play knight and princess?
That’s none of my business. If that’s how you
Two kids want to date, then that’s just fine.’
I took a long breath. ‘Okay guys, I get it.
Patrick, I’ll just pretend you’re not here.
Aria, to answer your question, I
Talked to Father Tell first because I find
Churches inappropriate places to flirt.
People shouldn’t be blushing in front of
Statues of a dying man, no less the dying man.’
‘I agree, but then, why not anywhere else?’
Aria squinted. ‘You’re a Knight of Columbus.
You’ve had multiple opportunities to… rizz.’
‘Ari—a, what the—’ I bit my lip. Cursed
Gen Alpha conditioning. No, the
Children were not responsible. Millennials!
‘Explain, Aria,’ I stammered.
Squinting more, Aria said, ‘We see each
Other outside of church, with church, I mean,
But outside of it. I come with Father Tell,
With Mother Margaret as part of their family
Of adopted children. Dimas, you’re a knight,
So you do things for the church. You help set
Up events, and you know I’m there because I am.
Look at this, my dress. I know it looks like
I’ve time traveled from the 19th century.
I know you know that I—I’m confusing myself.
Look, I’m not someone that’s hard to spot at
A Pro-Life parade, Dimas. We could’ve just talked
And it wouldn’t have been before a cross,
Never mind what you did to me anyways.
So why didn’t we talk? Explain, Dimas.’
Patrick, who curried favor with Orange,
The Pom, who now had both dogs at hand,
Said, ‘You did what to Aria before a cross?’
‘I caused her to blush,’ I answered plainly.
‘Oh,’ Patrick mused.
‘Yeah, oh.’ Turning back to Aria, I said,
‘If you have to know, I think talking to
Girls in public places is inappropriate also.’
‘Why!’ exclaimed Patrick, not Aria.
She remained silent. Patrick squeezed
His brow. ‘I don’t even know where to begin.’
‘I thought I was talking to Aria,
Not you Patrick.’ I groaned. ‘It just feels illicit.’
‘I think you’re just shy,’ Patrick jibed.
‘Okay, I am. I am shy for good reasons.
Anyways, to answer you, Aria,
Fine, I was shy, but I got around to
Asking Father Tell who I didn’t know
Was your father and a Father so here we are now.’
‘That’s all?’ Aria asked.
‘Yeah, that’s all.’ Why was she still squinting?
Was there something wrong with being shy?
I did have other reasons for not talking to her,
But she didn’t need to know my mad thoughts.
I didn’t say anything. Eventually,
Aria opened her eyes again and smiled.
‘So you’re just shy. That’s all?’ She said
Almost as if to tease. ‘Dimas is shy.
Aw, but you couldn’t have been shy asking
My Dad for a girl, any girl to wife.
And you couldn’t have been shy talking with
My Dad about taking me for a wife. Hehe.’
She started chuckling that same ugly laugh
From before, but she wasn’t insulting me
So it actually came across as bubbly.
Yeah, a bubbly laugh, bright, light and super cute.
‘Yes, I am shy,’ I answered. She’s acting
Like she’s in elementary, I thought.
Also, is getting married to me really
That exciting? I’d be like Lord Farquaad
In this state. Average in Latin America maybe,
But this was Minnesota. Oh, forgive me,
My southern brethren. I’ve been to L.A.
Height’s no excuse, but really, who wakes up
Excited to marry an average dude?
Heck, who even agrees to the engagement
At the first meeting? My Grandmother maybe,
But I think Grandpa aimed a tank at her house.
‘Aria, when did you wake?’ I had to ask.
The girl smiled. ‘I woke at 4 to get ready.’
‘Oh wow,’ I replied, flabbergasted.
Then I said nothing, which worked fine for her.
She got more comfortable and began to speak freely.
She spoke about how this was her first engagement,
About how she prayed it would go well with me,
About how she was happy to have been propositioned
By a suit-wearing man who could have been
Just as weird as herself, who sat long in Adoration,
Who prayed and worked like a Benedictine monk.
In short, she sung my praises, by which I felt
Great shame to receive, but light joy as well
Since even though all my holy practices
Were like cloaks for the evil in my soul
What man could resist compliments from a pretty girl?
And my sight, resting on her blue eyes, it
Struck me then that the girl could be my wife.
My tongue cleaved to the roof of my mouth.
Was she this eager? Oh, of all the things
I forgot to say. ‘Aria, you look beautiful.’
Aria went silent to this interruption.
She didn’t respond, but her face seemed to
Say, It was about time, but not in a mean way.
Her smile was bright, and check the eyes, she leaned
A bit forward without removing her gaze, but she pulled back.
The maid stood right up while tugging her sleeve down
To check her watch. She said, ‘Of course, I look
Beautiful. I’ve learned to take care of myself,
And well, I made sure to go to bed early
Just for this. And would you look at the time!
Dimas, I think we should go to mass.’
I checked my own watch. ‘Aria, it’s 6 o’clock.
Mass starts at 7:30. Sit down, we have time.’
‘Oh.’ Aria sat back down on the couch,
Embarrassment written clear from the pink
On her face, ‘I see. Excuse me, Dimas.
I didn’t want to embarrass myself.’
Now, if this were Dimas from six years ago,
Dimas wouldn’t have been able to even read the lines.
But the Dimas of that day was a different man.
After much of what his worldly friends of the past
Would have called missed opportunities, Dimas
Could now recognize a time for when passion
Could overcome reason for rough-shod passions.
In short, for him, loving. For God, opening the ground.
But Dimas, God willing, was more than willing
To spend the next hour with Aria before mass
Until Patrick, his only obstacle,
At some point went to the bathroom for which
Then—then he’d have Aria with him at first base!
And even if she said no, well here’s a tip,
That’d just be the lady’s modesty speaking!
She was practically his fiancée! In his hand!
At the encouragement of her blushing face,
Dimas felt that he could do anything.
It was exactly for this intention
That Dimas, wishing to move things along,
Decided to nod Patrick into leaving. He said,
‘Patrick, this is an order from Aria’s
Potential spouse. I ask you also as my friend.
For God’s sake. Get out of my house. I will
Meet you two at church. Let me be alone.’
Aria rose and said, ‘What do you mean, Dimas?
I’m sure we could wait with you. It’s just an hour.’
‘You wouldn’t get it. Right, Patrick?’
The old man, nodded. ‘No, you wouldn’t, Aria,
But don’t worry Dimas, I won’t be leaving
Any time soon. Of course, I appreciate your
Love for God, but you still need to get to
Know this girl you plan to marry. If you
Were so worried about that, then just ask
Father Tell to marry you two right now.
On Father Tell’s orders, I am here to watch
While a young man and girl talk of what they want,
So I’ll stay for the hour, until it’s time to go.’
‘I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,
Patrick, but if I get to stay then hooray!
On the other hand, Dimas, you can’t just say
Things like that. Why do you want me out
So badly?’ Aria sat back down on the couch.
‘I’ll tell you later when you are my wife.
Patrick, thank you for your reassurance.
You’re right. You two can stay. Aria,
I’ve—let’s see where we’re both coming from.
It’s just an hour, right. Let’s pass the time.’
And pass the time they did, right through the hour,
Then through the mass, and the hours after.
The promised maid, true to her word as maid,
Rested as a maid that August Sunday day.
Aria cooked, but she didn’t clean as
Dimas in the living room napped by his TV.
Patrick, the old knight, on his part grabbed dog
Treats to train Brown and Orange to roll over.
Between the maid and lord, or yea, though Dimas
Had debts to pay the maid insisted on
The title since Dimas, her lord, would sometime be a
Lord as an owner of land, much talk was had.
Where was your family at? Parents, Florida.
Sister, brother, college. Where do your people
Come from? Laos. Country in Southeast Asia.
Everybody’s Pagan. Were you always Catholic?
No. How long have you been Catholic?
Two years. How long have your parents been together?
I don’t know. In this way, they passed the time,
The maid learning more about her Lord.
Then came the evening hours. Aria
Saw the time to leave was soon to come.
To this, the maid saw fit to offer herself
To pray the Rosary with the two men.
The three prayed, with the old knight leading in
The versicles, and completed five decades,
Joyful Mysteries for good health. Then the knight
And maid left, and the lord alone closed the door
Left to his own thoughts which were all dark
In spite of the light of the Summer day’s
Evening rays. Because there was a time during
The day when Aria’s guard spent a long
Time away. In the bathroom or yard, the
Young lord couldn’t say, but it was during
This knight’s absence when Aria woke him
On the couch to talk of the dust in his house
That he couldn’t help but think of what it’d
Have been like to grip the maid’s snow-white hands,
Drag her to one of the empty rooms, and
Ravish her without speaking a word.
Of course, by his conscience, Dimas retracted
Immediately from the fantasy, but
The thought so disturbed him, and so pleased him
In spite of regret, that the fantasy stuck.
With the two gone, Dimas, both willing and
Unwilling, imagined what it’d have been to
Untie Aria’s braids and buns, to witness
The full volume of her golden hair, to see
Her struggle, to see Aria cry as he twisted
The roots in his fist as he beat her against the wall
Till pain drew from the same plane as pleasure,
Till resistance turned to cooperation.
These fantasies pleased him, but sickened him
More as he considered how it was possible
That he waited, waited in anticipation
To marry Aria so he could do
Violence to her. Here, Dimas felt the cat
Pawing at his leg. The white Persian broke
His trance, and looking down he found the cuteness
Of the begging cat to have calmed his nerves,
Taking his mind away from the matter of his soul.
Dimas knelt down and pet her. ‘Oh Snowball.’
He looked around. ‘Tsk, Summer sun or not,
I can never get over how eerie this place looks
When one’s just here alone. Sure, I’ve got you
And the dogs, but since when have pets ever helped
A guy in a horror movie situation?
For discipline’s sake, I better sleep. Besides,
I wouldn’t want to put her Rosary
Intention to waste. Good health’s for good mind,
And for one-twenty-second of my life
I’ve finally made good progress on removing
Those—’ demons. This, Dimas didn’t say
Out of fear, unfortunately, in case they’d hear.
Nonetheless, Dimas got tired of talking to a cat.
The young lord put the dogs away to their cages,
Fed the feline, and prayed to Mother Mary,
Mary Magdeline, Saint Goretti, his
Own guardian angel, and the Sacred Heart
For protection over Aria as
Penance. After all this, he took his spot
On the floor, and went to bed, where he dreamed
Fleeting dreams unworthy of remembrance,
But it was all to his benefit, as Dimas
Dreamed dreams he wished to forget but could not,
And perhaps his dreams were cursed by the spirit
Of the age, for when he dreamed he often dreamed
Not as himself, but as one who watched the
Movie or play, and worse then that when he
Did have a chance to see through his own eyes
That he would sometimes die and see from
Yet another pair of eyes in a different place
So that all his dreaming seemed to have been
Done by himself an actor on the stage.
But that night, Dimas dreamed one memorable dream.
He was himself and he dreamed of Aria.
Like the day, the maid roused him from his sleep,
And he ‘woke’ to hear her squeaking about dust.
As he imagined, he got up, took her wrists,
And began the work of dragging her to
A room, but on the first step, the maid,
Subverting his intention, planted a
Heavy kiss on his lips to which the young lord
Responded in kind with kisses of his own,
But just as the two lovers were about
To embrace, the thought struck the young lord.
No, this is a sin!
Hearing this, he pushed the maid away and
Half-quaking, trembling with shame, ‘No, this is a sin!
He thought again, and Dimas became lucid.
He knew he was in a dream, and Aria—
Dimas found her still smiling yet, laughing like a nymph,
Teasing with her mouth and hands in ways which
Left Dimas breathless with his mouth agape.
Then, not wishing to shame the maid, not even in a dream,
The young lord bit his cheek, and decided to leave,
But as he passed into the hall he felt the girl’s
Hand wrap around his wrist, tugging from behind.
Annoyed (also fearing for his dreamily chastity),
Dimas (without caring for a lick of salt),
Turned around to face the maid to tell her off,
But not a word came out as he found Aria
Undressed from the top of her head to the
Soles of her feet, and—at this moment
Without taking any thought, fearing like a child
Dimas yelled, ‘In nomine Christi, reveal yourself!’
Then she did, and Dimas screamed, for the thing
Undressed itself from naked flesh. Then Dimas
Woke up, and woke up again, and it was at
This third awakening Monday morning in the
Dark of night when Dimas eyes shot open
In the middle of a scream to find the ceiling
Staring back at him. Not trusting the ceiling,
He turned over and buried his head in his pillows.
Then, under the blankets, he stretched his arm
And clutched a ragged dog plush ‘Whitey’ that
He kept since childhood, and always close
To where he slept. He brought the inanimate dog
To himself. He crushed it to his side. Then,
After his breathing calmed, after he felt
The thing had left, Dimas remembered that
He was still an adult, a working one too.
Yeah, Dimas had work. Dimas checked his phone,
Without letting go of the dog. He frowned.
Yep, he was back in the real world. Electronics
Never worked that well in dreams. It was morning,
Monday, 5 o’clock on the dot, and in
Four hours Dimas had to work. Never
More grateful for the reality of office work,
Dimas raised himself to perform his corporate role.