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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2010 17:05:21 GMT -8
Max nodded and walked over to his modest station wagon. He didn't like driving expensive things like cadillacs and such. Although he was sure Asrel would like it. Just like he would love a cell phone and ipod. It wasn't that Max didn't understand; he remembered the pressure to keep up with the world. It just seemed so unimportant. Why bother with material things when he had the will of God to do? He understood that he and his son saw the world differently. However, he also knew that it was his ultimate decision.
Max started up the car and set it in reverse after putting on his seabelt. He looked in his rearview mirror before slowly backing up out of the spot he had been parked in. He pressed on the brake and shifted gears before driving up behind Liam. He hoped the boy wouldn't get too annoyed. Max was naturally tenative, so he tended to be extra cautious, even though he'd been driving for years. He was getting better, though. He used to drive fifteen miles below the speed limit.
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Post by Liam Sullivan on Jan 29, 2011 5:43:33 GMT -8
Liam kept watch in the rear view mirror for Max to finally pull in behind him. He had no problem with the wait. He wasn't in a rush to speed into the street, or to get close to lost. He had no doubt that he might. It was a new city and he was amazed with his ability to even get to the church, let alone get back again. He was still adjusting to Toronto and everything in it. This was a new city, a new country, a new continent! New was the key word and it was a little scary, daunting even, but at the same time exciting. Once he was behind him, he pulled out onto the street. He repeated the directions to himself as he glanced at the paper, but quickly flashed his green eyes back to the road so that he didn't end up running into someone. That's all he needed, his first time in Toronto! A wreck. He made sure to follow every direction on that scribbled piece of paper. There was no way that he was going to miss his turn. He had to take it a little slow, given that he was making sure he didn't miss anything and eventually the huge church came into sight. It was a hard landmark to miss. Which, made him lucky, he supposed. But, it was manoeuvring away from it that became the issue.
He pulled around the back, where the living quarters wing faced. The church had many wings and given what it was, they had their own apartment-esque rooms inside. Some parishes were more on the humble side, where it came to not having many personal items and living a lavish lifestyle was still out of the question. But, here, technology and entertainment wasn't looked down upon. He admired those priests that lived in poverty and without the aid of technology. But, Liam didn't take those vows and he was one of a couple that had TVs in their quarters. But, many priests of different churches that lived in their homes had all kinds of the normal leisures. They were normal, everyday people and he thought it was amazing how many thought otherwise. He pulled into the parking in the back, next to an empty space. He climbed out of the car, gazing up at the church momentarily before he turned and waited for Max to pull up too.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2011 19:29:57 GMT -8
Max followed the boy, knowing full well where they were going. He knew the city like he knew the back of his hand. He followed him to the church. It was so big, alot bigger than his church. He adored it. He once considered switching religions. Simply because of the celebacy thing. But he couldn't do that. He loved Darcy, even if she was married. And he knew that it was wrong. Peter would probably beat him up if he knew. But Max couldn't hep it. He knew that she had faults, yes. The way she treated her daughter was concerning. But he thought he could help her. He could help both of them.
As they pulled into the parking lot, he didn't park. Instead, he simply pulled over and waited for Liam to get in. He actually had no idea where he would take him. There was so much of Toronto. Too much to do in one day. Obviously, they would be staying away from places like Tonic that, despite popular opinion, he did know existed. He just didn't talk about it, that's all. Other than that, he wasn't sure where else he would refuse to take him. He figured he'd let Liam choose what he wanted to do.
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Post by Liam Sullivan on Jan 29, 2011 20:32:08 GMT -8
As Max pulled up, Liam walked around to the passenger side and climbed in, grabbing the seat belt and buckling it quickly. He wasn't too sure what he wanted to see, just that he was excited to see the city and what it had to offer. Of course there were places that he wouldn't want to go to. There were standards and there were places that while not off-limits to him, would be uncomfortable for the young Irishman to wander into. "Thanks," he said with a smile. "If this place wasn't so big, I think you'd have been followin' me in circles." He admitted, because he knew that getting lost would have been his forte if he didn't pay close attention to the instructions or to the fact that the church was hard to miss. And now, he figured there wouldn't be any getting lost. He imagined someone that lived there, knew the city much better than he would. Though, admittedly, he had been lost in places he thought he was used to several times before. It wasn't a proud moment for him, but the larger the place, the harder it was to gain bearings.
"So, what'd you usually do?" He asked, curious about how he spent his recreational activities. He imagined that he probably had plenty of normal, interesting things that he did. Liam really wasn't sure what to expect. He knew of a couple of things, given that he did do some research before going to Toronto. He wanted to know what the city was like, what was there. He had never been to Canada before, so he wanted to be prepared. Especially if he was going to be living in the city and dealing with every day people. A priest couldn't exactly be a recluse and to be honest, he wouldn't want to be one anyway. Liam liked being around people and socializing. He wasn't the quiet sort, not typically. He liked to have fun, within the realms of his boundaries. And there was fun to be had. There was some kind of stereotype of priests not having any fun and for some he was sure that was true. But not for all and definitely not something that could be said of him. He honestly didn't understand the common perception of the religious. The stereotypes were sometimes perplexing.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2011 17:39:39 GMT -8
Max chuckled. "I've been there, believe me. Once upon a time, I was new here too. You'll get the hold of things" he said with a nod. He remembered his first few months, too. Especially the day he ran into Darcy. It was nice. He hadn't seen her in years. What wasn't so nice was the competition between himself and Peter. Why he did that, he would never know. But he eventually did the right thing, and let Darcy return to Peter by revealing the truth to her. It wasn't so bad, though. Because then he met Sam. And meeting Sam led to a wonderful marriage, until Tyler died.
His thoughts were cut off by Liam's question. To that, he frowned. What did he do? "Not much," he admitted. He spent his days grieving over his son and feeling guilty for loving Darcy again. "The time I don't spend with my church, I spend with my family," he explained. What he didn't say, was that it was more church and less family. Avoiding that part of thie topic, he pulled out his wallet and tossed it in his lap. He had pictures of Tyler, Asriel, Mary, and Tracy. "My three kids are my life" now, that felt like a lie. And it shouldn't have been. He loved his kids, he did. He just had alot of issues that he didn't let them know. Pointing to the picture of Mary, he smiled. "Mary's in Africa feeding malnourished kids right now. At sixteen. Gotta love the dedication and compassion"
He paused again. "Where do you want to go?" he asked. They hadn't gotten very far. If it was up to him, he wouldn't know where to begin. Perhaps with the dock, Or the park. Heck, even the bowling alley would be fun. He considered introducing Liam to Larisa. She was a highly active part in the congregation, even though she wasn't a Christian. Come to think of it, he wasn't sure what she was. He just knew that when they needed someone, Larisa was always right there.
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Post by Liam Sullivan on Feb 4, 2011 1:58:19 GMT -8
"Sometimes I'm a little directionally challenged, to be honest," he admitted with a bit of a smile. "I'm sure I'll get the hang of it, just takes a while. I spent a few months in Vatican City, a summer or two ago, almost everytime I went out to Rome, I ended up lost." He chuckled, not so embarrassed by it. He figured he would cope better in Toronto. It might take a little work, but he assumed he would get it eventually. As he tossed the wallet to him, he opened it up to take a look at the pictures of the kids inside and smiled a little. "They look like good kids," he complimented and when he went to describe his daughter, he looked impressed. "That's commendable, I bet you're very proud of her." And he should be. It was an amazing accomplishment, especially at that age. Most kids were interested in more selfish, vain wants, which wasn't so bad. They were kids. They grew up. He wasn't going to say that they weren't charitable. Many were, but for the most part, it wasn't normal for a sixteen year old kid to take a trip all the way across the world to help people they didn't know. He had never been to Africa himself. The occasion never came up. But he figured one day, he'd be more travelled than he was. That was already beginning. He was living in a new country and on a new continent altogether.
"I've got a sister about her age. Very different type of girl. If it's got nothin' to do with boys or the mall, you've gotta drag her out of her room, kicking and screaming—literally. Then you get to hear her complain the rest of the day." He explained, but said so in an endearing, teasing sort of way. He loved his sister to pieces and he missed her a lot now. But, the two were very different with two very different sets of values. That wasn't a bad thing, necessarily. It was just different. "She thinks she's dying half an hour out of the city. I'm sure feeding malnourished kids in Africa would kill her."
He thought about it. There were a lot of places that he would want to see, and he wasn't sure all of what there was to see. But, after a moment, he replied. "I haven't gotten to see Lake Ontario yet," he offered. Maybe a Great Lake wasn't that special to someone living on the Lake Ontario, but he was interested in it and it seemed like a good starting place.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2011 20:41:07 GMT -8
Max chuckled. "Rome is where I proposed to my late wife, Samantha. We were eighteen years old. I had spent the entire summer working three jobs because I knew how I was going to do it. Remember that fountain that you toss a coin in, make a wish? I took Sam to the fountain, and I pulled out a coin and tossed it. Then I took her hands, said that I wished to be with her forever, and then I got on one knee and asked her to make my wish come true." Max's smile froze as he recalled the day he proposed. Her eyes had filled with excitement. They had been married in Rome, and nine months later, Tyler was born. Max's eyes filled with tears as he thought about his wife and his firstborn child. Both of them were taken from him unfairly. It was way too soon.
Liam's voice snapped Max out of his trance. Looking at him, he looked down at Mary's picture. He smiled a little. "I am. She reminds me of me at that age. Except. I never got to go to Africa. I made one huge mistake and got grounded for three months instead" It had all been ridiculous, really. But Max supposed that was what happened when you fell in love. As Liam went on to explain about his sister, Max smiled a little bigger. "Sounds like Asriel. The boy thinks he's dying because I won't get him a cell phone."
Lake Ontario was actually one of Max's favorite places. Whenever Max needed alone time away from the church, he would drive to the lake. "Yeah? You okay for a boat ride then?" he asked as he made a turn.
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Post by Liam Sullivan on Feb 17, 2011 2:51:05 GMT -8
Liam listened to the story. It was a beautiful kind of sad, hearing that the woman was now passed. He smiled though, hearing how he posed. "Sounds beautiful, you sound like you were both very happy." He commented gently. He saw the tears, but of course didn't judge him for them. Liam wasn't at all uncomfortable around people who were upset or that were tied up in any kind of emotion. He had been around people at moments of pure happiness and sadness. He was a priest. A part of his job was to console people when they needed someone, or when they needed more heavenly, spiritual guidance. "I'm sorry for your loss," he added as an afterthought. He didn't want to draw him into any solemn conversation if he didn't want to be in one. Liam never intended for that to happen. "But it is a beautiful city." That was true anyway, he loved the city. He knew that he would visit it again one day. Right now, though, he was still swept away by the adventure of being in Toronto for the first time. It was different and new, and while Liam had travelled a little bit in his life, he hadn't gone this far for as long as he would be there. So, it was really embarking on something completely different. It was good, however. Change was good and so was moving into bigger things. Liam was excited, nervous and filled with a kind of wonder all at once.
"Three months of lockdown. That's torture. I got a summer once, grounded the entire time. For something I did in school like four months before." He said, shaking his head. Listening to him talk about Asriel, he chuckled, understanding it perfectly. That was basically how his sister was. "Oh, you'd be chopping off her right hand if you took her phone away." He said. "It sounds like they'd get along great." He said. "But they're young, sometimes they grow out of it." He said, and knew that sometimes they didn't either. He couldn't remember ever being particularly materialistic. There were a few things when he was younger that he had to have, and there were things now that he enjoyed, but he could easily give up everything that he had without having a fall out.
A boat sounds great." He added, when he mentioned one. It sounded fun. He didn't go on boats often, but he enjoyed them. There weren't a lot of things that he didn't enjoy, which is what made deciding what he wanted to do so hard. There were a lot of options in a city that he barely knew. So, going to the lake and taking a boat onto it sounded like fun.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2012 18:07:46 GMT -8
Max smiled softly. "Yeah, we were. I never thought I could be like that." he said, referring to how happy he had been. When he received the young priest's condolences, he nodded. "Thank you. It's been a really trying year. The kids lost their mother and brother within a matter of weeks back in September. I guess I've been kind of distant, as a result of it." Considering Tracy's behavior, Max knew that was an understatement. But, he intended on fixing it. As he listened to Liam relate to him about Asriel, it gave him an idea.
"You know what Asriel needs? A good, strong, male role model. Someone other than me," he pondered, looking at him. A smile grew on his face. "A priestly male role model perhaps?" He thought that Liam could have a good influence on his teenager. The girls weren't as concerning to him as Asriel was. He would work on building up their spirituality, there was no doubt about that. But Asriel, he needed special help. And Max didn't think he could help him on his own.
When he agreed to the boat, he nodded "a boat it is, then" he said with a smile as he got in the left turn lane. It had been so long since he had actually just spent time with anybody. Max was just now seeing how much he was depriving himself of companionship. He loved God and his responsibilities in the church. But really, he did miss having friends.
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