My Cross

The building shook as I heard the old familiar bell that now sounded distant and alone like the disappearing notion of yesteryears’ contentment. Sunday service was usually crowded but this one started off with slim pickings. I had not seen the old man nor the building in some time for life had gotten in the way and my teenage life, unlike the church that morning, was far from empty. The old man had started the procession down the aisle when he spotted me and since he needed someone to carry the processional cross, his hand stretched out pointing at the cross which was on the floor directly in front of both of us along with the altar boy cassocks that I had worn a myriad of times. Without hesitation I put on the latter, picked up the first, and took my place in front of the old man. I held it high as parishioners swarmed in around us frantic but careful not to get in our way. Their faces fallen, full of the anguish I had seen at so many funeral masses I had attended with the old man. As I reached what was left of the altar, I turned and raised the now broken cross high like my latest soccer trophy and noticed that most of Jesus was missing except for his arms and legs. I could have sworn I heard the crowd cheer me on in triumph. I never heard the next blast as much as felt the wind from it blow my cassock towards my right. I looked for the old man who should have been just paces behind me, but he was genuflecting in the opposite direction of the altar, as I murmured,” Has he lost it?” As I approached, he stammered up while the crowd gasped and he stumbled out of the church, fell face first on the sidewalk where I had skated, raced my bike and held hands with my first girlfriend. We ran towards him but as I approached the people around him gave way as if leading me towards him. I now genuflected next to him holding the cross with one hand and turned him over to reveal his bruised half smiling face. “Give me my last rights,” he whispered. I slowly made the sign of the cross in front of him as everyone ran frantic around us for it had started to rain…debris.