Reunion

Shawn had come a long way in the last two years. This reunion would be another step to becoming a whole person -- reconnecting with a family from which he had once tried to run. Not really because of who they were, for they were good people, but they had expected certain things of him. At the time, he felt like forces beyond his control had mapped out his life. He had enrolled at the seminary his father had attended and was on the track to follow in his footsteps. But how could a young man who wasn't even sure of what he believed minister to others? He hadn't shared his crisis of faith with his parents, or anyone, really. He just quit school, drove east until he couldn't go any further and got lost for a year.

And what a year it had been. Shawn lived on the money his parents had put away for his education, calling home only twice to say he was okay - that he "needed to think some things through." He did more partying than thinking, though. He experimented with drugs, and only by the grace of God escaped the perilous path of addiction. He stopped doing drugs cold turkey when his roommate at the time died of an overdose. It was sex that became Shawn's obsession and the shape of his rebellion. Having freed himself from his parent's expectations and away from their scrutiny, he threw himself into the pleasures of the flesh. He'd had half the hookers on Lincoln Avenue. It seemed a haze now when he thought back on that year. The last encounter was still fresh in his mind, though. That experience was burned in his memory forever.

He'd gone with a friend to a strip club that they had frequented. They knew the management and the unwritten guarantee that a $100 bill tucked in a g-string bought you anything you wanted with the girl after hours. He had never sprung for more than street whores before, but this one was a real doll. She was far from the best dancer in the place; her moves were tentative and self-conscious. But the little redhead's fresh and innocent look made Shawn burn with lust. A hundred bucks was a lot of money but he had to have her. He maneuvered through the crowd and gestured with a hundred-dollar bill for her to come close. When she did, he deftly slipped the bill in her g-string and winked. "I'll be back stage to collect after closing, sugar."

It wasn't as simple as he imagined it would be. The redhead had tried to give the money back, saying she wasn't interested. Shawn wouldn't take no for an answer, though. He told himself she was just playing hard-to-get, and forced himself on her only to discover that she had been a virgin. She got up sobbing uncontrollably and went to the bathroom to wash her face and compose herself.

Shawn studied her face when she came back into the room. It was the face of a child. He hadn't noticed her age under the make-up. No wonder she seemed ill at ease gyrating on that stage.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Old enough," she said, defiantly tossing her tangled red hair.

Shawn rose and stood before her, holding her by the shoulders and shaking. "How old are you, really?"

"Fifteen," she said, crying again. She looked so young, so broken, so lost.

He wanted to say he was sorry, but it was anger that came out. "What in the hell are you doing in a strip club if you're only fifteen -- and a virgin? What did you expect? You stupid kid."

Shawn had really been angry with himself, of course - and ashamed. It was the end of it. No more hookers, no more strip clubs. He'd seen enough of the seamy side of life for a lifetime. He would never get the young girl's shattered look out of his mind.

He spent a week alone in his rented room before he came to himself. The path he had been on originally had been close to the right one. It was all clear to him now. He didn't know why he had to make so many mistakes before he could see it, but at last he knew.

Shawn enrolled again in school the following September. He made peace with his parents and was finally on track again - but this time because he wanted to. This time he knew what he believed, and he knew where wrong choices could lead a person who is not grounded. He set his sights on being a counselor instead of a parish minister like his father.

And this weekend at the family reunion he would be seeing the extended family for the first time since returning to school. They, no doubt, had been informed of how well he was doing in school now. He felt comfortable being one of them now, and it would be great to bask in the warmth of the family circle again.

Shawn didn't recognize half of the relatives at the reunion when he arrived with his parents. More people were there than he had expected - so many they met for a picnic lunch at Brady Park. There were cousins he hadn't seen since he was a kid. His father's older brothers and their family from back East had even come. Children that he had no idea how they fit into the family were playing near by.

His father took him around and introduced him to a few relatives he didn't know.

When he met his father's sister-in-law, Dianne, from Boston, she invited him to sit a while and talk, and he did.

"I hear that you are a counselor, Shawn," the plump matron said.

"Actually, not yet; but that is what I plan to be when I get my degree."

"Oh, I wish you would visit with my granddaughter, Shelly, while you are here," his Aunt Dianne said. "Maybe you can give her some advice? She seems to be making such poor choices and we are so worried about her. Maybe if she could talk to you she would see the light."

Shawn didn't have time to answer before she spotted her grand daughter walking toward the gathering.

"There she is now. See the redhead walking this way?" Aunt Dianne waved her hand and shouted at the girl. "Oh, Shelley - over here. I want to introduce you to someone, dear."

Shawn felt a knot in the pit of his stomach as the young second cousin walked closer. He recognized the features of the virgin of his epiphany.

THE END