Chapter 62 Gayle
G AYLE
Gayle has come to realise that Mass can be rather tedious when you don’t speak the language. As beguiling as the ( very handsome) young priest up at the altar is, the service has been interminable.
Mike has sat with his arms crossed over his belly and a set scowl on his face for the entirety of the Mass so far. The creases in his forehead have been extra deep since the last hymn with the truly extraordinary harmonising of Loretta and the nun. Their voices lifted above everyone else’s, sounding so exquisite they sent shivers down Gayle’s spine.
Gayle can understand Mike’s solidarity with Signore Bianchi, but the way the two women sang was as if they were crying out together. There was so much emotion, so much pain in their voices, that Gayle can’t help but feel just as much pity for Loretta as she does for poor old Signore Bianchi.
Now the nun has left, and the anguish is as plain as day on Loretta’s face. Despite that, Loretta looks ravishingly beautiful tonight in a simple black shift dress, with small pearl studs in her ears and her silver hair pinned back. It’s the first time Gayle’s seen Loretta out of jeans and with make-up on. Albeit barely there, the mascara and blush only add to her beauty.
Gayle feels certain that Loretta didn’t expect the nun to come and sit with her this evening. Surely Loretta wouldn’t have insisted she and Mike be there if she knew the nun was coming too?
Her attention is drawn away from Loretta when they’re ordered to stand up again by the priest. Mike groans and shakes his head. Neither of them was expecting all this sitting and standing and kneeling; the service has been a veritable aerobics class.
Gayle hasn’t said her prayers to Mary yet, which was the whole reason Loretta invited them. She owes it to Loretta to at least try. So she looks at the painting of Mary behind the altar and prays to it. It feels silly and wrong, but she does it anyway. She prays for healing, for her headaches and for the cancer in her marriage. She prays for peace between Noah and Mike and for her own relationship with Noah. She prays for Loretta and all the problems she’s having. But most of all she prays for Elena.
Nobody needs prayers more than that young woman, who tonight caught Gayle’s eye when she arrived at the church, flanked by Anna-Maria and Christian, and conveyed with one brief look how much trouble she’s still in. Gayle’s never seen more frightened eyes.
Once she’s finished praying for Elena, Gayle’s satisfied that her prayers are done. Did she ask for too many things? Is there a limit to the number of requests a person should make when praying to a painting?
All she can do now is wait and see if it was a hoax or not.