Valentine’s Day.
Knight had always hated Valentine’s Day. Most of the time he was alone, while he would see others paired up. He usually ended up in a bar with other lonely hunters berating about exes and what they had done to them.
Well, now he had Mal, and Mal was expecting something. He walked from O’Keefe’s, down the street to look in a few shops. Furniture, no. Books, no. Jewelry, no – he didn’t want to saddle Mal with some trinket. If he was going to get him something, it was going to be original –
He stopped, hearing church bells, playing a song he remembered from his childhood. He had never gone to church, or been brought up with any religion, but his grandmother would sometimes sing some hymnals from when he was very young. He didn’t know the words, but he knew the tune.
Then, something occurred to him. He backtracked to the bookstore. They didn’t have what he wanted there, but the lady behind the counter suggested a stationery shop downtown. Before he headed there, however, he stopped at a church.
Dressed in his biker leathers, swords strapped on his back and guns at his hips, he walked down the aisle, his boots sounding harsh and heavy in the echoing chamber of the church. He looked at all the stained glass windows, the chandeliers in the ceiling and the paint and mosaics along the walls. He felt very overdressed.
“Can I help you?” came a voice from the back of the church. Knight whirled around and saw a young man in the back, dressed in a gray sweatshirt and black pants.
Knight approached him. “I’m lookin’ f’r the priest.”
“I’m Father Howell.”
“Ya don’ look like a priest.”
He smiled a bit, “When was the last time you’ve been to church?”
“Ain’ been.”
“We don’t always wear the collar. But what can I do for you?”
“D’ you speak Latin?”
“No, I’m sorry I don’t.”
“Shit. I mean…er…sorry.” Knight turned red.
The priest seemed to let it slide. “What is it that you need?”
“I need somethin’ translated.”
“Ever try Google?”
“Google?”
“You don’t know what Google is?”
“It’s a search site ‘r some’in’.”
The priest smiled again. “Come with me, young man. What’s your name?”
“Knight.”
“Allow me to enlighten you today…to the sacred mysteries of Google Translate…”