Godfather
Godfather!
They wanted me to become the children's godfather.
"I don't see how that's simplifying things at all, Father."
I wasn't being snide. It just truly didn't click for me.
Becoming someone's godfather was a very important and meaningful act, at least within the Catholic faith.
But as far as I knew, a godfather held no legal rights whatsoever.
Father, however, pressed on without the slightest hesitation.
"If you become the children's godfather, it will help Alicia appoint you as their guardian."
"Ah..."
To appoint a guardian, a parent had to file a petition with the court.
Someone like me, who had grown up in the same facility as Alicia, becoming their godfather and then their guardian might look like the most natural thing in the world.
A godfather carried no legal force, but a guardian would hold the same legal duties, authority, rights, and responsibilities regarding the children's upbringing as a parent.
Until they turned eighteen, as far as I knew.
...Wasn't that enough?
Because a guardian stepped into a parent's role, Reni wouldn't have to be adopted out somewhere else... and even if I wouldn't be Luca's father on paper, that was purely a paperwork problem.
I was turning this newly offered option over in my mind when Father, apparently reading my silence differently, added,
"Aigoo, Jun-ah, that adoption business is just throwing money away for nothing. Instead of handing cash over to some stiff bureaucracy, buy a nice car to drive around with the kids!"
"Father, that's not what I—"
"Paperwork is all just empty form! Back in my day, every man in the neighborhood was a dad and an uncle and a grandpa. The man I followed my whole life calling Father wasn't even my real father. And besides..."
Besides?
"The hardship you'll go through is the same whether you're their father on paper or their guardian! What are you sitting there fretting over?"
"..."
"But if their birth mother is still alive and they have a guardian, the kids won't need to be adopted out anywhere, right? Then you can raise Luca, and we'll raise Reni."
"...But you said Reni might have to go somewhere else. Because of his mother's condition."
"Ah, what can't you do if you've got money? Send him to boarding school, send him to vacation camps. In rich families, kids barely have time to stick around at home, you know."
Mother Superior pressed her fingers to her temple.
I had no desire to watch the man who was something like a father to me get smacked by the woman who was something like a mother, so I simply nodded.
"Right. Only, sending a kid off to boarding school or places like that... I'm not so sure. That..."
"That?"
"I was thinking maybe Reni could stay at our place for a few days at a time. I've, um... switched to remote work, so except for one day on the weekends, I'm home most of the time."
Explaining how I'd quit the company with the Manito App's help and everything I'd done up to now didn't seem important right then, so I glossed over it.
And Father, who clearly had no interest in those little details, clapped his dry hands together with a sharp smack and rubbed them as if he'd just found something wonderful.
"Oh, that's excellent! Weekends he comes here and spends time with his mother, weekdays he spends time with his little brother. He's almost old enough for kindergarten, so you can send him to one near your place."
...Had Father brought up the godfather idea already knowing the conversation would flow this way?
Sister Eloise, who had moved from her temple to massaging the space between her brows, spoke up.
"Looking after one more child will certainly be a big burden for you, but it might actually be good for Luca. Reni has such a gentle, affectionate nature—he'll play well with his little brother."
"Can I really look forward to that?"
Leaving a child in the care of another child sounded absurd, but if Reni would just play with Luca for a while, maybe I could at least go to the bathroom in peace. Or prepare a meal while the two of them played right in front of me. Or tidy up the house a little...
I was only picturing the good things that might come of Reni living with us when my thoughts suddenly turned to Alicia, who had lost both her children in a single day.
When I asked about it, Sister said it wouldn't be bad for Alicia either.
"Alicia knows she's neglecting the children. So if we let her know they're doing well, and she can see them even just on weekends, she'll be able to focus much better on her treatment during the week. I'll explain everything carefully so it doesn't overwhelm her."
"...Is she always like she was today? Are there times when conversation comes easily?"
Sister nodded.
Alicia was currently undergoing both medication and counseling, and as long as she didn't receive a strong shock like suddenly seeing Luca the way she had today, she remained calm.
A petty, unworthy worry rose in me then, and I couldn't help asking.
"I'm sorry to even say this, but... what if, after Alicia gets better, she asks for the children back?"
But Sister answered this, too, with quiet composure.
"She probably won't. She knows she doesn't have the ability to properly feed and raise them, and she knows there's a way for the children to be happier."
"...Is that so."
"Yes. And originally, Alicia wanted to become a nun when she was little."
"A nun?"
"It must have been a child's wish to become like the people who cared for her. She forgot that dream when she fell in love with Kyle and married him... but now it seems like a good path for the lifelong peace of her heart."
"But can someone with children become a nun?"
"Yes. Only, it's impossible if there are children who still depend on her. Once the children turn eighteen, it would be possible."
So Sister intended to look after Alicia while she learned work and served here until the children legally became adults, so that she could become a nun afterward.
Father tapped the table lightly.
"Well then, that settles everything!"
"Ah, one last thing..."
I still had remaining legal issues to bring up.
"First of all, Luca was already processed as an orphan and put on the adoption waiting list..."
"Gabriel and her friends will take care of that sort of thing. Don't worry yourself over it."
"Pardon?"
"If your mind is made up, there's no need for those little frets. As I've said before, where there's a will, there's a way. I'll make a few phone calls later."
...Right. It had been like this before, too.
I blinked at the familiar pattern of being swept along. Then I looked at Father, wordlessly asking if this was really all right.
And Father spoke with a kind face.
"Jun-ah, He said, 'Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'"
Sometimes I couldn't tell whether I was the one who was wrong, or the world was.
Then, suddenly, I remembered Maria's text from this morning.
"Ah, an acquaintance of mine said she would connect me with a skilled lawyer..."
Sister raised a hand and stopped me.
"I'll ask one of my children."
"Ah..."
When I lost my words again, Father added,
"Jun-ah, for things to go smoothly, what you need more than skill is connections."
"..."
"That's true even in big cities, and even more so in a country town like this."
Father patted my shoulder kindly, as if he'd just shared some great life tip.
What kind of lives had these two lived, exactly?
"Ah, and if there's ever a problem, this Father can just go on a trip to hear the confessions of some high-up people!"
"...How long are you going to keep doing those traveling confessions, Father? You're not exactly roaming around with pure intentions."
"Ahem! If you knew how easily rich people in country towns fall into cults, you wouldn't say that!"
"Hmm..."
You might wonder why people with money and proper educations fall for cults, but it seemed to happen surprisingly often. I saw it on the news sometimes, and it even got made into movies...
"If the wealth they have leaks off to some strange place, what a terrible waste that would be!"
"...That's the reason? Not reformation?"
"Ah, if they listen diligently to my sermons, they'll naturally find the right path. Just look at you."
You said there were plenty of children who were a disgrace before the Lord, though...
I called Reni, who had been playing happily with Greg.
The boy, who had run around so hard that clear beads of sweat were rolling down him, gulped down the water Sister handed him and sat with a bright smile.
Father wiped the child's sweat with a handkerchief as he began to explain.
"Reni, listen carefully. From now on, Uncle Jun here is going to be your godfather."
Reni's eyes went round at those words. He thought for a moment, then asked in a voice full of genuine awe,
"Is Uncle Jun a god?"
He must have gotten that idea from 'Godfather.' How adorable.
I let out a soft snort of laughter, and Father answered with a hearty laugh of his own.
"Well, you could say God chose him for you. Jun isn't a god himself, but this Father believes the Lord will watch over you and Luca through him."
Reni seemed to need a little time to process Father's words, but then he spoke quietly, almost in a whisper.
"Wow. That's amazing."
...Judging by his reaction, he still had something a bit wrong. He'd taken the usual meaning of 'godfather' a little too far.
"..."
Well, either way, it didn't really matter. The problem would only be if the child disliked it.
Looking at the cute boy, I couldn't help smiling.
"Ah-ah!"
But Luca suddenly called for me and stretched his arms out, asking to be held.
"Yes, our Luca. Tired of your toys?"
When I lifted him, Luca burrowed snugly into my arms. Then he stared at Reni with a sulky face.
"Oh, is Luca jealous of Reni?"
Greg, who had been sitting like a faithful backdrop the whole time, spoke up.
"Jealous? All of a sudden? No way. We haven't done anything."
"No, they say when parents bring home a second baby, the first one gets a shock like their spouse just cheated on them."
Good heavens.
"What's cheating?"
Reni asked brightly.
...Good heavens!
I really had to watch my words around a child who could talk.
Father gave a hearty laugh and roughly sorted the situation out. Listening to this man always somehow made everything get smoothed over in a muddle.
...If Father had become a cult leader instead of a priest, he would have made a fortune.
"Well then, you'd better head home before it gets any later."
We decided to hold the children's baptism the next time we came. That was when I would become their godfather.
"Ah, just a moment. Do you happen to have a measuring tape?"
I borrowed a tape and took Reni's measurements.
"What are you doing?"
"Next time I come, Uncle will bring clothes that fit Reni."
Then I looked at Sister and Father and said,
"I'll prepare the clothes Reni will wear for the baptism."
After a few more small matters, we finally stepped outside.
I was buckling Luca into the car seat and about to get in myself when Reni asked,
"If he's a god-dad, do I still call him Uncle?"
"Ah..."
Father answered for me with a smile.
"Rather than Uncle, it would probably be better to call him Dad, don't you think?"
"Dad?"
"..."
Suddenly calling a strange uncle 'Dad'—I worried how Reni would take it.
"My dad went to heaven."
"..."
A small silence fell.
The child didn't seem to have put any particular meaning into the words; he was simply stating a fact he knew.
"Reni."
I got fully out of the car, met Reni's eyes, and spoke.
"Of course Reni's dad is in heaven. But the person who keeps you safe and teaches you what you need until you grow up can also be called 'Dad.'"
The boy turned my words over for a moment, then nodded. I carefully took his small hand.
"I'm already Luca's dad. So I want to be Reni's dad too. Is that all right with you?"
I couldn't promise love to a boy I'd only met today. And whether I would be able to love him from now on—I didn't even know my own heart yet.
Even so, with respect. With my whole heart, I would protect him.
The child looked into my eyes, then gave a small nod and said,
"Okay. Because Uncle Jun is the dad God sent!"