Anastasia's Grail

by Mary Pearson

George or Zeke will help me, if I need help, “ she rolled her eyes, “which I won’t. Just let me do this for you.”

  “It would be nice to take a little break, “ Rose said wistfully. “All right, Stace. Thank you for offering.”

  Stacy brought a rosary, yet another book about the Shroud—this one by Mark Antonacci, called Resurrection of the Shroud (George found it at a thrift store), and the study sheet that Father Joseph had given her at Confirmation class. That should give her plenty to do. The Chapel was attached to Holy Apostles with access from a side door, but adorers weren’t able to enter the church itself. The door which would allow this was always kept locked. Stacy signed the ledger when she entered the little room, which was just big enough to hold ten chairs. She knew that on a night like this she would most probably have the place to herself. No one else would want to venture into this kind of weather. She made the sign of the cross and dropped on both knees in front of the monstrance which took center stage. She closed her eyes and concentrated. “Hi, Jesus.” She heard the door to the chapel softly shut behind the adorer who was assigned to the previous hour. Then she was alone with Him. There was always at least one person assigned to stay with Jesus for every hour of the day and night. It was a commitment made by the members of this diocese.

  The Chapel itself was tiny, but beautiful, like the larger church. There were angel mosaics on the walls and they were struck in poses which suggested awe. The wall behind Jesus was covered with rich tapestry and, in front of this was an ornate altar, the door to the tabernacle open to reveal that it’s Occupant was no longer inside. The monstrance itself was golden and had the symbols for each of the four evangelists at its feet. It resembled a star burst on a stem, with a single consecrated wafer framed in its center. There was a statue of the Blessed Mother beside the monstrance. The red candle was lit, indicating that Jesus was really present—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. There was a little library at the back of the room, with donated books and pamphlets in case adorers wanted information or something to study. Except for the noises made by the radiators kicking in, the little chapel was quiet. Stacy took out her rosary and started to pray it, concentrating on the sorrowful mysteries tonight.

  After she had finished the rosary, she slid onto the chair behind her and leaned back, contemplating. Without speaking out loud she told Jesus about her frustration with Darius and her confusion about whether she should get married. She voiced her concerns regarding Arthur and Libby. She even complained a bit because to date St. Anthony had not come through for her, and she reminded Jesus that St. Jude was supposed to get her a proper proposal, with a ring. She let Him know she thought Valentine’s Day might be an appropriate time for this. Meanwhile she promised to continue her daily novena for this intention. She read a few of the prayers which were provided in a little pamphlet at the back of the chapel. She particularly liked one by Padre Pio, entitled Stay With Me. When she got to a prayer called, Personal Consecration to Jesus through Mary, she shrugged and prayed it. Then she opened the study sheets Father Joseph had given her and started to memorize.

  When her brain grew weary of this exercise she read for awhile. This book was the most dense with information that she had read to date. She began to jot notes about the amazing properties of the Shroud, which the Antonacci book stated was irreproducible by any medieval or even by any modern means. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to use all of this information for her presentation at the school, but she certainly could in her presentation for the confirmation class and, in any event, it was just good to remember as many details as possible for her own information. The hour flew by and she was startled when her replacement, an older gentleman she recognized from church, entered and waved to her before signing in. Stacy bundled up and left, but thought she might like to come again, maybe even take an hour of her own. It was good to spend really quiet time with Jesus. It wouldn’t hurt to make it a habit.

  A week had passed more or less uneventfully and the Valentine’s dance was rapidly approaching. She had seen little of Darius. Most evenings he was either working to set up gigs or busy with some other facet of his personal life. Stacy didn’t fail to take note of this; it was one of the things on her parents’ list. She had raided her mother’s closet once again, this time coming up with a classic red dress, very similar in cut to the little black one she had worn to Chez Herman. There had been another single red rose for her every morning when she got to school. Younger students looked at her enviously when he gave them to her. She had to admit, they did make her locker smell like a florist’s shop. They each lasted for a few days and since there had been a steady stream of them for the past couple of weeks, she managed to always have two or three beautiful ones by her bedside each morning. The older ones she hung on her bedpost to dry. Later, if she added other foliage, they would make a nice dried floral bouquet .

  Arthur had been missing from prayer and workout time quite a few times over the past couple of weeks. Even when he was there Stacy avoided talking to him, other than superficially. She really didn’t want to know any details of his personal life with Libby. She was glad that Libby wasn’t one of those ‘tell-all’ sorts of girls. It would have been painful to hear the gory details.

  Valentines Day fell on a Thursday and the annual dance was always held on February 14. Stacy would have preferred Friday because she still had home work, but there’s no messing with a tradition. And so it was the evening of the Valentines dance and Stacy had managed to throw together a classy but flirty look without buying anything that cost more than ten dollars. Thankfully her mother’s shoes and matching handbag had been a perfect fit. Emily did her hair again, and it couldn’t have looked better if she had gone to a salon. Although not as surprised by the transformation as he had been the first time, Darius seemed appreciative. He gave a low whistle as he handed her this time the full dozen roses. Stacy asked her sister to put them in a vase and they left.

  As usual they arrived fashionably late. Arthur was already there with Libby in a dress that she must have had painted on. Stacy noticed that most of the guys there were ogling Libby, although Arthur seemed impervious. Stacy couldn’t help but notice how attentive and protective he was, almost like a butler or body guard, but his face showed little expression. He had to know that he was with one of the most sought after girls at her school, but she seemed like the one who was chasing him, jumping through hoops to get him to notice. It was a surprising role reversal for Libby. Stacy had to tear herself away from the sight when Darius asked her to dance.

  This time there was no contest, but that didn’t diminish the excitement of the evening. Stacy and Darius had had enough practice by now to be able to dance rather seamlessly. Nearby couples watched with admiration when they effortlessly executed fairly complicated twirls and dips. In between dances they met up with Arthur and Libby at the punch bowl. “How about a switch?” Darius suggested, offering his arm to Libby. Normally Libby called the shots in a situation like this, but when Darius made the suggestion she giggled and flushed in an uncharacteristically giddy way that reminded Stacy of Scarlet O’Hara in Gone With the Wind. They left Stacy and Arthur standing rather awkwardly by the punch bowl. Arthur made a vague gesture toward the dance floor with a questioning look. Stacy shrugged and took his arm just as the DJ began the first strains of what is perhaps the most passionate love song ever written: Unchained Melody.

  Where she and Darius were accomplished as dancers, she and Arthur were unforeseeably electric in each others’ arms. Stacy wished her dumb heart would stop pounding when he held her, at the same time wondering why it was doing so. She doubted that they were dancing very well since she could hardly think. She did notice that Arthur kept his eyes riveted on her, never glancing in Libby’s direction. Nor did Stacy think to look for Darius. They hardly realized the song had ended until a still giggling Libby reclaimed her escort.

  The rest of the dance was a blur. It wasn’t until she was back home that Stacy realized she still had not been off
ered an engagement ring although, right now, she was more relieved than upset about this. It would have been confusing to deal with such a thing after her dance with Arthur.

  Stacy reminded herself the next morning that feelings had nothing to do with real love. Love was a decision you made, and, whether or not it was a good call, she had decided to love Darius. They had agreements which, admittedly, would seem more solid if they had been backed up with a little hardware on her third finger, left hand. Despite this lack, words had been spoken and Stacy was not one to go back on a promise. She would remain faithful to him as long as he was true to her. It was who she was.

  Stacy had a crappy day at school. To begin with, she forgot about her algebra assignment and received a zero for the day. She was unprepared for her history quiz and probably failed it. To make matters worse, it seemed like every girl in the school was fawning on Darius—not just Junie. Stacy even saw Libby laughing and hanging out at his locker. It kind of seemed like Stacy herself was the one female in the building that he didn’t have time for. By the end