Fair is Fair
Jack was at the park to pick up his two boys. His wife had dropped them there after breakfast so she could spend an hour at the gym across the street. As parents, they both remembered what it was like to be kids and unsupervised so their rule was simple: no helicoptering, let them explore the world.
As he turned toward the playground area, he stopped short.
"Father?"
The old man sitting on the bench was eating pistachio nuts and carefully placing the shells in a ball cap to his left. He looked Jack's way.
"Ah! Jack. Not any more. Not in long time."
"You mind if I sit?" asked Jack.
A nod. A gesture. The ball cap gently transferred to the other side.
"How...how have you been?"
"In general or since my exile?"
"Uhm...both, I guess."
"In general, I'm good. Staying healthy for a septuagenarian. I'm living on my social security. Haven't been hire-able for years."
"I'm sorry if this is weird but I only heard about..."
Jack paused.
"Since I was defrocked? No apologies, son. It was truly unfortunate."
"Did you...?"
"Did I molest that boy? No. You have no reason to believe that but I have no reason to lie. Especially," and he waved his hand in the air like someone pushing fog. "especially now."
"Doesn't seem fair. I remember growing up with you as our priest. You were always such a good man. Remember when my mom got breast cancer? You sat by her side for weeks. And the Food Pantry for the homeless? It seems so wrong that you were the lodestone for the community forever and one accusation and it was all erased."
"Yes. I was angry for a long time. Angry at the young man, the congregation, myself. But forgiveness is the best medicine I've found. It isn't fun to have to declare that I'm a registered sex offender to anyone new in my neighborhood but I've managed to get past the shame and embrace it instead."
"Embrace it?"
"Sure. I felt I was being punished for something I did not commit. I've endured the punishment, why not just go with it and be who they say I am?"
"I don't...understand."
"I've done the time, now I do the crime. Fair is fair, after all. Oh, are those your boys? I'd love to meet them."
