The Meadow 135 pulls her hand away from her girlfriend as they step inside. She can see Fran’s shoulders slump a bit, a glint in her eyes going a bit dimmer, but she does not comment. Bridget is not sure if it’s worse or not that she doesn’t say anything. The church’s architecture is almost overwhelming with how much advantage it takes with the space it has. Complete with tall, strong wooden beams crisscrossing at random intervals above their heads and a regularly steam-cleaned green carpet, the place is as cleaned and groomed as if it needed to be shown off to a health inspector every other day. The smell of candles wafts in from the chapel, pinching the air in a way that maybe ironically calms Bridget down. The small community area has plastic tables set up, with some people selling parish newsletters or something of the sort at them. Bridget and Fran go past them after wiping their shoes and head inside to the chapel. Fran holds open the door for her again and Bridget feels a mix of guilt and fondness that she has grown used to in the time she’s been with her girlfriend. Guilt, because Oh god, I love a girl, and fondness because Oh god, I love this girl. They find seats in the middle of a row of pews, facing right towards the altar. There are other congregants around—some reading a book they brought in, some praying, some talking, and some reading the Bible—but eight am masses on a Sunday were not the most populated, which is how Bridget preferred it. The lighting in the chapel is a bit dimmer than in the community area, but the large, almost floor-to-ceiling windows more than make up for that. Fran pulls a Bible from the slot of the pew in front of them, flipping it to a random page somewhere near the beginning of the New Testament. “Any idea on what story we’ll get today?” Bridget shrugs. “I’m not sure. It’s after Easter though, so you have the right idea with it being from the New Testament.” Fran pumps her fist victoriously, and Bridget can’t help but smile. Fran was not raised Catholic like she was and didn’t
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