Kate

She noticed the collar first and said so — “I get nervous around men in collars. It’s a reflex.” She teaches high school English, which she said probably explains a lot, including why she doesn’t trust anyone who sounds certain. She watched the priest carefully throughout lunch, deciding whether he was real. When Laura told him her parents didn’t know about them, Kate went quiet. Then she told him something she hadn’t told Laura — that she used to pray every night as a child, and stopped when she realized she was only ever asking God to make her different. When He didn’t, she figured that was her answer. The priest said he was sorry. Not as apology. As recognition. Before she left, she told him it was nice not being afraid of him. He said that made two of them.