After Forty-Five Years Apart, a Pastor Married His High School Sweetheart

“A parish minister can’t marry a terminal patient he ran into again five days ago,” Arthur said without looking up from the page.

“Forty-five years ago, Margaret and I were engaged, Arthur,” I said.

“The congregation doesn’t care about 1979,” Arthur said.

“They care about parish decorum.

The elders will see this as ethical misconduct.”

He laid his silver pen across the top of the page with a dull wooden click.

“I’m drafting your formal letter of suspension as we speak,” he said.

“On what basis?” I asked.