All the story of Matteo and Ugo made the Bishop think deeply about what had happened between him and Beniamino. In conscience, he could not have acted in a different way. To him the wow he made was far more important. He couldn't think of any other way but being faithful to it. Yet how much did Beniamino suffer because of him? Was he now at last happy, or has the boy got an irreparable scar because of his behaviour? At the end, Monsignor Marco asked God a grace.
"Let me have news about Beniamino, I pray You. Let me know if I did harm to him, and if it is so, give me the opportunity to ask him for forgiveness. Am I asking to You too much, Lord? If it is so... 'Fiat voluntas Tua, non mea, Domine'!" the Bishop concluded.
God had heard him but didn't answer straight away. It was Christmas, and Monsignor Marco went to celebrate the midnight mass in the new chapel of the General Hospital. After the mass, he wanted to congratulate the young painter that made the frescoes in the chapel. This was a young man twenty-eight years old, that is three years younger than the Bishop. His name was Giorgio Sella, and he was a handsome man, with a gentle air and intelligent eyes, that impressed favourably the Bishop.
"Your paintings ooze faith, serenity and spiritual beauty. They are more than suitable for the chapel of a sufferings place. Thank you so much, for your work."
"Your appreciation is particularly welcome, Monsignor Bishop. I heard so many wonderful things about you, that when I knew that you were the Bishop here, and that you was going to consecrate and to say the first mass in this chapel, I didn't want to miss the occasion to meet you."
"Thank you. Well, we are making reciprocal compliments. Even if they come from the heart, it is probably better we stop," the Bishop said with a smile.
"You and your sense of humour. I heard about that too. You know, at first, hearing so many praises about you, I thought they were somewhat exaggerated. But now, it has been enough to hear your sermon before and then to meet you... No, the praises were not at all exaggerated."
"Well, I said it was better to cease, but you didn't respect the pact. So, let me say that your frescoes are a sermon in images, beautiful, gentle, that shows me that you are for sure a beautiful soul."
"Come on, Monsignor..." the painter said blushing. Then asked, "May I ask you a grace. Monsignor?"
"If I can, willingly. Tell me."
"There is a person, very dear to me, waiting for me at my hotel. Even if it is so late, I would like you to come to meet this person."
"At the hotel? Which one?"
"The Three Kings Hotel."
"It is not far from my way back home. I will come, willingly."
The Bishop said to his secretary that he would go back alone and with the painter, he walked in the street covered with snow, "Tell me, Master Giorgio, a particular of your frescoes made me curious."
"Yes?"
"In the scene of the Cana Wedding, on the background, you painted a Castle that recalls me very much the Castle of a village where I have been parson."
"Roccasella?"
"You went there?"
"I went there. It is there that I met the person I want you to meet now."
Monsignor Marco felt his heart jolt in his chest, stopped and looked at the young man, "Who is he?" he asked almost in a whisper.
The painter gently smiled and said, "The person who talked so much to me about you... Yes, it's him."
"Beniamino." the Bishop whispered moved.
"That's right and he doesn't know you are the Bishop here. I discovered it, but I didn't tell him, and this evening I asked him to remain in the hotel."
"Therefore, you know about... me and him."
"Certainly."
"How is Beniamino?"
"Fine, Monsignor. Fine, as you yourself can soon see."
"Is he your lover?"
"Yes."
"I am happy. You seem to me a person able to really love."
"Thank you. Now that you know, will you come?"
"Certainly. But why didn't you say anything to him?"
"I wanted to give him a special Christmas present."
"How did you know I would have come?"
"I hoped it. I know you a little through Beniamino." the painter said with a friendly smile.
"Excuse me, but... when you met him, it was the spring after I left Roccasella?"
"Right."
"Did you by any chance... did you give Beniamino a... a Castle?" the Bishop asked, seriously.
"How can you know that? Yes. I painted the Roccasella Castle. I knew Beniamino for some days and I was feeling a strong sentiment towards him growing inside me. I wanted to give him a present. So, yes, I gave him that picture that seemed to me the best of the pictures I did in Roccasella. And when he received that present, for the first time said to me, 'I love you, Giorgio'."
"Didn't he explain to you about that spring and about that gift?"
"No, why? Was he supposed to?"
"Not necessarily. But, you see, when he bid me farewell, the last time we saw each other, I don't really know why, I told him something that later seemed to me extremely stupid. I told him that in the following spring he would meet the right man, and that that man would give him a Castle. Completely absurd then. Can't you see? A completely absurd sentence."
"But that exactly happened, Monsignor. The ways of God are really inscrutable."
They entered in the Hotel. The painter opened the room's door and said: "Beniamino, I have here your Christmas present. Do you want to see it?"
"Sure!" From inside the cheerful voice that the Bishop knew so well, answered.
"Then, look!" the painter said moving aside, and asking the Bishop to enter.
Beniamino was approaching the door smiling. He stopped abruptly, with an astonished face, and murmured: "Marco!"
"Yes, Beniamino, it's me."
"You, here?!"
"May I enter?"
"Don't ask a silly question! Sure you can! Oh, Giorgio, this is really a wonderful Christmas present!" the boy said radiantly. Addressing the Bishop, Beniamino said: "I told you when we parted the last time, that it wasn't a 'goodbye for ever', but just a 'see you again'?"
"I will leave you alone." the painter said.
"It is not necessary..." the Bishop answered.
"Yes it is. You will have so many things to tell each other. I will wait in the hall, and there is no hurry." the painter said and went outside.
"Marco, what happiness it is to see you again! You have been successful in your career, eh?"
"Bah, they forced me into it. How are you, Beniamino?"
"Fine, as you see."
"Are you happy with Giorgio?"
"Sure. It is he you foresee would have come, right? We love each other. You always are in my heart but, as at that time I was second to Him, now you are second to Giorgio. Now I really can understand your choice. And now, thanks to Giorgio, I made peace with your man and I often go to see him."
"My man?"
"Yes, sure, the one you preferred to me, no?"
"A funny way to call our Lord." the Bishop said amused.
"Well, he is, right? You belong to Him, right?"
"Right, you can say so."
"Now, with Giorgio, I go to mass every Sunday."
"I'm happy to hear that. I was worried for you, I felt guilty towards you."
"Guilty? What a silly man! Thanks to you I really understood what it means to love, to be faithful, to give himself to somebody. I owe you my actual happiness. For you I renounced to all the others, but thanks to you I could understand Giorgio's love and I have been able to give him my love. I am extremely grateful to you, Marco. You prepared me for him, don't you see?"
"I am very happy for that, Beniamino."
"Now I know that I could even embrace you without problems. As you would never cheat on Him, I will never cheat on my Giorgio."
"I too was sure about that, and on the contrary... But you are probably stronger than me in that respect."
"No, I don't think I am stronger than you. But, for a last time, I would like to embrace you, to stay for a while in your arms. Please?" the boy said with a sweet, luminous smile.
The Bishop opened his arms and welcomed the boy. They held each other tight and Marco was aware that the pleasure he was feeling at that embrace was not of an erotic nature. He kissed Beniamino on his forehead, then parted.
"Thank you Marco. This is really the best Christmas of my life."
"Thanks to you, Beniamino. For me it is the same. Why don't you two come tomorrow to lunch at my residence? I would be really happy to have you both at my table."
"Yes, sure, willingly. Christmas with the family, as the saying goes, right? And I have, on this world, just you and Giorgio."
"Yes. You can celebrate every Christmas with me, if you want, even without preventing me. I will always dress the table for Christmas for three people."
"Come then, lets tell Giorgio."
They went down and told him. The painter joyfully accepted the invitation. They both accompanied the Bishop to his residence and on the gate they bid goodnight. Monsignor Marco, went up to his rooms and entered his chapel.
"Lord, thank you very much. You are good and merciful. You, my man! I, your unworthy lover! Lord, bless Beniamino and Giorgio. Give them serenity and an always stronger love. And bless this poor lover of yours. Thank you for Your sweet love, my Lord and my God. Thank you. Now no more clouds dim my heart."