--- *** ---

--- A Few Minutes Later or So ---

Shortly after Jude and Timothy left the doctor's office with not only consulting the doctor about the pregnancy inevitable symptoms, but also the recent news they figured out lastly for expecting a new family member to embrace within 5 months only, they fled the hospital in a jiffy by getting in Timothy's cab on their way to their compact apartment.

Fortunately, during their imminent driving destination to home was safe and sound without any quantity of stress, nor turned radio music in the car as its elating, silver-tongued tunes jingled into their ears. In the meantime, the nun seated alongside the revered priest.

"Timothy, ya don't have any clue how much is going to affect our reputation! Our Rome dream. How we are supposed to be parents and a Mother Superior and a Pope in the same time?" Mild vexation was vomited in her inquiry as his chocolate brown pools with the warmest chocolate glinting into them were darted to his path, warily driving since he wasn't a keen fan of the high speeds as if it's resembled a race.

First and foremost, the both devotional members of the clergy were about to be parents in less than a half a year and if they're going to have a love child, on the contrary, the church has the ultimate right to deprive it from them and imprison their love child in an orphanage. That was the crucial reason why they were unconditionally anxious what kind of parents they're going to be and is it a better decision to flee the church for better. For better by abstaining from celibacy, the vows they solemnly took ages ago and working on their exalted reputation they earned promptly by becoming a Mother Superior and Pope, due to their murderous hard work through the years. At last but not least, they have always hankered to become parents and being family people, although their lack of pluckiness to make revelations about one another and choose wisely what's the best for them.

Their both alternatives were actually either to pursue their dream to the end even without having the fresh life that was growing inside the middle-aged lady's bump or otherwise flee the church for better, consequently marrying one another these days and build their own future plans momentarily such as their honeymoon, how many children they're going to have, their trips and everything else that affects their small, nevertheless, doubtlessly doting and full of surprises family.

"I've a clue, rare bird! Our Rome dream isn't just being the revered Mother Superior and the powerful Pope," In the interim, his solely colossal, creamy as baby skin hand drifted down to the sister of the church's knee, subsequently rubbing its knee cap gently on circles, admiring its perfect shape of it for her midlife stage. Electrifying paroxysm and overwhelming shivers down her body of sweetness and pleasure sedated her bones and muscles, petering out their soberness and vitality. A benevolent, serene smile distorted across his lips, whereas the sister of the church's plump, well-defined cheeks tinted sanguinely as its sweltering heat crawled underneath her vanilla, smooth as unbreakable glass facial skin. Their hearts raced as the vigorous heart beats throbbed in the blonde's ribs cage, consequently surging its frequent pulses at her ears. "But living happily after in Rome and creating our own family with adorable children with the woman of my dreams." Timothy kept on with his utterance, lowering his honeyed, British accent when he halted promptly on the red light, awaiting a half a minute until the traffic light changes chromatically its colours at last.

At the moment, the Pope seized the moment to turn to his right hand as their stares met, locking up her bashful, demure hazelish-brown irises in no time as obvious magnetism was connecting their linked irises.

"I'd like to know what the woman of yar dreams, Timothy! If it's not too personal or secret at all." The blonde mumbled persistently as her lip curled, finding herself lost into his enticing stare though the middle-aged future mother could feel her heart sinking. Heart sinking, due to the fact, her love interest, whom she has nurtured with their Friday coq-au-vin dinner nights, aiding him to reach the highest rank of the diocese and harboring impure thoughts and infernally ferocious feelings by tantalizing herself, and now confessing unabashedly for having a woman of his dreams was a bit too much for Judy. Or rather, arcane mystery that was distressing her for not acknowledging his crush's name by directly stating it's just the lady of his dreams.

"I don't have such a lady with an exception." Chilling silence arched between the both adults just a quarter a minute before the red lights were no longer red as they were temporarily green, keeping the drivers' wits about having limited time to pass. The silence was sufficiently explainable what surprises may lurk in the vehicle just like firecrackers or rather already opened Pandora's box. "Except you, you're the woman of my dreams! I've always hidden this from you which I totally blame myself why we didn't flee the church earlier and didn't confess to each other what we exactly feel for each other." In the meantime, the holy woman couldn't help but allow her smile glowingly blossom like a flourishing spring flower in the wee days of spring, radiantly illuminating its genuine blazes and nature that was tattooed on it. "I'm really blaming myself why this didn't happen earlier."

In this moment, the middle-aged lady cupped in the palms of her elvish, milky as snow hands his cheeks, admiring his enthrallingly masculine, handsome facial features along with his benevolent, serene smile that was soothing her.

"Do not blame yourself, because it's better later rather than never!"

"That's indeed right!" Meantime, he turned to the other direction by resuming the driving process as his solely free hand was massaging her knee. "First and foremost, we should go to the church by resigning ourselves from it and be finally free whatever we want to do."

"Aww, fool! That's a genius idea, ya know!" The Bostonian exclaimed in scoffing manner as a husky in low voice snigger tickled the corners of her mouth. "How would ya imagine raising on our own a baby, whilst being the most respected people on this planet with the American president?"

"I hardly imagine it, Jude! A fool in love with you."

"Aww!" She rested her head on his broad, muscular shoulder, contemplating blankly the directions he was aiming and turning.

--- *** ---

--- A Few Hours Later ---

It has been a few hours which were a whole episode, filming the reality whether of remarkable or not exactly remarkable events.

Remarkable event which caused tumult to the mass of people, who should say farewell to the sonly appointed Pope and Mother Superior as they didn't want anymore to step on the most velvet, the most royal red aisle of Rome, being encircled by crowd of ordinary nuns and general populations, addressing them formally and applauding them. Once the mankind figured out the former members of the clergy has not only resigned from the church without giving further, more personal explainations behind their motives, further, they weren't the Mother Superior and the Pope into the mankind's eyes, it disquieted them especially the majority of them as they had higher expectancies from them even optimistic ones. Nonetheless, the blonde and her love interest explained their genuine motives to flee the church without being in farther details. At first, the eparchy was scarcely agreeing with their rational reasons to be no longer members of the clergy, howsoever, what it chimed them instinctively was to put themselves in their shoes as if they were head over heels in love with their partner, whom they served the church and its hallowed duties for awhile by collaborating and having these bewitching feelings.

Run-of-the-mill event as shortly after they've already successfully resigned from the church, they aimed to the grocery store to purchase some food, snacks and red wine as a part of their first ever romantic dinner even when the former woman of the cloth was pregnant in her second trimester.

As soon as they went back at home and they dressed up themselves in casual, comfy garments, the British aristocrat was in the kitchen, cooking their favorite meal they always share a prominent, platonically romantic moment- coq-au-vin. Meanwhile, the blonde was lying on the king-sized bed, being dressed up in one of her love interest's old, nonetheless almost unworn, ideally concealing her vaguely visible pregnant belly and the stretch marks which commenced to naturally ink on her lower abdomen and hips due to the drastic gain weight all over her body.

The bedroom window was widely opened, allowing its nocturnal spring breeze to be invited in the room like a guest, tickling delicately the former nun's exposed pale as ghost, porcelain flesh along with her wild ruffled lion mane of glossy old Hollywood aureate tresses on the pillow, framing elegantly her still youthful, enchanting facial features that were adorning her face.

In the meantime, her both petite, brittle hands rested on the small bump as her caramel brown orbs were transfixed on the extra weight area of her body, where it was the sanctuary of the fresh life that was being guarded and developing gradually safely.

"I can't wait to meet ya, my little angel! No matter if ya are a girl or a boy, Mommy will still love ya to bones!" The middle-aged woman muffled a velvety whisper with her Bostonian accent as her long, slim fingers kneaded gently. Little did Jude know about her unborn child's gender since it has been the first months of her first ever pregnancy ever in her entire life, briefly portrayed as a dynamic roller coaster. "I can't wait to bring you in this world with the help of yar Daddy, hug and kiss you. Trust me!" She kept on with her monologue.

All of a sudden, light footsteps stomped in the hall until she realized it was her former boss, rapping on the bedroom door a handful of times, catching her attention in a jiff.

"Rare bird, the dinner is ready!"

"Alright!" The former licentious jazz nightclub singer got from the king sized bed, struggling sluggishly to seat normally by hopping up in the convenient, fuzzy slippers and walk away from the bedroom until her forthcoming destination, the kitchen, was already the room she has set a foot inside. "Mmm! It smells so delicious." The former pious woman of the cloth evoked out in honeyed voice as the pungent, however, satisfying aroma of coq-au-vin quickly overspread in the kitchen and the hall, taunting her sensitive nostrils.

"It's more than so delicious, Jude! I bet you will like it." At the moment, the former aspiring Pope untied the apron which once armored his torso, in order to not mire his casual attires with certain food ingredients which are flexible to be stained on the attires, incapable of being washed ever again.

The dining table was already set with plates of served coq-au-vin dishes, glasses of mouth-watering red wine, a couple of candles, lit up in the middle of the kitchen table with a marble floral vase with white roses he brought Timothy, whilst the dinner was baking in the oven and Judy was in their bedroom.

When the former sister of the church stepped inside the sufficiently expansive kitchen, her caramel brown pools were in awe when she was embraced with the first ever romantic dinner they had at home. The perfect romantic dinner that is much better than spending unduly cash on extravagant restaurants or going to the cinema to watch a decent, romantic movie with an ending which may render them to bawl their eyes of a goddamn good cry. At home was always the sweetest paradise for them to organize their own romantic dinners, bearing a semblance of a first date with the vibes and atmosphere that was encompassing them.

"Oh my goodness! Timothy, what are these efforts that ya have put in doing all this?" After washing her hands on the kitchen sink and wiping her soaked hands in the clean towel, consequently he greeted her with a tender, feather peck on her cheek as a girlish, sheepish giggle was emitted. "Even ya haven't bothered to buy white roses."

"These white roses are not only for our home, moreover for you, my rare bird!" Meantime, the blonde was about to take a seat on the chair as the younger man helped her when she sat on it and pushed forward the chair until the table and her petite frame's proximity diminished, leaving a wee gap between them. A heavenly beatific, optimistic smile crawled on his young-looking, pale as snow complexion shortly after helping her and taking a seat against her as they were about to share a remarkable romantic dinner.

"Aww, that's so sweet of ya, Tim! Why thank you!" Her voice softened as velvet, when the former aspiring holy man gripped the glass of wine, throughout rising it in the air and ushering her to grab hers, raising a toast for a split second before to begin with the genuine romance. Her heart beats drastically ebbed out its vigorous frequency, directly pulsating into her ears like headphones.

"No need to! Let's raise a toast for our first ever romantic dinner!" Suddenly they raised altogether their glasses of alcoholic beverage, thereafter clinking them as the glasses contacted, producing faint sound of collide until they gulped tiny sips of the red wine, savoring its scrumptious taste.

"But I can't drink a lot wine, Timothy! I'm so sorry." Shortly after taking a sip of the glass, pooled with the sinfully mouth-watering, elating alcoholic beverage, she started to snatch the silverware fork and pronging a handful of her dish, afterwards putting it in her mouth by munching it.

"It's okay, Jude! You shouldn't apologize for not being able to drink the whole glass of wine just because you're pregnant. I fully respect your decision and the current condition you're in." The British compatriot accepted gladly the apology of his future wife, incapable to wipe off the serene, amiable smile that was dancing across his lips in a choir of radiance. "Have you ever wondered what we might have in less than 5 months?"

"My sixth sense tells me we're expecting a boy."

"Just imagine our little boy having your gorgeous hazel eyes, rare bird!"

"As if ya can see the male mini me watching ya." The blonde said in jeering manner as the both former saintly members of the church couldn't suppress guffaws after masticating a few bites from their dinner meal.

"Aw, honey! You don't have any idea how cute is going to be."

"It will be definitely cute. I can't disagree with ya on this fucking genius idea of yars."

"Or how about having a girl?" All of a sudden, Timothy caught off guard Judy as she choked after pronging a couple of chunks of the dish as it stuck in her throat, consequently coughing, sensing dew of salty, reluctant moistness drenching them within seconds. "Is everything alright, Judy?" He questioned concerned, getting from the kitchen table, in order to help her to swallow the bite by patting her back.

"It's fine." Then he returned back to the chair by sitting after she swallowed it. "A girl?" The suddenness of the widened hazelish-brown eyes kept the former man of the cloth's wits about inescapable, blatant glee, oozing of her as it contoured her facial features. "It would be a miracle having a girl."

"A little girl or rather mini Judy with your mesmerizing smile that just shines from miles."

"Aww, I can already imagine all this, believe me! I'd bawl my eyes off if we had a girl with my smile." Meanwhile, the former holy woman sipped the glass of fresh, lukewarm water.

--- *** ---

--- A Handful of Days Later or So ---

--- 16th of March, 1967 ---

"It is the evening of the day! I sit and watch the children play, smiling faces I can see but not for me! I sit and watch!" The recent song that was freely playing on the radio in the bedroom was As Tears Go by the Rolling Stones as the vocalist's silver-tongued, melodious voice accentuated on the lyrics, mingling with the guitar in the background as it floated in the bedroom's background, allowing to diffuse through the widely opened.

The wee hours of the evening lastly loomed on the horizon in Rome once the daylight hours have already died, no longer showing any alludes of the daylight.

The middle-aged woman has been catnapping on the king-sized bed for a few hours as she was cuddling with her boyfriend and listening to songs which were playing on the radio. Strangely even English music was playing on the Italian radio. She was being encompassed by the loneliness and the Rolling Stones' recently playing song on the radio. Before the sunset, the former Pope went to the wedding store to purchase a proposal ring in a velvet box, in order to propose his rara avis extremely soon.

Once he opened silently the bedroom's door without causing any disturbance or turmoil to his right hand, he concealed behind his spine, grasping into a balled fist the velvet box, thrumming melodically to himself, relishing the radio's music to boat in the background.

When the British aristocrat poked affably, faintly the older lady's shoulder, in order to wake up, she suddenly stirred up and came to her senses by rubbing with her frail, petite fists her drowsy eyes until the vision was gradually ebbing its fogging blurriness.

"What time is now, Tim?" The blonde posed the question, muttering out.

"It's already seven o'clock." The former aspiring priest replied plainly, stroking delicately the wild halo ringlet of sleek old Hollywood gilt curls, admiring her hair's crispy softness that was contacting his adroit, delicate fingers.

"Oh shit! I thought it was five o'clock or I've been asleep for an hour instead for 3 hours."

"It's alright. You deserve rest anyway but I've something for you."

All of a sudden, he demonstrated the velvet scarlet miniature box by crouching down past her as she thought she was dreaming at first, being lost in her reverie until it was too true to witness it. The proposal. It brought her a dew of moistness, flooding her brittle eyelids as crystal tears verged up to spring up into her eyes like a fountain. The caramel brown was sprinkled into glimmering awe, glued on the opened velvet box.

"I never did this and I have never been attracted to another female as the celibacy motivated me to be member of the church until I met somebody special. And this somebody special was you, breaking the curse of the celibacy as I laid my eyes on you since the beginning and I've never got you out of my mind." Timothy began his monologue by clearing his throat shortly before that, nibbling on the silken skin of his bottom, berry-coloured lip begrudgingly, transfixing his chocolate brown pools at the pair of honey brown ones. "You've been always the reason why I never wiped off the smile I wear constantly whenever I see or think of you, Jude! When I was with you, I finally realized the priesthood isn't just for me and you're the only person, who is capable of persuading me to flee the church with you for better. You've always nurtured, took good care of me and supported me, regardless the circumstances and on which topics we might disagree." Then he swallowed a solid lump, formed in his throat by pausing for a split second. "My ray of sunshine as a crucial reason of my smiles, my whole world which you're for me, my entire universe you're the reason why I do live, the love of my life who fascinates me, the most beautiful woman in this world since I've ever laid eyes on in the beginning. Judy Martin, will you marry me?" Crystal tears were rolling on her cheeks as the proposal ring slipped on the finger shortly after covering her mouth with her both hands as if she was on cloud nine after the proposal, sniffling quietly, euphorically to herself. Sensing sensation of melting heart due to the flabbergasting utterance which touched her.

"As tears go by! My riches can't buy everything I want to hear the children sing! All I hear is the sound of rain falling on the ground! I sit and watch!"

"Aww, Timothy Howard! What a marriage proposal? How I wouldn't marry ya since everything wonderful has happened to us and ya did everything for me to be happy too, handsomer?" Afterwards she threw her arms around his upper back, pulling him in a tight, kindhearted hug as it lasted more than the usual as well, burying her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling inwardly the alluring cologne that laced his neck. "Of course, I'll marry ya! More than anything I want to spend the eternity with ya and our unborn ray of sunshine. Yar the only reasons of my existence."

"I-Is everything alright, my rara avis? You're tremendously emotional." Timothy muffled a caution, rubbing her back with his mammoth, doting hand, emboldening her to subdue the sniffles, allowing its crystal, bitter tears to soak his flesh and unbuttoned partly shirt.

"I'm not just emotional, Timothy! It's too much for me. It's too sweet and kind of ya for all this! I'm just incredibly speechless and yar the sweetest man I've ever met."

"Aww! Do you know what, sweetheart?"

"What, darling?"

"Let's marry tomorrow and hold a private wedding. Just 2 of us. For both of us everything."

--- *** ---

--- The Next Day ---

--- 17th of March, 1967 ---

The day after approached as swiftly as the shortest day's sunset.

The former devotional members of the church have organized a private wedding. Just for 2 of them, celebrating, drinking, dancing and eating shortly after the priest finishes with his tiresome canticles, jingling monotonously into their ears.

Furthermore, they didn't have any guests since they were far away or they were unconditionally few only.

On the wedding day, the former sister of the church was dressed up in a humble, nonetheless indisputably breathtaking white cocktail dress as its hem flared slightly above her knees and wearing pearl jewelry solely, whereas her lover was dressed up in a formal wedding costume, hugging his muscular, yet appealing body even if Judy was with a half a decade his senior.

They were standing almost motionlessly whilst the elder priest was chanting half-heartedly canticles as the blonde rolled her hazelish-brown irises at boredom, puffing a jaded exhale until it was high time for asking them:

"Ms. Martin, do you take Mr. Howard as your lawful husband?"

"Yes, I do."

"Mr. Howard, do you take Ms. Martin as your lawful wife?"

"Yes!" The younger man declared proudly.

"You may kiss the bride!" The elder holy man jubilantly declaimed, whilst the older lady snaked her satin, fragile arms around his upper back, pulling him in a tight, loving embrace, whilst his both hands were cupping her ruddily tinted cheeks as he pressed his soft as satin, baby pinkish lips on hers in a hardening, steamy kiss and shutting their eyes, relishing the initial moments of being a wed couple.

"I love you very much than anything, sweetie!"

"I love you more than you me, rare bird!"