Page 25 of His Elder
"Do what?"
"Defend me. The art thing."
"It's true, isn't it?" He finally looked at me. "You do have an eye for detail."
Something warm and dangerous unfurled in my chest.
"Yeah," I said. "I guess I do."
The loudspeaker crackled. "Elders and sisters, please return to your seats. We'll be starting the second session."
The crowd shifted, flowing back toward the folding chairs. Samuel and I moved with them, maintaining the proper distance, two missionaries among dozens.
But when we sat down, his hand settled on the armrest between us again. Close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from his skin.
Not touching.
But close.
7
SAMUEL
Maria sat across from us at Granja M. Viader, her coffee steaming between her hands. The café smelled of chocolate and butter, warm and inviting despite the January chill outside. I'd chosen a table near the window, where we could watch pedestrians hurry past on Carrer d'en Xuclà.
"So," Maria said, setting down her cup. "Eternal families. That's what you wanted to discuss?"
"It's one of the most beautiful doctrines of the restored gospel," I said, opening my quad to Doctrine and Covenants. The words came automatically, rehearsed since the MTC. "Through temple ordinances, families can be sealed together not just for this life, but for all eternity. Death doesn't have to separate us from those we love."
"That does sound beautiful." Maria tilted her head. "But what are the requirements? Who qualifies for thiseternal family?"
"A man and woman married in the temple," I said. "Sealed by priesthood authority. Their children are born in the covenant, automatically sealed to them."
"And people who aren't Mormon?"
"Members of the Church," I corrected gently. "And they can still achieve exaltation through proxy work after death, if they accept the gospel in the spirit world."
"So they have to convert. Even after they're dead."
"It's giving them the choice," Vance said quietly. He hadn't contributed much to the lesson so far, just watched with that careful, assessing expression. "The ordinances are performed on their behalf, but their agency remains intact."
"What about people who never marry?" Maria asked.
"They'll have the opportunity in the next life," I said. "If they remain faithful."
"People who can't have children?"
"The same. All blessings will be available to the faithful in the eternities."
Maria took a sip of her coffee, studying me over the rim. "What about people who are gay?"
The question landed like a stone in still water. My prepared answer lodged in my throat.
"The Church teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman," I said. The words felt thick and wrong on my tongue. "It's part of God's eternal plan. Same-sex attraction is... it's a trial. A test of faithfulness."
"A test." Maria's voice remained neutral, but her eyes sharpened. "So being gay is a test from God?"
"Members who experience same-sex attraction are asked to remain celibate," I continued, pulling from the approved language I'd studied in the MTC. "They can still participate fully in the Church. They can hold callings, serve missions, attend the temple. They just can't act on those feelings."