He laughed. “Yeah, it definitely is. I probably should have told you earlier, but it just never really came up.”

Disappointment crashed through me. I’d been wrong about the feelings stirring up when I was around him. Sure, he’d kind of held my hand and seemed into me, but I’d been all wrong. Future priests weren’t interested in girls or dating. He was just being nice to me and . . . priestly.

“Uh-oh. I can see your thoughts whirling around. What is it?”

I forced a smile and pretended I was thrilled. “Nothing, I’m happy for you. I just don’t know too much about it except you can’t get married or have a family. You need to dedicate yourself to God, right?”

He nodded. His blue eyes seemed to darken, as if the thought still bothered him. “That’s right. It was the hardest part for me to accept. Remember I told you that my parents and I were having a big problem?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, my decision to enter the priesthood was the big issue. They flipped out. Tried to talk me out of it. My mom cried, worried I’d be giving up my only opportunity for love and children. Dad yelled at our local priest and told him to stop putting ideas in my head. It was hard for them. I kept trying to explain it was a calling I’ve had since I was young. When I went into church, I felt at peace. Like I was home. Everything I learned about God not only comforted me, but pushed me to know more.” He shook his head. “I just wanted to share my life with the world in order to help. There’s so much poverty and violence and unhappiness. If I could do one little thing to make a positive change, it’d be worth it. Sounds ridiculous?”

He was special. There was no one I’d ever met who wanted to sacrifice his future for others. “No, it’s not ridiculous at all. It’s beautiful. But I still wonder if you could do all that and keep your options open. Like the Peace Corps, or working for a charity? There are tons of jobs that give back.”

“You’re right, but not one centered completely around God. Following him and doing his work is my calling. No matter where I’m sent in the future, whether it’s a small community parish or a big church in a city, I get to be a hands-on messenger. And not in the way of knocking on doors—though I’m not knocking that approach,” he said with a laugh, “but in a natural way.”

“Can you help the animals if you’re a priest?” I asked.