Father Thomas and Sister Mary were driving back to the monastery when their car sputtered to a halt in the middle of a torrential downpour. After an hour of failed repairs, they realized they were stranded for the night. They found a tiny, one-room cabin nearby, but it only had one small bed and a single sleeping bag.
“Sister,” Father Thomas said, ever the gentleman, “I will take the floor in the sleeping bag. You take the bed. We shall maintain our dignity and our vows.”
They settled in, but ten minutes later, Sister Mary whispered, “Father? I’m terribly cold.”
Father Thomas sighed, crawled out of his bag, found an extra blanket in the closet, and draped it over her. “There you go, Sister.”
Ten minutes later: “Father? I’m still freezing.”
He got up again, found a second blanket, and tucked her in. “Rest now, Mary.”
Five minutes passed. “Father… I’m still so cold. I was thinking… just for tonight, maybe we could act as if we were married?”
Father Thomas paused. He felt a bit of a thrill at the suggestion. “You know what, Sister? You’re right. Just for tonight, let’s act as if we are married.”
“Oh, wonderful!” she chirped.
“Great,” Father Thomas grunted, rolling over. “Then get up and get your own damn blanket!”
