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%u00a9Jack Fritscher, Ph.D., All Rights ReservedHOW TO LEGALLY QUOTE FROM THIS BOOKWhat They Did to the Kid 95%u201cActually, Ryan is fairly well known in the Catholic press.%u201dJulia fluttered. %u201cI read your religious poems. The ones the priests printed.%u201d%u201cMimeographed,%u201d Doc said.%u201cThey were lovely,%u201d Julia finished.%u201cRyan has sold at least a dozen short stories, but he%u2019s really good at interviewing missionaries for feature articles about cannibalism in the African church, and there%u2019s his radio drama called Mister and Missa Luba.%u201d Mike enjoyed embarrassing me while he needled his parents. %u201cIt%u2019s such a comfort,%u201d Julia said, %u201cto know a close friend of Michael is such a good influence on him.%u201d%u201cGod knows he could use it,%u201d Doc said, squeezing more lemon across his finnan haddie. He sucked his fingers.%u201cThat%u2019s enough, Doc,%u201d Mike said.Julia offered me the basket of rolls.%u201cWere you busy at the office today, Doctor?%u201d I made conversation.Julia%u2019s eyes widened in her stare at Mike.%u201cWith all the tourists,%u201d I said, %u201cyou maybe do a lot of emergency dental work.%u201d%u201cDoc, that is, the Doctor, doesn%u2019t like to talk about business at home,%u201d Julia said. %u201cI%u2019m sorry, Ryan.%u201d%u201cOn the contrary, I%u2019m sorry,%u201d I said.%u201cDon%u2019t be.%u201d Doc pushed his plate away. %u201cI don%u2019t like to talk about dentistry, because I don%u2019t practice dentistry.%u201d%u201cBut you are a dentist, dear,%u201d Julia said. %u201cHe has his degree. He received it the week before we were married.%u201d%u201cHe announced he was never going to practice dentistry the week after,%u201d Mike said.%u201cTell him why, dear. Oh, Michael, why haven%u2019t you explained all this to Ryan years ago. You%u2019re such friends.%u201d%u201cI%u2019ll tell you why,%u201d Doc said. %u201cI decided I couldn%u2019t stand to put my hands in other people%u2019s mouths.%u201d%u201cThat%u2019s a laugh,%u201d I said. %u201cAt Communion, priests%u2019 fingers touch people%u2019s tongues and teeth and lips and lipstick...%u201d%u201cDisgusting,%u201d Doc growled.%u201cHe only wanted the title of %u2018Doctor,%u2019%u201d Mike said. %u201cThat was the real reason. So he could be %u2018Doctor Hager%u2019 and move into nine rooms and a bath.%u201d%u201cNow I%u2019m afraid I, his own wife, don%u2019t even call him %u2018Doctor,%u2019%u201d Julia said. %u201cEven I, who should understand him, call him %u2018Doc.%u2019%u201d