Page 184 - What They Did to the Kid

172 Jack Fritscher

spot causing PeterPeterPeter to shimmer vibrato like an angel singing
on the head of a pin, “Ave Maria.”
“Gounod,” Lock whispered, “is not good enough.”
Hank the Tank leaned forward, his tobacco breath between our
two heads. “You’re cruisin’ for a bruisin’.”
The whole choir joined together for a selection of difficult Pal-
estrina, concluding with an upbeat medley from the Broadway musi-
cal Camelot. When PeterPeterPeter burst into a histrionic “If Ever
I Would Leave You,” waving good-bye to the Misericordians, Lock
and Mike and I were practically busting a gut laughing. We had
more fun, off with our secret little crowd, singing along with Tom
Lehrer, “Genuflect! Genuflect! Genuflect!,” satirizing Vatican II to the
tune of “The Vatican Rag.”
At intermission, I stood alone near Hank, who was holding court
in the lobby.
“Chris is in Dutch with them,” Hank said. His eyes burned holes
into me. “Peter told me the whole long scandal.”
Ha! Hank the Tank didn’t get it!
“They’re all mad he’s brought fresh air into the place. The struc-
ture can’t abide his civil disobedience.”
Lock came up to me and stood with his back to Hank, listening
to him.
“The faculty won’t even let Chris eat with them,” Hank contin-
ued. “All because he’s so intellectual and has done so much for us.”
“I saw Chris back in the kitchen tonight,” Ski said. “He didn’t
say anything. He kept eating out of a quart box of ice cream near
the freezer.”
“Peter says that’s all he’s eaten for days. He has to raid the
kitchen.” Hank pulled his fan club in closer. “Gunn and old Rector
Karg and their clique never did dig his ideas and now they’re rebel-
ling against him.”
“Because,” Lock said, “they can’t rebel against Rome.”
“Because of Vatican II, Chris has to eat it raw?” Hank the Tank
said.
“You eat it like they feed it,” Ski said. “I know how this works.”
“Maybe this time...” I paused to yank their attention. “Maybe
this time...they’re shipping a priest!”

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