Page 77 - What They Did to the Kid

What They Did to the Kid 65

said. “So Arnie says what was he supposed to do with the kids any-
way, leave them in the car with the heater running?’
Lock said he thought Arnie was even more rebellious as a priest
than he had been as a seminarian. “That’s one great thing about
Ordination to the priesthood,” Lock said, “they can’t get at you the
way they can when you’re a lowly seminarian.”
“God,” Dave said, “I hope he’s angry enough to tell a few alumni
something’s rotten here in lower Denmark.”
“I bet you Rector Karg writes Arnie’s bishop,” I said, “and fawns
all around and says, Oh, your excellency, Father Roth came and
acted uncharitably.”
“Karg can’t,” Mike said. “He’s got to maintain our sanctified
institution’s sanctified reputation with all the bishops.”
“Yessss,” Dempsey’s voice hissed to a perfect mime of Rector Karg,
his lower jaw thrust out, looking heavier than all the rest of his head.
“Misericordia Seminary enjoys a prime reputation for turning out
o-bee-dient, hard-working priests. In every diocese of the country
where we have a Misericordia man stationed, the bishop is happy.
Yet we must be ’umble, for only true ’umility can keep us that way.”
We all laughed at his imitation of the ashen-faced rector, who
was a simple man, pious, Hoch Deutsch, High German, and very
nineteenth century. Two weeks of Christmas vacation out in the
world had passed since we’d had a good laugh together at an inside
joke. Suddenly I was missing my family. The homesickness always
swirled up a tornado sucking my breath away.
My heart melted toward my classmates because we shared the
same goal. God had talked to each one of us, even the ones like Hank
who made you wonder what God was up to. I loved them and I
loved being with them. My heart leapt up. Sometimes I could forget
the priests had warned us particular friendships could be somehow
sinful, our times together could be so good.
“Be ’umble,” Dempsey mimicked and we roared again, so loud
the echoes rang up and down the stairwell.
Hank and John Kowalski, outside our private joke, pushed past
us. They carried a length of heavy pipe. “Out of the way, Ryanus,”
Hank said.
“What you gonna do with that?” I asked. “Shove it up your own

©Jack Fritscher, Ph.D., All Rights Reserved
HOW TO LEGALLY QUOTE FROM THIS BOOK