No Greater Love (34 page)

“I don't know about that.” Andrea smiled weakly. “I think he'll really miss Waldo's.”

“Get serious!”

“I am. Oh, I am.”

“What are you going to do? Do you have any idea?”

“It's too soon.” Andrea sighed. “You know … I had my career firmly in place … everything was set … I had a parish ready for me and I certainly was ready for that parish.” Andrea stood and resumed her packing. “I threw the whole thing away. What a fool I was!”

“You were a fool for God.”

“That's debatable.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“No.” Andrea stopped and ran her fingers through Patty's hair. “There is one silver lining—and only one that I know of. After he lowered the boom on me, that good old Bishop McNiff went off the record. He said he understood what I'd done and why. He said he didn't think it was very bright, but he thought it was very brave.”

“Well, that's consoling. He didn't have to tell you that.”

“Patty, it was more than mere words. He said I was an excellent student. He told me to scout around the country. If I found a diocese and a seminary that I really liked, he would vouch for me and explain what had happened here.”

Patty's face brightened. “That was terrific of him, wasn't it?”

“Yes, I think so. But right now, I'm already missing that lovely little parish I had all set up. I said I wouldn't go to them without a diploma. And I won't.”

A student appeared in the doorway. “Andrea, your folks are here.”

“Tell them I'll be down in a couple of minutes.” She turned to Patty. “So long, friend. I hope our paths will cross in the future.”

“We can pray for each other,” Patty said.

“And we will. Now get out of here before we start crying again.”

But it was too late. The tears were flowing as Patty, shoulders hunched, turned and left the room, followed by the sound of Andrea's barely muffled sobs.

As she made her way almost blindly down the corridor, Patty thought she heard her name called. Dabbing at her tearstained cheeks with a couple of disintegrating tissues, she turned to see Al Cody. “D … Did you call me?”

“Uh-huh.” He hurried to catch up with her. Pulling herself together, Patty glared at him. “I'm going to warn you right off the bat,
Reverend Mr. Cody”
—she gave him his title in a voice oozing with sarcasm—“if you've come to gloat, I'll flatten you!” She turned to continue on her way.

“Oh no. No. Please, I swear I'm not gloating. I just heard about it … about Andrea and Bill. I don't know any of the details. But right off the top, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am.” He circled in front of her, forcing her to halt. “Andrea was just about your best friend, wasn't she?”

“Not ‘just about'; she
is
my best friend.”

“Do you know what all this is about?”

“Are you for real?” As far as Patty was concerned, Cody was completely out of character in showing pity for not just one but two women. “When are you going to tip the chair against the table so I can't sit with you?” Her voice was not loud, but it was intense. “When are you going to laugh at me and humiliate me when I do something stupid? When are you going to break up in glee over Andrea's expulsion?”

Cody hung his head. “I hurt you
that
much! I'm sorry. I really am. If you want, I won't bother you again, ever. And I couldn't blame you. But I'd like to be your friend. And I know that will take a lot of forgiving on your part.”

They stood staring at each other for what seemed a long time.

“Why should Andrea have a corner on Christian behavior?” Patty murmured finally. “Okay. What the hell, I'll give it a try.”.

Al beamed. “Will you tell me, then? What happened, I mean?”

Gretchen O'Keefe so far had been the only source of information regarding the infamous note. She had read it. The only others who knew the contents were Andrea, Bill, and the faculty. All of whom were sworn to secrecy.

However, Gretchen knew only what had been written, not the premise on which the note was based. That, among all the students, was the question of the day: What was in the letter? And what had occasioned it?

“We can't stand here all day,” Patty said. “Want to go to the snack room?”

Al treated to coffee. Patty somewhat hesitantly—she was still not sure of him—filled him in on what she knew.

Al thought Andrea foolish to risk everything just to prove a point. But he did not voice this opinion; this new-made friendship was far too fragile to put to the test this soon. Instead, he expressed sympathy for what had happened to her friend. The sympathy was genuine.

Patty was curious: What did he think of his buddy Bill Page?

Al hesitated. “I'm fully aware that Bill is horny. Sometimes it seems all he can think about. But I was sure he was keeping his fixation in check.”

He refrained from mentioning the plans that Bill had for postordination sexual activity. Al tended to treat that as a confidence not to be shared with anyone else.

“But,” he said, “if Andrea offered him all that she reportedly promised, the result was predictable. He couldn't resist something like that.”

Patty tilted her head to one side and studied him. “Al, you are either the most forgiving person I've met in a long time. Or you are terrifically indecisive. Once I would have said indecisive; now, I'm not so sure.”

“In the spirit of our new friendship, I've got to confess that I have always had a real problem making up my mind. I don't know what's the matter … but I'm working on it.”

“Okay, but what made you go along with all those childish pranks with Bill and the guys? You must've known you were hurting me.…”

He reddened. “Down deep I knew we were wrong. It was shameful. It was foolish and adolescent. But I couldn't decide to go against the tide. I can only tell you again I am truly sorry. I apologize.”

“Accepted. Now let's see if we can keep this friendship alive.”

“My sentiments exactly.”

The doorway darkened as Bill Page entered the room.

“It's good to see you, buddy,” Bill directed at Al. “You're the first friendly face I've seen in quite a while.”

“Don't count on it being friendly,” Patty said.

“I wasn't speaking to you.” His tone was derisive.

Patty shot a glance at her tablemate, who appeared to have been struck dumb. She turned back to Page. “I'm speaking for Al.”

“Al? Not Al!” Page shot a glance at the mute deacon. “What are you doing, buddy: giving aid and comfort to the enemy?”

“The enemy isn't all that clearly defined,” Patty said. “Things have changed.” She looked at Al, tilting her head as if pointing toward Page. “Tell him, Al.”

Silence.

Page, seemingly unruffled, got a coffee from the machine and sat down heavily at their table. “Yeah, tell me, Al. Tell me about the changes.”

Al looked helplessly at Patty. “We've all got to be understanding at a time like this. Bill's been through a rough period too.”

Patty's jaw dropped. “After what we—?” She was sputteringly angry and getting angrier. “You're right, Al. You've got a backbone like a rubber band. If this is all our friendship means, forget it!” She pushed away from the table with such vehemence that her cup overturned, spilling coffee all over the table. Heedless, she stormed from the room.

Bill sighed coolly, picked up some napkins, and began mopping up the puddle. “Crazy broad … never cleans up her messes.”

Al looked puzzled. “Bill, how can you act like this after what you've been through?”

“After what I've been through? You've got a point there. I have been through a lot. I am very definitely going to miss St. Waldo's, and all we could have done for each other. That is a spectacular loss. So how come I feel at all chipper?” He tossed the soggy napkins in the waste-basket. “It could have been a lot worse. I could have been tossed out on my ear like that poor bitch Zawalich.”

“How come you weren't?”

A snide smile. ” Lots of reasons, Al; lots of reasons.

“For one thing, I long ago made friends with the winning group. In case you haven't noticed, this faculty is up to its ears in traditional clergy and lay members. As soon as I knew that, I knew what kind of student I would be: Hooray for the Pope! In effect, my good buddies, my fellow conservatives, cleared me. The only surprise,” he said parenthetically, “was that the vote wasn't 27-3.”

“But that, Al, is what saved my ass more than anything else.

“On top of which, it was a deacon versus an embryonic pastoral minister. All they had to do was fire her. If they had done that to me, there would've been the mess of laicizing me. Which would mean bringing the matter to Rome—something most of the guys didn't want to do.

“And, maybe one more thing: I was damn good at pleading my case! Put them all together, they spell something close to vindication.

“But I
am
going to miss Waldo's. Maybe after I do really well wherever they send me, there'll still be a Waldo's in my future.”

“That's it?” Al demanded. “That's all there is to it?” He looked incredulous. “As far as I can total it up—my father being a lawyer—you've been convicted of gross indecency in language and in intent. And you attempted to seduce a woman—never mind that she initiated it; you drew the pictures. And, as a result of your adolescent behavior, a damn good student has been expelled. In addition, you have lost an appointment to a prestigious parish.” Brow knitted in a combination of puzzlement and amazement, he stared at Page. “And you call all that your ‘vindication'?”

Page, seemingly unruffled, downed the remainder of his coffee, then crushed the Styrofoam cup in his fist. “Now, wait just a minute, buddy-whose-father-is-a-lawyer. The Zawalich broad tried to prove one indisputable conclusion: that a man is capable of being seduced. If there's a question there, it's rhetorical. She not only initiated this mess, she was the one who seduced
me.
I just went along with it.

“At best, the affair was a mistake. At worst, in terms of her future in the Church, it was a fatal mistake.

“So don't go getting holier than thou with me.”

“God knows I don't want to be holier than anybody,” Al protested. “I guess I was just disgusted with your flippant attitude. You're passing this off as a joke. And I'm pretty certain that it's no joke to Andrea.”

“Forget Andrea. For the last time, forget Andrea. She's history.” He smiled salaciously “Let's consider Patty.”

“Patty?!”

“The trouble is, Al, I'm not sure about what I'm hearing. I promised that you wouldn't leave these walls a virgin. I never got down to specifics on that promise. But I can tell you now, my nominee for your carnal knowledge was none other than Pat Donnelly.”

“What?”

“That's right: pretty Patty. She may have a mighty mouth, but she's also got a great bod. I'll readily admit that I've had my share of fantasies and then some about Ms. Donnelly. However, being of a generous nature, I was reserving her for you. In what might have been your one and only indulgence in sexual encounter, I thought you deserved the very best.

“Besides, getting you and Donnelly together was a challenge to my ability as a romantic matchmaker. In the past, my record for getting others together was equaled only by my finding a willing woman for myself.”

“Bill, you're talking about being a pimp!”

“Why quibble over words? The point is, I'm as good to my friends as I am to myself.

“But to be honest, Al, you took me by surprise getting next to Donnelly all on your own.”

“You thought …?”

“Look at yourself. Look at her. When was the last time you were with her, just the two of you?”

“Well,” Al rummaged around his memory, “never before, actually. But that doesn't mean …”