maybe you will after a couple of days here." The
comment seemed cryptic. "Back then, I wasn't much
older than you are now. And, a four-point-oh at Catholic
U? I graduated there myself."
"Really? I didn't know that."
"And I'll admit, I'm a bit jealous."
Jealous? "Why's that Father?"
"I barely got out of there with a three-point-five." His
gaze leveled, and again he seemed to be trying to smile
while never really doing it. "I only hope that a superior
student like yourself won't be too disappointed when she realizes the true nature of this field study option. There
won't be a lot of academics going on here, but we will be
working our behinds off: painting, wallpapering, and a
lot of yard work."
"That's fine with me, Father. I could use a break from
the books anyway, and if God wants a paint roller in my
hand instead of a midterm, then so be it."
"Excellent response." The priest turned and cast a
quick glance at the building. "As you can all see, the prior
house won't win any awards for beauty in architecture
but now that I think of it, the Church might've been better
off choosing utilitarian designs like this all along."
"What do you mean, Father?" Maxine asked.
"Think of all the money the Vatican would've saved over
the last two thousand years. God doesn't care if His house
is ugly as long as it works. But just for formality's sake,
we'll have it looking a little less ugly before reopening."
"How long has it been closed?" Venetia wondered.
"Well, it's never been totally closed. For decades it's
served a variety of uses for the Church: book repository,
warehouse, and sometimes parish priests would board
here while their own churches were refurbished. There
was a small maintenance staff the whole time, but they all
retired recently. So did the previous prior."
Venetia didn't want to sound nosy but she was suddenly
curious about this man. "What were your duties before
you received this assignment?"
"A lot of teaching, plus some counseling," the priest responded. His gaze flicked up when a seagull sailed by.
"Rome, France, India, Brazil, and all around the U.S. The
church has given me a lot of opportunities to travel. But
now the diocese wants me to reopen this place, so here I
am. It'll be different, that's for sure. I only wish I'd been
able to recruit more girls like you."
"Like me, Father?"
"Students of theology. It's my favorite subject. I put
fliers out at the theology departments of some of the
nearby colleges but no one replied. I was lucky enough to
run into your parents at my old church in Dover, and when they told me that you were at Catholic U, I thought
it couldn't hurt to ask you to apply."
Suddenly Venetia became self-conscious. I hope I don't
look too ragged from lack of sleep. She felt driven to make a
good first impression. "I just want you to know that I'm
very grateful, Father, for giving me this opportunity."
"Don't thank me yet." He turned with that same failed
smile. "Thank me at the end of the summer"-he swept
his hands across the cul-de-sac's unkempt excuses for
flowerbeds-"when we've gotten all these weeds pulled.
Sounds like fun, huh?"
"At least it's a bit more interesting on the inside," Driscoll
said once they entered. "A bit more interesting and a bit
more dirty."
Venetia stood just inside the doorway, her bags tugging
at her arms. The inside floor layout was an immense
atrium surrounded by four walls of offices and libraries
on the first floor and presumably living quarters on the
second. Two drab stairwells on either side led upstairs,
and a stair-hall wrapped around the atrium as well. A variety of throw rugs, some quite large, covered the floor, on
which couches, arm chairs, and writing tables were
arranged. In between each lower-level office door stood
rows of book shelves festooned by cobwebs.
"Wow," " Venetia said. "This is going to be a big cleaning job "
"Sure is. But at least the upstairs is already spic 'n span
and
comment seemed cryptic. "Back then, I wasn't much
older than you are now. And, a four-point-oh at Catholic
U? I graduated there myself."
"Really? I didn't know that."
"And I'll admit, I'm a bit jealous."
Jealous? "Why's that Father?"
"I barely got out of there with a three-point-five." His
gaze leveled, and again he seemed to be trying to smile
while never really doing it. "I only hope that a superior
student like yourself won't be too disappointed when she realizes the true nature of this field study option. There
won't be a lot of academics going on here, but we will be
working our behinds off: painting, wallpapering, and a
lot of yard work."
"That's fine with me, Father. I could use a break from
the books anyway, and if God wants a paint roller in my
hand instead of a midterm, then so be it."
"Excellent response." The priest turned and cast a
quick glance at the building. "As you can all see, the prior
house won't win any awards for beauty in architecture
but now that I think of it, the Church might've been better
off choosing utilitarian designs like this all along."
"What do you mean, Father?" Maxine asked.
"Think of all the money the Vatican would've saved over
the last two thousand years. God doesn't care if His house
is ugly as long as it works. But just for formality's sake,
we'll have it looking a little less ugly before reopening."
"How long has it been closed?" Venetia wondered.
"Well, it's never been totally closed. For decades it's
served a variety of uses for the Church: book repository,
warehouse, and sometimes parish priests would board
here while their own churches were refurbished. There
was a small maintenance staff the whole time, but they all
retired recently. So did the previous prior."
Venetia didn't want to sound nosy but she was suddenly
curious about this man. "What were your duties before
you received this assignment?"
"A lot of teaching, plus some counseling," the priest responded. His gaze flicked up when a seagull sailed by.
"Rome, France, India, Brazil, and all around the U.S. The
church has given me a lot of opportunities to travel. But
now the diocese wants me to reopen this place, so here I
am. It'll be different, that's for sure. I only wish I'd been
able to recruit more girls like you."
"Like me, Father?"
"Students of theology. It's my favorite subject. I put
fliers out at the theology departments of some of the
nearby colleges but no one replied. I was lucky enough to
run into your parents at my old church in Dover, and when they told me that you were at Catholic U, I thought
it couldn't hurt to ask you to apply."
Suddenly Venetia became self-conscious. I hope I don't
look too ragged from lack of sleep. She felt driven to make a
good first impression. "I just want you to know that I'm
very grateful, Father, for giving me this opportunity."
"Don't thank me yet." He turned with that same failed
smile. "Thank me at the end of the summer"-he swept
his hands across the cul-de-sac's unkempt excuses for
flowerbeds-"when we've gotten all these weeds pulled.
Sounds like fun, huh?"
"At least it's a bit more interesting on the inside," Driscoll
said once they entered. "A bit more interesting and a bit
more dirty."
Venetia stood just inside the doorway, her bags tugging
at her arms. The inside floor layout was an immense
atrium surrounded by four walls of offices and libraries
on the first floor and presumably living quarters on the
second. Two drab stairwells on either side led upstairs,
and a stair-hall wrapped around the atrium as well. A variety of throw rugs, some quite large, covered the floor, on
which couches, arm chairs, and writing tables were
arranged. In between each lower-level office door stood
rows of book shelves festooned by cobwebs.
"Wow," " Venetia said. "This is going to be a big cleaning job "
"Sure is. But at least the upstairs is already spic 'n span
and
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