care.
“It’s not that I was looking for a specific singer,” Alice said. “It’s the song I wanted to hear.”
“How come?” Mike asked.
“Oh, I dunno. I guess I was feeling kind of alone.”
“You should’ve told me,” Rose said with genuine concern. “We had plenty of time to talk about it upstairs. It certainly wasn’t going to do you any good to listen to such a sad song. Besides”—she was trying to be encouraging—“toward the end, it says, ‘Now I’m no longer alone … ’”
“I guess the melody is what I was looking for,” Alice said. “It’s sort of sad and melancholy.” She smiled. “But now that I’ve heard the song and listened to you guys, it’s better.”
“Remember,” Mike said, “you only get to feel like this”—he paused for emphasis—“once in a blue moon. That’s what it means: once in a very long time.”
“You would make this cerebral,” Rose scolded. “Al just was feeling down. I’m sure that it happens to everybody now and then.” She turned back to her friend. “Is something bothering you, Al? Don’t be put off by Mr. Meat-and-Potatoes there. Believe it or not, he does have feelings.”
“I know he does.” Alice smiled at the now blushing Mike. “I was thinking … I got to thinking about what we’re planning on doing.”
“Which is what?” Mike asked.
“Going into the convent,” Alice replied.
“Is
that
it?” Rose’s tone was dismissive. “Good gravy, that’s not for another five years. First we have to go through grade school
and
high school. That’s a long way to go. We’ve got plenty of time to decide for sure. Heck, Mike here has only one year to make up his mind. Once he finishes the eighth grade, it’s off to the seminary—if they’ll have him,” she said with a mocking grin.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t joke about that,” Mike said. “If Bob Koesler had a rough time, I’m not expecting a smooth slide.”
“Sorry,” Rose said. “But you shouldn’t be so touchy. You know you’re gonna be accepted.”
“Okay. But so do you two.”
“It’s different with us,” Rose protested.
“Oh?”
“We—the three of us,” Rose said, “along about this time next year will graduate from the eighth grade. Then Al and I will start high school at Redeemer. Nothing much will change for us. But you,” she addressed her twin, “will be going to a very special school where you’ll start a long process to figure out whether or not you want to be a priest.
“When the three of us graduate from high school, you’ll continue to be a student. Nothing much different will happen in your life. But our lives—Al’s and mine—will change terrifically. We’ll be in a convent. We’ll be postulants. We’ll be wearing a religious habit. We’ll be well on our way to becoming nuns.”
Silence for a few moments.
“I see what you mean,” Mike admitted finally. “Once we get out of grade school, my life will change—a lot. I’ll be a seminarian. But you and Alice; well, nothing much will happen to you two next year. Then, when we graduate four years later, I’ll still just be a seminarian … whereas you two will be beginning religious life in Monroe.”
“I’m not sure …” Alice hesitated. “ … about Monroe.”
“What?” Mike was puzzled. “You gotta go there. That’s where they make IHM nuns.”
The girls ignored Mike’s flippant phrase. “I’m just not so sure I want to be an IHM,” Alice said.
“What?” It was Rose’s turn to be surprised.
“The IHMs are teachers,” Alice said. “That’s what they do. Oh, here and there one might be an infirmarian, so she’d likely have to be a nurse. But there’s no real choice when you enter Monroe: If you stick it out, you’re going to be a teaching nun.”
“Maybe that’s why you were playing the Monroe record,” Mike teased. “You were thinking of being lonely in Monroe.” He chuckled.
“We can do without your feeble puns.” Rose
“It’s not that I was looking for a specific singer,” Alice said. “It’s the song I wanted to hear.”
“How come?” Mike asked.
“Oh, I dunno. I guess I was feeling kind of alone.”
“You should’ve told me,” Rose said with genuine concern. “We had plenty of time to talk about it upstairs. It certainly wasn’t going to do you any good to listen to such a sad song. Besides”—she was trying to be encouraging—“toward the end, it says, ‘Now I’m no longer alone … ’”
“I guess the melody is what I was looking for,” Alice said. “It’s sort of sad and melancholy.” She smiled. “But now that I’ve heard the song and listened to you guys, it’s better.”
“Remember,” Mike said, “you only get to feel like this”—he paused for emphasis—“once in a blue moon. That’s what it means: once in a very long time.”
“You would make this cerebral,” Rose scolded. “Al just was feeling down. I’m sure that it happens to everybody now and then.” She turned back to her friend. “Is something bothering you, Al? Don’t be put off by Mr. Meat-and-Potatoes there. Believe it or not, he does have feelings.”
“I know he does.” Alice smiled at the now blushing Mike. “I was thinking … I got to thinking about what we’re planning on doing.”
“Which is what?” Mike asked.
“Going into the convent,” Alice replied.
“Is
that
it?” Rose’s tone was dismissive. “Good gravy, that’s not for another five years. First we have to go through grade school
and
high school. That’s a long way to go. We’ve got plenty of time to decide for sure. Heck, Mike here has only one year to make up his mind. Once he finishes the eighth grade, it’s off to the seminary—if they’ll have him,” she said with a mocking grin.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t joke about that,” Mike said. “If Bob Koesler had a rough time, I’m not expecting a smooth slide.”
“Sorry,” Rose said. “But you shouldn’t be so touchy. You know you’re gonna be accepted.”
“Okay. But so do you two.”
“It’s different with us,” Rose protested.
“Oh?”
“We—the three of us,” Rose said, “along about this time next year will graduate from the eighth grade. Then Al and I will start high school at Redeemer. Nothing much will change for us. But you,” she addressed her twin, “will be going to a very special school where you’ll start a long process to figure out whether or not you want to be a priest.
“When the three of us graduate from high school, you’ll continue to be a student. Nothing much different will happen in your life. But our lives—Al’s and mine—will change terrifically. We’ll be in a convent. We’ll be postulants. We’ll be wearing a religious habit. We’ll be well on our way to becoming nuns.”
Silence for a few moments.
“I see what you mean,” Mike admitted finally. “Once we get out of grade school, my life will change—a lot. I’ll be a seminarian. But you and Alice; well, nothing much will happen to you two next year. Then, when we graduate four years later, I’ll still just be a seminarian … whereas you two will be beginning religious life in Monroe.”
“I’m not sure …” Alice hesitated. “ … about Monroe.”
“What?” Mike was puzzled. “You gotta go there. That’s where they make IHM nuns.”
The girls ignored Mike’s flippant phrase. “I’m just not so sure I want to be an IHM,” Alice said.
“What?” It was Rose’s turn to be surprised.
“The IHMs are teachers,” Alice said. “That’s what they do. Oh, here and there one might be an infirmarian, so she’d likely have to be a nurse. But there’s no real choice when you enter Monroe: If you stick it out, you’re going to be a teaching nun.”
“Maybe that’s why you were playing the Monroe record,” Mike teased. “You were thinking of being lonely in Monroe.” He chuckled.
“We can do without your feeble puns.” Rose
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