Louise has mentioned him. He gives good sermons … or so she says. When was he ordained?”
“Last June.” The words were muffled.
“Last June! Why, he’s been a priest only four or five months!”
“Now, Marty,” Frank said soothingly, “remember what we just got done talking about—how these younger priests might be up on the latest? What could it hurt if we give this a chance?”
“I don’t know …” She was skeptical. “I don’t have a very good feeling about this. I know how you don’t put much trust in my intuition, Frankie. But it proves true more often than not.”
“Come on, Marty, what could go wrong? What with where we are now, it could only get better. It’s not going to get any worse. I would do anything so you could go to Communion again.” Well, Frank thought, just about anything. The one thing he knew neither of them could possibly do would be to separate and get a divorce. But anything else …
“I guess …” Martha said tentatively, “… it would be all right then. Do we know this Father …”
“Koesler.”
“… Koesler will see us? We don’t live in his parish. We’re in the neighboring parish, Nativity. Our pastor is mean and gruff. Maybe he won’t let us see your Father Koesler—”
“I don’t think he has any choice in the matter,” Vincent said firmly. “I think for consultation, you can go to any priest you want.”
“Okay, we’ll try it. No,” Martha said after a moment, “we’ll give it all we’ve got. I’ve been negative and reluctant about this only because neither of us wants to get hurt again. Really, I’m very grateful to you, Vinnie.” She reached up and pulled him down to her height and planted a big kiss on his lips.
Frank shook Vincent’s hand vigorously.
“Now,” Martha said, “how do we go about this?”
Vincent thought for a moment. “Using the phone here in the seminary is kind of awkward. We have to get permission. And catching Father Bob at just the right moment is problematical in any case.
“I think what I’ll do is write him a note and get. it in tomorrow’s mail. I’ll just explain that my aunt and my uncle will be phoning for an appointment. And I’ll ask him to see you. I’ll just give him a general idea of what this is about. I think it’ll be better if I don’t get too deeply into the marriage thing. That way you can start fresh. And actually, I don’t know that much about it. So if I don’t go into it, I won’t mess things up.”
“Okay, Vinnie.” Martha checked her watch. “Visiting time is almost over; we’ll have to leave.”
“I’ll walk you to the car,” Vincent said, leading the way.
They all began piling in. Frank, the last to enter, turned and held out his hand. “Really, Vincent, we—me especially—are grateful. If this works out, Marty and me are going to be about the happiest two people on the face of this earth.”
As the car pulled away, everyone was waving good-bye.
“How did it go?” Louise asked.
Martha snorted. “You don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?”
“Come on, Lou. All you told that boy was to fix things for Frankie and me. You didn’t even know what he was going to show us when you suggested that ‘tour.’”
“Okay, okay. So I just told him to do everything he could to help so you could receive the sacraments again. How’d he do?”
“We’ll see. We’re to wait a few days. Vinnie is going to write to his friend, your priest—”
“You mean Father Koesler? Oh, that’s good. He’s a good priest. He gives such good sermons. And he says Mass so fervently—”
“How is he with miracles?”
“If anybody can do it, he can. And we’ll help as much as we can.” Louise turned to the others. “C’mon everybody,” she said loudly, “we’re going to say the Rosary on the way home. It’s for the intention of Uncle Frank and Aunt Martha.”
Tony began to grumble. Lucy began to whine. But that was all drowned out as Louise began: “‘In the
“Last June.” The words were muffled.
“Last June! Why, he’s been a priest only four or five months!”
“Now, Marty,” Frank said soothingly, “remember what we just got done talking about—how these younger priests might be up on the latest? What could it hurt if we give this a chance?”
“I don’t know …” She was skeptical. “I don’t have a very good feeling about this. I know how you don’t put much trust in my intuition, Frankie. But it proves true more often than not.”
“Come on, Marty, what could go wrong? What with where we are now, it could only get better. It’s not going to get any worse. I would do anything so you could go to Communion again.” Well, Frank thought, just about anything. The one thing he knew neither of them could possibly do would be to separate and get a divorce. But anything else …
“I guess …” Martha said tentatively, “… it would be all right then. Do we know this Father …”
“Koesler.”
“… Koesler will see us? We don’t live in his parish. We’re in the neighboring parish, Nativity. Our pastor is mean and gruff. Maybe he won’t let us see your Father Koesler—”
“I don’t think he has any choice in the matter,” Vincent said firmly. “I think for consultation, you can go to any priest you want.”
“Okay, we’ll try it. No,” Martha said after a moment, “we’ll give it all we’ve got. I’ve been negative and reluctant about this only because neither of us wants to get hurt again. Really, I’m very grateful to you, Vinnie.” She reached up and pulled him down to her height and planted a big kiss on his lips.
Frank shook Vincent’s hand vigorously.
“Now,” Martha said, “how do we go about this?”
Vincent thought for a moment. “Using the phone here in the seminary is kind of awkward. We have to get permission. And catching Father Bob at just the right moment is problematical in any case.
“I think what I’ll do is write him a note and get. it in tomorrow’s mail. I’ll just explain that my aunt and my uncle will be phoning for an appointment. And I’ll ask him to see you. I’ll just give him a general idea of what this is about. I think it’ll be better if I don’t get too deeply into the marriage thing. That way you can start fresh. And actually, I don’t know that much about it. So if I don’t go into it, I won’t mess things up.”
“Okay, Vinnie.” Martha checked her watch. “Visiting time is almost over; we’ll have to leave.”
“I’ll walk you to the car,” Vincent said, leading the way.
They all began piling in. Frank, the last to enter, turned and held out his hand. “Really, Vincent, we—me especially—are grateful. If this works out, Marty and me are going to be about the happiest two people on the face of this earth.”
As the car pulled away, everyone was waving good-bye.
“How did it go?” Louise asked.
Martha snorted. “You don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?”
“Come on, Lou. All you told that boy was to fix things for Frankie and me. You didn’t even know what he was going to show us when you suggested that ‘tour.’”
“Okay, okay. So I just told him to do everything he could to help so you could receive the sacraments again. How’d he do?”
“We’ll see. We’re to wait a few days. Vinnie is going to write to his friend, your priest—”
“You mean Father Koesler? Oh, that’s good. He’s a good priest. He gives such good sermons. And he says Mass so fervently—”
“How is he with miracles?”
“If anybody can do it, he can. And we’ll help as much as we can.” Louise turned to the others. “C’mon everybody,” she said loudly, “we’re going to say the Rosary on the way home. It’s for the intention of Uncle Frank and Aunt Martha.”
Tony began to grumble. Lucy began to whine. But that was all drowned out as Louise began: “‘In the
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