No Greater Love Read online

  “Exactly,” Duress agreed. “She is what’s termed a whistle-blower. What happens if we confer a degree on her? She goes to a parish and if the pastor doesn’t suit her standards, she entraps the poor man. And one more parish desperately in need of a pastor has no one to turn to but Little Miss Mata Hari.”

  “What’s so bad about a whistle-blower?” Burke demanded. “It takes courage to take on any establishment or power-mad leader and expose the evil!”

  “Doesn’t anyone see,” Duross asked, “the resemblance between what we’re debating now and one of the earliest stories in the Bible?”

  “You don’t mean—“Burke began.

  “Of course I mean Adam and Eve. Paradise and the first sin. Adam would not have fallen if it had not been for Eve. It’s the woman every time. Cherchez la femme.”

  “Well! Really!” Loretta Doyle breathed fire. She was that rare combination of liturgist, conservative, and feminist.

  Duross and many of the other traditionalists knew they had just lost a sympathetic ear.

  The debate continued for more than an hour, neither faction moving appreciably in their respective positions.

  For some, Page was the victim. Trapped by a conniving female. To this camp, Andrea was all of the seducing, manipulative women in history.

  Or, Andrea was willing to risk a Church career she’d been pursuing for the past eight years so that the Church would not be compromised by a totally unacceptable candidate for orders. To this camp, Page was a clear and certain danger. A time bomb set and ready to go off.

  The debate slackened as all sensed that they were going over the same ground again and again. A motion was made and seconded that Page be given a reprimand and forgiven for all else. That was defeated 19-11.McNiff did not vote.

  A motion was made and. seconded that Page be reprimanded, confined to campus until after the Easter holidays, and that his request for assignment to St. Waldo’s be denied. The motion passed 17-13.

  As to the matter of Andrea Zawalich:

  A motion was made and seconded that her behavior in this matter be made a part of her permanent record and that she be placed on probation for a year after graduation. Anything of this nature in that period and she would be stripped of her academic degree. That motion was defeated 20-10.

  The handwriting was on the wall: The majority wanted Andrea’s head.

  A motion was made and seconded that she be expelled and denied her degree. The motion passed 18-12.

  The meeting was over. McNiff took on the unwanted task of informing the two principals of the faculty’s verdict.

  Father Koesler was disheartened by the entire affair. He barely knew either student. But this escapade bore the earmarks of adolescent behavior. Easier to forgive Andrea than Page, if only because the young woman was chronologically closer to adolescence.

  But the faculty had debated and voted. As they say in Rome, causa finita.

  Twenty-five

  With Bishop McNiff’s message of the faculty vote, both the accused were freed from detention. Andrea, however, was told to pack and make arrangements to leave immediately.

  As soon as McNiff left Andrea’s room, Patty joined her. And the two had a wrenching cry. Some of that gloom lingered as Andrea began to pack.

  “How are you going to leave?” Patty asked bleakly.

  “My mom and dad are on the way. I’ve got my car, but I just don’t feel up to driving right now. I’ll go home with Mom, and Dad will take my car.”

  “You did it for me, didn’t you?” Patty asked, after a short silence.

  “Partly …” Andrea thought for a moment. “Yes, only partly. The sleazeball did give you such a rotten time. I wouldn’t have had any idea of the horrible things that he would do to the Church if I hadn’t seen what he did, and what he tried to do, to you.”

  Patty shook her head. “It’s my fault. I can’t help it; I feel I’m responsible for what’s happened.”

  Andrea stopped packing and sat on the bed. “Drive that out of your mind, honey. I did it. I did it all on my own. And it was stupid.”

  “It wasn’t!” Patty protested. “There was no other way. Face it: If you had told the faculty how unfit Bill Page is for the priesthood, they would never have believed you. Look at what actually happened: Page himself told the faculty how low he could stoop. And all they did was give him a slap on the wrist.”

  “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 seeme
d 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 …”

  “What else could it mean? You were doing this all on your own. Al, I’m proud of you. Only … only, I fear I screwed things up for you. It was obvious the two of you were hitting it off. I should have got out of here the minute I saw you two together. At the very least, I should have acted like it was the two of you against me.

  “Instead, I started up where I’d left off: being her adversary. And I included you in my camp. I’m sorry, buddy. But,” he reassured, “I think I can make good. From now on, I won’t be your buddy. I’ll make it obvious that you and I have split. Then you can make your move. And, by the way, if you want to check it out, I can give you some pointers on how to make that move.”

  Obviously Page was excited. He had excited himself. Apparently he anticipated living vicariously through Cody. It would be as much an affair between Page and Donnelly, in Page’s mind, as it would be between Cody and Donnelly in the flesh.

  Page was ready—ready to initiate what in effect was Plan B.

  It seemed to be Al Cody’s turn to speak. But he said nothing. He just regarded Page incredulously.

  “I don’t believe you,” Cody said at length. “You have just been disciplined for your misconduct. And you want me to travel down the same road you were on.”

  “I’m doing this for your own good, Al. I can’t stand to see a pal of mine go through life without a decent and fulfilling sexual encounter. I’m only thinking of you.”

  I’m only thinking of you. Such a familiar phrase. Cody recalled almost immediately: It was a song from Man of La Mancha. A series of relatives and “friends” of Don Quixote confess to a priest that—while meddling with, manipulating, and ruining the Don’s life—they are only thinking of him.