Johnny Gets His Wings

Chapter 4

Anyway, I sat in that chair for a good twenty minutes. And to my dismay, I could actually hear sobs of anguish coming from Father Bennet's office even though the door was closed. There was no mistaking it. It was Dad, and he was in there wailing like a woman. My mind began to play tricks on me. Shit. Maybe he had diddled Betsy the basketball player, after all.

Yet there was a silver lining behind the dark cloud. Betsy was eighteen, so the cops couldn't get him for being a child molester. Therefore, the worst that could possibly happen was the termination of his employment. And getting fired from Saint Mary's High School wasn't a huge fucking deal. Trust me. His salary was pretty much peanuts. Furthermore, Catholic institutions don't provide a nice cushy retirement plan like the public-school system. Far from it. The teachers paid into social security just like all the other peasants in the world.

The door finally opened, and Dad walked out with Father Bennet's arm around his shoulders. The bald portly priest was wearing his penguin suit, and a huge crucifix hung from around his neck. My father didn't even notice me as he passed by. He was too busy rubbing the tears from his eyes. He left without even saying goodbye.

Once again, I prayed to Jesus for mercy, but I certainly wasn't expecting a miracle. If the truth be told, I wasn't even a Roman Catholic. Sure, I had to attend the occasional mass because the school required it. But I was a boy without any real religion or faith. In fact, the only time I thought about God was in times of trouble.

Then the priest turned his attention to me. "Johnny, shouldn't you be in class? Your dad can give you all the details when you get home."

Janet cleared her throat and handed him the office referral. He read it and proceeded to gaze at me for several seconds in shock.

"You punched Mr. Bradley in the head with your fist?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I didn't mean to do it. It just happened."

"Just happened? What? Did the devil make you do it?"

"I heard one of the other students talking about my father. She said some pretty bad things. Well, I couldn't punch her because she's a girl. So I took out my frustrations on Mr. Bradley instead."

He frowned and shook his head. "Son, Mr. Bradley only has one leg."

"I know. I feel awful."

"Let's talk about this in my office."

I followed him and took a seat in front of his desk. I remember that he had a huge bowl of chocolate-covered cherries resting on top of the mahogany. He unwrapped one and popped it into his mouth. Then he chewed vigorously and swallowed. He never offered me a candy. I thought that was pretty rude.

He saw the scowl upon my face and released a giant breath of air. "Are you crazy or retarded? You actually think I'm going to give you a treat after assaulting one of my English teachers?"

"I haven't had a chocolate-covered cherry in ages. We can't afford them on my dad's salary."

That's when he called the police. He put it on speaker so I could hear the entire conversation.

"Hello, my name is Father Bennet. I'm the principal here at Saint Mary's Catholic School. Do you know the place?"

"Of course. Everybody knows Saint Mary's. How can I help you today, sir?"

"Well, one of my students punched his English teacher in the head. Could you get over here and arrest him as soon as possible?"

"Punched his English teacher in the head? That's simply awful. What is the world becoming?"

"I wish I knew."

"Should I also send an ambulance? Is the teacher in need of medical attention?"

"I don't think that's necessary. The victim is a tough old bird who lost his leg in Iraq fighting for our freedom."

There was a long pause. "So you're telling me that this punk assaulted a one-legged veteran?"

"I'm afraid so."

"God, I hope they throw him under the jail."

"Thanks. I'll see you guys soon."

Father Bennet shot a frosty smile in my direction. He was really enjoying himself.