Course of Study

A rich girl from Newport had taken a liking to me. She would on occasion come into the area and we'd cross paths. I didn't know her very well, but I had seen her around now and then. I believe she lived in an exclusive area in Newport and her family had money.

We had first come across one another where the Taunton River meets Narraganset Bay. A friend of mine, Alan Bradford and I were on a flat bottomed fishing skiff motoring about and along comes this sailing yacht under power making its way toward the bay.

I had Alan bring the skiff into the large wake of the yacht and the skiff would send up a shower of spray, pounding on the cresting wake waves. One after the other and I stood in the bow and shifted my weight to add to the pounding and spray. One after the other, wave after wave, we were, following the sailing yacht motoring out toward the bay.

The girl appeared on deck and that's how for the first time we spied each other, me standing in the fore peak of the small skiff, she up high on her father's yacht. Rich girl.

It was a Sunday and I had to get to school so I motioned for Alan to break off the game and head to shore. I got off and hitch hiked to school in Woonsocket.

One time Rich Girl drove to Woonsocket. It was on the month end and at noon time, the time I'd be let out of school and start walking and hitchhiking home. She was up the road a ways, a couple of miles and unknown to me at that time.

This particular day, just as I had left the school yard and started walking the back road to a good hitchhiking spot, a car came by and stopped for me. It had just came out of the school area as I had. I'm thinking my luck is good, the first car to come by and it stops to pick me up.

But unknown to me at that time, it was a setup. The driver of the car had Jesuit cleric written all over him. I would later think he came from Providence and Brown University which has Jesuit teachers. The man  drew me out with small talk, asking me how I liked the school. I told him I didn't like it and he seemed to be a little put back. But no matter and on we rode, came to an intersection, took a left turn and onto the a main road leading out of Woonsocket.

Zoom, we passed by the rich girl from Newport. I did a double take. Yes it was her. What's she doing over here I'm thinking? And hey! She'd give me a ride all the way to my home town, and I'd get to talk to a real live girl. Whoa!

The Jesuit noticed the girl too. It was somehow that he knew the girl was there for me. And I was ready willing and able to get out of his car and into the rich girl's car. The Jesuit sped up, putting distance between us and the rich girl. He sped to the highway and dropped me off saying a few words like there was a 'change of plans' and a see ya later guy. He did a quick U-turn and headed back the way we had come. I'm thinking he's going back to give the rich girl grief. I believe he was going to do.

But his mission was accomplished, he got some information from me that he would relay to other religious people, some of the religious people that were causing me trouble. It would be the reaction of the mad bastard priest that would bring me to that conclusion.

The mad bastard priest from Saint Joseph's parish in Fall River was Fr. Shaleau. He was a mentally sick pervert kind of priest.. One of the many sick pervert priests the Church has in their darkened hallways and corridors within the institution. Fr. Shaleau wanted me in the clergy. It was him that I suspected was giving my father financial aid to send Gilbert and I to Mount Saint Charles. Fr. Shaleau wanted me to stay at Mount Saint Charles, he wished for me to become a Jesuit Brother, to take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Fr. Shaleau wished those penitent rites upon me to pervert my life. That's what I believe he wanted. My father couldn't care one way or the other, he had Gilbert as his first born. But Gilbert was no genius.

Why I had been picked up by the Jesuit and quizzed was: previously there had been a state wide test. The Brothers didn't say what the test was for or what kind of test it was but I suspect it was a SAT statewide. And the Brothers were kind of antsy about the test. There was a lot of talk about it.

Well the test came and went, and I believe I aced the test. That's what I believe happened.

In my freshman year,  I was placed in the 'stupid course of study', after all I had been labled a 'stupid student' and against my wishes, placed in the commercial course for study. I had wanted the scientific course. But it was deemed that I was too dumb for that course of study. After all the Jesuits knew best and for two years I slogged through the commercial course. Comes the SAT test, I ace it and shortly after I am called to Brother Prefect's office, the prefect of studies, the same Brother who deemed me unfit for the science course of study.

So there I was standing in front of Brother Prefect, aka Brother Oscar. He asks me, "How would you like to change your course of study?"

I'm thinking, I'd like it. Sure give me some science. But then there was a hitch. I've done four years at this school. Four Years! That's a long time, especially for a teenager. Four years. I have two years to go. Only Two Years. My goal is in sight. To get out of this place. It is so close. Two more years. I know it's a given if I stay in the Commercial Course, I'll breeze through and graduate. And after further discussion with Brother Prefect I make the decision not to alter my studies. I will continue on in the Commercial Course of study. What swayed me was thinking about how Darrel Luzier was forced out of Mount Saint Charles. Now being forced out of Mount had its good points and bad. But that wasn't my situation. My situation was they wanted to keep me at Mount, and by not graduating they could keep me at Mount Saint Charles. That I didn't want. Brother Prefect had explained to me that the scientific course of study was not an easy course, the subjects could be difficult. Those were similar words used upon Darrel when they downgraded his test scores, and Darrel was flunked out of Mount. (But that wasn't the reason the Brothers wanted to flunk Darrel out) I was cautious in the dealing with Brother Prefect for I did want to graduate and get out of Mount, not forced to remain and continue to study and study and grovel and grovel and pray and pray and go to chapel and pray some more. Yes Brother, no Brother, yes Brother. Then I'd have to pray some more.

As I was walking out of Brother Oscar's office I was dejected, I wanted that science course of study, but graduating trumped that. I'll do the two more years and get out of here. I walked to the door and put my hand of the knob and turning around looked at Brother Oscar, he was viewing some paper work on his desk. I said some parting words, I don't remember what, but I had turned to see if he was giving me some heebe-jeebie, witchcraft, voodoo, Name of Jesus, Jesuit curse, kind of thing or Sign of the Cross, behind my back. He wasn't.