VIII
Crossfade to the principalâs office. Sister Aloysius is sitting looking out the window, very still. A knock at the door. She doesnât react. A second knock, louder. She pulls a small earplug out of her ear and scurries to the door. She opens it. There stands Mrs. Muller, a black woman of about thirty-eight, in her Sunday best, dressed for church. Sheâs on red alert.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Mrs. Muller?
dp n="56" folio="43" ?MRS. MULLER: Yes.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Come in.
(Sister Aloysius closes the door.)
Please have a seat.
MRS. MULLER: I thought I might a had the wrong day when you didnât answer the door.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Oh. Yes. Well, just between us, I was listening to a transistor radio with an earpiece.
(She shows Mrs. Muller a very small transistor radio.)
Look at how tiny theyâre making them now. I confiscated it from one of the students and now I canât stop using it.
MRS. MULLER: You like music?
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Not really. News reports. Years ago I used to listen to all the news reports because my husband was in Italy in the war. When I came into possession of this little radio, I found myself doing it again. Though there is no war and the voices have changed.
MRS. MULLER: You were a married woman?
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Yes. But then he was killed. Is your husband coming?
MRS. MULLER: Couldnât get off work.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: I see. Of course. It was a lot to ask.
MRS. MULLER: Howâs Donald doing?
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Heâs passing his subjects. He has average grades.
MRS. MULLER: Oh. Good. He was upset about getting taken off the altar boys.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Did he explain why?
MRS. MULLER: He said he was caught drinking wine.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: That is the reason.
dp n="57" folio="44" ?MRS. MULLER: Well, that seems fair. But heâs a good boy, Sister. He fell down there, but heâs a good boy pretty much down the line. And he knows what an opportunity he has here. I think the whole thing was just a bit much for him.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: What do you mean, the whole thing?
MRS. MULLER: Heâs the only colored here. Heâs the first in this school. Thatâd be a lot for a boy.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: I suppose it is. But he has to do the work of course.
MRS. MULLER: He is doing it though, right?
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Yes. Heâs getting by. Heâs getting through. How is he at home?
MRS. MULLER: His father beat the hell out of him over that wine.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: He shouldnât do that.
MRS. MULLER: You donât tell my husband what to do. You just stand back. He didnât want Donald to come here.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Why not?
MRS. MULLER: Thought heâd have a lot of trouble with the other boys. But that hasnât really happened as far as I can make out.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Good.
MRS. MULLER: That priest, Father Flynn, been watching out for him.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Yes. Have you met Father Flynn?
MRS. MULLER: Not exactly, no. I seen him on the altar, but I havenât met him face to face. No. Just, you know, heard from Donald.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: What does he say?
MRS. MULLER: You know, Father Flynn, Father Flynn. He looks up to him. The man gives him his time, which is what the boy needs. He needs that.
dp n="58" folio="45" ?SISTER ALOYSIUS: Mrs. Muller, we may have a problem.
MRS. MULLER: Well, I thought you must a had a reason for asking me to come in. Principalâs a big job. If you stop your day to talk to me, must be something. I just want to say though, itâs just till June.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Excuse me?
MRS. MULLER: Whatever the problem is, Donald just has to make it here till June. Then heâs off into high school.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Right.
MRS. MULLER: If Donald can graduate from here, he has a better chance of getting into a good high school. And that would mean an opportunity at college. I believe he has the intelligence. And he wants it, too.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: I donât see anything at this time standing in the way of his graduating with his class.
MRS. MULLER: Well, thatâs all I care about. Anything else is all right with me.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: I doubt that.
MRS. MULLER: Try me.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Iâm concerned about the relationship between Father Flynn and your son.
MRS. MULLER: You donât say. Concerned. What do you mean, concerned?
SISTER ALOYSIUS: That it may not be right.
MRS. MULLER: Uh-huh. Well, thereâs something wrong with everybody, isnât that so? Got to be forgiving.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Iâm concerned, to be frank, that Father Flynn may have made advances on your son.
MRS. MULLER: May have made.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: I canât be certain.
MRS. MULLER: No evidence?
SISTER ALOYSIUS: No.
MRS. MULLER: Then maybe thereâs nothing to it?
dp n="59" folio="46" ?SISTER ALOYSIUS: I think there is something to it.
MRS. MULLER: Well, I would prefer not to see it that way if you donât mind.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: I can understand that this is hard to hear. I think Father Flynn gave Donald that altar wine.
MRS. MULLER: Why would he do that?
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Has Donald been acting strangely?
MRS. MULLER: No.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Nothing out of the ordinary?
MRS. MULLER: Heâs been himself.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: All right.
MRS. MULLER: Look, Sister, I donât want any trouble, and I feel like youâre on the march somehow.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Iâm not sure you completely understand.
MRS. MULLER: I think I understand the kind of thing youâre talking about. But I donât want to get into it.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Whatâs that?
MRS. MULLER: Not to be disagreeing with you, but if weâre talking about something floating around between this priest and my son, that ainât my sonâs fault.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Iâm not suggesting it is.
MRS. MULLER: Heâs just a boy.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: I know.
MRS. MULLER: Twelve years old. If somebody should be taking blame for anything, it should be the man, not the boy.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: I agree with you completely.
MRS. MULLER: Youâre agreeing with me but Iâm sitting in the principalâs office talking about my son. Why isnât the priest in the principalâs office, if you know what Iâm saying and youâll excuse my bringing it up.
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Youâre here because Iâm concerned about Donaldâs welfare.
MRS. MULLER: You think Iâm not?
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Of course you are.
dp n="60" folio="47" ?MRS. MULLER: Let me ask you something. You honestly think that priest gave Donald that wine to drink?
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Yes, I do.
MRS. MULLER: Then how come my son got kicked off the altar boys if it was the man that gave it to him?
SISTER ALOYSIUS: The boy got caught, the man didnât.
MRS. MULLER: How come the priest didnât get kicked off the priesthood?
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Heâs a grown man, educated. And he knows whatâs at stake. Itâs not so easy to pin someone like that down.
MRS. MULLER: So you give my son the whole blame. No problem my son getting blamed and punished. Thatâs easy. You know why that is?
SISTER ALOYSIUS: Perhaps you should let me talk. I think youâre getting upset.
MRS. MULLER: Thatâs because thatâs the way it is. Youâre just finding out about it, but thatâs the way it is and the way itâs been, Sister. Youâre not going against no man in a robe and win, Sister. Heâs got the positio...