"So," continues Aaron
"A needle pulling thread?", says Carol.
"Not bad, "Aaron says. "But anyway, there was one other misstep I haven't told you about. I also mentioned to Gloria that David, the rector of St. Jude's, might also have had a crush on me. And even though I still am not absolutely certain, I think I had reason to wonder about this. But that was just too much information for Her Purity, and of course she blabbed everything to both Father Griffin and to David. And that is what David wanted to confront me about, but being a coward, he had to have Stephen there for backup, and Stephen of course was determined that the gossip must come to an end.
"We drove together in Stephen's car to my apartment. The visit must have lasted maybe a half an hour. David simply said, deadpan, that no he had never ever had a crush on me. I of course took his word for it, did not feel at all disappointed, relieved actually. And humiliated. And outraged. Here I had been trying to bring to everyone's attention that one of their clergy had been gravely abusing his position, and this was the thanks I was getting. There was no effort to reconcile, or find a common understanding. David wasn't interested in any of that. Simply to tell me his little lie, get himself off the hook, and also rely on the distraction from having to confront his dear Father Griffin, who was really the one who needed to be confronted.
"It was all really too much. After they both left, I fell into a profound and suicidal depression. That was just the final blow for me. Big Church you know. They will always have heretics to burn, and if they don't have them, then they will go out looking for them until they find them..."
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