The Freak: Part 5.

Based on a post by Senor Longo. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.

The house looks nice, Jack.

I m sure it is, but I doubt we ll live there. He doesn t want to do it. He was looking for an excuse not to. He also thinks he can cheat us out of a thousand dollars. Once he gets his hands on that money we ll never get it back.

Can he do that?

He ll come up with some phantom problem and we ll have to go to court to get it back. It s a good location, but I m sure Mr. Silverman will advise us not to get involved.

Sure enough, that s exactly what he told me. Stay away from that jerk, Jack. We ll find something else. And he did. By Wednesday the real estate agent he was using had found us a house to share with a widow. She was pleasant and offered to cook our meals for a small fee if I would agree to maintain the yard and her flower beds. It was a winning proposition for both of us. She; Mrs. Mazzone; had a bedroom and bathroom on the first floor along with the kitchen and living room that she was willing to share while Barbara and I had a good-sized bedroom, bath, and a smaller room where we could study on the second.

Barbara and I walked into the high school main office at 7:45 Monday morning where we were greeted by Mrs. Cecil. Morning, Jack; and you must be Barbara. I know that Mr. Wickers isn t too happy, but I think what you did was wonderful.

Thanks, Mrs. Cecil. Here are Barbara s records and here s a note in regard to Wednesday.

You re appearing before the grand jury? Oh, my! I guess that really will be a legal excuse, won t it? Then she laughed and her laugh brought our asshole principal out from his office.

I m not very happy with you, Mr. French!

I really don t care, Mr. Wickers. I want Barbara to be here and she is. I m taking her down to see Mrs. Costello now. You ll find out soon enough what kind of person she is. I took Barbara by the arm and led her away.

Oh, Jack; I m so sorry. I m nothing but trouble for you.

I pulled her into the lobby where there were several large pillars. Standing behind one I told her, I don t ever want to hear you say that again. I love you, Barbara, and I m thrilled to be married to you. Wickers is a pretty good principal most of the time, but he s also a real asshole sometimes and this is one of those times. Mr. Silverman saw the superintendent last week and he passed the word down to Wickers. His reaction is exactly what I thought it would be. I leaned down for a quick kiss that, fortunately, was unobserved and walked Barbara down the hall to see Mrs. Costello, the guidance counselor.

Unlike Mr. Wickers she was warm and welcoming. She spent a few minutes asking Barbara what she was studying at St. Claudia s. Then she created a schedule for Barbara. She would be in my homeroom and my English and history classes, but while I was taking calculus she was taking advanced algebra and she was also taking chemistry instead of physics. Spanish 3 and physical education rounded out her schedule.

We were walking to the lockers when she asked me, What is physical education?

It s a chance to get good and sweaty in the gym. I ll have to ask Mom where to get a gym suit for you. Maybe Angela has one that will fit you. Let s find your locker. I think it ll be right across the hall from mine. It was, and it took me a minute or two to show her how it worked. In that time several of my classmates came over to say hello and welcome Barbara to the school. We were only a minute late to homeroom and we were all amused when Mrs. Snyder asked Barbara if she was related to me.

We re not blood relatives, Ma am. We have the same name because we re married. Mrs. Snyder was shocked and everyone chuckled, remembering that all-out laughing wasn t appropriate in school.

I made a brief explanation, telling her that all would become clear within the next month or so then Barbara took a seat near the rear of the room where there was an empty seat. This was a big room; big enough to hold every senior in the school. That came in handy when we had to make announcements to the class or discuss some class activity.

I was headed to physics first period while Barbara had Spanish. Marlene offered to help her find the classroom. We parted with a quick hug and the next time I saw her was fourth period in English with Mrs. Wohl. By then she knew all about Barbara s presence. She added Barbara to her roll book and told her to take a seat wherever she could find one. Marlene was sitting next to me and got up to allow Barbara to sit there while she found another seat a few rows back.

You d be disappointed if you thought there would be any shenanigans between us. We had plenty of that at home and our situation with Mrs. Mazzone was better than we had anticipated. I know you were married only two weeks ago and, believe it or not, I was young once too so don t worry about making a bit of noise at night. I m sure you get my meaning. We did and we still made love every night and many mornings, too. In return we always received a beaming smile from our landlady.

We actually attended one class Wednesday morning before leaving school for our drive to the Yonkers PD. Lieutenant Flanagan was waiting for us and whisked us into his sedan only a minute later. He was all business as he described what would happen. I ll have to testify first. Basically, the district attorney handling the case will ask a simple question and it will be our responsibility to flesh out the answer. Don t embellish and be honest in what you say and all will go well. Relax and don t be nervous. There is no cross examination at the grand jury. Did I explain that to you?

Yes, I said with a little chuckle. I think you re even more nervous than we are.

If I am it s for Barbara. I m sure she doesn t like reliving that horrible experience.

You re right, Lieutenant, but if it will help stop those atrocities I ll tell the story a thousand times.

You re a brave young woman, Barbara. I ll try to get Jack to testify first so he can be with you while you testify.

I hadn t realized that we had to go all the way to White Plains, the county seat, so it was almost 10:00 by the time we had arrived. Lt. Flanagan led us inside until we were stopped by several court officers who wanted to see our ID. Flanagan flashed his badge and ID card and Barbara and I pulled our wallets to show our driver s licenses. Only after emptying our pockets and Barbara s purse were we allowed to pass. I was somewhat concerned until Lt. Flanagan assured us that it was to insure privacy and confidentiality of the grand jury s proceedings.

We were about halfway down the hall when a door opened and we saw a woman I guessed was in her mid-thirties approach us. She greeted Lt. Flanagan who introduced her as ADA Linda Koslowsky. We shook hands and she reviewed what would happen even though Lt. Flanagan had just done that in the car. She agreed to the order he had suggested, telling us not to become anxious due to the delay. The grand jury is always deliberate, she said with a chuckle. By deliberate I really mean slow. Not only do I ask questions, but they sometimes do, too and their questions can really go far afield of the issues. But this is the process we use and it s been in existence for hundreds of years so it must work. With that she led Lt. Flanagan away.

Barbara and I sat in the uncomfortable seats for more than an hour until she reappeared to bring me into the room. I kissed Barbara and walked in, showing my surprise when the door locked behind me. There were a lot of people seated in rows that rose in four tiers. I thought that there were at least forty, but that was just a guess. A clerk approached and I was sworn in. That was when I first noticed the judge off to the left of the jury. Once seated, the ADA asked for my name, address, age, and a few facts about my high school experiences.

I described both my academic and athletic achievements; I was a bit taken aback when one of the jurors asked if I was the one who had made All-American. Yes, sir; that was me. I was named All-American the past two seasons. Then Mrs. Kozlowski questioned me about my involvement in the case at hand. I explained how and why I had proposed to Barbara and I described the ring in detail; size and color of the stone, its quality, and the type of setting and band. Lt. Flanagan had already produced the receipt and I stated clearly that it was the one I had received from Harry Winston in Manhattan. I couldn t testify about what had occurred in the school. Barbara had to do that, but I did tell about volunteering to go to the school office wearing the wire that could record the conversation.

We listened to the tape in the school office and I swore that it was an honest and complete record of what had transpired. I answered several questions from the ADA and several more from some jurors. Then I repeated with the same set of questions about my visit to Monsignor Moran. I was about to step down when one elderly woman asked why I had married Barbara. First of all, I love her very much and have almost from the moment we met. She s an incredible person. Secondly, I felt that I had to protect her. Her foster parents are very caring people, but they are blind to any wrongs that may be committed by the leaders of their church. They still have difficulty believing that Barbara was whipped by this nun even after viewing the photographs you have seen this morning. They would have forced her to return to that school where she might have been further tortured. Would you have allowed someone you loved to endure that kind of treatment? I knew that I wouldn t and couldn t. I was excused from the stand, but was not required to leave the room. Instead, I stood just inside the door where I hugged Barbara as soon as she stepped in. I could see that she was frightened and that nothing I could do would calm her.

She had just taken the oath when the jury forewoman spoke. I can see that you re nervous. You have nothing to fear, my dear. We are here to help you, not hurt you. Just tell us what happened to you. Tell us everything. Will you, please? Barbara seemed more relaxed when she sat and I reached out to take her hand. Barbara responded now to the questions from Mrs. Kozlowski, slowly rebuilding the events of that fateful Monday. She seemed to gather herself as she spoke. I could feel her strength in her hand grow as she progressed from the theft of her ring to the horrendous beating she had received at the hands of the nun who should have been her caring teacher. She told how she drove frantically to my parents house, how my mother had phoned the school and how I had responded immediately. She described her experience in the emergency room and how I had cared for her afterwards.

Barbara was excused after she had testified for an hour. ADA Kozlowski thanked us for our time and testimony. I have no doubt that there will be indictments against all three of these monsters. I know these people. Half of them are Catholic and they hate the thought that their priests and nuns would behave in such a despicable and unchristian way. I ll be in touch with you by Friday, Lieutenant. I think you can plan to act within the next week. She thanked us again and Lt. Flanagan led us back to his car.

I ll take you out to lunch then I think you should go home and rest. You ve been through a meat grinder, Barbara. You re a very brave young woman. I gave him our new phone number, the one we d had installed in Mrs. Mazzone s home even though she had tried to convince us to use hers as our own. I drove Barbara back to what was for now our home and put her to bed, lying with her until she was asleep then I rose and went downstairs to speak with Mrs. Mazzone.

It must have been very difficult for her.

It was. She s much braver than I could ever be. To relive those horrible moments over and over; I think she can feel the lashes of that whip even worse than she did that infamous day. I can t wait for this horrible episode to be behind us. That s one of the reasons why I want us to move to Massachusetts. She needs to be busy, studying as well as building our life together. She needs more work than high school can provide.

She needs time more than anything else. I thought I would die when my dear Louis passed away. Now, almost three years later I know that I still love him, but we were not meant to grow old together. I still miss him, especially at night when I am alone, but it gets easier every day. The same will happen with Barbara. Just be sure to be there always for her.

You need never worry about that.

The next three months passed swiftly, but not without a number of spectacular highlights. Barbara made her way into the yearbook; just barely when I phoned Carolyn who was the editor the afternoon after her beating. There was an April 1 deadline unless we were willing to pay a penalty. I phoned a local photographer and made arrangements for her to be photographed and for the photos to be rushed to Carolyn s home. I trusted her to pick the best, although they were all excellent. I also knew that Carolyn would write something appropriate, in consideration of her late enrollment. She did exactly that, noting that Barbara s most outstanding senior moment was, Kissing my husband Jack after winning the state basketball championship. Funny; that was my most outstanding moment, too.

It was only six days after our appearance before the grand jury that Lt. Flanagan and a squad of police appeared at St. Claudia s School. There were arrests; Sister Mary Theresa in the main office and Sister Mary Patrick removed kicking and fighting from her classroom immediately; and two others after the records so vainly kept by a series of self-serving principals had been examined. Also found was a small treasure of purloined jewelry in the desk and dresser of Sister Mary Patrick as well as the three other nuns; baubles stolen over the decades from innocent and unsuspecting students and their families. Barbara s ring was in Sister Mary Patrick s desk. The blood-soaked whip was easily found on a hook in her closet.

Lt. Flanagan then took a small group of officers to the archdiocese offices to arrest Msgr. Moran. The list of charges went on for four pages, rivaling only those of the two nuns. Not surprisingly, the Cardinal denied any knowledge of the allegations. Barbara and I watched almost everything on the six o clock news that evening, declining an invitation from the District Attorney to witness the arrests.

As I had anticipated, Stanley Silverman instituted a class action lawsuit on behalf of the three hundred and seventy-six victims, some of whom were old enough to be grandparents now, using the list to identify and locate them. The suit claimed compensatory damages of more than eight hundred million dollars and unspecified punitive damages. He held a major press conference on the steps of the State Courthouse in which he fervently expressed his ire at the actions of the so-called professionals parents had entrusted with their daughters. He wanted Barbara and me there, but we politely declined. We d done enough.

I had always gone fishing over the Memorial Day weekend so when I asked if I could use the bungalow my parents agreed immediately. We were at dinner two Sundays prior and Carole actually begged to join us. I think that Jack and Barbara would enjoy some time alone, Mom told her. But Barbara and I had anticipated her request and agreed if we could get Carole out of school a bit early on Friday afternoon. Thus, Barbara drove from school to my parents home on Thursday to get Carole s clothes for the weekend then she drove into Tuckahoe to get me after our game.
Unfortunately, we weren t going to the playoffs. I d had a good year on the mound, pitching my way to a 4-1 record and a 2.05 ERA while batting for a .420 average on exactly 21 for 50. Our other two pitchers, however, had losing records and of my teammates, only Tony had a decent batting average. Even Eli who had made All-County with me last year had been mired in a season-long slump, barely batting .200.

We left the high school at 2:00 and picked Carole up only five minutes later. She was elated to be with us and we always enjoyed being with her, too. We reached the bungalow by four, stopping in nearby Rocky Point to pick up some hooks and sinkers as well as a dozen sand worms, the preferred bait for blackfish in the spring. Blacks live in rocky areas so the north shore of Long Island is almost ideal with the millions of rocks large and small pushed down from New England by the ancient glaciers.

The first thing I did was strip the monofilament from my spinning reel and re-spool with new twenty-pound test mono. When that was done I took my two girls out for a quick dinner; pizza. Mom knew that we were now practicing Lutherans so meat on Friday was not only acceptable, it was the norm. We had a special dispensation as a result. Carole liked pepperoni while I liked sausage. Barbara, ever the diplomat, would accept both so we ordered a large half and half and a couple of Cokes. Getting to the restaurant early meant we could eat quickly and get back to try fishing while there was still daylight.

I made my first cast and stood still, my long rod resting on my thigh. Barbara and Carole amused themselves by playing tag. Somehow Carole was always able to catch Barbara, but Barbara had the utmost difficulty catching her eight year-old sister-in-law. They were laughing like crazy when I had my first bite. This kind of fishing takes patience. The first tug occurs when the fish mouths the bait. Strike then and you ll catch nothing. You re only pulling the hook out of the fish s mouth. I ve done this for years so I was ready for the second powerful tug. A strong pull on the rod set the hook. I always file the point so it s razor sharp. Blackfish have thick fleshy lips so a sharp hook is a real advantage. I pulled it easily to the shore, knowing as I did that I would release it. Sure enough it was a lightweight. It was only out of the water for seconds before it swam away.

The fishing was great for the next hour as I caught and kept two fish over five pounds; a gift for Mrs. Mazzone. I cleaned them at the water s edge, removing the head and the entrails then turning the knife over and scraping it against the scales to remove them. Finally, I used an old set of kitchen shears to remove the fins. I washed my hands and my tools and we were ready to hike up the path. I d never found walking up the path at night to be terribly difficult because there was usually ambient light from the moon and stars. It was really dark once we were under the trees, but the path was surprisingly easy to see because of the contrast between the white sand and the dark green plants that appeared black at night. Barbara got Carole ready for bed while I washed the fish, dried them with a clean rag then wrapped them in aluminum foil for the refrigerator.

We hugged and kissed Carole as we tucked her in and then she asked the big question, Barbara, where are you and J.J. going to sleep?

Right over here in Jack s bed.

Both of you? In that little bed?

Yup! And there will still be room for you in the morning. Okay?

Apparently it was because Carole smiled, hugged Barbara and me one last time and rolled over to sleep. Barbara and I retreated to the living room where we sat quietly reading some of my parents extensive library of paperbacks. Only when we were sure that she was soundly asleep did we shower and make love, with Barbara seated securely on the kitchen counter, me standing between her legs. Barbara had taken a small towel from the linen closet to stifle her usual orgasmic scream. We retired as we did every night with Barbara s head on my chest and her leg over my thigh. There was one huge difference though; we were wearing t-shirts and gym shorts because of Carole s presence.

We fished again on Saturday, this time with my friends, but at night we took Carole to the drive-in movie in nearby Rocky Point. She played in the playground before the movie and enjoyed the cartoons, but lay down on the rear seat under a small blanket once they had ended.

We took Carole with us to the Lutheran church with Mom s blessing then fished all Sunday afternoon. Blackfish are funny. Sometimes you can fish all day and catch nothing, not even getting a single bite. Other times you can t reel the fish in fast enough. The afternoon was a washout, but after dinner it was hotter than I d ever seen. I must have caught twenty fish and