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"You have thrush"

"Do not?"

"What's that white stuff? Papal duty?"

"Up yours Shannie"

"There's soan counting ers "By the way," she said when she finished my rap sheet "Better brush up on your Hail Mary's, Our Father's, and your tongue every ht Later in church, after the priest gave me penance, I knelt in horror as I tried to rerace I couldn't even re dooether as I closed my eyes and bowed my head

I finished and looked up I was met by the accusatorial stare of the Joseph statue I broke out in cold sweat A frown overtook his face Joseph's voice, sounding like Ole Luther, the bitter bartender at Giorgio's "You can't even say a Hail Mary" He snapped his tongue in ridicule "Instead of wasting all your tihbor's mother maybe you should study the catechisnity"

When I told Shannie ofoff to Diane part, she told me I was my mother's son

"What's that suppose to uilt By the ere you ever in Giorgio's? And why?"

"The day randfather came to toe stopped there for a drink," I lied

Knowing Grandfather's reputation as a lady's ht itness sparks We tried our hand playing cupid When we brought the idea up with Diane she dismissed it "He seems wonderful, but he's not my type"

"What do you mean he's not your type?" Shannie protested

"Yeah He wrote a book," I chimed in

"Just because I like a book doesn't mean I'd like the author"

"Hoould you know if you never met him?" Shannie persisted

"Don't you think he's a little too old for me?" Diane replied

"He doesn't act old," I countered

Shannie and I kneould be a challenge We agreed that the tension between our ht have so to do with Diane's lack of interest

Oncethe social butterfly He visited Beyford's taverns regularly There he struck up a friendship with Russell "There are some characters in this town," he said over dinner before Christmas