Chapter 10—FRIDAY
With help from Chris and Terry, Blaise was able to stay out of sight until it was time for the assembly. They started without him. The band played a medley of lively numbers, which put the crowd in a spirited mood. Chris went to the platform and made a number of announcements. The crowd of boys erupted with shouts and whistles when he offered information about the Harvest dance with the Saint Elizabeth girls. When he introduced Coach Baxter, the band broke into the school’s fight song.
Coach invited the football team to come up and stand behind him while he carried on about their progress on the road to victory. The members of the team stood behind their coach absorbing the silent adoration of the audience. Jason Arnold and Vince Januzi stood beside each other among their teammates.
Chris sat in the front row between Terry and Johnny. Coach Baxter was busy reeling off stats when Chris leaned to listen to something that Johnny was telling him. At that moment he made eye contact with Vince. Chris nodded his head hoping Vince might think they were talking about him. Vince did not look away, so Chris decided to have some fun with him. He nudged Johnny and pointed at Vince. Johnny followed the direction of Chris’s finger, saw Vince and stared him down. Vince inhaled deeply and held his chin up. Chris reached in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. It was similar in style to Jason’s own, and Chris knew from the distance it would appear the same. He held it up, opened it to reveal his driver’s license and showed it to Vince the way an FBI agent might flash his credentials.
Vince got Jason’s attention with his elbow and nodded toward Chris. When Jason saw what was going on he became antsy. Chris opened the wallet and took out the bills, folded them, and stuffed them in his front pocket. He handed the wallet to Terry who, fully aware of the game Chris was playing, looked at it, then at Jason, and put the wallet in his pocket. He pointed at Jason and mouthed the words, “you’re mine.”
“Now let’s hear it for our team,” Coach Baxter said, turning to join the crowd in applause. As the team filed back down onto the floor to retake their seats, Chris stood up and walked onto the platform from the other side. The band was playing the fight song again. Chris turned toward the band and clapped in time with the music. Everyone started clapping and then the crowd rose to its feet, stomping. When the band finished, Chris found himself standing before a wired audience. He approached the microphone and said, “Thank you Coach Baxter for those inspiring words.” The boys broke into applause once again.
“And how ‘bout that band?” Chris extended a hand toward the band, and the crowd went wild. Before the cheering subsided completely, Chris grasped the podium and said, “And now, gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you a man who stands as an inspiration to each of us; a man who has stood up for all of us in our hour of need; a Crusader in every sense of the word; my friend and yours, our president, Blaissssssse Bizzzzzet!”
The assembled students rose to their feet in applause, and the band struck up “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” as the back doors flew open. Blaise entered the auditorium escorted by Joey, Brian, Cory, and Dave. He moved slowly down the center isle amid the cheering crowd. He stopped from time to time to shake hands with fellow students who were shocked to see his face. By the time he reached the front, everyone had a pretty good look at him. The band played faster music, and the applause continued as Terry clasped Blaise by the hand and pulled him close. He had to shout in his ear to be heard above the resounding plaudits. “Jason and Vince know that we know.”
Blaise smiled and shouted back, “Good.” He made his way up the steps onto the platform where Chris shook his hand. The band stopped but the clapping did not. Blaise stepped up to the podium and said into the microphone, “Thank you. Thank you very much.” He held up his hands and the noise almost instantly fell to a hush. “Thank you.”
“I must say; this is a much better reception than the one I received last night.”
Whispers swept through the audience. Someone yelled out, “What happened, Blaise?”
Blaise touched the bruised and purple skin above his left cheekbone. Smiling he said, “Oh, you noticed. Well, a funny thing happened on my way home last night. It seems there are some people who don’t approve of me, for whatever reason, and either they don’t like the things I do, or they just don’t like me. I don’t know. Anyway, there were three of them. I can’t say for sure who they were, except one of them did drop this wallet.” Blaise held up the wallet. Murmurs spread through the crowd.
Someone called out. “Who’s is it Blaise? We’ll take care of it.”
Blaise chuckled. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. The owner of this wallet might himself be a victim of theft.” Blaise opened the wallet and thumbed through its contents. “However, there’s seventeen dollars still in it. Perhaps the best thing would be to hand the whole matter over to a faculty member who might conduct a thorough and impartial investigation.” Blaise stepped from behind the podium to the front of the platform. He handed the wallet down to Chris and said, “Give this to Coach Baxter.”
Chris walked across the front of the auditorium to where Coach Baxter was sitting and handed the wallet over. The coach flipped it open, took one look at Jason’s picture, and stood up. “I want to see the owner of this wallet immediately after this assembly. You know who you are.” He sat down as the assembled boys turned to one another in speculative conversation.
Blaise cleared his throat. “Okay now, let’s move on. Recent events have made us more aware of the levels of intolerance and even hate that can afflict a group of people. Holy Cross has, for the most part, always been a school made up of homogeneous students. We have all been American Catholic boys from the local community. But, as you well know, Sacramento is becoming as culturally diversified as any city on the planet. Likewise, our school has opened its doors to students who do not fit the typical profile: they might come to us from other countries, other cultures, they may not be Catholic, or they might just be different. As we grow and learn here at Holy Cross, each one of us develops our own ideas, our own views, our own likes and dislikes. It’s not long before we realize that we, too, are different. Who among us can say that he is typical anymore? We are all different in one way or another, and who’s to say that we as a group, as a school, are not better off for having differences among us? Our diversity is our gift to our community and to ourselves. Our collective strength allows us to celebrate those differences and become stronger because of them.
‘It is with this in mind that I have decided to recognize a new area of responsibility for our student government. We will establish a new committee devoted to the celebration of our diversity. It will be called the Cultural Diversity Committee, and I am appointing a fellow student to chair the committee. He is one of our outstanding honor roll scholars. His recent contributions to the Contingency Plans Committee have proven to be invaluable. He’s the kind of guy who would give you everything he has without asking for anything in return. It is my pleasure to inform you that the newest member of your student council is the sophomore class’s own Johnny Monroe.” Blaise pointed at Johnny and the crowd burst into applause.
Johnny stood up and turned around. He nodded his head to acknowledge the reception. He knew once and for all that he was no longer invisible. Johnny glanced over to where Vince and Jason were sitting. They were not looking at him. They were leaning forward in their seats and looking at the ground. Johnny smiled and thought they looked like they were praying. Who knows? Maybe they were.
Johnny sat down, and Blaise continued his speech. “A year ago, Chris Perry told me that I should run for president of our student body, and I said, ‘that’ll be the day.’ Since then, we have seen a lot happen. We know now that when people say something can’t be done, Crusaders come forward and show that it can. There’s no end to the amazing accomplishments of the people in this auditorium. Jeff Green informs me that we have raised over si
x thousand dollars for new band equipment.” Applause erupted and the band played a few measures.
“A month ago, if you would have told Johnny Monroe that he would be heading up a bold new committee and sitting on the student council, he would have said, ‘that’ll be the day.’ And a week ago, if I would have told all of you that Chris Perry would be going out on a date this very night with a beautiful girl from Saint Elizabeth, what would you have said?”
The mass of boys shouted “That’ll be the day!” Chris turned bright red and buried his face in his hands.
“Well, I’m sure you will all want to gather ‘round Monday morning to ask Chris how it went.” Blaise waited for the shouts, whistles, and applause to subside. “The point I want to make here, people, is that we can do anything we put our minds and hearts to. I am so proud to be a Crusader. I see nothing but great things for all of us in the months ahead.”
Blaise reached in his pocket and took out his speech. He unfolded it and set it on the podium while continuing his pep talk. “I have some remarks prepared here. It’s just that since I wrote this, so much has happened. Really, besides having my face rearranged, we’ve been busy.” He skipped the salutation at the beginning of his printed address, and continued with the main body. He received a standing ovation at the end, and walked down to the front and shook hands with Johnny. He shook hands with Terry and Chris, and continued down the front row greeting his fellow students. By the time he reached the end, several hundred boys had surrounded him. They were reaching out to shake his hand, pat him on the back, and tell him he was doing a great job.
The band resumed playing as the rally broke up. Coach Baxter headed through the back door with a reluctant Jason Arnold close behind.
Blaise and Johnny sat in the living room at Kathleen’s house waiting for the girls to come down. Mrs. Knowles offered them refreshments while they waited. “That’s a nasty bruise on your eye, Blaise,” she said.”
“Does it look that bad? You don’t think Kathleen’s going to freak, do you?”
“No, darling. Are you able to see all right? I’m sure Kathleen won’t mind driving.”
“Oh, I can see fine, Mrs. Knowles. Thank you.”
Kathleen came bouncing down the stairs with Lisa walking slowly behind. Blaise and Johnny stood up to greet the girls. Kathleen looked at Blaise’s face and said, “Oh, baby, you weren’t kidding. Does it hurt?” She kissed him and held him tightly.
“Actually,” Blaise said, cringing, “the ribs you’re squeezing hurt worse than my face.”
“I’m sorry sweet heart.” Kathleen turned to Johnny. “Johnny, I’m sorry. It’s so nice to meet you.” She took him by the hand and led him over to Lisa. “This is my very good friend, Lisa.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Johnny said. He remembered hearing somewhere that you should not shake a lady’s hand unless she offers it.
“Nice meeting you,” Lisa said.
Kathleen grabbed Blaise by the hand. “Honey, before we go I want to show you something. You guys make yourselves comfortable. We’ll be right back.” She took Blaise upstairs to her room.
Lisa smiled and walked over to the couch. “We might as well sit down.”
Johnny sat down in one of the chairs.
“Kathleen doesn’t really have anything to show Blaise. She’s just giving us some time alone before we head out.”
“Oh, I see,” Johnny said. He smiled and looked at Lisa. She was actually a lot prettier than he had hoped. “Do you go out with Kathleen and Blaise a lot?”
“No. I’ve known Kathleen for a long time. We’re good friends, but this is the first time I’ve ever done something like this with them. So, have you known Blaise long?”
“About a week and a half. He’s really a great guy.” Johnny ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry. You must be terrified. Actually, even though I’ve only known him personally for a short time, we’ve been through a lot together. In fact, we’ve become very close. Strangely close, I would say.”
Lisa laughed a little. “That’s all right. I’m sure Blaise thinks you’re a great guy, too.”
“I guess you go to Saint Elizabeth?”
“Yeah. It’s nice there. How do you like Holy Cross?”
“I love it. It’s been a great experience for me. The Catholic thing has taken some getting used to, but I like my classes and everything.”
“You’re not Catholic?”
“No, I’m Presyterian.”
“Oh my god!” Lisa started laughing.
“Is that a problem?”
“Johnny, we’ve been set up. We have been so set up.”
“I don’t understand.” Johnny looked puzzled.
“I’m Methodist. I’m the only Protestant at Saint Elizabeth.”
Johnny thought about it for a moment. “And I’m the only Protestant at the Cross.” He laughed and said, “So how should we feel about this?”
“Maybe we should feel lucky. I mean Kathleen and Blaise are the sweetest people. They are always looking out for others. This is just their way of trying to help us out.”
“I can see that.” Johnny agreed. “Besides, I could use all the help I can get.”
Blaise and Kathleen came back down and Blaise said, “Are you two getting along okay?”
“Great,” Johnny said.
“You two would not believe just how much Johnny and I have in common.”
“Really?” Kathleen said. “I am so glad. We should have a real nice time.”
Blaise opened the door. “If we’re not already too late. Shall we?”
Chris parked his father’s car at the curb and looked at his note; pick up Tracy—7pm 7141 Old Mill Rd. “Wow. Nice house. Nice girl, nice house. Hi. My name is Chris Perry. Hi there. I’m Chris.” He cleared his throat and looked at his hair in the rear-view mirror. “I’m here to pick up Tracy…pick Tracy up. I’m here…okay, Chris, don’t start talking to yourself.” He repositioned the mirror and got out of the car. He walked confidently up to the front door, rang the bell, and then turned to admire the neighborhood while he waited.
Suddenly, the door opened and Tracy hurried out, slamming the door behind her. “Come on, Chris.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the car.
“What’s your hurry?”
“Let’s go. If my daddy catches us, you’re a dead man.”
“Your daddy?” Chris was confused. He opened the door for her.
“Don’t just stand there; get in and drive!” She pulled her door away from Chris and slammed it shut.
Chris ran around the car and jumped in. They were moving before he even had his own door closed. “What the hell is going on with you and your dad?”
Tracy laughed and put her hand on Chris’s shoulder. “Oh man, you were great. That’s what I call a get-a-way. I’m sorry if I scared you. My parents aren’t even home. I just did that so you’d know that I’m capable of having fun.”
Chris paused at a stop sign. “Why wouldn’t I think you were capable of having fun?”
“Oh, just because of the way I acted when we had lunch the other day.”
“Really? I thought you were great.”
“I wasn’t being myself. I guess I was nervous. You kind of took me by surprise by asking me out and everything.”
“So, now you’re ready to have some fun?”
“I think so.”
“Me too. I remember reading somewhere about how people have fun. For starters, let’s abandon our plans. Tell me, Tracy, where do you really want to eat?”
“You don’t want to go to the Woodland Inn?”
“I’d love to if that’s where you want to go. But I’d really rather eat pizza. So where do you want to go?”
Tracy leaned toward Chris. He could feel her coming closer as she said, “You know what I could really go for?”
“What?”
“Chinese!”
&n
bsp; Chris looked in the mirror, and then over his shoulder, quickly switching lanes. “You want Chinese, baby, you gonna have Chinese.” He made a right at the light. “I know just the place. So, you eat with chopsticks?”
“I love eating with chopsticks. This is going to be so much fun.”
Chris looked at Tracy and smiled. She smiled back at him. He said, “Now you say I don’t have anything to worry about with your father?”
“Daddy?” Tracy reached over and rubbed the back of Chris’s neck. “He’s going to love you, Chris. You can meet him tonight. He’s a wonderful man, and I just know you’ll like him.”
Chris relaxed. He thought about Blaise and Johnny on their double date and hoped Johnny was doing all right. He thought about Sammy, too, and wondered what he might be doing. He would call him in the morning and tell him about his date. Then he saw his memory’s vivid image of the little Polish boy. There were some things that he would always wonder about, but there would always be something to hope for, too. Tracy’s hand on the back of his neck felt warm and good, and he knew then that having even just the mere hope of love is also living.
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