The Freak Pt. 03 of 05

"I have the receipt right here in my wallet. I got it from Harry Winston for $2,750 when I bought Barbara's Christmas presents. It's insured for that amount." I showed him the slip of paper. He asked if he could keep it. Then he asked what we wanted to do. I looked at Barbara and saw immediately that she trusted my judgment. "I want these people in prison. Besides that, Stan, I want to sue, especially if we can find out if it's gone on for years. I realize that nuns have been known to use corporal punishment, but I've never heard of anything like this."

"I have," Lt. Flanagan stated. "Something similar happened to me when I was a kid, except then it was a priest. I never set foot in a Catholic church again."

"I'm sorry." It was the only thing I could think of to say. He spoke to and with Barbara until the doctor called an end to the interview. Lt. Flanagan, Mr. Silverman and I retreated to a small unused office we had been told was set aside just for situations like this. Lt. Flanagan sat at the desk expanding his notes while I asked Mr. Silverman a few questions. "Stan, what is the waiting period on a marriage license?"

"Normally seventy-two hours unless a person can get a waiver."

"What about blood tests?"

"No, they went out after World War II."

"How do I get a waiver?"

"Why?"

"I don't want Barbara going back to that school. If I marry her can she attend school where I live? When I proposed I promised to love, cherish, and protect her. I'll feel a lot better if she's where I can help her."

"Okay, I think I can help you on both fronts. When were you going to get the license?"

"Either this afternoon or tomorrow morning and I was hoping we could get married Thursday morning, why?"

"I'll put together a writ for a judge I know very well waiving the 72-hour period in favor of 48-hours. At the same time I'll ask the judge for an order requiring the school district to enroll Barbara." He took out a small notebook and wrote Barbara's full name and date of birth, adding my address. "The law says nothing about a married woman or man attending school so long as the residency requirement is met. That hasn't stopped most school districts from barring married women, though. Schools do all kinds of illegal things until they're challenged. If I can get a judicial order we'll have the upper hand."

"Okay, how about getting a short-term lease at an apartment or house?"

"I can probably help you there, too. You will probably have more success renting using your corporation than doing it yourself. I assume you'll be taking her to Massachusetts with you?" I nodded and he agreed. "Then we should use the same approach when you go there. Let me know what you plan to do."

"Fine... next issue; how do we go about suing the school and the archdiocese and how does Barbara press charges against the teacher and the principal?"

Stan was about to answer when Lt. Flanagan interrupted. "You might want to hold off for a bit on that. You ever hear of a Monsignor Moran?"

"You mean that pompous ass who's the cardinal's right-hand man? Yeah, I've met him. The first thing he ever told me was how he knew everything that happened in the archdiocese and that he was the real power. That was at a dinner last September about donations to refurbish the chapel at Dunwoodie. I made a sizable pledge."

"Here's what I'm thinking. Let's assume that this nun was telling the truth. She's been beating and whipping girls for the last twenty years. The principal would have to know about it and if she knows then Moran would have to know, too."

"Damn! That's conspiracy and that would mean we could make a good case for a class action suit."

"That's exactly right, Stan."

"Mind telling me what you're talking about?"

"It's simple, Jack. If someone knows that a crime has been committed or either knows or suspects that a crime is going to be committed, but doesn't report it to the police that's called conspiracy. Conspiracy is a Class A felony. Striking a student with a whip or a cane—that's a flexible stick like rattan or leather or bamboo—could be considered assault with a deadly weapon or, at least, aggravated assault. But, Paul, how do we get the evidence on Moran and the principal?"

"I'll need a warrant, but with Barbara's statement and the pictures I don't think that will be a problem. I can't send a sworn officer in to speak with them, but I could send Barbara."

"Absolutely not! That's never going to happen!"

"Or, I could send you, Jack. As her husband you'll have a legal right to discuss her situation and to demand the ring back and action against the teacher. There's another advantage to using you. You're big and strong. You're not likely to be intimidated. If you made a pledge with Moran you'll already have a legitimate reason for speaking with him. You can wear a wire. We'll have a team nearby taping the conversation. I'll tell you what to say and how to steer the conversation. When we have the evidence you and Barbara will have to testify before the grand jury. Don't worry about that. It's done in secrecy with only the district attorney or his designee asking questions. I think I'd ask for you to go first. That way you can be in the room with her for support. She'll need it, Jack—all you can give her."

We spoke then about some of the details, like how many girls had likely been beaten. The teacher had said something about dozens. That would mean that others besides the principal and Monsignor Moran also knew. How many other sisters? How many lay teachers? It would be interesting once the lawsuit was filed. Knowing Stanley Silverman there would be a huge press conference on the courthouse steps. Stan was nothing if not a publicity hound, but he did listen carefully to what Lt. Flanagan said. He knew we would have a much stronger case if criminal charges were filed first—better still if there were convictions. Looking at my watch I saw that more than an hour had passed so I wandered back in to Barbara. She was asleep, lying on her stomach, when the nurse said she was okay to go home. She handed me three prescriptions and gently shook Barbara's shoulder.

I saw that she was wearing only the hospital gown. While she was rousing herself I went downstairs to the shopping mall. This was the craziest situation I had ever seen—a hospital right in the middle of a major mall. Once in Macy's I spent only a few minutes selecting new clothes for Barbara. She dressed in minutes then I found the car and helped her in from the wheelchair to the front seat.

"Where are we going, Jack?"

I knew that we had to talk so I pulled over to the side of the road. "Barbara, we need to make a few adjustments in our timetable." She began to cry, thinking that I was breaking the engagement in light of what had happened. Just the opposite was true. I gently stroked her cheek as I explained. "I'm so sorry, my love. I didn't say that well. Tomorrow morning I'd like for us to get our license. Mr. Silverman will get us a waiver so we don't have to wait seventy-two hours to get married. If you agree we'll get married Thursday morning at the Eastchester Town Hall. Until then I want you to stay with my family. You can sleep in Carole's bed. I promised to protect you and that's what I plan to do. We may have to put off our trip to Cambridge for a day or two. Lt. Flanagan has a job for me.

"I don't want you to ever go back to that school. Mr. Silverman says you will be allowed to attend school with me."

"I think it will be a bit difficult living with your family."

"I agree. You can get a little noisy from time to time." She smiled for the first time since this mess had transpired and she moved over to kiss me. "That's why he's looking for a short-term apartment lease for us. It'll all work out... you'll see." I gave her a quick peck then pulled out onto the highway again.

"I don't want to sleep in Carole's bed, Jack. I'm still afraid. I want to sleep with you where I know I'll be safe." I wondered how I'd explain that to my parents, but it turned out just fine. I put Barbara to bed wearing one of my tee shirts and a pair of gym shorts that I had tied around her slender waist.

Later I helped her with a bowl of homemade chicken soup for dinner then I took two large suitcases to Mrs. Gleason so I could get most of Barbara's clothes. She wasn't happy, not believing that one of her precious nuns would ever harm a student. "I invite you to say that after you've seen Barbara's back, Mrs. Gleason. I think you are a wonderful woman, but when it comes to the Catholic Church you're deaf, dumb, and blind to the things they sometimes do. Barbara has a badly sprained wrist from when that nun—your 'good Sister'—twisted it and ripped her engagement ring from her finger and she has at least thirty welts across her back from being whipped. And, for what? Because she asked politely if she could have her ring back? I guarantee this: she will get it back and a whole lot more before I'm done with them." I got most of Barbara's things in the Olds before driving home around 9:30. I was glad to see her laugh when I told her I had no idea where we would put all this "stuff."

We watched TV for about a half hour before I took a shower and prepped for bed. Barbara couldn't shower for a few days. Her back was covered with bandages and the painkillers she was taking made her woozy. I helped her to the toilet then we climbed into bed with me lying on my back and Barbara's head on my chest, her leg lightly draped over mine. It had been a long and difficult day. I was surprised at how quickly I fell asleep.

* * * * *

I phoned the school office the following morning to let them know that I'd be late. Mom signed the note I had written even though Mr. Silverman had told me that someone my age could write and sign as an adult. Dad had made us a good hearty breakfast of cream of wheat and orange juice with coffee for Barbara and hot chocolate for the rest of us. My sisters were very sympathetic toward Barbara, but Carole seemed devastated. Barbara looked at me and it was as though we communicated through mental telepathy. I confirmed with a slight nod.

"Jack and I are going to get our marriage license this morning and we're going to be married Thursday morning in a civil ceremony. We'll have a formal ceremony later in a church, but we don't know which one it will be yet. Carole, I'd like you to be my maid of honor. You get to stand fight next to me the whole time. Who's going to be your best man, Jack?"

"I'll tell my buddies when I get to school this morning and I'll ask Eli. He's my closest friend. If he can't I guess it will be Dad. We kissed everyone good-bye even though we knew we were too early for the license bureau. Instead we drove around the community checking out the apartments. There were only two in Chester Heights, but we found an additional four in the Village of Tuckahoe that were in the school district. Checking the local newspaper I also found three houses for rent. We thought they might be better because they were furnished. I found a phone booth and called Stanley Silverman's office. He was already en route to the court, but his wife said he would get back to us later this evening.

Barbara and I were first in line when the office opened. We completed the form and paid the three dollar fee. While there we also checked on how to get married and were advised that a justice of the peace was always on duty from nine to five weekdays. That would suit our purposes perfectly. I dropped Barbara back with my mother, leaving her with a big kiss and drove to school.

It was lunchtime before I had a chance to tell everyone what the emergency was. I was seated at a table with my basketball teammates when I also told them about the wedding. "I'd like all of you to come Thursday morning. We won't know the actual time until it happens because we might have to wait if there are others ahead of us, but Eli, I'd like you to be best man."

"I'd be honored, Freak, but someone will have to pick me up. You know I don't have a car." I did know that. Eli's dad ran a gardening/landscaping business and--unlike many of the other Negro families in the area who lived in apartments--he lived in a small house that I had visited many times. The house was always immaculately neat and clean and I knew his parents were strict. Boy, were they strict! One time back in junior high when Eli had cut his hair into a Mohawk, his mother had banished him to the garage until it had grown in again to something she considered presentable. He never did anything that foolish again. I had to agree with his mom. He looked like a fool until he finally had the opportunity to trim his hair to a uniform length.

As happy as they were for my impending wedding that's how angry they were when they heard about Barbara's injuries. They couldn't envision any scenario in which something like that could be considered appropriate. Even in our public school none of us could remember any time when a student had been struck by a teacher—by another student, sure, but not by a teacher.

Before I knew it the day was over and it was time for baseball practice. I phoned Barbara from the phone booth outside the cafeteria and we spoke for a few minutes. She assured me that Mom was taking good care of her. I told her that I loved her and ran out to my car to drive into the village to our field.

Tuckahoe High School had been built in the 1930's on a plot that was really much too small. Looking at the schools we competed against anyone could see that they had three or four times as much land as we did. I didn't know why and I probably would never know the reason, but our baseball field belonged to the Village of Tuckahoe and was about three miles away. I skipped the bus because I saved almost an hour by taking my car. Today Eli and Tony joined me. We were in a jovial mood even though they teased me about giving up my freedom. They had met Barbara on several occasions so they knew what I was getting. I was also sure they were thinking about all the sex I was about to get, but they were good friends so they had huge smiles, but said nothing.

I walked in the door at 5:30 that evening to my usual greeting from Carole who always jumped up into my arms for a hug and kiss. That ceremony was a little shorter today because I needed to look after Barbara. I found her in the living room, sitting calmly and reading a book from the library. She looked better and when I touched her back I could see that one of the prescriptions, an ointment that I had rubbed in this morning before replacing her bandages, had done a good job on her welts. Still, the doctor had told us the full healing process was likely to take several weeks, at least.

I know what you're thinking. Why couldn't I use some of my special brain power to help her? I would have gladly, but I had never been able to help others that way, not that I hadn't tried. Two years ago Carole stepped into a big patch of poison ivy near our parents' bungalow way out in Long Island. I tried everything, but I was totally unable to relieve the stinging, burning, and itching sensations she had. Instead, I rubbed calamine lotion over her legs four times a day for almost a week.

I grabbed a quick shower so I'd be presentable at dinner and after and dealt with my homework in the breakfast nook, finishing at nine. Barbara took a shower that was more a sponge bath as she still had to keep her injured back dry and I helped to dry her then carefully applied the ointment before affixing new bandages to her back. She turned to face me clad only in the gym shorts and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I love you, Jack. You make me feel so safe and secure and it's nice to see that I have an effect on you, too." She did; she'd made me as hard as a rock in seconds. "I think I'll be able to handle that rather big problem you're having as soon as we get into bed."

"What about my parents?"

"Oh, Jack—your mom already knows and if she knows so does your dad. She saw how you handled my body last night when you dressed me for bed and put two and two together. We're going to be married in two days. She asked me if you were taking care of me and I assured her you were—the very best of care—and then we both laughed. I don't think I can handle missionary yet, but I can take the top if you'll be careful about touching my back. On the positive side I won't have to go to confession ever again. Maybe we can check out some churches on Friday."

"No, by then we'll be in my parents' bungalow out in Shoreham. It will do us some good to get away and relax for a few days. I can phone Lt. Flanagan late Friday morning. I think he'll have some info for us by then." We brushed our teeth and climbed into the bed. She stripped my pajamas from my body while I helped her out of the shorts. I thought it might be better if she kept the tee shirt on, but she pulled it over her head, telling me she was much more comfortable without it.

She was ready—no, actually she was eager—to make love, to show her love and to take mine freely. She lay on my chest, kissing my neck and my cheeks before her lips found mine. Her passion had never been more ardent. I wanted more than anything to hold her in my embrace, but I knew that would hurt my love terribly. Instead I moved my hands to her hips, massaging the tight globes of her butt as she drove her pubis into mine. Suddenly she stopped, broke the kiss, and lifted her body. I supported her by placing my hands on her shoulders, being careful to keep my fingers on the front of her deliciously sexy body. She spent almost no time running my cock into her slit and slowly easing her way down.

"Hmmm... impale... spear... penetrate; any way you say it, Jack, it's the best feeling in the world. Push it into me, Jack—all the way. I can't tell you how much I need it." She took the tee shirt and jammed the sleeve into her mouth then, hands on my shoulders she began the ride of her life. Her movements were frantic, demonstrating her terrible yearning. This was no slow loving intercourse. It was instead hard animalistic fucking—sex at its rawest level.

She moved herself up and down my cock at an incredible pace--sweat falling from her breasts --until she threw her head back and growled like a feral beast as her body shook wildly. I was truly concerned for her safety as I was unable to grasp her torso without hurting her. I settled for her hips as I drove up--thrusting my spear deep into her slender body. Only when we were done did I realize that I had failed to use a condom.

"Barbara," I whispered, "I forgot the condom."

She leaned down to kiss me. "I think we'll be fine. My period is due in three days so I'm not terribly concerned. Even if I become pregnant we'll be married and we'll be proud and loving parents. Don't you have any flashes?"

'No... you know that I can't control that. Maybe we should throw some clothes on and get to sleep." Barbara agreed and soon enough we were under the covers and asleep in the same position that we shared last night. Little did I realize that we'd sleep like that virtually every night for the rest of our lives.

Wednesday was just the same except that we had a scrimmage against Mount Vernon after school. Because of that Barbara had driven us to school, returning later so she could follow our bus to the Mount Vernon field which was quite close to our house. I usually play center field when I'm not pitching. Being early in the season each of our three pitchers was scheduled throw three innings. I started the game, relying on my mid-nineties fastball and slider. I threw three innings of one-hit ball while we took a two-run lead behind a double by Eli, single by me and another double by Tony two outs later. I shifted to center in the fourth inning, getting another single as we won by the score of 2-1. I drove back with Barbara, eagerly looking forward to tomorrow's ceremony. The game had been a good preparation for our opener right after our Easter vacation.