Father Eckar's sermon put me in my spiritual frame of mind. His story about a man accosted by another on a Brooklyn bus in the Bronx made my muffle my laughter with my hands. I will paraphrase some of it.
A rapper hit a tall black clothed man on a Bronx bus at sundown. He held a gun to the back of the gentleman.
"You have a choice. Give me your money or your life."
The gentleman turned around.
"Oh it is you Father. Forgive me. I did not see your white collar."
Mr. White collar poked his hands inside his pocket and removed a package of Marlboro's.
"I can't smoke now. Let me remind you it is Lent."
With the sermon now over at nine thirty, the vocalist reminded everyone, including the many tourists, that a five dollar breakfast could be had next door at the Rectory.
After I applauded the organ player up in the balcony, I went to the building next door. I grabbed an orange juice before lining up for the pancake meal that included sausages, scramble eggs, canned peaches, I poured myself more coffee.
Larry kept interrupting me at the table so I allowed his mouth to flow, as long as it chewed gum. He had worked at Wrigglies, I remembered, and wished to know more about the gum factory. (I changed his name until he gives me clearance for the take off.)
"In early sixty three, I met with Mr. Wriggly and his controller. I confessed to Mr. Wriggly, now an older man I did not route for the Chicago Cubs, instead the White Stockings. He was impressed with my degree in engineering and put me in charge of production and four hundred me under me."
"Juicy Fruit was our best seller. A close second was Spearmint and then Black Jack gum. We also made other flavors for show, just to keep our patent rights."
Why my favorite was Juicy Fruit. I used to chew it for several minutes before sticking it under my desk in junior high school. When the gum machine was out of Juicy Fruit, I chose Black Jack since the taste of licorice was my favorite candy.
"Later, we had distribution centers all over the word. I traveled to Australia unannounced. When the receptionist found out who I was, the heads of every department came down to great me."
By this time I had finished off my pancake plate and refilled our coffee cups. The gummy man left and now the words of Albert spoke about an incident that happened to his son across the border in Guadalajara.
"I told my son not to vote for Obama. I saw him on television and thought he was dumb. He never voted on any bill while a Illinois senator. He never wished to take sides. Yes, he could understand books, but that was it. He had no inclination as the thoughts of people."
Was that your second son?
"Yes it was one year before he died in Mexico. He never returned from Mexico and the authorities told me he had drowned. I did not believe it. He had gone there with his pecker looking wife to bring back furniture. It was his second wife. His first was perfect but upset with him. My sons were not lucky like me."
"Not satisfied with the police in Mexico, I hired to Mexican investigators up front. I gave five thousand to each without results. I received call later and another investigator asked me to meet him on a border bridge. I drove out there thinking I must have been out of my mind."
"Until I get information about him. Don't give me a cent. He returned with a picture of my son with his head blasted. He told me one would die in jail and the one with the gun would also get his." Not finished
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