Nine
“I DON’T UNDERSTAND why you’re so upset, Dad!”
Gladys and Nate are in the Rectory living room at 10 a.m. the next morning. Helen’s there, mostly to make sure I don’t try to kill Nate with my bare hands. Anna’s sitting in a chair with her arms crossed, scowling at the young man.
“Gladys!” I say, pointing at Nate. “The article he wrote will make Saint Clare’s the laughingstock of the entire country!”
“I don’t see how, Father Tom,” Nate says. “There’s nothing in the article that casts the parish or you in a bad light.”
“You put words in my mouth!”
“No, sir,” Nate says firmly. “I recorded every interview. Everything I wrote is a direct quote.”
“You took what we said out of context, Nate,” Helen says. “You left off important details that changed the entire meaning.”
“Oh, can’t you
