I have to get more money. Where can I get more money? Twenty-five cents each. I wonder how many I have to buy. I wonder how many prayers you need to get from purgatory to heaven. Maybe I can ask Sister Gertrude when I get to class.
Rosalie bought one for her aunt who just died too. I’m going to buy one for Uncle Bob. He was nice and he was good to Nonie, so maybe he won’t need too many. But I know he drank and said curse words. Are they venial or mortal sins?
When I get to class Sister is too busy, so I wait till Religion. I put my hand up and try to get her attention. She is starting to collect them—the brown-and-white sheets of paper and the money. She is at Vincent Petretti’s desk. He is handing her the money.
She takes the money and the indulgence sheet off his desk and continues down the aisle. “What is Pete’s last name?” she asks loudly.
“He doesn’t have a last name,” he says timidly.
Sister whirls around, her black habit swirling, her rosary beads hitting the desk. She glares at Vincent as she lowers her head and moves towards him. “What do you mean he doesn’t have a last name? Everybody has a last name!”
“He was my parakeet. He just died.”
Before I can begin to laugh, Sister grabs Vincent’s hair and drags him to the front of the class.
“You…can’t…buy…an…in…dul…gence…for…a…bird…you stupid boy.”
I don’t think I will ask her about the indulgence for Uncle Bob. I’ll just buy him one and pray for him a lot.
–by Lynn DiGiacomo
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