I could understand my father sucking the bad stuff out of Michaels
head when he was a baby and desperate but I dont understand why
God wanted St. Moling to go around sucking the snot out of lepers
heads. I dont understand God at all and even if Id like to be a saint and
have everyone adore me Id never suck the snot of a leper. Id like to be
a saint but if thats what you have to do I think Ill stay the way I am.
Still, Im ready to spend my life in this library reading about virgins
and virgin martyrs till I get into trouble with Miss ORiordan over
a book someone left on the table.The author is Lin Yütang.Anyone can
tell this is a Chinese name and Im curious to know what the Chinese
talk about. Its a book of essays about love and the body and one of his
words sends me to the dictionary.Turgid. He says,The male organ of
copulation becomes turgid and is inserted into the receptive female
orifice.
Turgid.The dictionary says swollen and thats what I am, standing
there looking at the dictionary because I know now what Mikey Mol-
loy was talking about all along,that were no different from the dogs that
get stuck in each other in the streets and its shocking to think of all the
mothers and fathers doing the likes of this.
My father lied to me for years about the Angel on the Seventh Step.
Miss ORiordan wants to know what word Im looking for. She
always looks worried when Im at the dictionary so I tell her Im look-
ing for canonize or beatific or any class of a religious word.
And whats this? she says.This is not the Lives of the Saints.
She picks up Lin Yütang and starts reading the page where I left the
book face down on the table.
Mother o God. Is this what you were reading? I saw this in your
hand.
Well, IIonly wanted to see if the Chinese, if the Chinese, ah,
had any saints.
Oh, indeed, you did.This is disgraceful. Filth. No wonder the Chi-
nese are the way they are. But what could you expect of slanty eyes and
yellow skin and you, now that I look at you, have a bit of the slanty eye
yourself.You are to leave this library at once.
But Im reading the Lives of the Saints.
Out or Ill call the head librarian and shell have the guards on you.
Out.You should be running to the priest and confessing your sins. Out,
and before you go hand me the library cards of your poor mother and
Mr. Griffin. I have a good mind to write to your poor mother and I
304