John Fitzgerald GB 04 Great Bra (9 page)

All I can say is that it was a good thing Tom had a great brain or he wouldn’t have even been able to get passing grades. Between doing the heavy penance Father O’Malley kept giving him and having to clean the washroom, Tom didn’t have much time left in which to do his homework. And unlike Mr. Standish in Adenville, the Jesuit teachers made a fellow do homework on every subject every day.

Tom sure hated cleaning the washroom. He tried to hire other kids to do it for him. But they hated the work as much as he did and nobody would take on the job. Tom knew if he didn’t go for an entire month without getting any demerits that he might be stuck cleaning the washroom until school let out in the spring. Boy, oh, boy, what

85

a revolting thought that was for my brother.

To help take his mind off this degrading job he put his great brain to work on how to get his candy store started. He thought of several plans but had to discard them. He thought of having Phil’s brother Daniel buy candy and throw it over the rock wall. But what if one of the priests found it before he did? And he thought about sneaking out of the academy at night and climbing over the big iron gate. He knew he couldn’t get over the high rock wall. But when he found out Father O’Malley had insomnia and walked around outside in the yard part of the night he rejected that idea. But did Tom give up? Heck no. He was sure his great brain would solve the problem sooner or later.

One week after the silent treatment had begun, Willie Connors came over to Tom’s bunk. Willie sure must have suffered because Sweyn, who had the bunk next to him, had told Tom that Willie cried himself to sleep at night.

“The week is up,” Willie said to Tom, “and I haven’t snitched on anybody.”

Tom was sitting on his bunk with his three friends. “That is right,” he said.

“It has been terrible,” Willie said. He looked as if he was going to start crying just at the memory of it. “I promise I’ll never snitch again.”

Tom stood up. “All you fellows listen,” he said. “We can lift the silent treatment from Willie because he hasn’t snitched on anybody for a week. And Willie knows if he does snitch in the future that we will impose the silent treatment on him until school lets out.”

I guess Willie wanted to make sure the silent treatment was ended. He walked around the dormitory speak-

86

ing to each boy just to make sure they spoke to him.

That evening Father O’Malley again heard Tom’s confession. And again the priest imposed a heavy penance because Tom insisted he couldn’t honor somebody he didn’t like.

The next day Tom gave Phil his letter to the Pope along with fifty cents-

“I know it doesn’t cost fifty cents to mail a letter to Italy,” he said. “Tell your brother Daniel he can keep the change.”

It just goes to prove how much faith Tom had that the Pope and the general would get rid of Father Rodriguez, Tom parting with fifty cents was like a bird parting with its wings.

It wasn’t until the following Tuesday evening that Tom’s great brain gave him his first idea for getting his candy store started. He always locked the door of the washroom from the inside when he cleaned it so the kids wouldn’t walk on the floor before it was dry. The fellows all knew they were supposed to use the washroom on the second floor between seven thirty and eight o’clock.

On this particular night Tom found himself staring at the trapdoor in the washroom ceiling. He knew his great brain was trying to tell him something. He stood on a washbasin and lifted up the trapdoor. Then he hoisted himself up into the attic. The ceiling was high enough for him to stand erect. He walked over to one of the dormer windows and looked down into the street. This was the side of the academy that was flush up against the sidewalk. There was a manufacturing plant and a warehouse across the street, but both were closed at this time in the evening. Tom knew his great brain had given him the so-87

lution of how to get in and out of the academy without anybody knowing it. All he needed was a rope long enough to reach the street. Going down wouldn’t be any problem but coming up might. It was a long, long way for a fellow to lift himself hand-over-hand.

He went to bed that night trying to think of a way to make it easier to get from the street to the attic. The next morning while he was tying his shoelaces the answer came to him. If he put knots in the rope about two feet apart he could use it like a sort of rope ladder. He could straddle a knot in the rope with his feet and use his arms to hoist himself up another two feet. Then al! he had to do was grab another knot and lift himself another two feet. By using his arms and then his legs it would be easy to climb that distance.

His great brain had solved one problem only to leave him with a bigger one. How could he get the rope into the attic? He knew Phil could get; his brother Daniel to buy the rope. But if Daniel just threw it over the wall one of the priests might find it. He put his great brain to work again.

The next afternoon when school was out Tom was sitting with his three friends under a tree on the grounds. Jerry had a piece of string. He was showing them how to tie some sailor knots. Jerry’s uncle was a sailor and had visited the family the summer before.

“Where did you get that string?” Tom asked. “In the kitchen,” Jerry said. “Father Petrie saves all the string that is wrapped around deliveries from the meat market and grocery store. When I was peeling spuds this morning I asked him for a piece.”

88

Phil’s face was sad. “Your week of peeling spuds will soon be over,” he said. “Then comes my week.”

“And after that comes my week,” added Tony mourn-fully.

“Forget about peeling spuds,” Tom said. “My great brain has got almost everything figured out about starting my candy store. Jerry, tomorrow morning before Father Petrie comes into the kitchen you get me about fifty feet of the strongest string he has.”

“What are you going to do with it?” Jerry asked.

“I’ll teli you all about it Saturday,” Tom said. “I want to give my great brain time to make sure the plan is perfect.”

Tom’s money-loving heart didn’t like what his great brain kept telling him. He knew he couldn’t operate his candy store without the help of his three friends. And to Tom giving up part of the profits was the same as a man lost on the desert giving up his last canteen of water. But he knew there was no alternative.

On Saturday he met with his three friends under the tree in the yard. “We will now form the Academy Candy Store Corporation,” he announced.

Jerry, Phil, and Tony looked at him as if he had just announced they were going to blow up the academy with dynamite.

“First we will need a president,” Tom said. “And due to the fact that it is my great brain’s idea and I am going to finance the corporation, I will be president.”

Jerry finally recovered from his astonishment. “What does that make us?” he asked.

“Stockholders in the corporation,” Tom answered.

89

“And as stockholders you wilt each be entitled to ten per cent of the profits.”

“Now you are talking,” Jerry said with a grin.

Tom took out two of the silver dollars he had got from the poker players on the train and handed them to Phii.

“When your family comes to visit you tomorrow,” he said, “you get Daniel to one side and slip him this money. Tel! him -to buy fifty feet of one-inch manila rope. It shouldn’t cost more than two or three cents a foot. He can keep the change if he will do what you tell him.”

“Which is what?” Phil asked.

“To bring the rope to the side of the academy where it is flush up against the sidewalk,” Tom said. “He must arrive at exactly seven thirty Monday evening. Tell him I will be at the attic window directly above the third-floor washroom. I will tie a rock on the end of the string Jerry got for me and let it down. All Daniel has to do is tie the string to one end of the rope so I can pull the rope up to the attic. Got it?”

“Got it,” Phil said.

Monday evening at seven twenty-five Tom made his usual announcement. “You fellows are going to have to use the washroom on the second floor for the next half hour.”

Then he went inside the washroom and locked the door. He climbed through the trapdoor to the attic and opened the dormer window. In a couple of minutes he saw Daniel coming down the street. Jerry had doubted Daniel would cooperate. But Tom didn’t have any doubts after

90

learning Daniel had spent two years at the academy and stood to make fifty cents besides.

Tom let down the string with the rock tied to it. He watched Daniel remove the rock and tie the string to one end of the rope. Then he hauled it up, coiled it on the floor, and returned to the washroom. He did his cleaning job and then joined his three friends on Jerry’s bunk.

“Everything went according to plan,” he whispered. “Tomorrow you all start earning your ten per cent.”

“Hold it,” Phil said. “I thought I had already earned my ten per cent by getting Danie! to buy the rope for you.”

“You haven’t even started to earn it,” Tom said. “Here is the way we will work it. Two of you will go with me to the washroom at seven thirty tomorrow night. One will have to stay and clean the washroom. The other one will go up to the attic with me to help with the rope. The third can remain in the dormitory. You will each take turns doing the different things that must be done to get the candy store going.”

“Count me out,” Phil said to Tom’s surprise. “We will all get expelled for sure if we get caught smuggling candy into the academy.”

Jerry shook his head. “What a worry wart you are,” he said with disgust. “We haven’t even opened the candy store and already you’ve got us all expelled.”

“1 can’t help it,” Phil said. “This is the only Catholic academy in Utah. And if I get expelled my mother and father will never forgive me.”

Tom hadn’t expected this. He looked at Tony.

“What about you. Tony?” he asked,

“Haw,” Tony said.

91

“Cut out that haw business,” Tom said. “Are you in or out?”

Tony hesitated a moment. “I think Phil is right,” he said.

“In that case,” Tom said, “would you and Phil mind leaving us? What I have to say is for the ears of stockholders in the corporation only. And Jerry and I will pick two other fellows to become stockholders.”

Phil began biting his lip. “You mean we aren’t friends anymore?” he asked.

Jerry spoke before Tom could answer. “Who wants to be friends with a couple of worry warts?” he asked.

“Jerry is right,” Tom said. “We don’t want to have anything to do with a couple of fellows who are going to be worrying all the time about something that can’t hap-pen.”

“What do you mean it can’t happen?” Phil demanded. “You can get caught smuggling candy into the academy and be expelled for it.”

Tom tapped a finger to his temple. “When my great brain develops a plan,” he said, “it is always foolproof. If I thought there was any chance of getting caught I would forget all about the candy store. I don’t want to get expelled any more than you or Tony do. But since you are both so afraid it is better if you aren’t stockholders. Now leave Jerry and me alone while we decide what two other kids we want for stockholders.”

Phil and Tony got up and walked down to Phil’s bunk.

Jerry looked at Tom. “What two other kids do you think we should get?” he asked.

“Phil and Tony will be back,” Tom said confidently.

92

“Just pretend we are talking and looking over the other seventh graders.”

Tom was right. Phil and Tony held a whispered conversation and then returned.

“We decided we wanted to be stockholders,” Phil said.

“And your friends,” Tony said. “I like you two bet-ter than any friends I’ve ever had.”

“Welcome back to the corporation,” Tom said.

Tom made his usual announcement the following night. Jerry and Tony went to the washroom. Tom entered it a couple of minutes later and locked the door from the inside. He showed Jerry the closet where the mops, rags, and cleaning things were kept. Then he and Tony climbed up to the attic. They tied knots in the rope at every two feet. Tom secured one end to a rafter and then let the rest of it down to the street.

Tony looked out the window. “Boy, that is a long way down,”he said.

“Pull the rope up when I get to the sidewalk,” Tom said. “Somebody might come along and see it. Drop it down when you see me coming back.”

“If you ever get back,” Tony said, shaking his head.

“Don’t go soft on me now,” Tom said.

He let himself down the rope hand-over-hand until his feet touched the sidewalk. He waited until Tony started pulling the rope up and then ran to the corner. He remembered seeing a neighborhood business district dur-ing his ride to the academy with Father O’Malley and Sweyn. He ran the five blocks to where it was located. A drugstore and a grocery store were still open. Tom tried the drugstore first because he knew the drugstore in Aden-93

ville carried candy. But. this one had no candy. Then Tom entered the grocery store. This time he had better luck. The store carried a good stock of candy. A big fat man with muttonchop whiskers wearing a white apron was leaning on the counter. Tom ordered five peanut candy bars, five chocolate, five caramel, and five coconut. He handed the proprietor the last of his silver dollars.

“That is a lot of candy for just one boy,” the man said.

“It isn’t all for me,” Tom said. “Are you open every night?”

“Until eight o’clock except on Sundays,” the man answered.

“You will be seeing me once or twice a week,” Tom said.

“Good,” said the man. “I can use the business.”

Tom had the candy put into a brown paper bag. He knew he had plenty of time so he walked back to the academy. Tony saw him coming and let down the rope. Tom rolled up the top of the paper bag and put it between his teeth. With the knots in the rope to assist him it was no trick at all to climb back up to the attic.