Dark Secrets
I was standing outside the company store talking to Fr. B. SJ.
He would be off to Brazil tomorrow, but before he left, he wanted to help out a friend and former priest who had given Fr. B. a wish list of software to be used in video editing and production of educational materials. That person was coming in from Japan, and would pick up the items left behind for him (probably at a Seminary in Los Gatos.)
The software on the wish list was made by the company I work for . I accompanied Fr. B. into the store to buy $1400 worth of software at the half price employee discount. Some of my co-workers were in the store at the time and had stared in amazement as I carried the loot to the cashier. Fr. B. gave me (7) $100 bills to pay for the items (was it my mom's money?)
Fr. B used to appear once or twice a year to request some favor of my father. But my father passed away many years ago. Now he comes to see me. (He still shows up at my mom's house too, and leaves with money and Forbes magazines.)
So, he had come to get software at a discount. He told me he knows other people at my company, higher up in managment, but I guess he spreads his requests around, so as not to wear out his welcome. Me, I'm the company store discount guy.
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Fr. B. is a Jesuit priest of rather heroic stature. He travels the earth, often against the will of his own church, helping people to set up educational programs. He used to be totally legit, but as he is getting up there in age, the church wants to shut his operation down, but he doesn't know how to quit, so he continues on in spite of any opposition.
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There is an interesting story about how the supporters of Boris Yeltsin requisitioned a radio transmitter that Fr. B had just brought into Russia. Fr. B. brought it to be used for broadcasting Catholic educational radio programs, but the Yeltsin supporters were interested in using it to rally people to the parliament to resist an impending military coup.
There were problems with setting up the transmitter at the Parliament building (not enough power?), so some enterprising Russian Air Force types rigged up a phone connection to a local military base that had a working radio transmitter setup, and relayed Yeltsin's broadcast via phone. So they didn't use his transmitter in the end (but he would have gladly let them.)
I still like to imagine that Fr. B. saved Boris Yeltsin's ass. If for no other reason, that story earned my loyalty to him.
I saw him to his car, and was staring into the back seat filled with misc junk I can't quite remember, but some book had caught my eye, I think it was a book on philosophy. He put the software in the car and turned to me and said "Now, what can I do for you?"
I really don't want Fr. B. to do anything for me other than to go away and not show up again for a while, to be honest. Obviously, there isn't anything I need from him (maybe the book in his car?). "I think I have some tapes that you would find interesting"
My mind jumped to an obvious suspicion "Are they critical of the Mormon church?" It was an old spectre returned to haunt me. I envisioned a white salamander, forgery, murder.
"Yes, in fact they are. There is a man who used to be very strong in the Mormon church, and now he isn't, and he talks about many of the things that go on in the church".
I used to get this stuff from my old High School Physics teacher (another Jesuit) - that was more than 15 years ago.
"Oh, well, I don't have much interest in that anymore."
"Oh, you don't? Well, I see. That's good"
"Basically, I have come to realize that every religious organization has its own dark secrets" (I added pointedly, thinking about a few juicy ones in the history of the Catholic church. I didn't want him to think I had returned to the flock. I restrained mention of anything about the Catholic church. Surely he's heard it all anyway.)
"Well, yes that's right. Everyone has their dark secrets. For example, I have my dark secrets, but I don't show them to you, and you have your dark secrets and you don't show them to me."
"Yeah" (I feigned simple agreement, but I was really surprised. Of course, it is cliche to think about priests, and secrets, but to have a priest look me straight in the eye and say very seriously that he has dark secrets...)
"Well, good then, I'll see you later" (he said)
"Goodbye"
12:27:58 AM 
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