J. Powers - The Stories of J.F. Powers

The pastor nodded. He was eating his dessert.

So Simpson picked up his fork.

Ms Burke came into the dining room. “What!” she cried, breaking her great silence where Simpson was concerned. “Eatin’ peaches with a fork?”

“No spoon,” said Simpson, breaking his great silence where Ms Burke was concerned.

“No spoon ?”

“No spoon.”

“Look on the floor!”

“Looked.” To be sure of his ground, Simpson looked again.

Ms Burke, who had been looking on the floor, gave up and went to the sideboard, again rebuking Simpson. “Eatin’ peaches with a fork! You see that, Father?”

“Use spoon,” said the pastor.

“Don’t have one,” said Simpson.

Ms Burke popped one down on the table, sort of sleight of hand. “ There! ”

“Thanks,” said Simpson.

“Pooh!” said Ms Burke.

“Uh,” said the pastor.

Simpson finished dessert, said silent grace, and left the table with the pastor. They drove down the hallway at their usual clip, and were making for the stairs, Simpson thought, when the man suddenly turned out of his lane, saying “Uh.” Simpson followed him into the office and, a moment later, thought this was how he’d imagined it on his first day at Trinity, the pastor at the desk, himself in the parishioner’s chair — and wished he’d emptied his rubber-tire ashtray.

“Talk,” the pastor said, still looking at the ashtray.

“ I ,” said Simpson.

“Women,” the pastor said — evidently had meant that he would, and not that Simpson should, talk—“still great force for good in the world, Father. Be worse place, much worse, without ’em. Our Blessed Mother was one.” (Simpson nodded, though the pastor wasn’t looking at him.) “Have to watch ourselves, Father. As men. More. As priests. Get careless. Get coarse. Live like bears. Use spoon, Father. Peaches. No spoon, ask for one. Father”—the pastor was looking at Simpson—“don’t use guest towels.”

“ I ,” said Simpson, and was going to say didn’t , but didn’t.

“In future,” the pastor said, mildly.

“ I ,” said Simpson. “Won’t.”

The pastor nodded. He rose from the desk.

And Simpson rose swiftly and gladly and guiltily from the parishioner’s chair.

The pastor handed Simpson a key. “It turned up.”

“Oh, thanks, Father.”

“Visit hospital, Father?”

“Did, yes. Twice. Everybody’s fine.”

They left the office then, and made for the stairs, the pastor’s step quickening — Simpson’s, too — at the sound of Ms Burke’s voice in the distance (rebuking John), but Simpson was grateful to Ms Burke for not telling the pastor more than she had, and wondered how he could reward her.

While brushing his teeth, Simpson noticed that the little pink towels were back.

A Play in Three Acts

MOON BUILDINGS— Jack Green, a North American Aviation scientist, said moon explorers might be able to construct buildings with pumice dust, a hard, powdery substance that may exist around volcanic craters on the moon. In a report for a meeting in Washington, D.C., of the American Astronautical Society, Green said it might be possible to shape the dust into blocks. These could be held together by a “waterless cement,” obtained from sulphur, which is also believed to exist on the moon . — Minneapolis Morning Tribune, January 17, 1962.

CAST

TOM BROWN, a young scientist.

HUB HICKMAN, his friend, a young astronaut.

SENATOR HODGKINS, chairman, Senate Committee on Oceans, Rivers, Lakes, Harbors, and Space.

SENATOR WOODROW, his friend, a member of the Committee.

SENATOR MELLER, a member of the Committee, of another party.

NANCY, Senator Hodgkins’s pretty daughter and secretary.

SOPHIE, Senator Woodrow’s pretty daughter and secretary. SERGEANT AT ARMS, PRESS, TELEVISION, and RADIO PEOPLE, LOBBYISTS, SPIES, STUDENTS OF GOVERNMENT, CHAPERONES and SCHOOLCHILDREN, and OTHERS.

ACT ONE

Time : Now

Place : A crowded hearing room, Washington, D.C.

HODGKINS ( continuing ): You a friend of Jack Green?

TOM: No, sir.

HODGKINS: But you know him, don’t you?

TOM: No, sir. I don’t.

HODGKINS: Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of him.

TOM: I won’t say I haven’t heard of him, sir.

HODGKINS: I thought not.

MELLER ( coming to ): Not so fast, Senator. Who’s Jack Green?

WOODROW: A North American Aviation scientist.

HODGKINS: And these are his ideas that this fella’s putting forward. What’s your name again?

TOM: Brown, sir. Tom.

MELLER: You’re a young scientist?

TOM: Yes, I am, sir.

MELLER: Employed by?

TOM: Self-employed, sir.

MELLER: And your friend also?

TOM: Yes, sir. He’s a young astronaut.

HUB ( rising ): Glad to make your acquaintance, sir.

MELLER: Glad to make your acquaintance, young man. I’m always glad to meet a young astronaut. Now these ideas, Tom — are they yours or somebody else’s?

TOM: I wouldn’t claim them as my own, sir. I doubt that anybody would. It’s been known for a long time in this country — and in others, unfortunately — that moon explorers might be able to construct buildings with pumice dust.

HODGKINS ( rapping table ): Quiet! You people will please remember that you’re here as guests of the Committee.

MELLER: What is this pumice dust, anyway?

TOM: It’s a hard, powdery substance that may exist around volcanic craters on the moon.

MELLER: I’m not sure I understand.

TOM: It’s believed that it might be possible to shape the dust — or p.d., as it’s called — into blocks.

MELLER: Blocks?

TOM: Blocks, sir. These could be held together by a “waterless cement”—not to put too fine a point on it — obtained from sulphur.

MELLER: Sulphur?

TOM: Yes, sir. Sulphur also is believed to exist on the moon.

HODGKINS: I’m surprised you didn’t know this, Senator.

WOODROW: I’m not.

MELLER: This isn’t my only committee, gentlemen.

HODGKINS: This isn’t my only committee.

WOODROW: Or mine.

HODGKINS: Nancy, see that the Senator gets copies of a report for a meeting in Washington, D.C., of the American Astronautical Society.

NANCY: Oh, all right.

WOODROW: Sophie, will you see that the Senator gets copies?

SOPHIE: Why do I have to do everything? Oh, all right.

MELLER: Thank you.

HODGKINS ( looking toward door ): Who’re all those people? Never mind. I thought they were coming in here. Well, Brown, we’d like to be of service to you, of course, but, as you know, this Administration is dedicated to economy as well as security, and we need every penny we have for projects under way — for regular agencies of the government. If there was anything really new in your approach, or if you’d actually made the trip to the moon and back, it might be different.

ACT TWO

Time : Later

Place : The Moon

HUB: Any luck, Tom?

TOM: It’s easy enough to get the dust shaped into a block, but as soon as you turn your back something happens to it.

HUB: We’re using too thin a mixture, you think?

TOM: Too thin, or too rich, or conditions aren’t right — or something! It won’t hold. How you comin’?

HUB: Well, this one worked up better than the last. The question is will it hold any better. Nope.

TOM: One more try, to use up what we’ve got on hand here, and then I’m turning in. We’ve had a long day, Hub.