After the departure of their friends on Tuesday evening, Bryce said to Damon, “I appreciate you trying to spare me too much pressure, especially since I know you don’t really agree with me. But now that I have begun, I want to get the whole story out there, and I have not talked about the most important part yet.”
“And what might that be?” Damon asked.
“I believe that Christianity is objectively true, and that the Catholic Church is the true expression of Christianity,” Bryce replied.
“I can see where that would lead to some extended discussion. You do realize, Boyfriend, that our friends have been holding back. They have their own opinions about what is true, and they are not the same as yours,” Damon warned.
“Yes, I know that. But I have given this matter a lot of thought, and until someone can show me where I’m wrong, I remain convinced that I’m on the right track,” Bryce stated.
“Oh, great! Bryce has the answer to all the problems of the universe. He has solved all the questions which have plagued mankind since the creation of the world,” Damon teased his partner, bowing in mock homage.
That actually caused Bryce to pause. It was entirely too close to the ego problem he had been discussing with Father Miller. “And you? What do you think?” Bryce decided that the best defense was a good offense.
“I’m a work in progress,” Damon declared. “Most days, anyway, I’m willing to accept the existence of God. Your God, the one in the Bible. And I’m willing to accept that Jesus was not just another preacher, but someone special. Generally speaking, I have no real problem with what you call Judeo-Christian morality, with one major exception.”
“What’s that?” Bryce asked. He should have known better.
“You and me, Boyfriend. You know damned well it is mainly the Christian churches which are responsible for the anti-gay outlook of most Americans, and your Church is just as guilty as any fundamentalist group,” Damon forthrightly stated.
Bryce was found speechless. He started to reply, then backed down. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish. Finally, he sank into a chair, and said, “You’re right. Damn it, Damon, you’re right! I have no decent response to that. The fact is, I am extremely embarrassed by the position the leaders in my Church have taken on this issue, and I hope it’s not only because I’m gay, but primarily because I can evaluate evidence. I can’t excuse them. I won’t try to excuse them. They are bigoted and mentally lazy. Every time I go to Mass and receive Our Lord in communion, I pray for our leaders, because I believe they are in danger of perdition just like the rest of us, and one reason for that is their uncharitable stand on the gay issues. But you’re right. They’re part of the problem, and until things change, nothing is going to get much better.”
That was as far as they could go on that Tuesday evening. Damon held Bryce in bed, but they were too uptight for anything else.
On Wednesday, it was back to usual at the gym with Curtis and Roland, then back to the apartment, wake Damon, and get ready for school while Damon made breakfast. After cleaning up after breakfast, Bryce set out for campus. He was joined by Curtis and Maddy this morning. As they exited the building, Bryce saw Rollins and Miller exit the carriage house, but when those two saw them, they ducked back inside. Bryce drew the attention of the Mannings to this, and related to them what Damon had learned from Sean Rollins’ younger brother. Curtis and Maddy agreed that Dr. Caldwell was probably not gay, and it was simple prejudice which explained the peculiar activity of the two guys in the rear. Curtis decided to get to know the pledge Tyler Rollins better.
When Dr. Anjot handed back the rough drafts of term papers which he had been given before the break, he was clearly disappointed in Bryce’s submission. Bryce was embarrassed by this, as he knew he could have done better had he not allowed other things to take up his time. But he did submit at this time, with many apologies, the draft he worked on the two previous days. Dr. Anjot also returned their exams. He had been busy during the break. This somewhat mitigated Bryce’s chagrin over his inadequate draft term paper, as he did very well on the exam.
Having completed his consideration of Molière, Dr. Anjot in this class began the coverage of Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux (1636-1711). This writer, more noted as a critic than as a poet, was extremely important in the development of French literature, and especially of poetry, and, it should be remembered, most works for the theatre in these days were written in poetry. Boileau was a friend and admirer of Molière, and a friend and supporter of Racine. Like them, he won the favor of King Louis XIV, and with it an annual pension. It was noted that he was a critic of both Georges de Scudèry and his sister, Madeleine, being especially significant in bringing about the death of her interminable romances. His major work along these lines was his Dialogues sur les héroes de roman of 1664.
The most successful work of Boileau was L’Art poétique of 1674, which gave French poetry its definition at least until the time of the Romantics in the nineteenth century. This work was translated into English, and strongly influenced the ideas of his contemporary, John Dryden. Boileau was also influential in the development of Alexander Pope, among others.
Some of Boileau’s poetry was dismissed as unworthy by Antoine Arnauld and Jacques-Benigne Bossuet, representatives of the Jansenist element within the French church. In response, Boileau wrote his Sur l’amor de Dieu, which circulated in manuscript long before it was published in 1698, in which he defended the honor of poetry as a valid expression of the human spirit and a proper way to honor God. Inspired by his own researches into the Jansenists, Bryce decided that he liked Boileau.
In the few minutes between classes, something totally unexpected happened. Marc Rimbault grabbed Bryce, and insisted on speaking before he ran off to his English class.
“Bryce, I know I acted like a real dick about you and the Borgias. I want to apologize,” Marc said.
“Well, thanks, Marc. What brought this on?” Bryce replied.
“Well, to tell the truth, I was left in Dr. Belzi’s office on my own for a while, and I happened to see your paper on the Borgias on top of the stack. I admit it, I was simply nosy, but I read it while Dr. Belzi was out of the room. You’re a better historian than I am,” Marc said.
“Thanks, again, Marc. I’m glad to put this behind us. I hope I can be a good historian, regardless of what else I am,” Bryce replied.
“Yeah, my sister says I’m too cynical and turned off, so maybe that had something to do with it,” Marc admitted.
“I’ll have to remember to thank Annette,” Bryce said.
Then they parted, with Bryce having to run to get to his English class in time.
There, too, the rough drafts of term papers submitted prior to the break were returned, as were the tests taken the Wednesday before. Bryce was pleased with the response he got on his paper, and, once again, with the grade he got on his test. Dr. Drake was particularly laudatory of the evenhandedness of his treatment of Dryden’s defense of the Church of England. Hence, Bryce concluded his Wednesday morning classes with definitely positive feelings.
Immediately after class, he rushed to the Union, where he met in a conference room with the other members of the Executive Committee of the LGBT Club. They had reached the point where it was absolutely necessary that some decision be made with respect to the next meeting, which was only a week away. Fortunately, President Felicity Gaines had taken the initiative to contact Dr. Burnett, the Vice-President for Student Affairs at the University, about speaking at the next meeting. As no one else on the committee had any better idea as far as a program was concerned, this was ratified, with thanks to Felicity. Arrangements were made for the publication of the meeting with the usual posters in the Union and notices on the campus web site.
Over lunch, Bryce shared the results of the LGBT Ex-Com meeting with Damon and Caroline. It occurred to Bryce that, at this point, he had absolutely no idea about Caroline’s sexuality. She was a force in his life, and evidently in that of his partner as well, but whether she was homosexual or heterosexual or bisexual or asexual, he had no idea, and he realized that it made no difference. She was a friend, and that’s what counted. For her part, Caroline was blissfully ignorant of Bryce’s musings, being focused on an upcoming concert in which she would be playing, and in continuing the culinary education of Damon. Both Bryce and Damon promised faithfully to attend Caroline’s concert on Friday evening.
In Medieval England, Dr. Dickinson spoke on the events surrounding the signing of the Magna Carta by King John. He gave adequate coverage to the role of Stephen Langton. Stephen (1150-1228) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1207 until his death. When a dispute arose over the election of a new Archbishop, Pope Innocent III imposed Stephen on a reluctant King John. When John refused to accept Stephen, Pope Innocent placed England under interdict in 1208, and in 1212 declared John deposed. Under intense pressure, the next year King John gave in, and accepted Stephen as Archbishop and other restrictions on his actions. It was Stephen above all others who was responsible for forcing King John to accept the Magna Carta in 1215. Once again, Bryce noted, as in the case of Thomas Becket and Henry II, it was the churchman who represented the best in the English traditions of limited government and individual rights, and the king who represented state power.
Of course, Dr. Dickinson had to end his lecture with a quotation from 1066 and All That. According to this memorable history, the Magna Charter [sic] said:
“That no one was to be put to death, save for some reason (except the Common
People).
That everyone should be free (except the Common People).
That everything should be of the same weight and measure throughout the Realm (except the
Common People).
Magna Charter was therefore a chief cause of Democracy in England, and thus a Good Thing for everyone (except the Common People).”
As Dr. Dickinson withdrew from the classroom that Wednesday, Bryce knew he had to be prepared to explain the references at the study group shortly afterward. Sometimes, he wished his academic advisor was not having so much fun with the class.
The English history study group which assembled at 4:00 predictably wanted to know what was going on. Was Magna Carta a “good thing” or a “bad thing,” and what about the Common People? With the help of Roland and Chris, Bryce led the discussion. The class eventually came to understand that, while the barons who forced King John to agree at Runnymede were chiefly concerned to protect their baronial rights, the concept of limitations on the power of the king would eventually be extended. If barons had rights that the king had to respect, and if the Church had rights the king had to respect, then it was not a major leap to deduce that all subjects of the crown had rights which the government had to respect. Magna Carta was important, not for its specific provisions, but for the concept of a government bound to respect the rights of the citizens of the realm. Even if, as 1066 and All That indicated, it was not the intention of the barons to further the rights of the commoners, that was a logical and legal outcome. And it was brought about primarily by the influence of the Church, represented by Stephen Langton. Bryce could not forebear from pointing out that the phrase Ecclesia Anglicana in the Charter was translated as “the Church in England” or “the English Church,” not “the Anglican Church.”
The study group that afternoon was less contentious with the absence of Kevin Weatherington, but that did not really please Bryce. He wanted Kevin included, and so, ironically perhaps, at that session tended to take the most pro-English and anti-Church position possible given the facts. He even descended to speak of his own ancestor, Saher de Quincy, one of the barons who served as a surety, guaranteeing that the King would observe the charter. Despite all Bryce’s over-compensation, the class decided that King John was a real bastard, and Stephen Langton was a good guy.
When the study group broke up about six, Bryce headed back to the apartment, where he intended to link up with Damon, who had promised a delectable dinner after consulting with Caroline Koehler. But as Bryce started out towards home, he was accosted by Kevin Weatherington.
“Um, ah, Bryce. Can we talk?” Kevin began.
“Sure, Kevin. What’s on your mind?” Bryce responded.
“Any chance I can get back in the study group?” Kevin asked.
“Sure. It’s open to anyone in the class. We established that at the first meeting,” Bryce stated. “You were there. You don’t need to ask.”
“After the conflict we had, I wasn’t sure that applied to me,” Kevin said.
“Kevin, please come. I had the worst time today trying to present your point of view. You need to do it yourself,” Bryce insisted.
“You were presenting my point of view?” Kevin wondered.
“Well, trying to. Or at least to present a balanced view, taking into account both King John and Archbishop Langton. We discussed Magna Carta,” Bryce answered.
Kevin was momentarily stunned, then said, “Thanks. I think I’ll be back next week.”
“Good. It was a real trial, trying to be you,” Bryce grinned.
“I guess I need to confess that I did not do well on the test. I’m still not sold on Dr. Dickinson’s approach to English history,” Kevin admitted.
Bryce considered his response. “I don’t think Dr. Dickinson demands that you accept his interpretation of the past, as long as you back up your position with facts.”
“I guess that’s where I fell down,” Kevin further admitted. “I was so convinced of the correctness of my position that I simply stated it, without evidence. That, at least, seemed to be the gist of Dr. Dickinson’s comments on my exam.”
“We’ll work on that,” Bryce said.
“There’s something more,” Kevin said, clearly not comfortable with what he had to say.
“What’s that?” Bryce responded.
“I’m going to have to drop out of pledging Sigma Alpha Tau. I screwed up there, too,” Kevin admitted.
“Screwed up? How?” Bryce asked.
“My mentor is Matt Bostick. I started off with a bad attitude, I admit it, and we never hit it off. I can’t say he was unfair, but it was a contest every time we met. But the real reason is, I simply don’t have time. I come from a working class family. I’m at the University on scholarship, and on what I can pay for myself. As you know, I work evenings and weekends. I simply can’t do all the things the fraternity demands, and still stay in school,” Kevin explained.
“I’m sorry, Kevin. I admit, after your problems with the scheduling of the study group, I was wondering about whether you would be able to meet all the time requirements being a pledge involves. But that’s your call, not mine. I’m sorry you feel compelled to withdraw,” Bryce said.
“My education has got to come before my social life, and my education requires that I keep my job,” Kevin stated.
“I understand. If you want to come to some SAT social event, you’ll always be welcome as a guest, you know,” Bryce tried to mitigate the severance, but they both knew it would not be the same.
The rest of Wednesday and all of Thursday passed without anything out of the ordinary happening. On Friday, Bryce got his rough draft about Racine back, with favorable comments from Dr. Anjot. He also happened across Matt Bostick at the SAT house, who confirmed that Kevin Weatherington had dropped out of the pledge class.
Friday evening was the time assigned to the concert in which Caroline Koehler would perform. It became especially important for Bryce and Damon to attend when they discovered that Jason Todd would also be performing. Caroline was a pianist, and preferred classical works, such as those of Mozart which Bryce was so fond of, and Jason was a saxophonist, and was more interested in jazz as far as his own performances were concerned. Although Jason and Caroline represented very different types of music, they did manage to get together for one piece in this concert. It was an eclectic program, evidently fulfilling some requirement for several majors in the School of Music. Hence, Bryce could thoroughly enjoy Caroline’s rendition of Mozart’s Piano Concerto # 21, while Damon was enthusiastic about Jason’s performance in two works by Duke Ellington.
After the concert, everyone was invited up to the apartment, where Damon provided snacks and Bryce provided drinks. Conviviality lasted many hours, and music was not the only topic of conversation. Caroline came to know Nate Hagan, whom she had seen around the music building, and discovered that he was an art history major, but with a music history minor. They hit it off right away, and as Jason was already acquainted with both Caroline and Nate in more than one capacity, those three spent a lot of time together. As Curtis and Maddy had also attended the concert, they were included in the get-together hosted by Damon and Bryce. Seeing Felicity Gaines in the audience, Bryce invited her as well. Thus, Caroline need not be the only female in the group, although, knowing her, Bryce expected that would not faze her in the least. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and complimented their hosts as they took their leave late at night.