Chapter 5

When the morning sickness began the words of her aunt, Sister Anna, echoed in her ears, Men will take advantage of you and throw you on the trash heap. She remembered the pregnant teenagers that had babysat her and her brothers—none seemed happy. When she learned that she was pregnant she felt panic. I’m too young to have a baby. If she were to tell Sister Anna, she would be angry, but she also would understand. Picturing herself babysitting other children as she grew to an immense size she thought, there must be a better way.

“Forgive me Father I have sinned ... I have committed adultery with a man of the cloth and am going to have a baby.”

After confession that night there was no sex in the teacher’s lounge. Father Aloysius told her that there was indeed a better way. “It’s a simple medical examination Molly.” Each knew there was more to the simple medical examination than a doctor palpating her vagina with his finger. But neither the pregnant Catholic girl nor the Catholic priest would even whisper the word “abortion.”

Father Al said, “There is another priest Molly, he’s not much older than I am, he was two years ahead of me in seminary. He has become much more highly placed in the diocese than I am.” “Someday he’ll go somewhere high in the Catholic Church.”

Though Molly Rafferty was only fifteen and a half years old she knew that even a “highly placed” priest couldn’t survive a scandal that could be unearthed by a priest’s involvement in abortion. But she had never met a man like Father Francis McLaughlin. There was a quality to Father Frank that made his aura seem to glow. With dark wavy hair, deep blue eyes, and a movie star’s smile he exuded extreme confidence. He was taller, more muscular, and more handsome than Father Al. Even in her nervousness when she met him, worries seemed to have floated off Molly’s shoulders.

The medical examination he set up with the avuncular Italian doctor had all the earmarks of a bona fide annual checkup. Dr. Delassandro palpated all the right areas of her body and said “mmm, hmm,” a lot. She couldn’t see what he was doing when she was in the stirrups. But she felt his gloved fingers probing inside her vagina. “I should numb this,” he said, in what sounded like an afterthought.

When he placed the speculum with which he spread her open she felt like a Thanksgiving turkey being opened to stuff. She saw the large syringe with the long needle and felt the prick of a needle deep inside her vagina then the flowing of something that cooled her. When the numbing took over she saw him take a scalpel-like instrument and felt through the numbness that he was scraping something. When he put the scalpel down he said, “That’ll take care of it, Miss Rafferty.”

Playing the game she asked, “What was it?”

“Just a small cyst dear,” Delassandro replied. “You’ll be sore inside for a couple of days,” he advised.

As he was driving her home Father Frank asked, “Do your parents know?” Molly slowly shook her head. “Do you plan on telling them?” She shook her head again.

“In this case Molly that’s the best plan for a strong Catholic girl such as you. It’s best for everybody involved Molly if the subject is simply dropped, everybody including myself.”

She knew he wasn’t telling the truth, but she found comfort in hiding from the truth at that moment.

Noticing tears welling in the girl’s eyes the priest reached over and pulled her close to him (There were no bucket seats in cars at the time—and no seatbelts).

Though she couldn’t understand her remorse Molly felt comforted by the handsome priest’s action. It was a comfort she had felt with no man before. Feeling safe with him she nestled closer. She knew he would never rape her and wondered if he would have gently seduced her. He isn’t interested in sex at all. In a little girl’s voice, she asked, “Am I bad, Father? Will I go to hell?”

It seemed like what she thought was a paternal chuckle or, the kind of chuckle she would have liked to have heard from her father. “Nobody goes to Hell Molly for having a cyst removed.”

The confusion of the last few months was like a combination of ills, joys then catastrophe that filled her with remorse. She wondered how a man of God could have raped her and then seduced her into having sex with him. Then the same man who had preached about the sin of abortion had brought this new priest in to set hers up. She had thought she was in love with Father Al but realized what a fraud he was.

Molly adored the act of sex but not the result of being fertilized. She felt confirmed as a woman though, both in having sex and becoming “with child.” She grew up in a church that condemned abortion. Now, having participated in the killing of a child, she was baffled that this priest was not only telling her that she hadn’t gotten pregnant, but he also was perfectly all right with his assistance in terminating her pregnancy which he denied. But he was being so kind to her. Though distraught at having had a living thing purposely taken from her body she was going along with the illusion but thought, I wonder how many other girls he has done this for.

Molly never expected La Mode to achieve such meteoric success. She opened it primarily to shadow her sex business, Eclectic Slide, which it did with phenomenal success. But with Molly’s natural eye for haute couture and a mind for business, the dress shop became a huge success in its own right. The women on La Mode’s sales staff were, in fact, Eclectic Slide courtesans. Yet, in its twelve years of business, Molly had managed to keep La Mode and herself free from scandal.

Even under the influence of morphine, Molly could never miss a girl with the qualities consistent in a good hooker. She was impressed with Mary Kate’s kindness, her incisive nature, her desire to serve, and her incredibly strong libido, which was apparent to the ailing woman. Having never sensed a person with a sexual nature any stronger than Mary Kate Bennigan she questioned her initial opinion of the teenager Nurse Dunston brought in to “handle” her. After spending enough time with Mary Kate to cement her opinion of her Molly sought a second opinion, asking her daughter Maureen to come to visit her on one of the days Mary Kate was scheduled to be with her.

Upon her graduation from Boston University, Maureen Mansfield joined her mother as one of her salesgirls, though not an escort, and had been running La Mode for the past eight years. Knowing her mother would last only a matter of weeks she painfully observed her mother’s state of demise. A pretty teenage Candy Striper was reading to her in such a sweet, caring voice. Maureen knew why she was summoned.

Mary Kate noticed the tall green-eyed redhead standing in the doorway. She was dressed in dark green business attire, the sexiest business clothing the young girl had ever seen. Having hinted to the teen about some of her checkered past, Molly was surprised at how open-minded Mary Kate Bennigan seemed to be. Molly recognized that though only fifteen the teen was mature beyond her years.

Even approaching the verge of death Molly never stopped thinking as a businesswoman. Though she didn’t fully intend for Mary Kate to become one of her “girls,” she always took the long-range perspective, viewing each prospect as fruit that could ripen and be eaten if the situation should arise. Seeing the Candy Striper’s eyes fixate on the doorway she looked over at her daughter and said, “Come in Maureen. I would like you to meet a particularly good friend of mine, Mary Kate Bennigan.”

During some of their more intimate moments, Molly had steered the conversation around to boys and Mary Kate’s interest in them. She told her how, when she was Mary Kate’s age, she had to fight boys off but was finally unable to. Mary Kate, always looking for means of birth control, took the opportunity to ask, “Weren’t you afraid of getting pregnant?”

Molly said, “Not after an older friend of mine started supplying me with condoms.” She didn’t share that her older friend was a young Priest when she had met him. Mary Kate confessed that she was being intimate with a boy. She didn’t share that it was her twin brother. Molly suggested, “Why don’t you just cop a few rubbers from your father?”

Mary Kate replied, “Dad and Mom practice the rhythm method. They don’t use them.”

Molly chuckled, “Then you need an older friend as I had.” That was one of the reasons she asked Maureen to come.

After introducing the two she looked at Mary Kate and said, “I have told you, Hun, that I run an exclusive dress shop.” She held out her hand toward Maureen. Maureen is in control of La Mode now.” Pausing she said, “You have been so kind to me over the past few weeks Mary Kate. I would like to do something for you. I would like to provide you with some nice clothes from La Mode ... not just for now, but for all the time you are going through high school and the time you are in college.”

The young teenager was overwhelmed by the sickly woman’s gesture. “But I don’t know if my mother would allow that,” she responded.

Molly smiled and said, “Would you kindly pick up the phone and dial your mother’s number?”

“But...”

“Just do as I say, dear,” Molly commanded, then, with a wink added, “Please?”

When Mary Kate’s mother answered the phone Molly said, “Hello Mrs. Bennigan, this is Molly Mansfield calling. Mary Kate is right here beside me.”

Mary Kate had told her mother all about Molly ... that she was the owner of La Mode and that she was terminally ill. All of Boston knew about the prominence of La Mode, a shop where all the sales associates looked like fashion models. When Molly Mansfield explained what she wanted to do for her daughter Mary Kate’s mom said, “But...”

Molly said, “Your daughter has been a kind angel who has been making my last days livable. You wouldn’t deny a grateful lady her dying request would you?” She winked at Mary Kate.

When she hung up the phone Molly took the young girl’s hand and said, “I’ve asked Maureen to take you down to the shop and get started on your wardrobe.” Before the stunned girl could reply she added, “By the way, my daughter is the older person I told you about ... like the priest?” She winked as she said in a low whisper, “She’ll keep you well supplied with condoms my dear.” Mary Kate’s face turned bright red.

As they drove in Maureen’s luxury car Mary Kate felt out of place in her red and white Candy Striper outfit. Riding beside the elegant, sophisticated driver she thought she looked like a little kid. Yet, in the down-to-earth way Maureen was conversing with her, the inexperienced teen was put completely at ease. As they pulled into Newbury Street Mary Kate was in awe. She had never expected that she would ever be in La Mode, much less shop here. This place is only for rich people she thought. As Maureen pulled into the reserved parking space in front of La Mode the awed youngster felt special. But when she walked into the elegant store and saw salesclerks that could have doubled for runway models she felt like Dorothy in Munchkin land.

“Clarice,” Maureen called to a beautiful brunette. When the girl looked up the owner beckoned her by wiggling her hooked finger. When she was close Maureen said, “Clarice, I would like to introduce Mary Kate Bennigan. She is a special friend of Molly’s.”

Clarice smiled warmly as she shook Mary Kate’s hand, and said, “I’m so pleased to meet the person we have heard so much about.”

“In appreciation for the way Mary Kate has been making Molly feel,” Maureen said to Clarice, “La Mode is going to take care of her wardrobe needs. Clarice raised an eyebrow. “Show her around the shop and make sure she picks out some nice summer wear.”

Two hours later, during which Mary Kate called home to tell her mother that she would be late; she had selected six outfits (each had to be tailored). To her surprise, she learned that the lovely Clarice had spent five years in a convent as a nun. When she asked how long the sales associate had been working for La Mode the answer was, “Five years. All of the women who work here are long-term employees. And, except two who are married to older, very wealthy men, we all have college degrees.”

After they were finished Maureen asked Clarice if she would drive Mary Kate home. Mary was surprised when they went to the parking garage and got into a Porsche 911 that couldn’t have been more than a year or so old. On the way home, as she was thinking, I wonder if all of the La Mode sales associates are as successful. She asked, “Why did you leave the convent, Clarice?”