Chapter 1

After Jeff had kissed her goodbye, and their exchange with the entrance monitor, Mary walked into the building to begin her first day as a married woman. She went to her locker to put away the lunch prepared by the hotel and to retrieve her books and notes for her morning classes. Then she headed off in the direction of the school administrative offices.

Mother Theresa caught Mary on her way to the office. She greeted Mary with, "Miss Baker, good to see you in proper uniform this morning, even though it doesn't seem to fit you very well."

Mary bit her tongue and didn't reply. Much like the confrontation of a week and a half ago Mary was unable to completely hide her displeasure. This morning Mother Theresa let the look of upset go without remark. However, the nun did question Mary carefully as to why she did not report directly to her homeroom rather than be aimlessly wandering the school halls. Mary answered, as politely as she could, that she hoped to take care of some things at the office before school started rather than waste valuable instructional time. When she said that, Katharine made her presence known.

(Mary, my daughter, you handled that better than I would have.)

(Mommy K., I am trying to live up to the promise I made to Cardinal Paul, not to flaunt my status. But my patience is wearing thin. If she calls me 'Miss' one more time I think I will explode!)

(Daughter, you have my permission! Just remember Pater's caution to Jeff last Saturday - 'No heavy hard objects'. Oh, I take it that you had a pleasurable night last night?)

Mother Theresa, seeing the hesitation in Mary, moved in for what she perceived would be an easy kill. "Miss Baker, I've had enough of your disruptions. That spectacle you put on yesterday was a monumental waste of time."

(Mary, think first, then say what's on your mind!)

"Mother, I think Cardinal Richardson will be gratified to find out that a Nun teaching at a Catholic High School considers the administration of one of the sacraments to be a 'waste of time.' And by the way, two years ago in freshman English, Sister Bonaventure taught us that the proper form of address for a married woman was; 'Mrs. Woman's given name Surname', when being informal. But in formal situations more properly; 'Mrs. Husband's First name Surname'. So to be totally correct you should address me as Mrs. Jeffrey Baker!"

(You love the sound of that, don't you dear?)

(YES! Mommy K., I keep saying it to myself over and over.)

This mental exchange had Mary beaming a beautiful smile in seconds. Mother Theresa made another one of her now infamous leaps of logic, thinking that Mary was smirking at her, only to fall on her face again.

"Miss Baker, you are going to accompany me to the principal's office right this moment," seethed Mother Theresa. At which point the nun reached out and roughly grabbed Mary's still healing left shoulder. Mary winced in pain from the protesting joint and said from behind clenched teeth, "Ouch! Mother, you are hurting me."

Heedless to the pain she was causing, Mother Theresa continued to dig her fingers into Mary. Mary with distress obvious in her voice told the nun, "Mother, I most recently saw the consequences to a person for injuring me as you are doing now. They are in the hospital, and if they recover will be charged with felonious assault. So, would you kindly remove your hand?"

(Mary, child, did you just threaten Mother Theresa?)

(No! Mommy K., I just illustrated that bad things sometimes happen to people who do physical harm to another.)

(Mary, you have been spending too much time around Timothy. You are starting to sound like him in his 'high and mighty' mood.)

(Mommy K., I have watched Pater get all formal. It seemed to work so well, I had to try it myself.)

Mother Theresa meanwhile had removed her hand as if she had been clutching a burning lump of coal instead of Mary's shoulder. With as much disdain as she could muster she herded Mary off to the office, thus taking Mary where she was going anyway.

They arrived at the office at the same time the principal was approaching from the opposite direction. Monsignor Vincente greeted the pair with "Good morning, Mrs. Baker, morning Mother. Mary, I trust that I still may address you that way?"

"Of course, Monsignor," was our heroine's response.

"Thank you, Mary. You and your husband had a safe and productive trip to Maryland, then?"

"Yes Monsignor, Judge Kodiak had everything taken care of. I have the license in my pocketbook in case you need it to change my 'student information file'."

"Let's go see Mrs. Bauer. She can take care of all that for you. Is that all you needed me for?" replied the Monsignor.

"Yes Monsignor, that's all I wanted to do but Mother Theresa here enh... err... , strongly requested that I accompany her here, to your office."

During this interchange Mother Theresa had become agitated. She thought that Monsignor Vincente was treating this very poor example of a student with the respect that is due to a member of the staff. In fact, he was treating her much better than even a parent should be treated. 'How did he expect her to maintain proper order and discipline unless parents and students knew their place in the pecking order?' thought Mother Theresa. 'After all, I am the woman's disciplinarian, am I not?'

Principal Vincente looked to Mother Theresa with an arched eyebrow.

Mother Theresa answered with "Miss Baker here..."

She was interrupted by the principal with, "In my office now!." Then, looking to his pupil, "Mary, go see Mrs. Bauer, then wait. I will see to you after I have had a chance to talk privately with the good Mother here."

With that he escorted Mother Theresa into his office and pointedly closed the door. The Monsignor was a natural administrator. The Lord hadn't blessed him with the superb intellect that he had bestowed on Father Tim or the Cardinal. But he had been given more than sufficient brain power to be of service in his capacity. The priest walked to his desk and lowered himself into his high backed chair, which he swiveled to face Mother Theresa. The Monsignor purposely did not invite the nun to sit down. He rather perfunctorily said, "Let's have it, Sister. What has you so upset with our star pupil?"

Mother Theresa sputtered, "Star Pupil? That enfant horrible is being disrespectful of our authority!"

"Get a hold of your emotions, Sister! That young woman out there can pick up the phone and talk to the Cardinal any time she wants; I heard her do it myself. Even if that were not so, she is a likeable individual. She is a much better 'example' of a good Catholic woman than some of your 'cheerleading' tarts," answered the principal.

"Tarts?" quizzed Mother Theresa.

"Mother, get your head out of the sand! Even I have heard the rumors of after the game congratulations. If I could prove it, I would do something about it."

"Just what are you implying, Monsignor?"

"Mother, if I were you, I would be more concerned with illicit private 'signs of affection' than with public, and might I add, 'chaste, ' actions. Also, you were there yesterday when our Miss Baker became Mrs. Baker, even if your actions were somewhat disruptive. Now what was your reason for bringing Mrs. Baker to my office?"

Mother Theresa blanched, if you could detect the change with the white bib and the headdress. "My actions were disruptive?" sniveled the Nun. "What about that... that... hussy out there tying up the entire school for the better part of the day just so she could do disgusting things with that boy from public school. Then her essay! It's going to take me a long time to get some of those heretical thoughts out of the rest of our charges' minds. The very notion that God would consider the 'reproductive act' as anything more than excusable in certain situations! Why else would The Lord have made it so repulsive and degrading... and..."

Mother's diatribe didn't end there, but the Monsignor mentally shut her off. He thought maybe this was what Father Strickland and the Cardinal were attempting to rectify. His gut reaction was to have this nun removed from school. That would probably not sit well with some bureaucrats in the chancellery. He understood that while he didn't lust after women, he was making a sacrifice to remain celebrate. Not like this specter standing in front of him spouting hate and completely missing the point of the unmarried state. This thing... thought she was avoiding a horrible fate by hiding behind the Habit.

When she had finally wound down he spoke. "Mother, I can see that you feel strongly about this subject. There are other considerations however. Things are changing; the laity is becoming more important to Rome. That especially involves the role of women in the church. While I am not entirely happy about some of the things I see happening, I will not be a road block, nor will I allow your attitude to drag me and this school down with you. That young woman out there is the future of the Church; she received something yesterday that you seem to have missed. She received the blessing of our Lord, a way of helping her... What sacrament did you receive when you took your vows?"

"I didn't need blessings or sacraments to do the right thing! Are you going to allow that woman to attend our school?" was Mother Theresa's disdainful reply.

"Yes Mother, I am but it is not all my doing. I follow orders and downtown has made their wishes quite clear. Now I am going to do the same! You will treat Mrs. Baker with respect. You will address her as Mrs. Baker. See to it the word on that is passed to the rest of your nuns. Mrs. Baker will have to follow all the rules as they apply to her. I don't think that will be a problem for her. Have I made myself clear?"

"Well, she already has broken several rules this morning. She rode to school in an automobile with that boy while in uniform. Then they kissed (shudder) again," whimpered Mother Theresa.

"Is that so?" replied the Monsignor. "Better check the rules, Mother. The rules specifically permit family members to ride to school in the same car. And how many times have you seen a parent or guardian give a kiss to a student when they are dropped off?" The principal paused and thought for a moment before he continued, "I hadn't thought about it before, but who do you think will be signing Mary's report card and if you were to send a request home with Mrs. Baker, demanding to speak to her guardian, who do you imagine will come to speak with you?"

"Monsignor, she also threatened me."

"Oh? That's a horse of a different color. You better explain what happened."

"I came upon your 'Mrs. Baker' aimlessly wandering the halls earlier this morning, contra to school rules. When I braced her on her infraction, she became surly. Since I knew you would not tolerate that disrespect for a person of the cloth, I attempted to physically direct her to your office. I simply took a hold of her shoulder to urge her in the proper direction. She pretended that she was in pain. She related a tall tale about 'the last person to do that wound up in the hospital.' I didn't want to escalate things further so I removed my hand. She then willingly came with me to your office; that is where we were when you met us."

Father Vincente slumped in his chair. He prayed silently to himself, "Father, who art in heaven, give me strength! Does she truly not understand she is at the edge of the abyss with one foot suspended over nothingness?"

"Sister, did you read the article in the "Bulletin" about the 'Parkway Rapists' capture?" was what Msgr. Vincente spoke out loud.

Receiving a negative shake of the nun's head as a reply, he continued. "It seems that those slime buckets picked the wrong targets this time. The lady was slightly injured before her escort did some serious work on those who were hurting someone he considered under his protection. For some reason known only to the reporter, the paper failed to mention the names of the woman and her champion. I have it on very good authority that the woman was our Mary, and the gentleman, your 'public school boy'.

"Some nastiness occurred with the police but that was straightened out in court on Saturday. The judge said something to the effect of the young man's actions were 'reasonable and prudent.' So before you lay a hand on someone's wife, I suggest that you give it prior consideration. That's probably a good principle for you to apply before you 'attempt to physically direct' any of your students.

"I am going to invite Mrs. Baker in here to discuss your 'detention problem'."

While the Monsignor was consulting with Mother Theresa, Mary was busy with Mrs. Bauer, the school secretary. Mrs. Bauer held open the doorway to the back office for Mary, inviting her to enter.

"Mary, I'm Irene. Let's see if we can figure how to make the records fit your situation. Did you know that you are the first one of us to openly attend a Catholic High School?"

"One of 'us'?" stumbled a bewildered Mary.

"Oh, 'Us', we married women stick together. Welcome to the club. I have been married forty two years and regretted it only once when I lost my first one to not taking care of myself. Now the fun begins. We have to make the system understand you."

Irene rummaged though her desk drawers and came up with a blank 'Student Information Form.' She told Mary they would have to shoehorn her new status into the existing system. The ever efficient Irene had already pulled Mary's current records.

Working together they filled in the forms. Mary's home address (in the city) and parish (now Holy Angels) reflected the home that Father Tim had given them. In the area that contained emergency information they put Jeff's name first and for telephone they looked up the number of his school. They were in somewhat of a quandary as whom to list for the second contact until Katharine came to the rescue. (Mary, have her put down - Timothy Strickland, Esq. And for relationship, 'Attorney in Fact.') Mary, being the mindful daughter she was, did as bidden.

Irene produced two pre-printed 3 X 5 cards and said, "Now we have one last item to take care of, new signature cards are in order."

Mary hadn't given any thought to who would sign for her. She had simply assumed (no, my friends, I'm not going to bring up that tired old bromide) that she would not need anybody to give permission for her. Irene saw Mary stiffen and look as if she was going to protest.

"Don't worry, Mary I've got this all figured out. Notice that all the places that requested student's name we have listed you as - Mary Susan Baker - including on the top of this form. Then we go back to the first form, fill in the parent/guardian section with 'Jeffrey M. Baker.' Mary, like it or not the law says you are his responsibility now, even though we know better! So just let it go. Now you sign the top line of the signature card, 'Mrs. Jeffrey M. Baker.' Take the duplicate home and tell your hubby to sign the second line. Trust me, no one will ever question it."

Mary's mood brightened, "Mrs. Bauer, things are happening so fast. Jeff and I talk about everything. We never thought about things like signing report cards or 'giving permission'."

"Mary, I told you, it's Irene. Keep talking with your Jeff. It's the way to have a long and happy marriage. There are things that are scary but you have to make those decisions together. If something were to happen to your hubby this afternoon, people would be coming to you to ask permission to help him. You are now his 'Next of Kin'."

The principal keyed his intercom and spoke to Mrs. Bauer. At her behest Mary entered the most dreaded area for a student, the Principal's office.

The Monsignor began with, "Mrs. Baker, come join us." As he stood and indicated a chair to Mary, he turned to Mother Theresa and grudgingly said, "You may have a seat too, Mother."

"Mrs. Baker, Mother Theresa is sorry for interrupting your nuptials yesterday.
However, as much as I disagree with her actions, I can't let a student assign punishment to a teacher. What I propose is that Mother will say during this morning's announcements that she and her fellow nuns will be praying a novena for you and your husband's future. By the way, she has indicated that she understands the proper way to address you is 'Mrs. Baker'"

(Mary dear, now is the time for an olive branch.)

"Mother, you could address me as Mary or Mary Baker if you would like."

As Mother Theresa replied, you could hear the venom in her voice. "I will stick to what I have been instructed to do. If that is acceptable to you, 'Mrs. Baker'."

Principal Vincente stepped into the exchange, "Mary, thank you for being understanding about this. Would you tell His Eminence that we have been cooperative the next time you see him?"

(Mary dear, you won this one, let her have her pettiness.)

"I will, Monsignor. I will be seeing him Friday afternoon when my husband and I will be picking up Smokey, if Cardinal Paul will part with him."

"Thank you, Mary. Now run off to class. Mrs. Bauer will give you a late pass. Remember my door is always open to you. Just ask Mrs. Bauer and she will fit you in quickly."

Msgr. Vincente then spoke to Mother Theresa, "I believe you have an announcement to make."

Mary went to her morning classes. Her first class was civics. The teacher was a Miss Teafiend. She greeted her class with, "Today we will take up the 'state's rights' vs 'the full faith and credence clause' of The Constitution. This is an obscure matter which I am sure that will never affect you personally. Can anybody explain either concept?"

Mary waited for someone else to respond. When no one else took up the challenge, Mary raised her hand. Miss Teafiend saw Mary's raised hand and said rather smugly, "Baker, it's a little early for a bathroom break don't you think?"

Mary replied, "Ma'am I don't have to use the ladies room. I was going to attempt to explain what I know of the 'full faith and credence' clause."

"And what would a young girl like you know about constitutional clauses?" replied an incredulous Miss Teafiend.

Mary thought for a moment, (Mommy K? If I tell her, is that taking advantage of my 'special status?)

(No, Dear, Timothy and David explained it to you. It's part of you now. Remember Cardinal Paul said 'flaunt;' he didn't say you couldn't use your experience! Let her have both barrels... Wait Mary... Do your 'get all formal routine.')

"Miss Teafiend, I have had the opportunity, recently, to consult with my attorney and a Justice of the Superior Court of the State of Maryland, on this exact subject."

(Dear, keep it factual! Consulted with David?)

(Mommy K., he signed the license, didn't he? Anyway we talked at dinner last night. And Mommy, I'd like to think of him as Uncle Dave. He and his wife were so nice. She told me some stories about you and Pater. The four of you were quite a wild bunch, weren't you?)

(Oh! She didn't, did she? If she did, paybacks are going to be tough.)

(Mary, keep in mind that there was never any poaching. We enjoyed each other's company, enough said!)

"Baker, don't be smart with me! A child like you doesn't have an attorney; let alone 'consult' with judges," sputtered the spinster teacher.

(Mommy K., I will fill you in later. I have to get into my 'indignant persona' now.)

"Miss Teafiend, I am not a 'child.' I am a woman, a married woman in fact. I will forgo my explanation of those 'doctrines' in favor of yours."

(MARY! What did Elizabeth tell you? I need an answer now! Not the skinny dipping story? I'll have her soul if she did!)

(Mommy K., that was just one of the stories. I will tell you all about it later. If I don't pay attention to MISS Teafiend I am going to be in big trouble.)

The rest of the class passed with an uneasy truce between Mary and the teacher.

The third period brought a pleasant experience for Mary, when at the beginning of Spanish class, Mrs. Twist, the instructor, began the class with, "Buenos días, Señora y Señoritas" and a meaningful smile in Mary's direction.

Before lunch period, however, a couple of the younger students cornered Mary. They wanted to know why she was still in school since she was now married. They wondered that since she had reached her goal, why she wouldn't just drop out and take it easy. This exchange bothered Mary greatly. Being wed to Jeff was the most important milestone in her life but that wasn't a goal. What she envisioned for herself was making a mark on the world and birthing several little 'Marys and Jeffs'.

Between classes Mary noticed most of the nuns greeting her in the halls with a nod and a mumbled, 'Mrs. Baker.'

Mary went to her locker and deposited her morning books. She retrieved her afternoon materials and the box lunch the hotel had prepared for her. Mary looked around for her friend Pat. Not seeing her, she took her package to her usual table, sat down and began investigating the meal. The box had barely fit in her locker. Opening the container, she found a list of its contents and instructions for assembling her midday repast. Also in the box was a set of flatware, a plate, salad bowl and a linen napkin. The paper requested Mary to give the box with the soiled items to any bellman upon her return to the hotel.

Mary had begun reading the information when Pat sat down in her customary seat. "I waited in the hall as long as I could, hoping to catch Terry heading off to his next class. He must have taken the shortcut through the gym."

"Pat, look at this. This is supposed to be my lunch. There are enough goodies in here to feed three people. Have you ever seen shrimp this big? They have to be bigger than 10-count shrimp. I think this wedge is Brie, this one Edam? The Julian salad is huge, three kinds of dressing, French, Oil and Vinegar, oh! My favorite - Roquefort. Crackers and I wonder what kind of bread this loaf is, and here's butter."

Then Mary found a 4 oz. bottle of Chablis and glass.

"Pat, would you like a sip of the grape? If we share it quickly, Mother Theresa will never know how far astray we have gone," snickered Mrs. Baker. "And you have to help me eat all this."

"What, no oysters?" quipped Patricia.

"Oysters?"

"You know, oysters, the aphrodisiac. Maybe newlyweds don't need them," responded Pat.

Mrs. Twist, who had lunch room monitor duty that day, wandered past the table. She noticed the bottle, stopped, bent over and whispered to la Señora, "Tomorrow or whenever, tell them to substitute a Coke for the 'grape juice'." When Mary and Patricia stood, Mrs. Twist informed Mary that in the Spanish culture 'la Señora' remains seated to greet a visitor. Then she added, "You should try to learn the customs as well as the language."

After the teacher left, Pat took up the conversation. "Mary, I didn't want to take away from your day so I haven't said anything before. Terry proposed last Saturday night at Jeff's parents. I kinda said 'Yes.'"

"Pat, I am so happy for you!" squealed Mary. "Terry is a real nice guy. And he is almost as handsome as my Jeff," teased Mary. "He's such a teddy bear behind that jock front he puts on. Before you guys introduced me to my Luv, I had a crush on him."

"Mary! Terry is much better in the looks department than that scrawny specimen you claim as your husband. As for Terry being a jock; didn't your 'Knight Errant' subdue three of the bad guys last Friday night?"

"Pat, sorry for trying to tease you. I like Terry and I know that you two will be happy. Right now I am enjoying having the upper hand, something I never had before. I have a husband. I am fully a woman now. That is something I can now say without guilt. It's very heady stuff."

"He's kinda soft on you too, Mary. Do I have anything to worry about? After all you are now a married woman and out of the competition, aren't you?" pleaded a semi-serious Patricia.

(Dear, Pat is feeling left out. You and Jeff have made your vows. She is insecure right now so take it easy on her.)

"Pat, I promise not to steal Terry, as if I could. Just promise me that you won't shake your 'boobies' at my Jeff too often. Mine are so small. I'm swimming around in this uniform you lent me."

"You should have to carry them around for a while! They get in the way a lot!"

With those preliminaries out of the way, Pat desperately wanted to know, "How was it? Is it as good as they say?"

Mary said, "The reports are not even close! One of the wonderful parts was when Jeff kissed me goodnight. We did not have to separate. We just fell asleep. Snuggling up to your lover sure beats a flannel nightgown any day."

Mary paused for a breath, eyes shining, before continuing, "Then to wake up to Jeff gently massaging my breast in his sleep, pure heaven! I didn't have to put his hand there, his reserve is all gone. And... he woke up in such a nice condition, so we put it to good use."

"Now tell me, how many times did you two do it?" queried Pat.

Mary giggled, "It?"

"Stop being so smug, you are acting like my mother! Why do married people clam up when I ask about 'it'?", peeved Patricia.

Mary replied, "Who was counting, but enough times that I am a little tender in a certain place."

"Oh... , it hurt then?"

"No! The tenderness is a reminder of how good it was! Exciting and calming at the same time; tender and rough together; taking and giving; the mind consuming thought that you are 'one being' at that moment," pontificated Mary. "And that's only the mind stuff. You get all tense; you don't think you could get any tenser, and then all a sudden the flood gates open. Every nerve in your body fires off pleasure messages. Your mind kinda shuts down like it has too much of a good thing. Your hips are pushing and thrusting like they had a mind of their own, you're making sounds like you're dying but you are already in heaven. Jeff is doing the same! Then you feel him erupt, giving you his future. It's too incredible to put into words! Then you get hugged so tight. Heaven could not be even close to that. So tight that I couldn't tell whose heartbeat I was feeling. It was such a rush. And you start leaking all over the sheets, the dreaded 'wet spot, ' but even that is good because then you have to snuggle closer to sleep."

(Mary, the tenderness in that certain spot will pass quickly. By tonight you will want Jeff to kiss it and make it better and better until you can't take it any more. Then you will be begging for a repeat performance. Timothy pretended that he could take it or leave it but I know better. Don't ever let Jeff get away with that fiction. Now tell me what Elizabeth told you!)

(Later Mommy K., please!)

Pat sat back in confusion. "Mary, is it ok to like it that much? Some parts of me tell me that I need that feeling but I keep hearing that I have to be a good girl and that those feelings are wrong. Last Saturday night Terry was starting to make me feel good and helpless at the same time, and then you went and kicked over the flower pot. At that point I would have killed you if I had the chance. I want to do more, I need more but I want someone else to make that decision for me, like to be forced into what I want. I know it doesn't make sense."

Before the friends could continue, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. As Mary was leaving the cafeteria a group of freshmen girls approached her. The leader of the pack was the young woman who had given Mother Theresa the four days detention.

"Mrs. Baker? I want to apologize for my friends' behavior last week." Indicating her three friends, "They were the ones who were doing the 'Mary has a boyfriend' chant."

Mary replied, "No need for apologies. I have a husband now. That's much better than just having a boyfriend. Anyway, your friends will soon learn how wonderful it is to have a boyfriend of their own."

The future corporate president pleaded for her cohorts, "Could we see and touch your ring for good luck?"

Mary wasn't sure how to react. She numbly extended her left hand for the girls to examine. The young women looked over the ring carefully and each touched it reverently. When they were done, Mary continued to her class.

(Mommy K., don't they know it's not the ring that counts? It's the commitment we made to each other that's important.)

(Yes dear, you are so right but they are so young. They have to learn the difference.)

Mary's first class after lunch was religion, taught by an elderly priest. He was the only teacher to actually call the roll. When he came to the former Miss Mary Baker (Mary's was the third name in the class), he asked her, "Your last name is still 'Baker' isn't it?"

Mary replied, "Yes, Father, some friends thought it would be funny to introduce the two 'Bakers.' It worked out really well."