My Prominent Memory of Roman Catholic School

My Prominent Memory of Roman Catholic School 05 06 2010

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In Catholic Grade school the shortest kid in class, we’ll call him McGulicuddy was being molested by the largest boy in class, we’ll call him Clarence. Clarence was on top of McGulicuddy, he had wrestled him down and McGulicuddy could not get away. Clarence was pinching his nuts to ruin.

McGulicuddy was crying out in pain. There was no supervisor to be found. Ostensibly the Principal, a nun, was probably getting another pack of cigarettes.

All of the rest of the classes just stood far away. Either leering or scared. Not wanting to do anything.

I could not just stand there and see this happen. I had wrestled with Clarence before and knew it would be close. I also knew I would have no help. Clarence had grown bigger by the third grade and I was second smallest in the class, but also the oldest.

I could not stand there anymore than a moment. It bothered me so much and tore at my conscious that if I had not done anything it would have bothered me the rest of my life if I hadn’t done anything. It was weakening me as I was almost starting to cry.

So I ran as fast as I could in my Tough Skins jeans to save him lying their on the hill of grass. Only a few moments passed form the time I saw it happening until I was there.

Clarence would not get off of him it was like he was possessed by more than himself, with the enjoyment of what he was doing.

I pulled him off and ended up wrestling Clarence with little help from anyone, as McGulicuddy ran away crying and fast.

There was a school board meeting but nothing was done to discipline Clarence. Clarence’s mother talked to mine and told her, “They’re all growing up together.” How we loved hearing that. The smaller kids lived in fear of this bully and others that came that got kicked out of public grade schools for all of grade school.

I trained an Irish mechanic while working at a service station during college. He told me of a similar experience of some bully lying on someone and he didn’t know what he was doing to him.

He said he walked right up and took his boot and kicked him square in the nose and damn near knocked him bloody unconscious. I said, “Didn’t they expel you?”

He said, “Uhh, Uhh, No!”

I wish I would have done this that day.

Anyway McGulicuddy said to me the next day, “I have a secret to tell you for what you did for me. But you have to promise not to tell anyone.”

Quietly I asked, “What is it?”

“All Jews are mind readers.”

My best friend was a Jew and I said, “Prove it.”

I did tell my mother his secret.

So we went to his friend’s house who was a Jew and his aunt was going to read my mind. It turned out she failed to be able to do so because she didn’t know what I was thinking during the ordeal of her going behind a wall separating herself from me and then not knowing what I was thinking.

It seems we had to become dependent on somebody’s mind that earlier day, and is not just them still are.

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God Bless,

Thomas Paul Murphy

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Copyright 2010 Thomas Paul Murphy