Part 8
| Mary and Christie are at home. |
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| Mary says that she was talking to a boy from a troubled family that was always roaming about their parish. Expostulating him, she said that she wanted everything to be as earlier too. First street kitchen sink story. She was looking for somebody else to help him, and she was afraid. |
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| "Looks like I did", Christie says. Mary asks Christie not to blame herself for not listening to her. Why would she listen to someone who left her little sister all alone, and a sister with serious problems? |
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| Mary asks if Christie remembers their father. Christie answers that she does not remember anything particular. She just remembers loving him very much. Mary says dreamily that he was a wonderful father and they were very happy with their mother. |
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| After his death the family was ruined. Mother got married to Willard, who abused her and she began drinking. Mary could not bear this and ran off to the street. She endured it while she was little but when she was 18 she was determined never to come back. |
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"I thought you cared for me"‚ Christie says weepingly.
"Of course, I do, Christie, I will never run away from the family again". |
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Christie says she hasn't been asking anybody for help for so long. She has already forgot that she has a family. Mary is holding her and says that she knows what she feels, as she feels the same.
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Mary comes to the La Mesa to see Mason.
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| She sits at the table, then turns her head and sees Mason gazing at her. |
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Mason approach the table, Mary gets nervous and says she can't stay.
Mason touched her shoulder and asks: "Why?" |
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Mary answers she shouldn't have come at all.
Mason sits at her table and guesses that she didn't like the way he was looking at her. |
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Mary answers with hesitation that she doesn't care, and she is about to leave.
Mason says that she leaves because he made her realize that she was a woman beneath all that religious armor. |
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"You are away of line, counselor. Who are you to tell me what I am feeling?"
Mason answers that his look was Mary's fault. He is helpless before her feminine charm. |
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| Mary is about to stand up and go away but Mason, smiling, stops her. He says he wants to talk about Ted. |
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Mary answers that the only thing she wants to know about Ted is that he's confessed. Has he? Mason says that he hasn't.
"Well, then we have nothing further to discuss, do we?" Mary says and goes away. |
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Mason smiles moodily.
"The hell we haven't, Sister!" |
