The Miracle of the Images. Welby Thomas Cox, Jr.

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СКАЧАТЬ freshness and a wholesome country breakfast. Father Francis was already in Aldo's camp, suggesting that he thought both might stay if Aldo was certain it would be no inconvenience.

      The next day Aldo set about preparing for his chores and the evening meal as well. It was not something that he could spend much time fretting over, so he simply put a nice rump roast (adding potatoes, carrots, celery and onions later) into the oven for a slow bake to be completed at the precise hour for dinner. Cooking approximately four hours, the meat would be quite tender and the vegetables could be added about one hour before they were ready to eat or as Aldo figured it about the time he came in for his shower. A simple meal that all should enjoy with some fresh bread and sweet tea which he needed only to drop into a boiling pan of water. Perhaps even a glass of the farms wine.

      There would be coffee after dinner with a pound cake picked up from the bakery at Kroger. The convenience of living on the edge of a new mega center which had taken fifty acres from Aldo's farm on the far east side (The worst of the farm acreage which was unsuitable for farming) and which had fetched a reasonable price as negotiated by the farms attorneys, Handmaker & Handmaker who also handled the investment of the funds through the law firm which required no identification from Aldo so long as the fees to the firm were paid. The law firm maintained a list of clients seeking a source of discriminating and readily available funds at twelve percent per annum.

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      Aldo started with the big Jersey cows who stood waiting, mooing in low guttural sounds indicating the need for immediate relief from the large bags which hung precariously between the hind legs dripping rich milk as they walked into the prearranged slots for the attachment of the electric milkers as the cows dropped their heads while munching hay from the racks. The electric milkers were additions to the farms milk program in the early eighties. Although it was hard work, Aldo found that he and one farm hand could milk one hundred cows in a setting in just over one hour. Of course there was clean up on the electric milking machines, and the storage of the milk in the large cooler for pick up by the Co-op... but the faun hand dispatched with this chore within a couple of hours and then joined the other hands now working at various chores as defined by Aldo for the balance of the day with a break for lunch at noon, in time for the angelus which called the hands into the farm kitchen for the meal.

      Aldo had help with the lunch. He had been fortunate to find a divorced woman with three small children who lived near the farm...enjoyed being up early, liked to cook and clean and the best part for her, was that Aldo paid her in cash each day and she was home in time for her children to come home from school. Aldo had even offered to set up a double wide trailer near the barn for she and her children but she had been able to rent a tenant house on the farm next door and it was an easy commute for her old car. Aldo wanted to help but did not want to make waves.

      Her name was Rita McCann...a big Irish woman who knew her way around work, was honest and dependable. She was a wonderful addition to the farm, handling those chores which Aldo had trouble working into his schedule or the schedule of one of the men. Besides it was nice to have a woman's touch around the house and on occasion, the children even came over if they were out of school early for some reason.

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      The timing worked out perfectly for Aldo as it most often did. He had completed all his chores for the day and come home to clean up and get prepared for his evening guest. Rita McCann had kept an eye on the roast, adding water periodically and then placing the vegetables into the huge roasting pot. They would be tender and ready for the six o'clock meal.

      Mrs McCann had also cleaned two of the guest rooms. Vacuuming, dusting, changing the beds, washing the windows and placing fresh flowers in vases besides the night stand. Aldo was quite pleased with the work and told Mrs McCann how much he appreciated the extra work while giving her a twenty dollar bill for her effort.

      The priest arrived in Father Francis's Buick right on schedule as the angelus sounded from the automated bells Aldo had rigged near the barn. He enjoyed the bells, which rang three times each day...announcing the call to the meals.

      Father Francis introduced Aldo to Monsignor Voght and then to Father Dalton. Voght was a big man over six feet five inches tall and weighing in excess of two hundred fifty pounds without being obese. Dalton was willowy...tall and slim he was fresh out of Divinity College at the Vatican. A special college for a select few chosen to serve the Pope in the communities from which they have come.

      Aldo welcomed the men into his home. He was proud of its simplicity and the smell of dinner encouraged the entourage to move closer toward the kitchen. Aldo had started a fire in the large fireplace. It was now October 26 and although the days were pleasant, the evenings began to get a slight nip in the air as the sun set. So the fire felt good as well as setting a warm mood for the men.

      Aldo offered a glass of wine or sherry. All accepted the home made wine from apple, peach and grape which was placed on the living room table in large cruets for the men to serve themselves. After they had poured the wine and drank to the fellowship, Aldo excused himself and attended to the last details of getting the dinner on the table including mashing the potatoes, which was a specialty of the house with this meal, which also included wonderfully light and rich mushroom gravy, enriched by wine.

      The men were invited to the dinning room and seated around the table as though they were family Monsignor Voght said the grace and all filled their plates with the roast, which was so tender it fell to the touch of the fork. All the men ate in silence, not because they had nothing to say but because the meal was simply so tasty and a welcome change from the restaurant fare to which they had become accustomed.

      By the second helping, the men began to slow down the ritual of shoveling the food into opened mouths long enough to pass the pleasantries of the day.

      "How was the trip from Rome?" Aldo asked.

      "Very pleasant indeed." The Monsignor said in response to Aldo.

      "We. were able to come direct on Delta from Rome into the Cincinnati airport which as you know is located in Kentucky."

      The men laughed at the suggestion that Kentucky wasn't good enough to own up to its largest airport but had been forced to label it with the Ohio Queen city name.

      "What about the meals at the Vatican?" Aldo asked.

      "Well the meals do not approach this magnificent feast Aldo, but for us poor priest they are a useful respect from the labors of the day. An opportunity for the community to get together, to pray and to enjoy the fellowship of those we love and admire." Father Tim said.

      "Of course no one will believe this feast so we may have to kidnap you Aldo in order to prove that all meals do not have to include pasta and bread." The Monsignor said.

      "Monsignor has your summer reading list included the DaVinci Code'..." Aldo asked.

      "Another Jewish Money-changer...a huckster...say or do anything to discredit Christianity...the real God. This book Aldo is a waste of time, a Hollywood extravaganza at the expense of the deeply faithful. It begins with a historically faulty portrait of the Last Supper, the great DaVinci creation, which never took place.

      "How do you mean Monsignor...we have all seen the masterpiece?" Aldo asked.

      "Yes...we have seen the masterpiece of the creative genius of Leonardo DaVinci but Aldo, you of all people should know that there is a thing called Artistic License, which permits the artist to paint whatever he or she wants to interpret, in their unique way and call it history...those of us who have spent our lives dedicated to the historical truth, know that Brown's interpretation of the design of the Last Supper is faulty...a lie because СКАЧАТЬ