For a while, the halcyon days continue, and Francis enjoys a summer of sand, sun and young love. However, summer ended, and autumn proved dark. I’ll let Francis introduce it:
It wasn’t as if I had misunderstood my mother’s injuction against going to the arcade. Christ, I was fourteen years old. I understood it alright. And ignored it. I simply lied and went anyway. But if I had learned anything from Catechism it was that disobedience always has consequences, often sudden, and usually catastrophic.”
What followed was sudden and catastrophic: a horrendous beating and sexual assault. The question for you is what would you have done differently? Would you have reported the assault in all its gory detail, or would you, like Francis, have lied? Who is harmed by the lie?
