Man Cannot Live By Bread Alone (Sean)

[Father Stanley Cupper]

Father Cupper looked around the little sandwich shop, breathing the scent of brewing coffee wafting through the air, Sweet as mothers milk... he muses as he heads up to place an order, grabbing a simple ham and cheese on sourdough and a cup of black coffee and heading for a seat by the windows. He settles into his seat and chews his sandwich with one hand as his other pulls out a Kindle reader his sister got him last birthday, and tries to puzzle out the mysteries of its function, a look of deep confusion, dropping his brow, Fires below, how do the young'ns make this look so natural. He grumbles in his mind.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean thoroughly enjoyed Honest Abe’s sandwich shop and café. In part, this was because Sean considered Abe Milton a friend, and he enjoyed the other man’s company. In larger part, this was because the telepath enjoyed quality food and strong coffee, and Abe never failed to deliver either to his customers. As such, the establishment had quickly become one of Sean’s favorites, and it continued to occupy a familiar and favored position on his list of “where should I eat?”

Josh also enjoyed Honest Abe’s, which made it a popular location for when the two met for lunch during the week. It also made it habit for him to seek out the sandwich shop when looking for a bite, even when Josh and he did not have plans. Or, in the case of this afternoon, when his attorney had needed to cancel due to a client meeting running long.

As such, he stepped into the restaurant, unsurprised to find it crowded during the lunch rush, and went up to order. After receiving his sandwich and his coffee, Sean looked around for an available seat.

Unfortunately, most every table was taken, although not every seat at each table was filled. Seeing someone roughly his age, who was also unfamiliar, he approached and asked, “May I sit here?”

The other man was engaged with an e-reader, so he would try not to bother him, but the empty seat was valuable in its own right.

[Father Stanley Cupper]

Father Cupper looks up at the speaker who has intruded on his thoughts, and was very glad for it because the infernal device was thwarting his every effort to get it to do what he wants, "Course ye can." He says setting his e-reader aside with a smile that would make him a shoe in for Father Christmas, "Though I fear there's a toll on it, ye'll need ta be willing to let an old man chat yer ear off." He gestures at the e-reader, "Cant figure that things on switch from it search functions, left me books in the car, and I could use a voice other than me own's rattling about my skull." He offers a hand, "Father Cupper, though if your not the religious sort, you're free to call me Stan. I swear, I shant be trying to preach at ye less ye ask fer it."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean peered at the digital reader and recognized that it was Kindle, primarily because he had bought Josh a Nook and was thus familiar with the appearance of that particular device. Since those were the two major e-readers available, that the other man’s looked different from Josh’s indicated that it was a Kindle.

The telepath had only limited experience with Kindles. He knew how e-readers worked generally, and he knew a bit about Kindle via Amazon policy (and the negative publicity surrounding them). That was why he had opted for a Nook when buying Josh’s present. Still, he listened patiently as the other man explained what his problem was, unfortunately unable to offer practical solutions. The correction, “You probably aren’t much older than I am” hardly qualified as a practical solution.

He smiled and took the offered hand in his, shaking firmly. “Stan it is.” As an ex-Catholic, and an avowed atheist, religion no longer played a role in his life. However, he had no ill-will towards those to whom it mattered absent certain exceptions, and he remembered fondly the religious figures who had helped him so much in his youth. “I’m Sean.”

With that, he dropped into the seat across from the other man. “Have you been in town long?”

[Father Stanley Cupper]

"Just a few weeks, I fear." He says as his guest settles in, "Still trying to get used to the town, and the weather, which I'm quite sure shall be changing just as I do." His mind briefly wanders back to winters on the far side of the pond as a wan smile parts his lips, "Not that I'm not used to cold, just spent the last few years much closer to the equator." he waves a hand, a if brushing away cobwebs, "Neither here nor there, I suppose, folks seem lovely enough, and I thank you for keeping that average high. Mind me getting nosy and asking what you do for a living, Mr. Sean?" he eyes the mans dress and build for a moment, matching him to a long line of other people and conversations throughout his life, "I'd say professor or businessman from the look of you." 

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Time could take on a somewhat different meaning in a small town. It could also take on a somewhat different meaning when dealing with Hammel, or the Pilot Ridge community as a whole, as they had their share of absurdity. Still, only a few weeks was precious little time in which to become integrated. “At least you’re here for the summer; that makes it easier to adjust.”

This was the same advice that Sean had given to other recent transplants. Vermont in winter was harsh and filled with snow; for the older amongst them, it also brought joint pain and an increased risk of death by cardiac arrest or frostbite. Summer in Pilot Ridge was pleasant. Aside from utterly lacking in snow, it allowed for mild weather, days at the lake, certain festivals, and the seasonal farmers’ market.

“In South America?” The telepath queried. That was the usual fare for Catholic priests, although it wasn’t the only possible location.

He shook his head to convey that he didn’t mind at all. “I’d make a terrible businessman.” Given that he had left a lucrative job in order to take his position at Hammel, he had already demonstrated that time and again, with each year he stayed at the school. “I’m a psychiatrist, actually, but I work at a school.”

[Father Stanley Cupper]

"Lord I hope so..." the old priest chuckles, looking out a window, "I'll grant, most places I end up moving to sees me there in the winter first, so its nice to come to a town when its awake and alive."

"Not that far... though I did help a mission in Itacare for a bit... ah, tourist trap in Brazil." he says, hoping he dosen't sound insulting to the mans knowledge of geography, "Most recent home was down in the west Texas town of El Paso." He gives a small smile as the tune comes to mind, "Lovely song, though the city itself..." he pulls a face, "Hotter than the fires below and twice as barren. Not a decent fishing spot for days of driving."

At the mans profession, he stops and considers, "Psychiatrist at a school, ach, you aren't Dr. Sean Neville are ye?" He says with a slight smile and a hopeful thanks to serendipity.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean sipped from his cup as he listened to the other man. He had heard of Itacaré, which he thought might be in Bahia. However, the telepath had never traveled there, not for a layover or a weekend getaway, let alone for any duration of residence; so he trusted Stan’s assessment that it qualified as a tourist trap.

A smile touched his lips at the other remark. “Would you believe that’s one of the more flattering descriptions of El Paso that I’ve heard?”

The telepath was a Northeasterner through and through. Born in New York – on Long Island, raised there until he was taken to Hammel, in the middle of Vermont. Six years at Hammel as a student. Four years of college and four years of medical school in the Village. Another seven years of life in Chelsea. Then back to Pilot Ridge for another twenty-four years. Interspersed only with vacations or the occasional medical or teaching conference that brought him elsewhere. He had been to Texas on a couple of occasions for conferences, and he knew that the state varied wildly in terms of natural beauty, available infrastructure, diversity, and political and religious beliefs. El Paso had never received the same praise as Houston and Austin did.

Then at the other question, he returned the smile while nodding a single time. “I am. Has my reputation preceded me?”

[Father Stanley Cupper]

"I believe that with less question than I give the Bible." The old priest snorts, "The only things there worth even stopping for is arguably Chicos Tacos, and only reason to stop for those is ye'd be locked in the car with Montezuma if ye didn't."

At the confirmation of identity, his smile goes a bit broader, "Not reputation so much, more your posting. I've been needing to hunt you down for a bit of a word in regards to the Catholic Church and Hammel, ye see. Planned on waiting for the school year to start up and setting an appointment, but if ye don't mind we can get some of the thinking bits in the air now."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean knew that his reputation got about, as did his affiliation with Hammel. Still, he had not expected that one might seek him out for such a purpose.

“I know that I’m listed as a member of the administration, but I’m not that type of administrator,” Sean explained. He was listed under the “Hammel Officials” side of the school, simply because he was not a member of the teaching staff. However, his proper classification was under the “Mental Health Services Department”, technically as head of that department. The fact that he had been with Hammel for nearly two and a half decades gave him some clout with Headmistress and with the Board of Trustees, but he did not belong to the latter, and he had no control over the former. He was not allowed to make decisions that affected the entire school, and, several times, his opinions were outright ignored during or after staff meetings.

Such was life when bureaucracy was involved.

“But we’re a secular school,” he added. He could not speak for Yvette or for the Board of Trustees, but Hammel had been conceived as a secular school when it had opened in 1932. It had been run as a secular school during that time. It existed in a quasi-state of autonomy, granted far more privileges than any school that dealt with baseline humans, technically private but with government funding and some oversight. “We can’t form alliances with religious institutions.”

That he knew for a fact. They could not make alliances with religious institutions, and they could not privilege one religion over all other religions or over the absence of religion.

[Father Stanley Cupper]

"When you word it like that, I feel like Im in a rather bad Tom Hanks movie. The interest in your posting is most pointedly at your title of the school psychiatrist." Cupper says to the 'administrator' line, "And Im not trying to 'form an alliance', nor is the church trying to get directly involved in Hammel. No, see, part reason I was sent out here... other than River Jordans been out of a priest for some time, is that despite the churches stance on Metas, many parishioners and lay-folk still see metas as witches, demons, or other affronts to God. My job is to do what I can to try and start mending the bridges between religious families, their meta member's, and even between religious metas and their percieved standing with the Almighty. What I wanted to talk to you about, you are the school psychiatrist, you do deal with the mental well being of many lads and lasses what go through a range of crisis's just coming to the school, not to mention how their families may react while in attendance. From what I've heard, you do a fine job, Im not trying to disparage that, and kind dont ever think Im trying to say 'without preaching, youre useless'. No, what Im saying is I'd like to help, and I'd like some help. If you need someone what talks religion for someone in a spiritual break, I swear I dont go clubbing with the bible. Likewise, students come to me... outside of confessional, mind... with an issue that leans more on the secular, I would like someone in the school that I can bring up the issues with. Less a matter of the church making an alliance with the school, more like two gits in similar fields trying to do the best they can for the students, if that words better." He says, turning a little red as he realizes he rambled a bit there.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean immediately recognized the reference and agreed that it qualified as a bad Tom Hanks movie. He knew that the Church had not approved of either that book series or the films based upon it. Truthfully, the psychiatrist was not fond of them either, although for wholly different reasons. That was neither here nor there.

Sean also could not argue with the priest’s categorization of people’s metaphobic prejudice. Kathleen proved that time and again, after all. The Catholic Church had issued the edict in the 1970s that declared the official position of the Church: meta-human powers were gifts from the Lord. Despite that, Kathleen, her husband, and so many people who shared their opinions viewed meta powers with suspicion, all while professing to follow the teachings of their faith. Catholic meta-humans were lucky since their faith had a positive official position at all and had for nearly four decades. There were many students from other faiths, including other branches of Christianity, who lacked that much. Still, sending them to a Catholic priest was inappropriate, starting with the fact that the students belonged to other faiths.

Or in the case of Erik, belonged to other faiths and also engaged in a number of behaviors and modes of thinking that the Catholic Church viewed as inherently sinful, even with the new Pope.

Still, the telepath listened as Stan made his proposal. He was thoughtful for a moment before replying, “I can tell students about activities going on, including ones at the church if I think they’d be a good fit. And if I know someone is Catholic and struggling with the faith, I can pass them your information.”

As long as they weren’t struggling in the same way that Sean had, but that was a different issue.