the shock, dismay, and mortification of 
     
     my Mother, the teacher and the rest of 
     
     the class. It was so out of character 
     
     because our family did not use that kind 
     
     of language. I don’t remember the 
     
     consequences of this untimely, 
     
     inappropriate outburst, from an otherwise 
     
     meek and shy second-grader. 
     
    

    
     A couple of years later, when he was 
     
     nine or ten years old, my younger 
     
     brother, Gerard, had a somewhat less 
     
     dramatic experience. A few minutes 
     
     before he expected to hear his name 
     
     called, he decided that he would ask to 
     
     leave the room. Instead of going to the 
     
     washroom, he hightailed it to home. 
     
    

    
     Our Uncle William lived next door 
     
     and asked Gerard what was going on. 
     
     When the problem was explained, 
     
     William said, “By God, Gerard, you