Part 8: The Liberal Catholic
Washington, D.C.
"All right," Dr. Adams says. "Let's do six months of marriage. Describe to me an ordinary day for both of you"
"Okay, well. That was January of 1968, so…I was in school, at LSE. We had a small flat in Knightsbridge, nothing fancy. While I was in school, Abbey was working as a medical transcriptionist at a hospital nearby. The pay was relatively good, and it kept her in the medical field, so she was happy. I felt guilty and selfish that I was keeping her from medical school, but she really was happy. I guess that was all that mattered," Jed replies.
"What were your days like"
"Well, we both usually had to be up by seven, which was good because we had mornings together. Sometimes I'd wake her up a little earlier so we could…you know"
Dr. Adams smiles.
"Yes"
"Then we'd have breakfast together and go off our separate ways. Depending on my class schedule, somedays I'd be home earlier than others, but normally I was home by six for the night. Abbey would come home from work around seven and get dinner together"
"So she'd cook dinner for you"
"Yeah," Jed laughed. "She'd make her secret recipe, take-out. Abbey was never much good in the kitchen. She could make pasta, grilled cheese, and occasionally eggs. But that was only occasionally. Sometimes I would cook, because I'm pretty good with a frying pan, and I make some damn fine chili. Anyway. We'd usually sit down together and eat, but there were times when I'd have to eat in the study while I did school work and such. She spent a lot of nights on her own. I have no idea how she managed to entertain herself all the time, but she did. And she never complained once"
"How about weekends"
"Well, I did do plenty of studying on the weekends as well, but not nearly as much. Every Saturday morning, we would sleep in, then I'd make her breakfast, and we'd go to Hyde Park and walk for a couple hours, just talking and enjoying each other's company. It was tradition. Then we'd go home, and I'd study for a few hours. She used that time to write to everyone back home, and to her brother in Vietnam. He'd enlisted shortly after we left for London, quite suddenly actually. She had a tough time accepting it, and I'm really not sure she ever did. Anyway, after that, we'd go to dinner at Zeb's, which we did every Saturday night. Then sometimes we'd take in a movie or a show, and just hang out at the apartment the rest of the night. Sundays, we'd go to church together, then have brunch with a few friends. Then usually we'd spent the rest of the day alternating between studying and…uh"
"Go on, say it," Dr. Adams challenges.
"Uh…sleeping together"
"That's a good start. Why do you think you have a hard time articulating that"
"I'm a Catholic, Doctor," Jed replies. "I was brought up thinking that..you know…was dirty and, if it had to be done, it could never be spoken of"
"Is your wife a Catholic too"
"Abbey's what I like to call a Liberal Catholic. Her family wasn't half as strict as mine. Her parents encouraged her to be comfortable enough with herself that she could speak freely and openly. You should hear the mouth on that woman, the way she talks about"
"Sex"
"Yes. See, I have no problem discussing it with Abbey becayse she's, you know, my wife. She's the only person I've ever…done it with. We do a little of…innuendo. Abbey calls it sexual sarcasm. I would never call it that because I'm not as comfortable in public as she is, but that's what it is"
"So you're a very strict Catholic," Dr. Adams says.
"Not so much anymore, but I was. I'm still a very religious man, but I'm disillusioned with catholicism. I almost became a priest you know"
"Really"
"Yeah. I was studying to become a priest, at Notre Dame," Jed answers.
"Why did you change your mind"
"I met Abbey. She corrupted me. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I just could not think about anything else. I couldn't keep my mind off her. So I changed my major to Economics and the rest is history. Literally"
"As a strict Catholic," Dr. Adams begins. "I assume you waited until you got married before having sex"
"Actually, no. We talked about it, but ultimately decided against it. We wanted our wedding night to be special, not awkward. We waited until we were engaged"
"But you did lose your virginity to your wife"
"Yeah," Jed says. "I don't think it was very plesant for her though"
"A woman's first time can be very painful"
"No, no. I just mean she had to practically be my tour guide, show me what to do, etc. She wasn't a virgin"
"She wasn't"
"No, far from it. Few people realize that Abbey wasn't exactly a doe lost in the woods when I met her. She went through a very rebellious perioud after the death of her mother. It was the 60s, after all. She was a groupy"
"You're kidding," Dr. Adams comments. "A groupy"
"Mmm-hmm. She followed Bob Dylan and his roadies across America for four months. She says it's very possible she lost her virginity to Bob Dylan himself, but she doesn't remember exactly"
"Well then"
"I admit, it put me off a little when she first told me, but it really was just a phase. She pulled herself together long before I met her"
"I suppose that's why she's so open about sex," Dr. Adams assumes.
Jed laughs.
"Maybe"
London, England "Tony's a Protestant," Abbey says.
"What?" Dr. Hewson asks, clearly confused.
"You asked why Tony didn't accompany me to church this morning"
"Oh. Yes, that's right. Does Tony attend church"
"From time to time, I guess," Abbey replies. "He's not devout or anything"
"Are you"
"More than he is"
"I see"
"We went for brunch after Zoey and I got back from church though. He and Oliver took us out"
"Zoey's dating Oliver, isn't she?" Dr. Hewson wonders.
Abbey nods.
"Yes. Is that weird"
"Do you think it's weird"
"I think it's ironic," Abbey says. "She really likes him, and he seems to reciprocate, so who am I to complain?
"How does Zoey feel about you and Oliver"
"You'd have to ask Zoey that"
"How do you think she feels?" Dr. Hewson asks.
"She's been a good sport about it. Probably because of Oliver. I know she'd prefer that her father and I got back together, but she's not a pain about it like Liz is"
"Liz gives you a hard time"
Abbey laughs, slightly. She understands that it's not a particularly funny situation, but there's something about it she finds endlessly amusing.
"Every day"
"What about Eleanor"
"Um." She hesitates, chewing on her upper lip. "I don't know, honestly. I haven't spoken to her. Not in weeks"
"Because of Tony"
"Among other things"
"Why do you think Zoey seems to understand, while your other daughters handle it differently?" Dr. Hewson inquires.
"Zoey witnessed it first hand. She's been with me from the beginning. She watched it happen. She's had more of a chance to adjust, I suppose. And I'm grateful for that"
"You sound surprised"
"Well, Zoey's always been more of a Daddy's girl. I expected her to take the approach Ellie's taken. But she's been very supportive of my relationship with Tony"
"What about Tony's children"
"Oliver's fine. He's a wonderful kid, really. He's good to Zoey, and he's good to me, which, frankly, I never expected. The night of my overdose, he was there. He got caught up in all my insanity, and I think he even urged me to go back to Jed. He said he was glad that I made his father happy, but he knew that I wasn't happy. Something like that. I found that incredibly admirable of him to be so honest. I'm glad Zoey's with him. She doesn't always make the best choices when it comes to romantic relationships. As for Tony's daughter, Daphne, she's the complete opposite of Oliver. I'm fairly certain she would kill me if it wasn't illegal. Not that I blame her. Elizabeth is the same way about Tony. Daphne has even taken to lecturing me"
"Lecturing you about what"
"Well, Daphne's a coverted catholic. Her husband's catholic, so she's been exploring the religion. Upon learning that I was catholic, she started quoting passages from the bible to me. Apparently, the bible condemns everything I've done in the last four months. Lovely, isn't it"
"How does that make you feel"
"I don't know really. It bothered me at first. I'm sure it bothers the hell out of Jed and his Catholicism. But then, I'm not the most stringent catholic you'll ever meet. Jeds calls me the Liberal Catholic. And that's what I am. The Liberal Catholic."
"All right," Dr. Adams says. "Let's do six months of marriage. Describe to me an ordinary day for both of you"
"Okay, well. That was January of 1968, so…I was in school, at LSE. We had a small flat in Knightsbridge, nothing fancy. While I was in school, Abbey was working as a medical transcriptionist at a hospital nearby. The pay was relatively good, and it kept her in the medical field, so she was happy. I felt guilty and selfish that I was keeping her from medical school, but she really was happy. I guess that was all that mattered," Jed replies.
"What were your days like"
"Well, we both usually had to be up by seven, which was good because we had mornings together. Sometimes I'd wake her up a little earlier so we could…you know"
Dr. Adams smiles.
"Yes"
"Then we'd have breakfast together and go off our separate ways. Depending on my class schedule, somedays I'd be home earlier than others, but normally I was home by six for the night. Abbey would come home from work around seven and get dinner together"
"So she'd cook dinner for you"
"Yeah," Jed laughed. "She'd make her secret recipe, take-out. Abbey was never much good in the kitchen. She could make pasta, grilled cheese, and occasionally eggs. But that was only occasionally. Sometimes I would cook, because I'm pretty good with a frying pan, and I make some damn fine chili. Anyway. We'd usually sit down together and eat, but there were times when I'd have to eat in the study while I did school work and such. She spent a lot of nights on her own. I have no idea how she managed to entertain herself all the time, but she did. And she never complained once"
"How about weekends"
"Well, I did do plenty of studying on the weekends as well, but not nearly as much. Every Saturday morning, we would sleep in, then I'd make her breakfast, and we'd go to Hyde Park and walk for a couple hours, just talking and enjoying each other's company. It was tradition. Then we'd go home, and I'd study for a few hours. She used that time to write to everyone back home, and to her brother in Vietnam. He'd enlisted shortly after we left for London, quite suddenly actually. She had a tough time accepting it, and I'm really not sure she ever did. Anyway, after that, we'd go to dinner at Zeb's, which we did every Saturday night. Then sometimes we'd take in a movie or a show, and just hang out at the apartment the rest of the night. Sundays, we'd go to church together, then have brunch with a few friends. Then usually we'd spent the rest of the day alternating between studying and…uh"
"Go on, say it," Dr. Adams challenges.
"Uh…sleeping together"
"That's a good start. Why do you think you have a hard time articulating that"
"I'm a Catholic, Doctor," Jed replies. "I was brought up thinking that..you know…was dirty and, if it had to be done, it could never be spoken of"
"Is your wife a Catholic too"
"Abbey's what I like to call a Liberal Catholic. Her family wasn't half as strict as mine. Her parents encouraged her to be comfortable enough with herself that she could speak freely and openly. You should hear the mouth on that woman, the way she talks about"
"Sex"
"Yes. See, I have no problem discussing it with Abbey becayse she's, you know, my wife. She's the only person I've ever…done it with. We do a little of…innuendo. Abbey calls it sexual sarcasm. I would never call it that because I'm not as comfortable in public as she is, but that's what it is"
"So you're a very strict Catholic," Dr. Adams says.
"Not so much anymore, but I was. I'm still a very religious man, but I'm disillusioned with catholicism. I almost became a priest you know"
"Really"
"Yeah. I was studying to become a priest, at Notre Dame," Jed answers.
"Why did you change your mind"
"I met Abbey. She corrupted me. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I just could not think about anything else. I couldn't keep my mind off her. So I changed my major to Economics and the rest is history. Literally"
"As a strict Catholic," Dr. Adams begins. "I assume you waited until you got married before having sex"
"Actually, no. We talked about it, but ultimately decided against it. We wanted our wedding night to be special, not awkward. We waited until we were engaged"
"But you did lose your virginity to your wife"
"Yeah," Jed says. "I don't think it was very plesant for her though"
"A woman's first time can be very painful"
"No, no. I just mean she had to practically be my tour guide, show me what to do, etc. She wasn't a virgin"
"She wasn't"
"No, far from it. Few people realize that Abbey wasn't exactly a doe lost in the woods when I met her. She went through a very rebellious perioud after the death of her mother. It was the 60s, after all. She was a groupy"
"You're kidding," Dr. Adams comments. "A groupy"
"Mmm-hmm. She followed Bob Dylan and his roadies across America for four months. She says it's very possible she lost her virginity to Bob Dylan himself, but she doesn't remember exactly"
"Well then"
"I admit, it put me off a little when she first told me, but it really was just a phase. She pulled herself together long before I met her"
"I suppose that's why she's so open about sex," Dr. Adams assumes.
Jed laughs.
"Maybe"
London, England "Tony's a Protestant," Abbey says.
"What?" Dr. Hewson asks, clearly confused.
"You asked why Tony didn't accompany me to church this morning"
"Oh. Yes, that's right. Does Tony attend church"
"From time to time, I guess," Abbey replies. "He's not devout or anything"
"Are you"
"More than he is"
"I see"
"We went for brunch after Zoey and I got back from church though. He and Oliver took us out"
"Zoey's dating Oliver, isn't she?" Dr. Hewson wonders.
Abbey nods.
"Yes. Is that weird"
"Do you think it's weird"
"I think it's ironic," Abbey says. "She really likes him, and he seems to reciprocate, so who am I to complain?
"How does Zoey feel about you and Oliver"
"You'd have to ask Zoey that"
"How do you think she feels?" Dr. Hewson asks.
"She's been a good sport about it. Probably because of Oliver. I know she'd prefer that her father and I got back together, but she's not a pain about it like Liz is"
"Liz gives you a hard time"
Abbey laughs, slightly. She understands that it's not a particularly funny situation, but there's something about it she finds endlessly amusing.
"Every day"
"What about Eleanor"
"Um." She hesitates, chewing on her upper lip. "I don't know, honestly. I haven't spoken to her. Not in weeks"
"Because of Tony"
"Among other things"
"Why do you think Zoey seems to understand, while your other daughters handle it differently?" Dr. Hewson inquires.
"Zoey witnessed it first hand. She's been with me from the beginning. She watched it happen. She's had more of a chance to adjust, I suppose. And I'm grateful for that"
"You sound surprised"
"Well, Zoey's always been more of a Daddy's girl. I expected her to take the approach Ellie's taken. But she's been very supportive of my relationship with Tony"
"What about Tony's children"
"Oliver's fine. He's a wonderful kid, really. He's good to Zoey, and he's good to me, which, frankly, I never expected. The night of my overdose, he was there. He got caught up in all my insanity, and I think he even urged me to go back to Jed. He said he was glad that I made his father happy, but he knew that I wasn't happy. Something like that. I found that incredibly admirable of him to be so honest. I'm glad Zoey's with him. She doesn't always make the best choices when it comes to romantic relationships. As for Tony's daughter, Daphne, she's the complete opposite of Oliver. I'm fairly certain she would kill me if it wasn't illegal. Not that I blame her. Elizabeth is the same way about Tony. Daphne has even taken to lecturing me"
"Lecturing you about what"
"Well, Daphne's a coverted catholic. Her husband's catholic, so she's been exploring the religion. Upon learning that I was catholic, she started quoting passages from the bible to me. Apparently, the bible condemns everything I've done in the last four months. Lovely, isn't it"
"How does that make you feel"
"I don't know really. It bothered me at first. I'm sure it bothers the hell out of Jed and his Catholicism. But then, I'm not the most stringent catholic you'll ever meet. Jeds calls me the Liberal Catholic. And that's what I am. The Liberal Catholic."