Dog Bless You Read Free Page B

while
friars perform service to the sick and needy out in the community. When friars get
old and sick themselves, they need a place to go. The Benedictines hosted them
in a cottage down by the lake.”
    I still wasn’t sure where this was all going. I wasn’t
a friar; I wasn’t even Christian. Was he trying to say that these monks and
friars ran some kind of halfway house? I appreciated the thought, but even
though I was a convicted felon on parole, I could still manage for myself.
    Babson was still talking. “The monastery closed about
two years ago, and the remaining monks and friars moved to another one in
western Pennsylvania. I guess even the church has to cut costs where it can.”
    My impatience got the best of me. I was worried about
Rochester back in my office, and about my own need to get started on a search
for a new job. “This is interesting, but…”
    “Of course. I’ll cut to the chase. Eastern is buying
the property from the Benedictine Order, and I want to develop it as a
conference center where our faculty can teach executive education courses.”
    “And?” I was still confused, and getting irritated.
    “And I want you to run it. Didn’t Mike tell you?”
    So I wasn’t out of a job, just getting transferred? That
was amazing. My head was filled with a jumble of relief and confusion. “All
Mike told me was that the News Bureau was taking over the responsibility for
press relations for the campaign, and I was out of a job.”
    Babson frowned. “I’m sorry, Steve. I thought he would
have mentioned it, but I guess he didn’t want to steal my thunder. I just
signed the paperwork transfer on Friday, and I talked to Mike on Saturday about
giving you the job. He said he was sorry to lose you but he was certain you’d
do a bang-up job.”
    I was glad Mike and Babson were so certain. I knew
nothing about executive education or running a conference center. But I would
do whatever I had to in order to keep body and soul together – mine and
Rochester’s.
    Babson pushed a report encased in a plastic folder
across the desk to me. “This is the feasibility study I commissioned. Start
thinking about the kinds of programs we could offer up at Friar Lake. Talk to
the faculty, see what ideas they have. We need to put on programs that adults
and corporate learners can use—and that they’ll pay for.”
    Put together a whole continuing education program while
setting up a brand-new conference facility. That was John Babson for you. It
was a lot to process at once.
    “When you’ve had a chance to get your feet wet, set up
a meeting and we’ll go over your ideas. Oh, and you’ll want to talk to Elaine
in HR about your new status. You might as well stay in your office for the time
being, at least until Physical Plant starts the renovation work at the abbey.
You’ll want to be out there by then.”
    I picked up the report. “Why me?” I asked. “I don’t
know anything about construction or running a conference center, or developing
programs.”
    He leaned forward. “What is it that we brag our
students really learn here at Eastern?” he asked.
    The twists in this conversation were as confusing as
some of the back roads leading from the Delaware into the countryside, but I
struggled to keep up. “We teach our students how to learn,” I said, and I felt
like I was reciting something from a brochure I might have written. “How to
read and assimilate information, how to communicate what they’ve learned, and
how to use those skills to survive and prosper in the work world.”
    “Absolutely. I chose you for this position because you
know Eastern College and what we stand for – not only as a graduate but as a
member of our adjunct faculty. And between the campaign launch and your help
with Joe Dagorian’s murder, I’ve seen how well you can multi-task.”
    I thought Babson would be finished, but he was in a
reflective mood. For the next ten minutes or so, he lectured me on Eastern’s
history and