Fall 1999: Back Home to Stay

Or were we? Every life change seems to imply that everything which came before was merely a prelude, and now at last, the time has come. They wouldn’t be life changes otherwise, but it’s also important to remember that nothing happens overnight. All of us had been gradually growing hopefully since before the age of reason, and in my own case, the unswerving faithful love of my friends had begun to eat away at my pride and self-reliance long before I ever started dating. One single event often catalyzes and throws into focus a process which has been quietly going on for years. Over and over again I have felt that now I am ready, now I am truly about to embark on my real Apprenticeship. And a few months later, I will realize how far indeed I need to go and how important yet inconclusive my last “milestone” was.

It is unfortunate that so much of this story is so limited to my own point of view’ideally each of us could tell his story’but I am fairly certain my brothers felt the same excitement I did at returning to Steubenville to “settle in” and really be a solidly established household. Looking back a year later, none of us could possibly have dreamed how much St. Joseph had in store for his ragamuffin foursome.

As usual, he was quietly showing off by choosing to work with, well, us. Outsiders were probably guessing that we would be lucky to hold together for the duration of the semester. The Mystery Brother continued to float in and out of our lives, doing his best to make the frequent pilgrimages from Trinity East. But he was the least distracted of all of us. Jeff and I were a bit preoccupied with our recent break-ups. Tomas, being in a successful relationship, was even more preoccupied than we were.

But there was another.

Joe Boctor, the last member of the Macaroni Club, had joyfully declared his intent rather abruptly and unceremoniously in our bedroom towards the end of the Austrian semester. He was not dating, nor had he recently broken up. So perhaps he, of all of us, could give the household some of the attention it so desperately needed. We were delighted that the Macaroni Club was going to stay intact.

But he wound up joining the Knights. Considering the fact that Tomas had almost done the same thing, we could only congratulate him on his wise choice. Yet it was still a disheartening way to begin the semester, no matter what we told ourselves about being the “household’s household.” No one ever said living all these things was easy.

To be concluded…