Today is the final Sunday of Trinity. In the St. Cecilia chapel this morning, the Old Ivy Bach Chorale performs the cantata BWV 140 Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die Stimme ('Wake Up! The Voice Calls Us!). Zack sings the Bass solo, one of the ringers sings the Tenor solo, and Emily Scharf sings the Soprano solo while Zack's right hand explores her buttocks.
Mr. Horton's inspirational message today is 'Wake Up! The Coffee's Ready', a sermon about the various types of coffee and how coffee adds meaning to our lives.
After the service Roderick, Molly, Megan, Henry, Anna, Natasha, Albert and Pamela stroll over to the Old Ivy Inn for Sunday brunch. On the way, Megan pulls Pamela aside.
"So...did you and Albert...?"
Pamela responds with a smile and knowing look. The truth is that Pamela and Albert have not "done it" and aren't ready to do so, but as their twenty-first birthdays have arrived they both feel compelled to bow to propriety and put on a show as if they have sent their cherries packing.
Megan wants to know more. "Does he have a big...?"
Pamela nods and gestures with her hands to indicate that the thing Megan refers to is large.
"So did you...?" Whispering, Megan inquires about a certain sexual practice common in some cultures.
"Many times!" Pamela whispers back.
"And then did he...?" Megan describes something she saw in a film last week and thought about repeatedly in the shower.
Pamela blushes angrily. "What do you think I am, a slut?" She stomps away and rejoins Albert.
Seating for brunch is somewhat delicate. Anna, who organized this party, thinks it best if Natasha doesn't sit next to Henry, it's better if she doesn't sit next to Molly or Megan for the time being. She reserved the big table for eight by the fireplace in the Dining Room; she takes the chair at the North end of the table and guides the others to their places in this order: Molly, Roderick, Henry, Megan, Pamela, Albert and Natasha.
Anna realizes that brunch will be rocky as soon as Henry speaks. "Would you please ask the slut next to you to pass the pancakes?"
Natasha glowers. "Why does he think I'm a slut? Just because I sleep around?"
Anna, ever gracious and positive, compliments Natasha's capacity for understatement and nuance.
Natasha sighs. "So now I guess I'm in the doghouse. But why is Molly mad at me? I thought the likeness was pretty good?"
Fork in the air, Anna pauses. "I think you embarrassed her. Most women I know prefer to keep a certain mystery about their sexual arousal."
"That's bourgeois!" Natasha blurts. "I'm an artist, what does she expect me to do, respect her privacy?"
Later, Roderick and Molly lounge on Roderick's bed. Molly, of course, is nude except for a pair of headphones; she is listening to Schnabel's Beethoven cycle on her iPod, while Roderick reads The Church of Nothing: A History.
"Hey, look at this!" says Roderick. Molly hits 'Pause" and removes the headphones. "Did you know that there is no provision for divorce in the Church of Nothing?"
"Really? What about for adultery?"
"No. In the Book of Nothing, it says 'if your wife is a slut, deal with it', and counsels various forms of revenge. But no divorce."
"What about men who beat their wives?"
"Nope. The church says you should call the police, or blow their heads off, as appropriate, but no divorce."
"I think I heard something about this. Mom and Dad always say 'choose your husband carefully, because you're stuck with him.' Now I understand."
Meanwhile, in her room, Natasha pages through images of Molly from last summer's modeling session. Choosing one, she begins to sketch.
