Nino, a shoeshine boy wandering in the streets of Rome, reacted with scorn when Monsignor Carroll-Abbing suggested that he knew of an institution where the youngster could learn a trade. Nino looked him up and down and said, “Who, me? Go into an institution? Marching all day in line? Not me! I can come and go as I please, and look … I’ve got a pocketful of lire!” He drew out a handful of dirty paper money, probably stolen from a drunk’s wallet. To his own astonishment, the Monsignor heard himself ask, “Would you come if I opened a center and we lived there together and you helped me run it?”
The hard-faced boy mumbled, “Yes, if it was you and I could help you.” |
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