Bless Me, Ultima Chapter 18 Summary

Dieciocho

  • It's Ash Wednesday, and even on this religious day Antonio and Florence are still debating and wondering the existence and power of God.
  • Antonio's mom quizzes him to help him prepare for his catechism test. She also likes to hear him recite his prayers in English, even though she can't understand the language. He's turning into quite the little Catholic.
  • The children witness the Stations of the Cross in church. A kid named Horse ends up staring at a candle too long and he pukes. If you haven't noticed, there's an awful lot of puking in this book.
  • On their way to take their first confession, the children want Antonio to act as their priest and hear their confessions so they can practice. They throw their sweaters on him so that he looks like priest's robes.
  • Antonio hears confessions, and eventually Florence confesses that he doesn't believe in God. The children demand that Antonio give Florence penance, but Antonio absolves Florence of his sins and says he will not give him penance. This sends the kids into a rage. They leap on Antonio and start to beat him up.
  • Full of doubts and questions, Antonio makes his first confession to the priest.