Today the soldier informed me that he was a 4th degree Knights of Columbus.  I knew he was in the Knights and in fact has attended church wearing a sword at one time or the other but had no idea there were degrees. As a matter of fact, I don’t know exactly what the Knights of Columbus is other than the collect money outside the grocery stores around here on occasion and they look at your ass when you go by.

In fact, back in 2003 when the soldier first told me he was in the Knights I informed him of this:

“Yeah, I saw some of your people outside the grocery store today. One of them asked me for money and then looked at my ass as I walked away.”

“Good man,” he said. We were getting to know each other again after roughly 25 years,

“Good man for looking at my ass?” I asked.

“Well yeah, P. You’ve got an ass and any man… any good knight is going to look at it.”

I was bewildered at the time and now it’s five years later and I remain bewildered.

“Yeah, most guys cut out at 3rd degree. 4th degree Knights are usually about 70 years old,” he said today.

“What degree are you?”

“4th.”

“Oh for crying out tears.”

“What?”

“What is a 4th degree Knights of Columbus… whatever that might be, doing with a decoy Catholic? Do you not find this even the slightest bit odd?”

“No.”

Do you find this the slightest bit odd?