Good ol’ daze at Lucy’s:

Catherine Remmel

When I first met “Get Out” he was not wearing the shirt. The day I had first noticed him he was sitting with friends, obviously from the religious studies group.
They were having a discussion in the brightly lit section of Lucinda’s dining room in Colman Hall. The student spoke boldly about the subject and he seemed to be the leader of the group.
As I proceeded in filling the empty milk dispenser, I heard him speaking about the Israelites. He seemed stumped about the name of Moses’ sister. Having taught Sunday school for many years, I knew the answer to his question.
Upon completing the milk transfer, I turned and announced, “Are you talking about Miriam?” “Yes!” he said. “Thank you.” I replied, “You’re welcome.” He continued his discussion and I kept clearing tables.
Some time later, I had found out from his conversations that his group was involved in religious studies on campus. I had considered him a leader among his peers because he seemed to be the instigator of most conversations, and most people in the group directed the “give and take” through “Get Out.”
One day, he wore the jersey shirt that displayed the large bold letters “GET OUT!” on the front.
As he made his way through the buffet line I remember thinking to myself, “Wouldn’t it be cool if someone possessed with a demon could look at the shirt and the demon would be exorcized?”
My mind flew to a Jim Carrey film for about a second.
The following year, I had the privilege of working with the dedicated young man at Lucy’s. We had many conversations about his choice of study and how it related to what was happening in the world.
I sometimes imagine he could someday be a peace instrument in the Middle East situation. Is that just wishful thinking?
Wouldn’t it be a miracle if all terrorists everywhere could be subdued and expelled with a two-word slogan on the front of a shirt?