The Senator [antikvár]

II was sitting in the choir loft of Holy Trinity Church in the nation's capital, waiting for the ten o'clock Mass on a Sunday morning in October 1971. Our Georgetown University Glee Club often sang here. Holy Trinity was founded in 1776, and it's the venerable Roman Catholic parish in Washington; many dignitaries are members of the congregation.Shortly before Mass was to begin, I heard a murmur run through the gathering. Heads turned, my own included, to witness the entrance of Senator Edward Moore Kennedy. He stood a striking six feet two inches tall, a broad-shouldered man with a mop of brown hair, styhshly long. The jaw that jutted out like a granite ledge pointed unmistakably toward the future.Here, before my eyes, was the unquestioned heir to the Kennedy throne. His stunning blond wife, Joan, was on his arm and his children followed them up the aisle. This was the storybook image of the idealized American family, sophisticated and involved. The Senator's deep-blue eyes made contact with an acquaintance, and he offered a half-wave and a wide, toothy grin. He exuded charisma, just as his brothers had, and the air in the church seemed to crackle with his presence.