I smiled at her and quickly slipped the ring into my dress pocket.
“Sister Katherine, are you well?”
“Yes, Father is here with the supplies. We are having peaches for dessert this evening,” she said excitedly.
I remember when I was that enthusiastic about the simple things in life.
“Lovely. Do you need any help?” I asked, standing up.
“No, you have the laundry and prayers to complete. I just had to share the good news,” she said with a smile before she vanished as quickly as she appeared.
That was a close call.
I took the gold ring out to admire it again before reluctantly placing it inside my pillowcase. The last thing I wanted to do was lose it.
???
The church wasn't everything I expected it to be. The rules were biased depending on who you knew and how much you cosied up to Mother Superior. The entire setup was like my previous job in banking. My peace was in my prayers and the charity work we did.
At dinner, Sister Mary“accidentally” slammed peaches into my bowl. Syrup splattered across my habit.
“Oops. Sorry, Sister Lucia.” Her grin was saccharine as communion wine.
“Didn’t look like an accident,” Sister Margaret growled. The oldest—and deadliest—nun in the convent. If she hadn’t taken vows, she’d be serving life in prison instead of the Lord.
I patted her gnarled hand. She suffers from arthritis now, and she had some dark days when the pain became too much for her.
“Need a massage later? I’ve got balm for your joints.”
She shrugged me off—then paused.“Pop in if you’re bored.”
Sister Mary’s smirk vanished. She filled Margaret’s bowl with surgical precision, then glanced behind us. We moved along so the other Sisters could be served. Sister Katherine was already seated. It wouldn't surprise me if she had already prayed her gratitude for the peaches.
“Sister Mary needs a good backhander, if you ask me,” Sister Margaret mumbled. “She is jealous of how pretty you are.”
I blushed but hid my grin by dipping my head down as we went to the table.
???
I carefully closed Sister Margaret’s door. She was snoring so loudly that I doubted an earthquake would wake her. I stretched my back out before walking to my room.
“Sister Lucia, why are you wandering around at this time of the night?” Mother Superior said from behind me.
I turned around to see her, keeping a neutral expression.
“I was massaging Sister Margaret’s joints until she fell asleep.”
Her stern expression didn't change, but her eyes looked me up and down. Her gaze lingered on my waist before the hard eyes flicked to my face. All I could see was resentment. Sister Margaret’s words rang in my ears.
Were they jealous of me?
“Hmph. Get to bed, Sister. No more wandering around in the middle of the night,” she said.
“Yes, Mother Superior,” I said, dipping my head down, but she was walking away from me when I raised my head.
I pulled my rosary beads out from my belt and prayed all the way to my room for the rude word I called her in my head.
After washing up and moisturising my face with coconut oil, I slipped into bed but reached for the ring. I slipped it on my finger and wondered what my life would have been like had I chosen a different path. The convent might have politics, but the outside world was far scarier.
