‘My niece gave it to me,’ said Rita with a martyred look. ‘It was a Christmas present.’
‘I can’t knit anything. I can sew, though,’ said Eden. ‘My parents ran a hotel and things were always getting ripped. I was very good with a needle.’
‘There you are,’ said Agatha. ‘You need a bit of a skill when you are in here, praying.’
The reporter arrived and both nuns adopted vaguely pious, stern expressions.
‘What happened?’ said Eden, startled. ‘You’ve both stopped smiling.’
Sister Agatha talked out of the corner of her mouth: ‘We don’t want them thinking we were joking all the time or they’d only make fun of us. It’s either that or let them think we’re dry auld sticks in here. And that’s sort of easier, to be honest with you.’
‘No one is going to think you lot are dry auld sticks,’ said Eden. ‘Sure, haven’t you taught all over the world? You’ve seen everything.’
‘Everything,’ agreed Sister Rita. ‘There’s not a thing we haven’t seen between the lot of us. Burying small children from preventable diseases in missions in Africa, all for the want of a few pounds. But people like their religious folk to be more otherworldly, you know.’
‘That’s true,’ said Sister Agatha.
‘I’ve seen some things too,’ said Eden, surprising herself. ‘I’ve got to go to a local meeting on drugs later, I’m not looking forward to it. Too many people lost to them. And I’m nipping into the women’s shelter.’
‘God bless you for the things you do,’ said Sister Agatha, and put one papery soft hand over Eden’s. ‘Come in on your way back and we’ll have a little pray with you. And if you’re not into that sort of thing, we’ll just hold your hand and pray for you.’
‘Well, I can’t tonight or tomorrow,’ said Eden, definitely torn. ‘Because tonight I’ve got a retirement dinner and my parents are getting married again and they’re having a rehearsal wedding dinner tomorrow night.’
‘That sounds very exciting,’ said Sister Rita.
‘Were you going to have a rehearsal dinner?’ said Sister Agatha naughtily.
Eden looked around in surprise.
‘She was stepping out with a young fellow before she entered the convent,’ said Sister Agatha.
‘She never lets me forget it. You’d swear that we had been running around like mad things. This was a long time ago. If you held a man’s hand it was the height of excitement. There was none of that rehearsal-dinner carry on. You were lucky if you got an engagement ring. If the fella’s mother was dead, you might get hers, but not every woman liked that. A wedding ring was good enough to show people you were wed.’
‘They were different times for sure,’ said Sister Agatha. ‘That’s exciting, your parents getting married again, isn’t it?’
‘Well,’ Eden could see the reporter making her way over towards the two elderly nuns. ‘It is and it isn’t,’ she said. ‘Part of me thinks it’s a great idea and part of me thinks they’re completely mad, because they did fight a lot back in the day. And my father lost every ha’penny on gambling and beer.’
‘That happens with men,’ said Sister Rita knowingly. ‘But you have to give people another chance.’
‘Do you?’ said Eden.
‘Your mother is giving him another chance, and isn’t that lovely for all of you. Are there many of you in the family?’
‘Four sisters,’ said Eden.
‘And grandchildren?’
‘My older sister has two little girls and my twin sister—’
‘Oh, you’re a twin,’ said Sister Rita delightedly. ‘I always wanted to be a twin, an identical twin, so we’d be able to play games.’
‘Actually, I am an identical twin,’ said Eden. ‘But I haven’t played any games for a long time.’
‘That’s just a waste,’ said Rita, shaking her head. ‘Think of the fun you could have.’
‘Well, Savannah has a little girl, but I don’t have any children, I don’t want any children.’ She waited for a moment. She rarely said it out loud, because saying out loud that you didn’t want any children was a bit like saying you tortured small animals. No matter how many strides feminism had made, women were careful about saying they didn’t want children. People looked at you with shock and horror.
But neither nun looked shocked.
