We open the door and I breathe in the aroma of coffee beans and freshly baked pastries before I whisper, “Behind us.”
Charlotte nods. “Leave it with me, Alice, and well–” A fleeting expression of concern on her face, as she whispers, “Good luck.”
“Thank you.”
She joins the line, and I move to the area where the tables are set and pretend to be searching for a place to sit. I don’t look back but catch the man’s reflection in a nearby mirror and giggle as Charlotte pretends to stumble and falls against him. His arms instinctively reach out, and while his attention is diverted, I hurry to the restroom that I’m aware leads to a rear exit.
I have hardly any time and as soon as I reach the cubicle, I remove my habit and fold it carefully on top of the toilet seat.
I shake my hair loose and retrieve the dark glasses from my purse, savoring the sensation of the girl I used to be. The outfit I’m wearing is smart, a summer dress which is both stylish and chic, resting just above my knee, the complete opposite to what a nun would wear.
My purse is slung over my shoulder and the sandals that took up little space in it have replaced the sensible ones I came here in.
I leave the novice nun behind in that restroom cubicle and as I step outside, I am a different person entirely. I note the man stalking us moving through the store, hovering close to Sister Anthea who made it here before us and is sitting with her head bowed as if in prayer at a table near the window.
His attention is solely focused on her, which gives me time to slip out of the rear exit into the bright sunshine.
It’s now that I’m at my most anxious, and as I scan the street, the sound of an engine roars into life, and I head toward the yellow truck at the end of the passageway.
I swear I don’t breathe for a second until I reach the passenger door and as I slip inside and duck down, a gentle chuckle makes me smile.
“It’s good to see you, sister.”
His teasing tone draws a smile from my lips, and as we create distance between ourselves and the town, I finally begin to relax.
Thank God for that.
“It’s all clear.”
“Are you sure?”
I don’t leave anything to chance, and his low, husky whisper causes the woman in me to sigh with delight.
“We’re not being followed. You can relax. Your plan worked.”
I shift in my seat and reach for the belt and sigh with relief.
“I can’t thank you enough for this.”
I steal a glance at my companion, and as always, my heart skips a beat. Stefan is, and probably always will be, the only man I have ever been insanely attracted to, and I’m guessing I joined a long line.
He is tall, dark, and handsome with a body molded for sin. His huge muscles are probably formed from the manual work he carries out, and yet his impish smile is crafted by the gods.
I have always loved his tousled curly hair that dusts his collarbone and his white teeth gleam against his tanned skin, courtesy of the sunshine that beats down on him as he goes about his work.
It’s taken six months to form a friendship with him outside of the glare of spirituality, and I don’t believe he sees me as anything but a friend, but I see him very differently to that.
It was easy to persuade him to help me, and we formed our plan over many weeks as I counted down the days to freedom. Not that I had an inkling about what that would involve. I never imagined for a second that Sister Agatha Maria would gift that to me.
When she called us to her office and told us we had one year to experience life outside the convent, I couldn’t believe my luck. This was my opportunity, and I couldn’t wait to discuss it with Stefan.
The plan changed many times, especially when she told me a cab would collect me. Stefan assured me he would arrange for the driver to switch with him on the way to the airport, and I was assured it would work.
Then the plan changed, and I had to think fast. Taking the bus with the other nuns gave me the opening I needed. On the journey to town, I told them I was being followed, and they assured me of their help with my problem. They were awarethere was a possibility of that, and as we hatched the escape plan, I experienced a moment’s guilt for deceiving them.
Then I saw them. The men who stuck out like dark clouds on a sunny day, and I knew my plan was in danger.
But I’m here now and nobody is happier about that than me.
