Page 17 of For I Have Sinned

That is amazing! I would love to set something up when I get back from my vacation. I finally decided to use the PTO I had built up over the years while working at Stanley. Figured it’d be nice to get away for a bit. Clear my mind a little. However, when I get back, I’d love to meet with them!

The line is quiet on both ends as I wait for a response.

Catherine

Sounds good! Enjoy your vacation! They will be ready for you whenever you return!

“She sounds so nice,” Amelia says after I read the text to them.

“She is probably one of the best authors we have worked with.”

It’s the truth. We have had some crazy ass authors come into our office, being disrespectful, demanding things that they know they won’t get. One even threw their cup of water at me as if it were my fault that Monica said their manuscript wasn’t right for the company.

“It’s going to take some time for me to get out of here, which sucks, but I will act like the perfect daugh—” My words die in my mouth when there is a knock on the bedroom door. “Come in.”

The door opens, and the younger nun who was helping Sister Alice last week peeks her head in. “Hi! I’m Sister Sarah. I have a plate of food for you.”

“Oh—uh, thank you. You can put it on the dresser.”

She steps into the room, sets the plate down, and then looks curiously from my purse to the phone in my hand. “I figured Sister Alice would have told you. We aren’t allowed phones in the convent.”

Of course not. I bring the phone back to my ear and ask my friends, “Did you hear that?”

“Loud and clear,” Vince says.

“I’ll talk to you guys later.”

“Take care of yourself in there, Celine,” Amelia says, concern laced in her tone. “We love you.”

“I love you guys too,” I tell them before hanging up the phone. Gripping the phone tightly in my hand, I ask, “Do I need to hand over my purse to?”

“Are you carrying any medications?”

“Nope. Just my wallet and chapstick.”

“You can keep the latter if you’d like.”

With a tense smile at her generosity, I drop my phone in the bag and pull out my chapstick. At least something of mine will stay with me.

Sister Sarah takes my purse off the dresser. “Sister Alice will be up here around dinner time to bring you down to eat. Please make sure you are dressed appropriately.”

I glance down at the dress I’m wearing. This is appropriate for a Sunday church service, but I know she means that I need to change into a white gown. I nod in understanding and watch as she leaves the room.

The food on the plate looks surprisingly appetizing. There’s a sandwich, a few potato chips, and some fresh fruit. I lift the piece of bread to inspect the contents, seeing turkey, lettuce, and tomato with mayo.

Picking up the sandwich, I take a bite. It tastes like a regular sandwich, but as I chew, I slow my jaw, wondering if they would poison me.

No. There is no way. I’m just overthinking this whole situation.

Sister Sarah had given me a fork as well, so I place the sandwich back on the plate and stab the strawberry with the utensil. Once it hits my tongue, I hum in satisfaction because this is fresh fruit. It might be the best fruit I’ve ever tasted, and I hate the convent for making me like something they provided.

When I take another bite, my stomach begins to growl loudly. I forgot to eat breakfast this morning, and I didn’t realize how hungry I was until now. With that in mind, I grab the plate and sit on the bed, devouring the meal.

Once I finish, I lie down, the mattress is about as comfortable as one you’d find in a prison cell. Well, I don’t know if that’s true, but if I had to take a guess, I think I’d be right.

Trying to adjust to the feeling of the mattress beneath me, I stare up at the textured ceiling, and I wonder what it would have been like to grow up in a family that wasn’t dependent on the church. What would it have been like to have parents who actually cared about my interests?

When I was in middle school, I wanted to join the play, but the show they were putting on was, in my mother’s words, demonic. She wouldn’t have her child taking part in it. She even went to the school board about the production and tried to fight to get it shut down.