Fragment Friday - 'A Madonna'

WIP - a scene from my current project

(This is a scene from chapter 1 on my current project; I’m inspired to share this from Tina Crossgrove’s community building exercise)

Sister Kathryn knew she had to be out of the door no later than 4:30pm to catch the bus.

She finalized grades in her gradebook, noted the absent students for the office to mark them, and then grabbed her coat and scarves, leaving behind yet another batch of ungraded assignments. Another bag she kept hidden in the back closet of her classroom was discreetly taken out and hung from her shoulders under the coat.

The walk to the bus was a brisk one, up a few hills, and the colder winds began to blow. She held tight her habit as it flung in each direction from the top of her head, trying to unpin it gracefully. She subtly shifted out of her attire, unchaining her cross and medallions and placing them within the pockets of her coat.

When she reached the bus stop, there was already a car parked, a black sedan with slightly tinted windows; one was rolled down, showcasing the elbow of its owner. He was dangling a lit cigarette and flinging the ashes onto the asphalt.

Kathryn looked around quickly before entering the passenger side. She buckled her seatbelt and told the driver to go. He nodded.

Kathryn was already in her ‘civilian’ clothes, no marker of her religious life and she preferred to keep it that way. The driver made no secret that he found her quick change of clothes amusing.

‘I like your habit and dress, Kathy,’ he said between puffs of smoke. She then moved closer to him and took the cigarette from his mouth and took a drag. She immediately regretted it as she coughed hard, making him laugh.

‘You’re not a smoker, Kathy,’ John said taking back the cigarette from the embarrassed nun.

‘Well, there’s always a start to something.’

A knowing smile passed between them as they continued the drive in silence.

The motel was a forty-minute drive from the school and in a remote enough area where no one would be able to place them.

John was always the one to check them in while Kathryn waited in the car, checked her face in the mirror, pinching her cheeks to add color, trying her best to look sultry but also normal. No easy feat for a young woman who just entered the convent three years ago.

John would then come collect her with the keys in hand, and she’d have her to-go bag ready and join him.

Once inside, John would order take-out that would be ready in another forty-five minutes or so, just enough time for them to become reacquainted with each other, alone in a motel room, with the food for the ride back to their respective lives.

Kathryn checked the thermostat, and like at school, left her coat and scarves on the table. Out of her normal clothes she felt more empowered, no longer was she a sister of the convent or a teacher in a school.

Now she was just Kathy, and he was just John, not the visiting priest from Boston.

John was in his ‘civilian’ clothes as well, he undid his collar and tie on the bed while Kathy removed her shoes and placed them by the door. The curtains were drawn, and only the bathroom light was on.

It was nearly 6:00pm and their time together was limited.

John’s smile stretched across his face as he motioned for Kathy to join him on the bed, ‘Where does Mother Superior think you are again?’

She sat on his lap instead, ‘Taking creative writing courses at the local community center.’

She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in for a kiss.

‘Lying is a sin, Kathy,’ he said. Kathryn shifted her weight on him again, ‘Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been three weeks since my last confession.’

John scoffed, ‘We aren’t in the confessional, Kathy. I can’t absolve you like this.’ His face was grim. He took his vows seriously when it suited him, she thought.

‘I know, John. Can’t I tease you?’ she leaned in again, stealing a quick kiss from him.

John pulled back from her; his body was rigid. ‘We shouldn’t keep coming here.’

‘This was your idea.’

‘I didn’t like our previous place. The utility closet in your classroom? It’s tawdry.’

Kathy left his lap and sat beside him. ‘What’s tawdry is meeting in a motel room. Where does the good monsignor think you are, John? In the confessional?’

Kathy saw John’s brows furrowed as he seemed to regret his words.

‘Kathy, you’re right. Please, let’s just forget it and spend time together. I leave back home during December break.’

Wordless, Kathryn left the bed and went to gather her things.

‘Where are you going?’ John asked.

She ignored him as she put her coat back on. ‘Don’t be like this, Kathy, please. You’re right, I shouldn’t have mentioned Mother Superior.’

Kathryn stopped, ‘John, when we agreed to do this, we said no mentions of the life we have out there; no monsignors, no mother superiors, none of it. Just us, together, that’s it.’

There was an uneasy silence.

Kathryn’s coat and scarf were haphazardly on. ‘We should just go. I’m in no mood today.’