Sarah had been picked up with a limousine by a chauffeur she had never met when she walked out of the airport after she got off her flight. She had found the man holding up a sign with her name written on it and she had approached him. After an hour or so of driving out of the bustling city and driving through a long lonely road, the car finally slowed to a crawl as it approached the tall gates of a Convent.
When the gates were opened, the chauffeur increased the speed of the limo a notch as he sped down the driveway lined on either side with flowers and trees. He soon drove around a fountain roundabout and finally came to a stop. Sarah stared at the strangely-constructed tall buildings on the large compound with several open courtyards through the tinted window of the limousine and she also noticed the several statues of scriptural saints, erected at different locations within the enormous compound of the convent.
The environment was quiet and almost deserted except for a few uniformed nuns walking across the yard in pairs or alone towards different destinations; they only acknowledged each other with polite nods before continuing on their ways, hardly speaking to one another.
Sarah almost changed her mind at that moment about her decision and was going to ask the driver to turn around and leave the premises but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She had come this far already and it was a little too late to change her mind now.
She had been informed that the Abbess who was expecting her would gladly receive her today. She remained in the car for a moment, trying to muster enough courage and go through with this. Maybe she would have felt better if her father had accompanied her to this new life but she had declined because she wanted to keep her destination secret from him no matter what.
She didn't want him to know where she would be going to and that was why she had requested to be picked up by a paid driver she had booked online for just this job. Even though she had some misgivings about this convent, she assured herself that things would get better with time and she wouldn't dread being in it any longer.
She watched a trio of nuns who gracefully walked by, she assessed their costumes this time. She wondered if the wimple would feel comfortable for her and the long sober-looking black dresses which reached their shins made her cringe within.
She wasn't really the type who fancied long dresses, especially such which looked so free and casual. Just the thought of donning the wimple, long dresses and casual sandals the nuns wore for the rest of her life made her consider changing her mind a second time. She was already feeling weird from having to also live an isolated and austere life, coupled with incessant prayers and recitations.
There were just so many obvious reasons for her to turn back now while she still could but when she thought about Helen and Fred, she pursed her lips firmly, trying to do away with any discouraging thought that kept popping up in her mind.
She just wasn't sure if she could cope with this new lifestyle. What if she regretted it? What if she chickened out halfway and wanted to leave, would they let her? She pondered. Most of her life, she had mostly donned pants, shorts, short and snug gowns, cropped tops, high heels and other expensive accessories but it seemed she won't be getting any of that luxury here for none of the nuns seem to have any jewelry on, not even wristwatches or earrings. She would have to look bland for the rest if her life.
This wasn't what she had really signed up for and she was very skeptical about giving it a try. Being a nun came with surrendering her life totally to God and giving up the pleasures of the world. Sensing the driver's silent impatience at her prolonged indecision, Sarah finally opened the door and cautiously stepped down.
The convent appeared even much larger now that she was out of the car. It was like standing in an entirely different world inhabited by uniformed women with solemn expressions on their faces.
A nun who looked like she was in her early twenties approached her with a courier at her heels. "Hello there!" The Nun cheerfully called as she drew closer. She smiled warmly at Sarah and gave her a small bow of her head with her hand aligned sideways against her chest like she had seen the other nuns do. "I'm sister Gladys, and I believe you must be Sarah." She introduced after straightening up.
"Yes I'm." Sarah answered as the courier walked past her to the trunk of the limousine to take out the single bag She had come with. She had decided not to really bring anything because she knew she was here to spend whatever was left of her life, wearing gowns and wimples and bearing rosaries.
"You are just in time." Sister Gladys said with a warm smile. "The Abbess awaits you, please do come with me." She turned and started heading back the way she had come. Sarah hesitated as she watched the limousine- her only link to her soon-to-be-past life, drive around the fountain then drove down the long driveway towards the large gates leaving her there to whatever fate awaited her. She suddenly felt all alone.
With a sad but hopeful sigh, Sarah turned to find out that Sister Gladys had paused to stare at her when she found out that she wasn't following. "I understand how you must feel…" Sister Gladys offered her a reassuring smile. "…not all women would give up their lives and surrender their bodies and souls to Christ. Don't worry, you will get used to being part of this virtuous family before you know it."
Sarah nodded, trying to hide her tears while thinking of her father.
"Come now, the convent mother isn't really a patient woman." Sister Gladys urged her as she resumed walking.
Sarah nodded again and involuntarily followed Sister Gladys into the arch hallway. As she was about ascending the stairs after Gladys to the next floor, she caught a glimpse of a man, possibly in his late forties, robed in a black priest robe, standing with his hands behind him on the roof top of another building which was several feet away across the courtyard and what made her uncomfortable was the fact that he was staring down at her with an unfathomable expression on his face which made the hairs at the back of her neck stand erect.
Trying to wash off the sudden feeling of dread that came over her, Sarah followed Gladys who led up several more stairs and went through various arched and almost-deserted hallways. When Sarah began to wander how much stairs they had to take and how many hallways they had to walk through, Sister Gladys, much to Sarah's relief, finally stopped before a brown door with a name tag Mother Felicia inscribed on it.
Sister Gladys knocked softly on the door, opened it and entered the office without waiting for permission to come in and she beckoned Sarah to follow her in. The office was appropriate and full of portraits of different saints in the bible. There was a tall shelf containing several catholic books by the wall and smaller shelves attached to the wall that were filled with stacks of old files. Apart from the dull electric light bulb hanging from the ceiling, the afternoon sun from the large window brightened up the office.
Almost in the center of the room sat a stout woman in a creaky old leather armchair with a high back. She was seated before a large desk filled with more catholic books, pamphlets, a bible, a few files, religious figurines, a desk phone and some other desk necessities.
Behind her, was the largest portrait of all which was almost the length of the wall- the virgin Mary with spread-out arms, bearing a quiet and motherly demeanor. After taking in other details of the office, Sarah returned her gaze to the stout woman who seemed so immersed in some files she was going through and didn't seem to acknowledge their presence yet.
Softly clearing her throat now, Sister Gladys spoke in a pleasant voice, breaking the uncomfortable silence in the office. "Mother, she's here."