one moment,” she said. “I’ll need to
call the Mother Superior to help you.”
Mary found herself sitting on a hard, wooden bench for ten
minutes until she was summoned into another office. The room was very modest,
the furniture sparse, and the only ornamentation were religious artifacts on
the wall. The woman sitting behind the desk seemed to fit her
surroundings. She was thin and birdlike,
her small, dark eyes darting nervously around the room before resting on Mary
and then quickly on Mary’s belly.
“So, I can see that you have more in common with your client
than my secretary stated,” she snapped derisively.
“I beg your pardon?” Mary replied, shocked at the tone in
the woman’s voice.
“You and she are both…how shall I say it?” she pondered aloud,
“Both carnal women rather than Godly women.”
Perched on the edge of the seat in front of the Mother
Superior’s desk, Mary could feel her temper rise, but she fought back the angry
words that were on the tip of her tongue. It
will not help the situation if you call her a snake and tell her to bite the
wall, she decided silently. Even though it would feel really good.
“I suppose that we are alike because we have both been
blessed in being able to join with God in the miracle of life,” she finally
replied, trying to do her best to say what she thought her mother would say in
this situation. “She also gave birth to two wonderful sons who love her very
much. But whether a woman is able to
bear children or not, I believe that God judges her by her good works and
what’s in her heart.”
So, what’s in your
heart, you angry, old reptile? Mary thought, though her face remained
passively pleasant.
Mother Superior snorted scornfully and shifted some papers
on her desk. “Well, I’m sure some day we will find out how God judges us, won’t
we?” she asked.
Mary continued to smile, even though her jaw was beginning
to ache at the strain, and nodded. “Yes, I suppose we will. And
now, about the records.”
“I’m afraid we can’t help you,” the nun replied. “There’s
nothing we can do.”
“You don’t have the records?” Mary asked.
“Whether we do or don’t is irrelevant,” she replied,
shrugging easily. “We do not share that kind of information. It is confidential and each young woman
signed a contract when she entered the facility.”
“If the young woman was a minor, she cannot be held to the directives
of the contract,” Mary countered.
“Which is why we also had their legal guardians sign the
contract,” Mother Superior replied with a satisfied smile. “We have lawyers,
too, and they have reviewed our records and found nothing wanting.”
“Except, perhaps, a conscience,” Mary blurted out before she
could help herself.
The nun’s face turned red and she stood up very slowly. “I
believe this conversation is over,” she replied. “I’m sure you can see yourself
out as you certainly found your way in here.”
Mary stood. “I’m not giving up,” she replied. “I will get
hold of those records.”
The nun met Mary’s eyes and shook her head, an angry smile
on her face. “Well, you know, records do have an unfortunate history of getting
lost or being destroyed by fire. Who knows what happened to the records you are
searching for? The adoption was a long time ago.”
Chapter Twenty-three
Enraged, Mary knew that she needed to calm down before she
began her drive back to Freeport. She
stormed past her car and walked down the narrow paths that wound their way
throughout the facility. “Carnal woman?” she muttered angrily. “Who the he…”
She paused, recalling where she was and inhaled sharply. “…heck is she to call
anyone anything?”
Striding forward, her mind distracted with the conversation
she’d just had, she hadn’t noticed where she was walking and was surprised to
find herself at the entrance to a small cemetery hidden in the midst of the
gardens. The
call the Mother Superior to help you.”
Mary found herself sitting on a hard, wooden bench for ten
minutes until she was summoned into another office. The room was very modest,
the furniture sparse, and the only ornamentation were religious artifacts on
the wall. The woman sitting behind the desk seemed to fit her
surroundings. She was thin and birdlike,
her small, dark eyes darting nervously around the room before resting on Mary
and then quickly on Mary’s belly.
“So, I can see that you have more in common with your client
than my secretary stated,” she snapped derisively.
“I beg your pardon?” Mary replied, shocked at the tone in
the woman’s voice.
“You and she are both…how shall I say it?” she pondered aloud,
“Both carnal women rather than Godly women.”
Perched on the edge of the seat in front of the Mother
Superior’s desk, Mary could feel her temper rise, but she fought back the angry
words that were on the tip of her tongue. It
will not help the situation if you call her a snake and tell her to bite the
wall, she decided silently. Even though it would feel really good.
“I suppose that we are alike because we have both been
blessed in being able to join with God in the miracle of life,” she finally
replied, trying to do her best to say what she thought her mother would say in
this situation. “She also gave birth to two wonderful sons who love her very
much. But whether a woman is able to
bear children or not, I believe that God judges her by her good works and
what’s in her heart.”
So, what’s in your
heart, you angry, old reptile? Mary thought, though her face remained
passively pleasant.
Mother Superior snorted scornfully and shifted some papers
on her desk. “Well, I’m sure some day we will find out how God judges us, won’t
we?” she asked.
Mary continued to smile, even though her jaw was beginning
to ache at the strain, and nodded. “Yes, I suppose we will. And
now, about the records.”
“I’m afraid we can’t help you,” the nun replied. “There’s
nothing we can do.”
“You don’t have the records?” Mary asked.
“Whether we do or don’t is irrelevant,” she replied,
shrugging easily. “We do not share that kind of information. It is confidential and each young woman
signed a contract when she entered the facility.”
“If the young woman was a minor, she cannot be held to the directives
of the contract,” Mary countered.
“Which is why we also had their legal guardians sign the
contract,” Mother Superior replied with a satisfied smile. “We have lawyers,
too, and they have reviewed our records and found nothing wanting.”
“Except, perhaps, a conscience,” Mary blurted out before she
could help herself.
The nun’s face turned red and she stood up very slowly. “I
believe this conversation is over,” she replied. “I’m sure you can see yourself
out as you certainly found your way in here.”
Mary stood. “I’m not giving up,” she replied. “I will get
hold of those records.”
The nun met Mary’s eyes and shook her head, an angry smile
on her face. “Well, you know, records do have an unfortunate history of getting
lost or being destroyed by fire. Who knows what happened to the records you are
searching for? The adoption was a long time ago.”
Chapter Twenty-three
Enraged, Mary knew that she needed to calm down before she
began her drive back to Freeport. She
stormed past her car and walked down the narrow paths that wound their way
throughout the facility. “Carnal woman?” she muttered angrily. “Who the he…”
She paused, recalling where she was and inhaled sharply. “…heck is she to call
anyone anything?”
Striding forward, her mind distracted with the conversation
she’d just had, she hadn’t noticed where she was walking and was surprised to
find herself at the entrance to a small cemetery hidden in the midst of the
gardens. The
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