I thought…”
Catching himself, Cody let the statement die, but he wasn’t fast enough to stop his face’s reaction to his thought.
“You thought what?” Sister Mary Ava said blankly.
“Um…”
“Well, speak up, boy. What did you think?” she said with sternness.
“I… uh… I kind of thought…”
By that point, Cody was the color of a cooked lobster, and Sister Mary Ava couldn’t maintain the façade any longer, so she placed her hands over her face and laughed uproariously. Cody didn’t see the humor.
“Actually, that is another misconception people have about us. It is quite true for many, but there are those of us whose paths took a few more turns before we found our way, and I am one of them.”
“Really? So you…” Cody began, but quickly silenced himself when the sister quirked an eyebrow, making her laugh a bit more.
“Oh yes, really. I wasn’t always Sister Mary Ava, you know. In my younger days, I was a wild one. I was a proud atheist that lived a life of excess in the worst ways, and dared any and every one to tell me that I was wrong. Looking back on it, I think I was just trying to undermine my parents who were devoutly Catholic.”
“Hold on a sec, if you were an atheist, how did you become a sister?”
“That… was not a simple nor not easy transition. To explain it, you’d have to know a bit more about my upbringing,” Sister Mary Ava said, before sighing and gathering her thoughts. “As I just mentioned, my parents were devoutly Catholic, and my father in particular, was very strict about how he believed we should worship. Any little transgression would draw his ire, and he had no reservations about forcefully correcting us. Unfortunately, that was the only form of Catholicism I knew, so I rebelled.
By the time I turned sixteen, I had had enough, so I decided to strike out on my own. As I packed my bags, my mother came to me, and said, ‘Eva, your father and I are not perfect, but we tried. I would love for you to stay, but I won’t force you. My only request is that you allow your teachings to guide you. Please do not abandon the word over a flawed messenger.’ I heard her words, but they were quickly shelved, and out into the world I went.
The outside world was filled with every sinful thing imaginable, and I was determined to engage in them all. That went on for several months, before I met a kindred sinner who I got on well with. Within a year, we were illegally married, and I became pregnant with my son. That caused a shift in my husband’s priorities, and he became a very responsible young man that provided well for his family. I, on the other hand, was still trying to make up for lost opportunities. My goodness, I paid greatly for that.
It was the summer of 1979, and there were parties celebrating the end of the decade occurring everywhere. There was one in particular that everyone was talking about, but my husband had forbid me to go. He said that it was time for me to grow up and tend to our son. I was furious at him, but outwardly, I agreed and waited for him to leave for work. I knew that he wouldn’t make it home until well after midnight, so I had planned to put our son to bed, leave for a few hours, and then return undetected.
Sure enough, six o’clock came around, my husband left, and I put on my raciest clothes, did my makeup, and curled my hair. My son smiled at me and told me that I looked beautiful. I absently thanked him, hurried him to bed, and then off I went.
The party was everything I imagined and more. Music was blaring, alcohol was plentiful, and partially clothed people were everywhere. We felt untouchable, and we were prepared to stay engaged until sunrise.
Around one in the morning, however, we heard sirens. When we looked outside, we saw police cars, ambulances and fire engines all speeding down the road. Most people were happy that they were bypassing the party, but when I saw what direction they were headed in, I raced home. When
Catching himself, Cody let the statement die, but he wasn’t fast enough to stop his face’s reaction to his thought.
“You thought what?” Sister Mary Ava said blankly.
“Um…”
“Well, speak up, boy. What did you think?” she said with sternness.
“I… uh… I kind of thought…”
By that point, Cody was the color of a cooked lobster, and Sister Mary Ava couldn’t maintain the façade any longer, so she placed her hands over her face and laughed uproariously. Cody didn’t see the humor.
“Actually, that is another misconception people have about us. It is quite true for many, but there are those of us whose paths took a few more turns before we found our way, and I am one of them.”
“Really? So you…” Cody began, but quickly silenced himself when the sister quirked an eyebrow, making her laugh a bit more.
“Oh yes, really. I wasn’t always Sister Mary Ava, you know. In my younger days, I was a wild one. I was a proud atheist that lived a life of excess in the worst ways, and dared any and every one to tell me that I was wrong. Looking back on it, I think I was just trying to undermine my parents who were devoutly Catholic.”
“Hold on a sec, if you were an atheist, how did you become a sister?”
“That… was not a simple nor not easy transition. To explain it, you’d have to know a bit more about my upbringing,” Sister Mary Ava said, before sighing and gathering her thoughts. “As I just mentioned, my parents were devoutly Catholic, and my father in particular, was very strict about how he believed we should worship. Any little transgression would draw his ire, and he had no reservations about forcefully correcting us. Unfortunately, that was the only form of Catholicism I knew, so I rebelled.
By the time I turned sixteen, I had had enough, so I decided to strike out on my own. As I packed my bags, my mother came to me, and said, ‘Eva, your father and I are not perfect, but we tried. I would love for you to stay, but I won’t force you. My only request is that you allow your teachings to guide you. Please do not abandon the word over a flawed messenger.’ I heard her words, but they were quickly shelved, and out into the world I went.
The outside world was filled with every sinful thing imaginable, and I was determined to engage in them all. That went on for several months, before I met a kindred sinner who I got on well with. Within a year, we were illegally married, and I became pregnant with my son. That caused a shift in my husband’s priorities, and he became a very responsible young man that provided well for his family. I, on the other hand, was still trying to make up for lost opportunities. My goodness, I paid greatly for that.
It was the summer of 1979, and there were parties celebrating the end of the decade occurring everywhere. There was one in particular that everyone was talking about, but my husband had forbid me to go. He said that it was time for me to grow up and tend to our son. I was furious at him, but outwardly, I agreed and waited for him to leave for work. I knew that he wouldn’t make it home until well after midnight, so I had planned to put our son to bed, leave for a few hours, and then return undetected.
Sure enough, six o’clock came around, my husband left, and I put on my raciest clothes, did my makeup, and curled my hair. My son smiled at me and told me that I looked beautiful. I absently thanked him, hurried him to bed, and then off I went.
The party was everything I imagined and more. Music was blaring, alcohol was plentiful, and partially clothed people were everywhere. We felt untouchable, and we were prepared to stay engaged until sunrise.
Around one in the morning, however, we heard sirens. When we looked outside, we saw police cars, ambulances and fire engines all speeding down the road. Most people were happy that they were bypassing the party, but when I saw what direction they were headed in, I raced home. When
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