Page 49 of Quiet Chaos

Several sisters stand against the wall, their eyes on us, and I put my weight on one leg and then the other. I come off as a grizzly bear in a lamb’s pen. My head bends forward to offset my substantial size. Sky has her hands folded in front of her plain white dress.

First, a clacking of heels on the tile floor advances, and soon a woman is pulling Sky into an embrace, saying, “Oh Sky, I’ve missed you.”

“Sister Mary! It’s so good to see you.”

Their eyes wander over each other, and Sister Mary’s attention shifts to me.

She startles me by cupping her hands around one of mine. “And you must be Cade, the man who has captured Sky’s heart. She’s told us so much about you.”

A trickle of sweat runs down my neck. I clear my throat. “It’s nice to meet you, Sister Mary. I’ve heard much about you and the convent.”

She glances at Sky and says, “You forgot to mention how handsome he is and courteous.”

My face flushes as Sky takes a quick inhale and covers her mouth. “Sister Mary.”

“Yes, Sister Mary. How shocking?” Another sister comes over, hugging Sky, and inspects her. “You look content, Sky.”

She dips her head. “I’m very happy, Reverend Mother Corinne.”

Ah, so this is the almighty one here. She bends to pet Armstrong, and gestures for us to follow. We enter a room with large chairs, a couch, and a bookcase running the length of one wall. Reverend Mother Corinne and Sister Mary take the chairs, Sky sits on the couch, and I join her. Armstrong finds a corner to curl up in.

Reverend Mother Corinne’s hands are in her lap as she wears an undecipherable expression.

“Welcome, Cade. As you know, I’m Reverend Mother Corinne, but you may call me Mother Corinne.” I gesture an acknowledgment.

She has a distant demeanor, and I’m not sure what I did to provoke it. She sits there assessing me. Lips pursed, eyes capturing my all-black attire, tattoos, and facial expression. The pendulum of a grandfather clock ticks like a metronome, each one setting off a new thought in my head. I sit back, rest my right ankle over my left knee, take hold of Sky’s hand, and watch Mother Corinne finish her evaluation.

Preparing for her negative comments and questions, she surprises me when she says, “Sister Mary’s right. You are a good-looking man.”

Again, embarrassment spreads across my face. It’s one thing to hear it from Sky, and another from Mother Corinne. Sky laughs at the situation, and I give her hand a slight squeeze.

“I didn’t mean to mortify you.” A sister comes in with a tray of drinks. “Is tea okay for you, Cade?”

“Yes, ma’am…I mean, Mother Corinne.”

They disperse the cups and water, cookies pushed toward us, and the sister exits without a word.

Mother Corinne says, “I think we can all relax now. How did you two meet?”

Sky puts her arm through mine, holding my hand, smiles and says, “Reverend Mother Corinne—”

“Mother Corinne is fine, Sky.”

“Um, okay.” Her dimples show when she becomes shy, brightening her face. “Cade is my hero.”

I let out a weak chuckle, glancing downward to hide my awkwardness. When Sky gets on her ‘my hero’ kick, it disturbs me because what I did was just being human, and it’s sad shesees it as a rescue. She’s been beaten down several times, she construes the action as valor. What she doesn’t realize is her character is nothing short of being goddamn glorious.

Sky gazes at me and shakes her head. “When I met Cade, I was in a bad way. After I left Ms. Adeline, I found myself in a harmful situation and in a strange city, but I escaped him. My boyfriend left me nothing. Cade showed up and offered me shelter. Since then, he has taken care of me in so many ways.”

Afterward, they speak of Sky’s time here and what’s been going on in her absence. I listen to their stories of my Princess in prayer, helping at the homeless shelter, and doing her daily chores of cleaning and serving the dinner meal. Sister and Mother have nothing but nice things to say about Sky, except one time when she came running into the chapel late, tripping over her dress, and knocking over the bowl of holy water onto Sister Ruth. We all find it amusing.

Mother Corinne asks, “Sister Mary, why don’t you and Sky spend some time together? I’d like to talk to Cade.” She shifts to me, and asks, “If that’s okay with you?” I nod.

The clock strikes the hour, chiming once, and Sky and Sister Mary walked out a couple of minutes ago. I switch legs, resting my left ankle on my right knee, hands resting in my lap.

We stare at each other for a moment, and then she shatters the silence. “Cade, what made you help Sky out?”

She will not make this easy and wants to know my intentions. How does someone like me convince her I care about Sky? That I’m not taking advantage of her in any deviant way, and it’s honest. I guess the truth shall set me free.

---