Martha and Mary's Letter 1965

A novice nun recieves letter from a school friend.

She slit open the letter with a narrow knife and drew out the two page script. Mary’s scribble she knew by the few lines. She read through the contents with effort as if it were the writings of a lost tribe. Mary’s usual doings and deeds. Martha read it through again. It didn’t improve on a second reading. Mary had a new boyfriend, some boy who delivered to the shop where she was employed. She called him dimwit and not one with long time mileage. She smiled at the childishness. Mary was not one of the top drawer intellectuals, not top drawer at anything, other than her usual thirst for life. That hadn’t extended so far with being anyone’s wife. It was Mary’s relationship with woman that was the edge. She spoke of fancying the latter boyfriend’s mother more than him, and only with strong self control did she manage not to kiss the woman’s naked neck. Martha suspected that she and Magdalene had been in bed together even before leaving school. Magdalene even proposed such to her one evening to which she declined. The returned the letter to the envelope and put it the drawer of the desk. The afternoon bell would ring soon for work in the garden of the abbey with the moaning nun. She gazed at the crucifix on the wall above her bed, seeing Him there each day, being there for her conversations. Each day she took Him down and dusted away any dust that may have gathered. The bell chimed from the bell tower, telling her it was time for the working hour.