“Father Stefano, I’m Adrianna…”
“I know who you are, child. I’m sorry for the loss of your parents,” he said.
Adrianna blinked back tears. The sympathy was conveyed in such a gentle and honest way that it tore at her heart.
“What can we do for you?” he said.
“We have nowhere to go, my brothers and I,” Adrianna explained.
He frowned and she closed her eyes unable to withstand the waiting. She thought quickly. If indeed females were not allowed in, she would beseech Father Stefano to take in her brothers. Adrianna did not care much what happened to her as long as her brothers were safe.
Adrianna’s eyes popped open and she saw Father Stefano looking at the boys with a sad expression in his eyes. Her heart sank. She knew he was preparing to tell them no, in a gentle way. His eyes returned to her.
“Please Father, we have nowhere else to go.”
Chapter Three
Adrianna woke up with a start, her eyes laden with sleep. She heard it again, a sharp bell ringing from somewhere. Activity erupted around her and she forced her eyes to stay open. When she adjusted to the darkness, she saw the nuns in various states of undress getting ready. She groaned when she realized that the bell had been for twelve forty-five in the morning, the hour for Martins. Adrianna was the last of the twenty or so nuns, to leave the dormitories.
She staggered sleepily towards the Sisters’ chapel and made her way to the fourth row. She stifled a yawn and struggled to listen to the prayer for the needy from the Mother Superior. As her mind cleared of sleep, her mind returned to her brothers, Dante and Benito. She had been here for two weeks and she had seen no sign of them.
The nuns had separate quarters from the monks and Adrianna still recalled her surprise when Father Stefano had led her to the other side of the building. In the dining room, ten nuns had been having their dinner in silence. It had been like entering another world.
Adrianna had questioned the Mother Superior twice and each time she shushed her and told her it was not the time to discuss her brothers. Adrianna looked at her now. She was a small, vital woman with a bossy attitude. Adrianna had a feeling that the Mother Superior did not like her much. When Father Stefano had introduced her, the Mother Superior had looked her up and down, with a knowing look that Adrianna did not quite understand.
The hour dragged on and they filed back into the dormitories, where Adrianna fell into bed with all her clothes on. It was always cold in the dormitories and she shivered under the slim single blanket. As she relaxed and her body grew warmer, her mind drifted to her parents and her home. Adrianna had a feeling that she would never see her family home again.
She swallowed a lump of saliva. She thought of Dante and Benito. Were they asleep or awake like her? She had to see them soon, Adrianna thought. She knew in her logical mind that they were fine on the other side of the monastery. Adrianna trusted Father Stefano, perhaps because he had had some kind of bond with her Mamma and Papa. Still, she preferred to see her brothers with her own eyes.
Adrianna soon drifted off to sleep until the five o’clock bell rang. She groaned. Would she ever get used to the few hours that the nuns slept? She forced her head up and cheered up when she recalled her plan to see the boys. She splashed her face in a sink on the wall and after dressing, she made her way to the store room.
Her duty was cleaning the floors of the dormitories and the small chapel. She mopped the floors faster than she normally did and when she was done, Adrianna walked briskly to the storage to return the bucket and mop. She had twenty minutes or so before breakfast time. Adrianna left the building, her heart beating hard.
It was dark outside and Adrianna shivered. She only had a dress on and had not thought of getting her shawl. Adrianna’s senses were alert to any movement, but all she heard was the rustle of leaves. She made her feet move faster knowing that if she was not there during breakfast, her absence would be noted. The Mother Superior frightened Adrianna.
The woman had an impatient manner and she hated having the day's program interrupted. Furthermore, her small sharp eyes seemed to follow Adrianna everywhere as though waiting for her to make a mistake. Adrianna was just about to turn the corner when a loud noise broke the silence.
She jumped and threw herself against the plant covered building. A bomb! It sounded so close. She crouched on the ground her heart beating hard. After a moment, all was quiet and she gingerly rose to her feet. Thank God they were safe here, Adrianna thought, her heart going out to the people in Naples. She had lost contact with all her friends. Besides, being at the monastery was like living in another world, where were no wars or parents dying.
Before she could make it to the path that led to the monastery, another bomb fell and Adrianna covered her ears with her hands. By the time she got to the heavy wooden door, she was trembling. She grasped the iron rod that acted as a bell and banged it hard. Moments later, she heard footsteps and then the door opened.
A young monk, clad in a brown habit and his hair shaved short stood staring at her as though she had just landed from the moon.
“I’d like to see Father Stefano,” Adrianna croaked.
“You can’t see him now, he’s at mass,” the monk said in a surprisingly deep voice.
Adrianna glanced beyond him desperately. “I must see him now…please. It’s about my brothers, Dante and Benito, have you seen them?”
The monk’s eyes widened and then he said: “Your brothers are well. They are at mass too.”
What was she to do? Adrianna knew she had ten minutes at most. She just needed to see for herself that they were well.
“I just need to see them,” Adrianna said.
The monk contemplated her predicament for a moment. Then he nodded. “Very well. I’ll let you stand at the doors of the chapel. Just a few seconds mind you. I could get into a lot of trouble for this.”
“Oh, thank you so much. I promise I’ll not make a sound.”
The monk looked at her in amusement. Just then, the sound of another bomb rang out in the distance and Adrianna pushed her way in.
“What is going on?” she said.
“They’re bombing Naples,” the monk said as he gently closed the doors.
Adrianna shuddered. Having her fears confirmed saddened her. She thought of all the families who were right now losing their loved ones for a war that they had nothing to do with.
“Follow me,” the monk said and padded ahead.
The corridor was dimly lit with a single bulb and she could barely see where they were going. After what seemed like an endless walk, the monk abruptly turned to the right and down another corridor. Then he turned to her and gestured for her to be quiet. That’s when she heard Father Stefano’s voice, reciting something in what Adrianna thought was Latin.
Though she could not understand the words, they soothed her soul and she wished that she could just stand there and listen a while longer. The monk nudged her and she tiptoed to the double doors and peeked in. There were more monks than nuns, Adrianna thought as she looked at the many heads facing forward. Then she saw two distinct smaller heads—her brothers. She could have wept with relief.
She could only see their backs, but they appeared well and healthy. She felt another nudge. It was time for her to leave. Adrianna turned from the doors reluctantly and followed the monk the way they had come. At the door, she turned to him, her eyes flashing with gratitude.
“I don’t know what to say. Please accept my gratitude,” Adrianna said with feeling.
He smiled. “Be at peace now and know that your brothers are well cared for. Father Stefano would not have it any other way.”
“Thank you,” Adrianna said and then turned and left.
Dawn had broken and with a sinking sensation in her tummy, Adrianna realized that she had stayed out longer than she had anticipated. She could see ahead now and she broke into a small run. She pushed the door open and was just about to slip in when she looked up and gave a
cry of fright. Mother Superior stood at the door, her eyes shrunken into small slits. Oh, Lord!
“Mother Superior,” Adrianna said, trying to sound composed.
“You left the convent without permission,” the Mother Superior said in clinched tones.
“I’m sorry, Mother,” Adrianna said. “I just wanted to make sure my brothers were well.”
“If you want to remain with us, you must adhere to our rules. They are there for a reason.”
"Yes, Mother."
“I’ll let you off this time and as tempted as I am to tell Father Stefano, I won’t,” she said, pursing her lips.
Adrianna kept her face impassive.
“However you’ll do double duty tomorrow.”
“Yes Mother,” Adrianna said and bowed her head low.
She had no problem with doing double duty. Anything was worth it just to see Dante and Benito. She just wished that she had been able to speak to them.
“Breakfast is over but go into the kitchen and get some bread and cheese. There’s also milk in the cooler.”
The unexpected kindness from the Mother Superior was too much for Adrianna and tears dropped from her eyes.
“It shall be well,” the Mother Superior said in a gentle tone, which Adrianna had never heard her use.
Chapter Four
"I wish to be a nun, Father Stefano," Adrianna said.
She heard the sharp intake of breath. Her news had taken Father Stefano by surprise. They walked on silently. Adrianna enjoyed their fortnightly meeting that Father Stefano had instigated a month earlier. For her, it felt wonderful to confide in someone she trusted. She had spoken of her dead parents and the sense of responsibility she now felt towards her brothers. Father Stefano had listened without interrupting as was his custom.
“Have you spoken to the Mother Superior about it?” he finally asked.
“Yes. She said to give myself more time to think about it,” Adrianna replied. “But I don’t want more time.”
“What could be the harm?” Father Stefano asked.
***
Later in the day, Adrianna sat in the chapel with the other nuns for a period of quiet meditation. She had come to love the solitude of the convent. The afternoons had been most difficult for Adrianna. The nuns were required to be silent from two o’clock up to five in the evening. While she had found the mandatory silence unbearable, she had now come to terms with it.
There was something to do every hour of the day, which gave Adrianna less time to think of her parents and even her brothers. Father Stefano had arranged for her to spend some time with her brothers. They had filled out in the few months that they had been at the monastery and seemed even more grown than their fourteen years.
She supposed it was the loss of their parents and being forced into a life they had known nothing of. Still, the three of them were grateful for the care and protection that the monastery offered them. Benito though had seemed to take to the life at the monastery more than Dante.
“When will the war end, Adrianna?” Dante had asked his face creased with impatience.
She had shrugged. Unlike Dante, she was in no rush for the war to end. The end would mean making decisions about each of them, and while she was determined to become a nun, she still had to think of her brothers.
“I like it here,” Benito had said in his new deep voice that still startled Adrianna.
The boys were changing so fast. They were becoming young men. They both had dark shadows above their upper lips and their shoulders had filled out. If only Mamma and Papa could see them!
The nuns broke out into a soft hymn, bringing Adrianna back to the present. She longed to wear the white veil that signified that one was a novice nun. Adrianna was as religious as the other nuns. She heard them speak of embracing a hidden life of pure faith. They spoke animatedly of the gift of a life of prayer and penance for His glory.
Adrianna had no clue what they meant, but it all sounded good to her. That evening as she helped to serve supper, the Mother Superior rushed in, her thin face taut with an emotion Adrianna could not identify. The other nuns seemed to see it too for the room fell into silence. She stopped in the middle of the room and faced the nuns.
“I bear sad news this evening. Naples has been completely destroyed in the bombings and a lot of our soldiers injured. The Lord has come to the rescue of our city and American soldiers are fighting back. The reason I tell you all this is because the word has reached us that injured soldiers will be brought to the monastery for treatment. Now, some of you—" the Mother Superior looked around at the nuns faces, briefly passing by Adrianna's face. "Some of you will be called to attend to the injured and I implore you to treat those poor men with compassion and understanding. Needless to say, I expect no improprieties to take place. I know that I can trust all of you on this one."
Adrianna’s heart skipped a bit. She felt excited at the thought of nursing injured men back to life. She had missed caring for her brothers and the soldiers coming to the monastery next door, meant that she could start to feel useful again.
The following day, word reached them that the soldiers had begun to be brought to the monastery. Adrianna itched to see them, but there was no chance to sneak out. Besides, her new aspirations to be a nun meant that she had to curb her impulses. Adrianna wanted to prove to both Mother Superior and Father Stefano that she really was worthy to be a nun.
***
Two days later, the Mother Superior summoned them all to the chapel.
“I have a list here of the nuns who, beginning tomorrow, will begin working at the monastery’s chapel which has been converted into a hospital,” she said and cleared her throat.
Adrianna cocked her ear for her name. But the Mother Superior came to a stop.
“That is all. The rest of you will have to work extra hard to keep the convent program running smoothly,” she said and then swiftly exited.
It took Adrianna a moment to actually believe that her name was not on the list. Tears sprang in her eyes. Impatiently, she wiped them off with the sleeve of her dress. She watched the other nuns gather in a small group and speak of what lay ahead. Adrianna was too bitter to join them and she left for the dormitories.
The following day, she had to drag herself to do her chores. Her mind was next door and what might be happening there at that moment. She would have given anything to be a part of that special group of nuns picked out to help nurse the soldiers back to health. At noon, there was a slight disturbance when Sister Margaret, a thirty-something nun was escorted back, held up by two other nuns.
It seemed she could not handle the sight of blood.
“Take her to the dormitories,” Mother Superior ordered. “We’ll need a replacement for Sister Margaret,” she said, her eyes roaming over the nuns gathered near the door.
Adrianna did not have any hope and she kept her eyes on the floor. She knew that Mother Superior did not think much of her. The way she had looked at her when Adrianna excitedly told her that she wanted to become a nun would be forever ensconced in Adrianna’s mind. The Mother Superior had stared at Adrianna incredulously and then seemed to stifle a smile. But Adrianna was determined to show everyone that she meant it about being a nun.
“Adrianna, it shall be you.”
Adrianna’s head shot up. Had she heard correctly? The Mother Superior’s eyes were on her. Her first instinct was to jump and give a squeal of delight. Instead, she smiled demurely and nodded.
“I will do my very best Mother Superior,” Adrianna said softly.
"I know you will, child. You shall be in tomorrow as the day is nearing the end."
Adrianna swallowed a ball of disappointment. She had hoped to go next door immediately. Still, her joy did not dissipate. The following day was not far away.
The following morning, Adrianna was the first to get up. She tapped her foot impatiently during the morning mass and breakfast. She fought the urge to wolf down her breakfast. When they finished, she followed the o
ther nuns out of the convent and towards the monastery. Her fingers shook with anticipation.
She had lain awake for hours imagining herself whispering words of comfort to the soldiers. She had seen herself offering cool sips of water to the most injured soldiers, who in turn looked at her with grateful eyes. And now she would get to do all that. So great was her excitement that she had not thought of Dante and Benito once, Adrianna thought with guilt.
Being in the monastery every day also meant that she would see her brothers a lot and get an insight into how they spend their days. She had asked the boys that very question and Dante had shrugged while Benito had looked into the distance dreamily.
“Praying to Our Lord and meditating,” Benito had finally said.
Meditation, while soothing, it bored Adrianna. She preferred the more physical aspects of the convent such as working hard. The opportunity of taking care of the soldiers was exactly the kind of thing she craved. The scent of iodine and medicine hit Adrianna’s nostrils as soon as the door to the monastery opened.
The first sight of what had been the chapel brought Adrianna’s steps to a halt. It was nothing like she had expected.
Chapter Five
The room, which had seemed larger when she had peeked at Dante and Benito, now seemed to have shrunk. It was crammed with small metal beds but it was the noise in the room which startled Adrianna. Grown men moaned and groaned and one was screaming until another man in a white coat went to attend to him.
There was a commotion at the door. Ambulance men carried wounded soldiers on stretchers into the already full chapel. Adrianna pushed herself against the wall. One of the stretchers carried a man in uniform with blood gushing from his leg. Adrianna gagged.
“We’ll have to use the convent chapel,” Adrianna heard Father Stefano’s voice behind her say. “Adrianna? Could you run to the convent and tell the Mother Superior to empty the chapel. We’ll have to use it as a hospital too with this new influx of soldiers. Hurry up, will you? Tell her beds will follow shortly.”
[2016] The Precious Amish Baby Page 28