Waiting to Believe by Sandra Bloom Read Free Book Online Page B

dresser.” She held it out to Kacey, who made no attempt to take it.
    â€œI didn’t forget it, Mom. I don’t think I’ll have any use for it.”
    â€œWell, you never know—”
    â€œYeah, I do know.” Irritation crept into Kacey’s tone.
    Kenneth gave Kacey’s shoulder a squeeze, then guided her forward. “Here you go now, girl! On to this great calling!” She gazed at him with a blank expression.
    Reaching the massive entry, she pulled open the heavy oak door, turning back to make sure her family was following. It was inconceivable that she would be expected to enter that great doorway alone.
    Rigid with apprehension, she crossed the threshold, stepping out of the radiant sunshine. One by one, the family followed. And then the door closed behind them, and Kacey felt swallowed up.
    It was called the great room and though it was large, no signs of comfort were obvious. At the floor-to-ceiling windows, heavy burgundy velvet drapes were pulled shut, locking out the sun. The rich brown-papered walls were bare save for a framed painting of the Annunciation hanging over the deep-set fireplace. Furniture was sparse. Several straight-back chairs were lined up against one wall. A green sofa and an overstuffed chair of an undistinguishable color were angled out from the fireplace, and a brooding, bronzed crucifix hung over a desk. A few floor lamps, all turned to the lowest setting, were scattered around the room. An austere, lifeless room , Kacey thought.
    Here and there, a few girls her age were gathered with their families in tight, little pockets. Black-clad nuns glided from group to group. Still, there was almost no sound.
    â€œKathryn Clare! Welcome!” Kacey whirled around. She had not expected to be greeted by her beloved music teacher, Sister Mary Evangeline. Kacey’s smile was immediate. “Oh, Sister Evangeline!”
    Kenneth reached out and extended his hand to greet the nun so well-known to his family. Even the boys brightened at the sight of her. She received Kenneth’s handshake, then Rose’s.
    She smiled with assurance as she motioned toward the chapel. “Come, come! The welcoming service is about to begin!”
    The chapel was a few steps down the hall from the great room. Kacey peered through the open doors at the long, narrow room. Intricate stained glass windows on one side brought in muted light.
    Kacey began to follow her father when Sister Evangeline touched her arm. “Come, Kathryn Clare. Take your place with the other postulants.” And Kacey fell in line, somewhere in the middle of the fourteen other young women, each appearing as apprehensive as she. There was one, Kacey saw, whose hair was almost the same color as hers, but her face was flushed red and mottled. Kacey accidentally stepped on the heel of a brunette directly in front of her. The brunette turned her head abruptly, giving Kacey a withering look. Kacey mouthed “sorry,” and the brunette softened and smiled back. One by one, they entered the front pew.
    All attention now focused on the imposing figure of the bleeding Christ hanging before them on a rough-hewn wooden cross above the altar.
    And then, rising from a high-back chair at the feet of the pinioned figure was the tallest woman Kacey had ever seen. She couldn’t distinguish where the nun ended and Christ began. The sight appeared as one elongated, dark figure. Something from an El Greco painting , Kacey thought.
    â€œIn the name of Christ, I welcome our new postulants and their families to Blessed Sacrament. I am Mother Mary Agnes, mother general of our community.” Her lips parted slightly and turned up at the corners, but she did not show her teeth, and Kacey felt no warmth.
    Kacey went through the motions of giving attention. She had to steel herself to keep from looking toward the rear of the chapel. She longed to see the faces of her family. She was gripped with a new fear. What if she