MAID FOR THEM

Zona Cafetera region, Columbia. She was on her knees, scrubbing the marble floor in slow circles and humming a hymn from the early morning mass. The corridor was silent save for the sound of water sloshing in the bucket beside her. Her fingers stung from the soap, but she didn’t stop. She never stopped until… “Sister Liora.” At the soft, hesitant call of her name, she looked up and the humming ended. It was a young woman robed in the familiar white linen of the monastery with a veil on her head. Sister Eunice. Her eyes were lowered and her hands folded tightly in front of her, just like Mother Superior had taught them. The girl looked nervous, as though she’d been forced to say something she’d rather swallow. “Yes?” “Mother Superior says…” a beat of hesitation. “She says she wants to see you—in the rectory.” Liora’s hands froze mid-scrub. “The rectory?” Her voice was barely above a whisper. Eunice nodded but couldn’t bring herself to look her in the eye. “Now.” Liora rose slowly, wiping the sod on her habit. Her heart pounded in her ears as she followed the younger woman. They didn’t summon anyone to the rectory unless— Rather than let the thought finish, she dipped her fingers quickly into the holy water by the chapel door, crossed herself, and began the walk down the hall. Sisters gave them confused stares as they headed toward the only path leading to the rectory. For Liora, the walk was longer than usual. Her sandals slapped softly against the stone floor. Closer to the rectory, just in the hallway, she passed a few sisters who were also on cleaning duties. One turned her face away, the other just stared. Liora swallowed hard. At the end of the hall, the door to the rectory stood half open. Eunice shuffled away almost immediately, leaving Liora to her fate. She knocked once, then stepped in. “Close the door,” Father Dominic said without looking at her. His voice was so cold it sent a shiver through her spine. She did as instructed. Inside, the room was cold. There was an icon of the Virgin Mary on the wall. A crucifix above the window and a small table where the priest, Mother Superior and two senior nuns were seated. They each had closed-off expressions. “Sit,” the Mother Superior ordered. She was known to be a woman of a few words which Liora was perfectly aware of, but now, she was like a block of ice with that death stare. Liora lowered herself into the chair across from them, fisting her hands to stop the shivers. For a few seconds, no one spoke. They all just pinned her with something akin to a look of silent disgust–upturned noses and lips pinched tightly together. The silence felt like a punishment. Then without a word, Father Dominic placed a tablet on the table. He pressed play and turned the device towards her. And there it was. The main reason for their animosity toward her on a cold morning of June. On the screen was her, Liora Graves, naked and on top of a man. Father Dominic didn’t bother to mute the audio. He wanted her to listen to the obscene sounds that came out of her mouth, the same lips she took an oath with to maintain chastity. This wasn’t just a violation of the sacred vows—it was mockery to God and an insult to the Virgin Mary. Liora watched the clip play out, looking at herself move on top of the man like a woman possessed, moaning like the devil himself had a hand on her spine. She couldn't breathe. She couldn’t even think. It became undeniable at this point that the woman in the video was her. The face, the voice as she cried out on the throes of pleasure and shuddered severally, asking the man to fill her up. When the horror finally ended, pin drop silence filled the room. Father Dominic leaned back in his chair. “Would you still like a chance to be heard?” Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, still the words didn't form. She shakes her head slowly. “I don’t know what that is,” she began with a cracked voice. “But that’s not me. I would never spit upon the Catholic Church like that. God forbids that.” Mother Superior scoffed, having guessed that she would deny even after the evidence placed before them. “Young lady, do not insult our intelligence. That is you. Clear as daylight, performing unholy acrobatics even after—oh God, have mercy.” She closed her eyes as though in pain. Liora grew desperate. “I’ve never—I wouldn’t—” she stammered, confused about where to begin. “I swear on my dead parents, I don’t know where that came from. I don’t even remember making any video like that. Please—” “Lies!” One of the older nuns spat. “Blasphemous lies.” Liora’s hands were trembling and she pressed them together, tightly in her lap to rein her emotions in. On the inside, she was spiralling out of control. “I’ve done nothing wrong but serve the Lord and this house diligently. I know nothing of this accusation. It wasn’t me.” Mother Superior leaned forward with her sharp eyes shining behind her glasses. “You dare lie before the Lord?” “I’m not lying. I swear on—on everything. I don’t remember anything like this. I’ve never—” It was Father Dominic’s turn to lean forward in his seat. “Just tell us the truth,” he urged in a calm voice which contrasted the tense atmosphere. “Don’t lie in the house of God. You remember the laws of the commandments?” Liora gave him a hasty nod, wiping her blurry eyes dry. “Yes, Father.” “Good. Now just tell us the truth. That’s all we need to know. That was you in the video, wasn’t it? If you tell us what really happened, we’ll let you off on a suspension for a few weeks.” Her words remained the same; that she couldn't recall doing it. That it was a set up. “But the evidence is clear,” the second, older nun antagonized sharply. “w***e in holy garments,” the first nun spat with so much animosity. “Liora.” Mother Superior called in a low voice, shaking her head and adjusting her glasses. “You have brought great shame to this house. A place where we accommodated and raised you in the ways of the Lord. You chose your own path.” Liora knew where this was going. “No, Mother Superior. Please…” “I’m not done speaking,” she chastised, ignoring the way her own heart bled for the one she used to approve of. “At first, it started with losing your temper around your sisters, appearing late for mass and slipping out unnoticed or calling in sick during confessions.” “Because I was sick,” Liora, in a weak attempt, defended, her throat raw from tears. “And although snapping at my sisters is wrong, I have apologized to them.” The woman turned deaf to her. “This isn’t the person I raised. It feels like a vile spirit has entered into you and taken shelter. You’ve been defiled, and you have defiled our faith. I’m highly disappointed.” Liora fell to her knees immediately, as tears streamed down without restraint. “Look into the video, make more findings, that wasn’t me.” Father Dominic moved to reach in his locker and produces a brown envelope containing a little money and a one-way ticket to the city. “It’s with regret that we send you off but it has to be done. We don’t need you violating your other sisters and corrupting their minds. This place has to be kept holy at all times and you’re one of the many impurities we need to flush out.” Taking a deep breath, Mother Superior sent her off with a final warning, “Do NOT return. We will not welcome a fallen one.”