Where the Sun Sets (5 page)

Sister Katherine had been called to the hall,
when the noise from Josephine’s flying had disturbed the girls
studying in the room next to them. She was at the door a few
moments after Josephine’s fall. Antonia had no time to back away
from the situation. Sister read what she had wanted to into the
accident. In her eyes, Antonia was to blame. She had purposely and
maliciously destroyed school property. She intentionally demolished
a ‘Blessed Statue’. She caused physical injury to a fellow student.
Josephine’s arm was definitely broken. There were two older girls,
standing in the doorway, when Sister Katherine exited the room,
practically dragging Antonia by the arm.

“Get her to the infirmary immediately. I will
be there in a moment.” she instructed them.

Joe had no idea where Antonia was being
taken. She was scared. Her arm did not hurt at all but she knew it
was broken. She glanced back at the bear sitting on Antonia’s
pillow. At that moment she wondered if Antonia was as scared as she
was. She should have listened to her friend. Antonia was always
right. She was always right. Josephine let the older girls take her
away. She started to forget the fear when she realized she was
being treated with extra care. The girls treated her as if she was
special and she liked the way that made her feel. So it was easy,
once in the infirmary, not to think about Antonia and what she may
have been going through. However, within the hour, Sister Katherine
had come to collect her. With a fresh white cast on her arm and a
sling to hold her arm to her chest, Josephine exited the infirmary,
with Sister Katherine. They did not go back to the dorm hall
though. They walked past them, straight through to the church.
Sister Katherine explained to Josephine that she was to go inside
and give thanks to God, and ask that He protect her from further
inflictions by Antonia.

Josephine started to explain what happened,
but when Sister Katherine looked down at her; she was stopped short
by the fear of what would happen to her if she was found out.
Sister Katherine was appreciative of the extent Josephine would go
to protect her friend, even after what had happened.

“Be assured Josephine, Antonia will not hurt
you again. She will be punished severely, after which I am certain,
she will be humbled.” Josephine was not sure what humbled meant but
she knew by the look in Sisters eye, just what severely had
meant.

Josephine was instructed to return to the
main hall when her thanks had been appropriately given up to the
Lord. And with that Sister had left her on her own. Josephine did
not know how much time would be appropriate, so she just sat there.
She sat there so long she grew tired. She lay down in the pew and
curled herself into a fetal position. She fell asleep as the hours
of the day wore on. Just past dinner, Sister Ursula was sent to
find her. On the way back to the main hall, Josephine inquired as
to where Antonia was and what had happened to her.

“Sister Katherine was very upset. She did not
want to punish Antonia, while she was in that state of mind, so she
placed her in the main buildings confessional.” Josephine was
confused.

“You mean she made Antonia sit in there?”

“Yes, that’s right and she is still sitting
in there I believe, waiting for your return.”

“She had to sit in there all day?”

“That was what she had been instructed to do?
Yes.”

“So, if I had come back sooner, she would
have been allowed out?”

“I believe so, Josephine, it is really not
for me to say. Sister Katherine is in charge here. It is her
punishment.”

Josephine started to feel guilty all over
again. “Isn’t it dark in the confessional?”

Sister Ursula looked at Josephine quizzically
and said “Yes.”

“Dark like a closet?” Josephine asked,
knowing the answer already. Sister Ursula hadn’t thought about the
closet aspect of the punishment, at least not up until now. Dark
like a closet. Sister Ursula’s heart went out to Antonia, as she
quickened her pace.

When the two arrived in the main hall they
were summoned into the chapel. It was darker in the chapel and your
eyes had to adjust a moment. After they stepped through the
doorway, the doors were closed behind them. Josephine jumped at the
sound and turned towards the door. Sister Katherine was looming in
the darkness. Her appearance seemed to unnerve Josephine. Sister
Katherine motioned for the two to follow her. Obediently the two
complied. They were led to the front of the chapel, to the right of
the altar, where there had been a single chair placed.

Josephine let her eyes wander around the
chapel. All of the girls from the younger dorms were sitting in the
pews. None of the older girls were present. Josephine was asked to
sit in the chair. Sister Ursula stood directly behind her.
Josephine could feel Sister was as nervous as she by the tightness
of the hand that held her shoulder. Sister Katherine stood in front
of the altar. She started to pray and her audience followed suit.
The prayer session was followed by a lecture on the acceptable
behavior required by the students at St. Agnes. Finally, Sister
Katherine explained, how what was about to take place; although it
may be frightening to some in the chapel was a necessity in the
eyes of God. One must be punished for their sins, in order to be
cleansed before the eyes of God. It would be in the best interest
of all to accept what was about to happen, and to use it as a
reference for each and every day of their future.

Josephine was knowingly frightened as she
watched Sister Katherine walk down the aisle towards the rear of
the chapel. She had no idea what was about to take place but she
knew that she did not want to see it. Sister Katherine walked over
to the confessional, just to the right of the entranceway.
Josephine said, in little more than a whisper, “The confessional.”
Sister Ursula’s grip tightened for a brief moment.

As the confessional door was opened, a small
white robed figure appeared. It was difficult to recognize the
figure that emerged, because of the darkness of the chapel. But
Josephine knew, deep down inside, who was robed in white. Her
beautiful auburn hair had been hastily cut to within an inch of her
scalp. Antonia was the figure in the white robe. And Sister
Katherine was directing her to the altar.

As Antonia walked, heads turned. Josephine
felt embarrassment for her friend. Antonia though, had not seemed
to notice. Her eyes seemed fixed to something. Josephine followed
her gaze, to the crucifix above the altar. Once at the front of the
chapel, Sister Katherine requested Antonia turn and face her
benefactors. It would be with the help of all in attendance that
Antonia’s soul would be cleansed.

“Let us all pray for the soul of Antonia Dal
Santo.” she began. And another ten minutes of prayer followed.
Antonia never moved. She did not sway back and forth. Her eyes
never darted around the chapel. It was as if she were a statue, in
Josephine’s eyes. Josephine felt the need for air. Sister Ursula
gently squeezed her shoulder for reassurance.

When the prayer session ended, Sister
Katherine requested Antonia turn once again and face the altar.
Antonia did as requested without a sound. Once again her eyes
looked up to the crucifix. Sister Katherine requested that Antonia
kneel before the altar. Again the child complied without complaint;
her eyes never left the crucifix. Sister Katherine requested
Antonia drop the robe from her shoulders and let it fall down
around her waist. Josephine bit her lip, as Antonia did what was
required.

As if by the hand of God himself, the cane
pole appeared. Sister Katherine turned to the girls in her
audience. “You shall all pray now for Antonia and for her swift
return to Gods favor.” And her audience began to pray. Sister
Katherine returned her gaze to Antonia’s tiny shoulders and back.
“May God forgive you child.” she said as she brought that cane pole
down upon Antonia’s back. The sound of the impact was so sudden,
the entire audience’s posture stiffened and with a collective gasp,
the praying had stopped. Sister Katherine’s head swung around to
face the silence so fast, it could have flown right off her neck,
and the audience started to pray again. As she returned her gaze to
Antonia, Sister Katherine’s eyes briefly met with Josephine’s. A
chill went through Josephine, who quickly joined her friend and
stared at the crucifix above the altar.

The second strike was so fast and sharp, it
could have gone unnoticed. The third raised a welt. Whipping had
been done in the schools past, on three separate occasions. Two of
the offenders had received three strikes, with the third offender
receiving four. Sister Ursula was stunned enough to inflict pain,
unintentionally to Josephine’s shoulder, when the fourth strike hit
Antonia’s flesh, causing it to tear and the child’s blood to touch
the face of Josephine. But when the fifth strike matched the fourth
and the sixth came down much harder, she could not take it anymore.
As Sister Ursula was collecting her wits about her, Sister
Katherine had delivered both the seventh and eighth strikes.

“Stop!” Sister Ursula shouted, as she reached
out for the cane pole, but missed and caused the ninth and final
strike to land. “Stop it. Sister Katherine, stop it now. Enough!”
Sister Ursula had managed to get the cane pole. She was livid, as
she broke the cane pole in two and tossed it to the floor. She
looked at her hands, now both covered with Antonia’s flesh and
blood. She grew even angrier. “Sister Katherine, it is over. It is
over, do you hear me? I will not allow you to touch another
hair...” she let the sentence drop as she turned her gaze to
Antonia’s head. She returned her thoughts to Sister Katherine, and
said “I think you should leave now.”

Josephine watched as the transfer of power
took place. She realized that the chapel was quiet and still. ‘When
did the praying stop?’ she thought to herself. She looked out
across the rows of girls. Several had tears running down their
faces. All seemed to be looking up at the altar. Josephine followed
their eyes. Antonia was still kneeling. Her eyes were shut, no
longer gazing at the crucifix. But she was still kneeling. She had
not bent or broken. She had not swayed or cried. Not a single sound
had escaped her during the whipping. And she was not making any
sound now that it had ended. She was only eight years old, but she
was far from a child. Josephine looked at her friend with a mixture
of both guilt and pride. Antonia’s white robe was now stained with
her own blood. Sister Ursula turned to face the audience.

“You are all dismissed, girls. Please return
to your own rooms at once.” And with that, the group as a whole
stood and left the chapel in as quiet a manner as shock would
allow. Sister Katherine remained at the altar. She watched Sister
Ursula with nervous defiance.

Sister Ursula turned to Josephine and said,
“Child, run to the rectory and get Monsignor. Tell him to come at
once.” Josephine was slow to rise. She did not take her eyes off
the three remaining bodies until she had reached the rear of the
chapel. She did not know what happened next, or where Antonia was
taken. After she returned with the Monsignor, Josephine was
dismissed to her room for the evening. She had not eaten since
lunch, but her stomach pressed down on her as she tried to rest
that night.

Josephine’s parents arrived the next morning
to collect her for the summer break. They were a week earlier than
was the norm, but when they were told of her broken arm, her mother
had insisted. It wasn’t until they were three miles from the school
that they learned of the caning.

Josephine had started to cry. Out of concern
for his daughter’s mental state, her father pulled the car over and
shut off the engine. Both of her parents turned around in their
seats to stare at her. Josephine looked out her window and
cried.

Her father started, “Josephine, sweetheart,
we understand what you have had to go through. These past twenty
four hours must have been quite unsettling.”

Her mother interjected, “Antonia will be
removed as soon as possible and by the time you return to school,
you will have forgotten all about the matter.”

Josephine looked up at her parents. “Removed?
Anthony is leaving? But why? Where is she going?”

“Slow down there sweetie. Of course she has
to be removed. Can’t you see the danger of having her there?” Her
father tried to reassure her.

Once again Josephine’s mother interjected,
although she spoke more to herself than the others in the car, “God
only knows what that child might have done.” Josephine’s father
glanced over at his wife with understanding.

“Anthony can’t leave, she can’t. What will I
do without her? I won’t go back, I won’t. Don’t let them send her
away daddy, please, I need her, she’s my best friend.” Her parents
looked at each other.

“You are too emotionally attached to the
situation at the moment dear, you will feel differently next week,
you’ll see”.

“No, I won’t, I won’t ever feel differently.
She’s my best friend.” As she looked at her mother, she said again
softly “My best friend.”

Her mother was folding under her daughter’s
plea, but had to stand firm, “Josephine, she can’t be allowed to
hurt you. Think of the other girls. Think about what she might do
to them. If she breaks the arm of her best friend without as much
as a second thought. My God, Josephine, she is unstable. The child
needs help.” And then in more of a whisper she said to Josephine’s
father, “They say abused children grow up needing to abuse others.”
Josephine heard what her mother had said and felt the need to throw
up. She opened her car door and got out.

Her father jumped out right after her. “Young
lady, I will not tolerate this type of disrespect, no matter how
upset you are. You are going to get back in the car this
minute.”