Chapter 26 Hera

• Hera intensionally skipped mass last sunday.
• It had been days since her last confession, yet the quiet scent of old wood and Richard’s faint cologne still seemed to cling to her coat. She had tried, truly, to focus on the penance he had set. She sat in her small, bright kitchen on Thursday afternoon, a half-finished cup of tea cooling beside her, staring at a list that read: Three Good Qualities: Penelope, Library Colleague.…
• She couldn’t think of a third. Every time she tried, the memory of Father Richard’s voice—low, warm, saying her name—flooded her mind, erasing all thoughts of Penelope's organizational skills. “Wishing a person away is a lonely thing, isn’t it?”