This flashback is part of a larger story, and tells of an incident which shaped Becky, a character in "The Chess Bet." I would love any feedback, and am always open to suggestions. More flashbacks can be found on my profile.
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In her first year of freedom from the confines of convent school, 18-year-old Becky was initially sure she would flounder without supervision.
She'd grown up with a rigid schedule of strictly enforced waking times, morning devotions, classes, grace, meals, afternoon prayers, sports, chapel, homework and evening prayer. Her parents had always been traveling, and never seemed to have any time for her. She could remember little before she started boarding, and not much more of her fifth and sixth years of life. Structure and order had been her constant partners and she had not once conceived of a world without them. Chess had been one of the very few pleasures the nuns considered acceptable, and had indeed been the one indulgence she allowed herself.
Even during the occasional school holiday spent at home and not on a mission or a camp, she had kept largely to herself, following a rigid schedule of reflection and prayer. The pleasures of the flesh had never occurred to her as relevant; that was for marriage, a path that she doubted very much would be hers.
At the time of her graduation from high school, Becky had received blessings from all the nuns who had watched her grow up. Her passion for youth work and charitable nature had endeared her to all who knew her, and her sweet disposition and innocence made the nuns sure that she would spread their convictions far, and live a life of purity. Many were convinced they would see her soon again. After all, arranging for Becky to join a party of traveling missionaries would certainly show her how lucky she had been at the convent.
Becky had been of a similar opinion when she had set out to spread the word. She was determined in her calling to holy orders and sure of her faith. Her first assignment, however, would change one of those facts forever.
In the first rural village to which she'd been sent, several hours' drive away from the convent, the three older nuns accompanying Becky tasked her with inviting the locals to a gathering that evening. She had been allowed out on her own for a few hours, provided that she returned before curfew. A stack of pamphlets and a bottle of water in her bag, she had set off towards the farms on the outskirts of town with the sisters' encouragement.
A young woman, high up in an apple tree, called to Becky as she approached the crossroads. The stranger's hair was red, contrasting with the sky blue of her flowing dress. She made her way down the ladder and over to Becky, holding a crisp red apple out towards the blonde's mouth.
"Bite and tell me what you think," the redhead grinned, a tinkling laugh behind the words. "It's our first crop of the year." She took one step toward Becky, whose mouth was hanging slightly open, distracted by the way the dress seemed to cover little of the redhead's generous assets.