I approached the old school with a great degree of interest. Six years I had spent here; six years of raging hormones and no girls to even look at in our all male seminary. Taught by priests, the only female form we saw during term-time belonged to the holy Sisters who did our laundry and cooking. They belonged to the neighbouring convent and were, in general, so old that not one of us even fantasised about them. Except Sister Maria, of course.
Sister Maria was the exception. For one thing, she had not forgotten how to smile and she didn't look on me and my fellow students as something the devil had sent to tempt her into sin. The fact that she had the most beautiful brown eyes and had curves that we all wanted to investigate didn't hurt either.
But now, ten years later, Sister Maria was gone, the seminary had closed down due to a downturn in vocations and the centuries-old buildings had been bought by a multi-national company as a new Head Office. The Sisters had all been moved to different parts of the country. Or so I thought.
I had wanted to take one last look before they knocked the old building down and built a modern monstrosity in its place. All that was to remain was the historic church building and the old cemetery so I had taken advantage of some spare time to drive the two hours to my old alma mater. Never could I have foreseen how the day was to turn out.
Walking round the building, so many memories flooding back, I came upon the small graveyard behind the church. Someone was tending to one of the ancient graves and I had to smile as the thought occurred to me that I could go to hell for the way I was admiring the full, round arse of the woman kneeling on the grass, oblivious that she was presenting a beautiful image to the world as she leaned forward to place some flowers in a stone vase.
My approach must have startled her as she suddenly turned her head. Her face was as beautiful as her arse (not the kindest of compliments, I know, but I've always been turned on by a round rear end) and it was a face I was sure I knew although couldn't quite place at that moment. It was only when she smiled that I recognised her.
"Can I help you?" she asked in her softly spoken way.
"Sister Maria?"
A sadness seemed to cloud her smile for a moment at my question but she recovered her composure and smiled again.
"Just plain, old Maria now, I'm afraid. I left the convent a couple of years back but was lucky enough to secure the position as gardener here until they finally tear it all down. Do I know you?"
I knew that I must have been one of hundreds of boys that passed through during her time as a nun so took no offence as I introduced myself. I explained that I was just taking a final look round.
"Of course I remember you, Alex. You were always one of my favourites. I was just about to take a break. Would you like to join me for tea?"
I didn't for one moment believe that I had stood out any more than the rest of my peers but I was more than happy to accept her invitation. As she led me to her small cottage which, she explained, came with the job, we talked easily about some of the characters we had both known all those years ago. As I was walking behind her it also gave me another opportunity to admire her fine arse. The curves that she had tried to hide beneath her nun's habit were uninhibited now and the long flowing skirt she was wearing clung to her cheeks like a second skin. My mind couldn't help but wonder what she would look like without it.
As she prepared the tea in her modest kitchen I took the chance to broach the subject that, so far, we had both avoided.
"When did you leave the convent?"
She stopped short, her back to me, and sighed.
"It was only two years ago."
"Any particular reason?"
She turned and the sadness had returned to her face, her beautiful eyes downcast. She sat down at the kitchen table opposite me and clasped her hands in her lap.
"I just couldn't remain faithful to a church that had caused so much harm."
That was all she said but I guessed immediately that she was referring to the recent sex scandals involving so many priests.
"I'm sorry, Sister." I didn't know what else to say.
Again she blessed me with her sad smile. "Just call me Maria. It's hard to think of myself as not being a nun so I suppose it must be hard for others who knew me then not to use that title."
She stopped for a moment, alone with her thoughts, her head once more bowed. Then she looked at me with those eyes that I could easily fall in love with.
"I just don't understand any of it. Why would they behave like that? Why throw it all away for momentary pleasure? Is sex so wonderful it's worth risking everything for?"