A change at St Magdalene's School for Girls.

The black-and-white-clad nun takes centre stage and the general noise level in the place drops to a hush. With gnarled and knobby hands, she brings the microphone down level with her mouth.

“Thank you all for coming today,” Mother Superior Constance begins her address to the crowd. “It has been another wonderful year here at St Magdalene School for Girls but another year is almost up.”

This brings a round of applause from the crowd along with some whooping from one of the nuns.

“Somebody please have Sister Valencia cut off from the bar. We won’t have a repeat of Rome with you falling in the Trevi Fountain,” Constance quips to a great deal of laughter.

“As we reflect on the year that’s been, we look ahead to the year to come and the changes that it brings. Our beloved school will have some changes in the faculty. And, no, I will not be retiring. Only our Lord himself can stop me from being around all our wonderful young ladies for another year.”

The audience collectively chuckles and breaks into a round of applause at the older nun’s announcement of nonretirement. Having only just met her I can still feel the respect and love that everybody seems to hold the unusual old lady in.

“There will however be a departure. Our Deputy School Mother will be leaving us after 16 years here at St Magdalene. Mother Prudence is leaving us to undertake a pilgrimage to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain.”

Another pause as the crowd surrounding Mother Prudence stops to give her their good wishes.

“Now as much as I know this school prides itself on its traditions, next year will see us breaking one of those for the first time.” A hush falls over the crowd. “Normally one of our own Sisters would fill Mother Prudence’s role but I can think of no one more suited for the position. Someone so full of drive and energy in seeking to be not just better herself but to guide our girls to greatness…

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Taking over from Mother Prudence and filling the newly created title of Deputy School Mistress will be Miss Yui Dontmakemesaytherest!”

A big round of applause and cheering goes through the crowd then as every single eye in the venue turns to look at Yui and I. Yui at being the sudden centre of attention immediately goes bashful and grabs herself onto me, hiding her face into my neck. At the friendly chorus of laughter, Yui is able to eventually come out of her hiding spot in my arms to give me a kiss in front of everyone and then quickly wipe away some tears as she is congratulated by everyone, one after another. Mother Superior the last to wish her teacher congratulations as Yui again breaks down into tears as she hugs the smaller Nun.

Another round of drinks is passed to Yui and I and I am able to give her my own private congratulations. “Congratulations Yui. I’m so proud of you. This must be an incredible thing for you. The first time the school has ever done this.”

Yui hugs me and I give her another kiss. She tells me it had all been Mother Superior Constance’s idea with Yui arguing that she should stick with tradition and get one of the other Sisters to become Mother.

“So, the bet was just a joke?” I ask.

“Kind of. I kept telling Mother Superior that I shouldn’t do it as I was dating someone and therefore living in sin but she couldn’t care less for all that preachy stuff and would handle any complaints from the parents if it came to that,” Yui tells me before leaning in closer to whisper, “she said I should try cutting you off in bed unless you put a ring on me but that would only be punishing myself.”

I quickly try and straighten Yui up then as two nuns walk past us at just that moment and watch us out of the corner of their eye.

We stay at the sundowner for a while longer and about an hour later people are starting to fill out. Before we leave Mother Superior Constance finds us to talk once more.

“Would you like to see Yui’s new office next year?” she asks me.

Yui walks in the middle of us as she holds my hand in hers and takes the Mother Superior in her other arm. Constance gives us a guided tour of the school which I’m sure Yui already knows but is for my benefit. She leads us past a beautiful old building that looks likes something out of the English countryside. She tells us it’s the original nunnery where all the Sisters still live on the school grounds.

Eventually, our tour leads us to another incredible old building that wouldn’t look out of place as an English boarding school, which in a sense it is as it was built by English craftsman around the turn of the last century. Mother Superior pulls a ring of iron keys out from under her habit and it feels like I’m stepping back in time as she unlocks the heavy studded wooden door. The hinges creak as the heavy door is pushed open. Yui and I wait for the Nun to step inside first and then follow her inside.

The entryway leads to a great stone staircase which we take to the upper levels. I can hear the poor older nun’s joints grinding as she climbs the stairs and can’t help but gain even more admiration for her continuing to lead the school despite her age. On the top floor, we’re led down a long hallway that’s carpeted in an antique handwoven rug that would be impossible to buy or replace now. She brings us to a pair of doorways at the end, one of which will be taken up by Yui’s sectary/assistant and the other her new office.

The office is huge and takes up the entire short side of the building. Windows overlook the quadrangle and I can just imagine Yui standing at the window keeping an eagle-eyed watch on her students below. A massive black wood desk sits in the centre of the room with three full triple seat leather sofas facing in forming a square.