In the Novitiate, we were supposed to take only one piece of candy at recreation.  Since they didn’t usually have my favorite, with the map on the inside cover, no one knew what flavor was what.  

One of the Sisters, wanting to make sure her one piece was a good one, used to punch a little hole in the bottom of each of the chocolates. She proceeded ‘til she got the one she wanted.  

This took the mystery out of it for all of us.  I heard the verbal history passed down about the candy box rule.  It seems there was an unexpected unsupervised power outage. Need I say more? 

When the lights came on, the previously nearly full box of chocolates turned up empty.  To use an amusing example of wordplay. So much for blind obedience, which is usually related to the times we were told to perform a task that didn't necessarily make sense. To use a textbook example, watering a dead stick.

In later years, where I lived, one of the Sisters, trying to cut down on eating candy, suggested that the others hide the goodies from her.  All abided by her wishes, by eating from a certain box when she wasn’t around. 

Replacing the gold band gave the appearance the box had not yet been opened.  We know deception always goes sideways.  She must have had her eye on the box all along,  because when there was need for a gift for someone, she suggested that box of candy.  

We each swallowed hard, sheepishly looking at each other, and confessed to eating most of the candy.  The Sister shook the box and said, “From now on, I’m going to shake and take.”

I had several run-ins with this same Sister and one involved a cousin to candy. Girl Scout cookies will be part of our next adventures to read.