Il mio prete rosso (Vivaldi x Reader)

II

~Early Sunday Morning~

It was still dark out, but you were already awake in bed. You felt the warm blankets around you and sighed. Today was Mass and you weren't sure who'd be saying it, but you'd listen intently no matter who it was. You'd also be taking the children. You bet it'd be hard to keep them still, but you'd try your best.

You turned over and took in a deep breath. It was still very dark, you bet it was barely even 6 am, but you decided to get up anyways, you doubted you'd fall asleep again. You slowly threw off the blankets and sheets, stretching out your shoulders and arms. You gently outstretched your feet and they touched the cold floor. You stood up, almost falling down from dizziness but caught yourself.

Going over to the small table in your bedroom, you grabbed a match and a candlestick, lighting it, your eyes relaxed, getting used to the light. You went over to your clothes chest and picked out an old red dress that you had had for at least five years. You undressed and put on the old red dress. You put on your stockings and the old boots. You made your bed, like you had done for twenty years. You grabbed the candlestick and made your way out of your room.

You went through the family room and into the kitchen. The sun was coming up and creaking through the windows. You grabbed some bread from the cover board and water and sat down to eat. You heard some bird chirping from the outside and saw the sun shine through the windows of your family's home. You knew it was going to be a beautiful day. After finishing, you wrote a small note to your mother, telling her you had decided to leave early.

You got up and walked out the family room and opened the front door, you opened it and closed it behind you, making sure it didn't even creak. You stepped out into the light and let it pour onto your face. It was a warm day, per usual in Venice. It was now a little past 7 and some people were already out. You walked down the street and looked around at the sights and homes that you knew so well. That was something you loved about Venice, it was beautiful and full of colors.

You stepped down the street until you reached the Ospedale della Pietà. You walked up the white stairs and pulled open the doors and stepped inside, closing the door. It was cold inside the front room, the opposite of the warmth outside. You started on your walk to the main room where you'd meet up with the nuns, wake up the children and go to Mass.

You got up to the main room and realized no one was there. You didn't know why, but the quietness and not having three nuns judge your every move was nice. You sat down on a bench and watched the clock, not having much to do. You watched it with intent, waiting for it to strike 8. It finally did and you got up and made your way to where the children were sleeping. You gently opened the door and looked around. All of the little girls were asleep, all peaceful and their breathing even. You saw Bessima, and gently woke her. She shook a little and popped up, her eyes red and blurry. She knew today was Mass, so she got up and started to dress.

You awoke the rest of the girls up, one by one, and helped the ones who couldn't dress all by themselves. You rangled up all the girls and got them in line, making sure they were all dressed well and that their hair wasn't insane looking. You opened up the door again and escorted the girls out. You could tell Maria had already taken her girls down, which you were thankful for, this was your first time doing this after all.

You led all the children down to the chapel quietly and started to set down the girls in the designated pews. You made sure they were all quiet and you put Bessima by your side. You looked around and saw Maria's girls but no one else. Usually by now the priest would be out, waiting for people to arrive, but maybe the others were just late. So, you just waited patiently, making sure all the girls weren't being too loud.

////////////////////////////

Inside the back room the priest was coughing and gasping for air. He wasn't able to get enough of it. He was supposed to say Mass today but didn't know how with his breath hitched like this. He had had problems like this before but nothing this severe. He leaned on his desk, his hand on his heart, trying to breath.