Chapter 13 "At First Glance"

The days began to run into each other the second month the sisters were in the Sandbox. The hours began to blend together. Days of the week no longer had individual names but rather strung together and became one long day only being separated by the light switch in the sky. The dust from the arrival month had settled and the sisters had gotten into a routine, which none of them minded.

Part of May’s and Red’s routine involved workouts in the yellow room where the sisters could be seen lifting weights to random music mixes and jumping over invisible lines to keep beat with May’s, long forgotten, basketball agility routine. May, who swore she would never do another basketball workout again after the hundreds she did in college, thought if only her coaches could see her now. A quick wave of homesickness broke over her as she remembered some of her favorite days consisted of the cooler mornings in Florida. The ones that aloud her to arise early, place her ipod around her neck, and jog the slightly hilly path, while inhaling the citrus aroma on the service road of her old university.

May’s thoughts quickly subsided as she went to the kitchen for a drink between sets of lounges. She glanced out the rusty brown barred window and saw the little girl below, the same one that slept on the metal frames. On this day the shirtless little girl played in, what at first glance seemed to be, a fort her family had built. She danced under a cardboard ceiling held up by thicker sheets of cardboard. May saw through the gapping hole in the front side, the side that could be opened by a severely dented refrigerator door whose broken handle murmured tinks to the rhythm of the cars passing along the road.

May was curious to see what else the little girl was playing with on the soil floor. Did she have a companion dolly friend? A stuffed animal bear? Was the fort her secret place during the hiding part of Hide and Seek? May, still out of breath, took another sip of water and looked a little closer. The space contained by cardboard was not part of any game for the little girl’s amusement. It was a ten foot by ten foot bedroom the family had made. The cushion-less metal chair held up the right side of the cardboard and the family’s wardrobe hang over the back wall on the barbwire fence. It appeared the little girl was picking handfuls of loose dirt off the ground in her room. After a few minutes May understood the little girl was cleaning her room, the only room in the garbage field. Her mother sat outside the cardboard walls, ringing out the laundry she had pulled from the foggy water in the plastic basin that sat to the left of her. May contemplated, sometimes things were easier to accept at first glance.

Chapter 12 "Holiday in Africa" -dedictated to Sharon and Libbo

While the sisters brought a small taste of Christmas to the brothers in March during their time at the Centre; little did they know, Santa’s Elves would be manifested in the brothers as they arrived to the field with two bulky suitcases packed from McCaine’s and Red’s parents. Frosty snow and cold wind were absent during this Christmas in May; however, a light brown dust masked the ground, while stale, warm, air drenched the sisters as they gathered in the freshly painted, light blue, room of their apartment.

The suitcases resembled an ensemble of silver and red presents enclosed beneath sparkling green and blue ribbon with shimmery bows to accent the decorative décor. The dark nylon material, clenched together by shiny silver teeth, held stocking stuffers and gifts from the North Pole (or in this case Virginia and North Carolina). Beneath the wrapping lay spices, seasoning, pots, pans, oven-mits, socks, shirts, cards, and books.

The furry blue and pink bathroom rugs would hear laughter echoing between the sink and tub from the maccorni and cheese making endeavors that eventually would take place in the lively lime green kitchen. The new pots and pans eagerly awaited the salty taste to be brought to them by Mrs. Dash seasoning and her side kicks. The shirts anxiously awaited the experiences they would encounter and the smells that would engulf them. The socks anticipated clean lotion wrapped feet and wondered where they would be led and if they would persevere the journey. Both the shirt and socks knew they could only handle so many lashings from the new washer and cheap African detergent, but they were up for the adventures that would leave them tumbling in suds.

The sisters giggled as they rummaged through the sweet gifts that arrived on a random Thursday six months before the authentic Chr*stm*s holiday. They were thankful the Father never was too early or too late but always right on time. They were grateful that He always supplied what they needed, that He always supplied more then what they needed. When the unwrapping was over and the new gifts placed in there proper places, the Sisters eyes grew heavy and they fell comfortably asleep with thankful hearts and appreciative thoughts for the kind loved ones He provided for support and encouragement in their lives…for secret Santa’s workshops in North Carolina and Virginia and for the little elves bearing the gifts.

Chapter 11 "Girls will be Girls"

The sisters would look back on the apartment renovation days with thankfulness for the time it gave them to spend together. Gathered in May’s pink air-conditioned room, with the aroma of fresh paint and the worker’s cigarettes, the sisters jammed out to Kelly Clarkson’s, “Since You’ve been Gone” and “Just Walk Away”. Their toes gently tapped the new, clean, white tiles as their arms whirled in the cool air. Or the other days spent in Red’s fluorescent yellow room, reading the masterpieces of C.S. Lewis, and watching Sense and Sensibility and other classics—all the while knowing the workmen busily painted the kitchen the same green of Easter grass and McCain’s room the lightest shade of blue.

There was much time to relax and catch up on sleep those first days in their apartment. The surplus of down time was apparent the day May and Red decided to choreograph a dance to TLC’s, “Scrubs” song. They briskly waved their index fingers right to left in front of their hearts, as they sang “I don’t want no” and pretended to mop (hence “scrub”) the floor as they symbolically rejected all the scrubs of the world. If the walls had eyes, surely they would have been amused by the dancing and laughter their space contained.

May flashed back to the weeks before she had left. She sincerely missed her sweet friend, Jenn D., as she remembered fondly the jam out sessions in, Altty (her recently sold, red Nissan Altima). She wondered if Jenn D. was flapping her arms, as if she were a bird, to Bette Middler’s “Wind Beneath My Wings” somewhere amidst the orange groves of Florida. She missed deep conversation and lighthearted singing while passing the fake microphone back and forth with Jenn D. in Altty. She paused for a moment and lifted up whispers of thanks to the Father for her benevolent, selfless, sister in the states and for entertaining memories that were not forgotten.

As the mist of May’s sweet memories with Jenn D. began to dissipate, naturally she felt it necessary to serenade McCaine and Red with Bette Middler’s, “The Rose”. The sisters laughed and recorded May’s entirely out of tune and off beat solo. They hoped to send it to Jane, who they always thought of during the soon to be common, “girls will be girls”, moments.

Chapter 10 "Dinner and Dessert in the Desert"

The sisters sat at the dinner table, exhausted. They were broken and they knew no one could help, that only the Father’s grace was sufficient for the happenings of the day. It was late evening, after nine o’clock, and past supper time. Their hunger would not be so extreme had each of them eaten more then a power bar and crackers throughout the day. The sisters spent the morning and afternoon cleaning the aftermath of the sandstorm and waiting for the arrival of their new stove and refrigerator. They gave up hope as five o’clock came and passed and their stomachs gave into their impatience for electronics.

Red and May headed to the local market to purchase dinner. They locked McCain into their apartment, seeing as there was only one set of keys and still a glimmer of hope the appliances would be delivered. Red discovered a shortcut, full of lose dirt and shards of broken glass, behind their house. Covered from shoulder to toe in bright cotton, the sisters bared the 115 degree temperature in search of fuol, the traditional bean mush meal the people of this culture ate for lunch and dinner each day. Red whispered to the Father, asking him to help them find dinner. They roamed the streets but came up empty. Hungrier, dirtier, and a little more discouraged, they headed for home when they ran in Levic, the friend who lived above them. The sisters shared their disappointment about not finding the most culturally common food. She gave them a tour of the next few streets, showing them all the small stands where fuol could be found. Hotter, hungrier, and a little more discouraged, they arrived back to the apartment to inform McCaine they would have more crackers or power bars for dinner.

While out, they were informed that foul was made closer to 7pm. The three sisters, exhausted and famished, left the apartment in one last attempt to find dinner. They went back to the three different shops Levic had showed them. They returned to the apartment, frustrated and saddened by their lack of success in their final attempt of fuol finding. The mute pink wall and door to the apartment stood in front of them. Each sister gave her best attempt at opening the impassive door. It would not budge. Defeated yet again, now, they could not even manage to get into their apartment. They were forced to find Habibtie, the owner of their apartment.
The sisters had met Habibtie earlier that week. They admired her for being an educated woman in a culture that does not value women for anything, especially not for their minds. She was kind, giving the sisters sweats or soda each time they met with her. They were thankful her fidgeting with the door as it led to the door swinging open to the warm dusty air of their apartment.

Habibtie and the sisters entered the sitting room, demoralized and damp with sweat. May was annoyed there was no place to sit because everything was either still covered from the Hahboob’s breath or the workers belongings. She was frustrated and she tended to be grumpy when she did not get enough sleep and when she was hungry. She walked straight into the kitchen and began looking for something creative to make out of crackers and power bars. McCaine and Red spoke with Habibtie for a few more minutes. The sisters entered the kitchen and informed May that Habibtie was on her way to the market to get fuol for the sisters as a house warming gift. May, smiled politely, still annoyed, she went to find her ipod. She was at a breaking point.

She washed the dirt off the table Red and McCaine had pulled out from the piles of dirt. They sat around the table and listened to music and praised the Father. Sweat and tears ran down their faces, leaving clean vertical tracks barricaded by dirt, down their cheeks. They closed their eyes, each one sharing their doubts and frustrations with their King. They praised and thanked Him for the day, regardless of its events. At the sound of a knock on the door, they stopped praising the Father and opened the door to find Habibtie standing with arms full of food on the other side. Habibtie handed McCaine three plastic bags that contained, what looked like, tin take-out containers with cardboard lids. May did not even notice the containers were not the clear plastic bags that fuol was usually poured into, her heart still had not recovered from the day’s defeat. The sisters thanked Habibtie and asked her to join them for dinner. Habibtie’s smiled and said another time and left as quickly as she had entered.

The sisters opened the bags, to their surprise it was not fuol, but their favorite American foods. Freshly fried chicken, grilled chicken, french fries (unheard of in this city and country), and fried fish sit comfortably in their aluminum spaces. They began to cry as they each knew Habibtie’s gesture of kindness was a gift from the Father himself.
There hearts were deeply touched and minutely convicted. Was it not them who were there to love Habibtie and the others they encountered?

The Father had humbled them, as he always did. He humbled them with the gesture from a woman, little more then a stranger, who saw three girls discouraged after their first day on their own in their little apartment in a big city. As if her dinner gesture was not sweet enough, there was another tap on the door about an hour later. Rose, Habibtie’s house helper, stood on the other side. May answered the door and Rose handed her a thin, warm box and quickly left. May opened the box with the sisters. Its contents, baklava, still warm. Habetee had given them dinner and dessert. May did not try to hold back a second helping of tears. It was just like the Father, to send a dinner of faithfulness accompanied by a dessert of love.

Chapter 9 "Second Floor Grace"

May thought, surely this place would kill a perfectionist. She was not a perfectionist but she did have a streak of perfectionism that ran through her. May liked things to be clean and well kept. She liked things to be done right the first time, done with precision. This streak flared in The Sandbox because nothing was done right the first time. Nothing was done on time. Doors were hung slightly crooked or with the tops being overly shaved and small cracks seen through the wood. Windows never closed correctly and a constant dust covered the apartment. Clothes were cut uneven and when bought new, had little holes in them or dirt on them. In the beginning this annoyed May terribly. She was forced to leave it to the Father, as it was out of her control. She could not control the door makers or the window makers. She could not stop the locks from jamming or the curtains from hanging slanted slightly to the right. She realized she was deeply annoyed at these small things because in some way, they were still easier to try to fix then the bigger problems that slept outside her window or limped down the road. She tried to wrap her mind around all of the small things that bothered her, until one day she grasped she was twelve feet of grace above most of the world.

The water in the apartment was not working. The electricity was on and off. May was dirty. Her feet were dirty, which bothered her more then just about anything. She washed her feet and walked out of the bathroom, leaving imprints of clean footprints on the dusty floor heading to the kitchen. Annoyed, she poured herself a cup of warm water, after-all, the refrigerator was broken. She let her mind criticize the entire city. Who was responsible for keeping the water running? The electricity? The dust? She had showered a half hour earlier and was sweating again already.

She opened a window, ready to scream and looked down. That is when she saw them. There in the dark of the night lay an entire family in the middle of a dirt field sleeping on two metal bed frames with no mattresses. Right of them sits a slide resting on a large rock because the ladder went missing a long time before they moved to the garbage filled field. May had seen the children happily climb the rock in order to go down the slide. Left of the family a broken tractor lays rusted under a few layers of dust. May noticed the family, now sound asleep, had no roof over their head and was surrounded by the wall of May’s apartment, and three roads. Time and time again cars wobbled right by their heads on their way into or out of the city. If that was not enough to break May of her perfectionism, nothing would. She looked up to the Father and thanked him for cracked windows, new fridges that did not work, thick heat that pasted dirt to her, and four concrete walls that at least kept the outside, out and the inside in.

The tears ran down her cheeks and she thanked the Father for the life she was born into in the US, for the luxuries she took for granted and the conveniences she never questioned. There was no explanation for why she lived at least twelve feet above poverty level her entire life. She was humbled to live on the second floor of grace rather then on the dirt ground. She went to bed damp from sweat. She did not care so much that her dirt embedded feet hung comfortably over her soft mattress because she realized twelve feet below a family shared the simple metal frame that held them slightly above the dirt, and they were thankful.

Chapter 8 "The Arrival"

The sun was setting as the plane touched the small patch of tar between dirt fields of Africa. May thought for a moment, how beautiful the sun is, there was a peculiar sense of security in its’ consistency. She could travel anywhere at any time and one thing would always be consistent, the sun would rise and the sun would set. It just so happened, the sun was breaking the night’s darkness in America, as it succumbed to the moon her arrival night in Africa.

She left the baggage claim one trunk lighter then expected and thankful she listened to her Dad’s advice on the proper method of packing for such a moment as this. Relieved she still had clothes, food, and toiletries in the other three trunks she smiled inside, knowing this is Africa. She was thankful Mr. Chard was protective of the sisters and her in the airport and was happy to see the smiling faces of the Smith family waiting for them outside the airport. A half hour later the trucks were packed fifteen trunks high and the brother and sisters were loaded into another vehicle and brought to the Smith house for dinner and rest.

The first few days were busy with introductions, language, and rest. May struggled with the heat from the very first day when it was 115 degrees fareinheight. She would be thankful for 115 degrees once she felt the 125 degrees in the days to come. Wrapped in long sleeves and ankle length skirts, the sisters learned how to get fresh vegetables from the stand down the road. They were appreciative Mrs. Smith’s hospitality and kindness and they soon referred to her as Martha.

The girls lived with Mitch and Martha for the first week they were in The Sandbox. They were thankful when they were able to move into their apartment down the road. Unpacking their trunks and setting up their rooms seemed to bring roots to this time in their life. Soon enough those roots were covered by sand as the first “hahboob” hit them hard. The sandstorm seeped its’ way through the cracks in the windows, into their freshly cleaned apartment. Once the hahboob’s journey through The Sandbox was over, the sisters saw it left a thick coating of dirt and sand on everything from picture frames, pillows, and blankets, to countertops and floors. The cleaning of the storm took another three days.

Chapter 7 "The Countdown"

May flew through Florida’s warm sunset, thankful to land in Tampa’s inviting atmosphere. She lived slightly north of Tampa since she graduated from high school seven years earlier. She found the weather in April to be most welcoming for its’ warm, not yet humid, personality. However, May’s favorite times where those when the sun took the day off. She enjoyed sitting by opened windows, sipping hot coffee, while the cool citrus fragrance wafted through the screens to embrace the ink of whatever she was reading at the time.

After two months away, she was excited to see two of her sweet friends pull alongside the concrete curve in the dark airport loading terminal. May spent the next two weeks being pampered and loved on by these friends and a handful of others. She stayed with The Zellers, whom she commonly referred to as Mama and Papa Z and considered to be her Florida parents. She had been deeply and richly blessed by her freshman year of college when she was introduced to Mama and Papa Z who lovingly shared what the Great Book said about the Father’s sacrifice of His Son. She found meaning and purpose through the blood of the perfect man and her life changed forever during that time in her eighteenth year.

The last night consisted of laughter that ended with hugs goodbye after a sushi dinner and ice cream dessert. May despised goodbyes, she simply rather avoid saying goodbye to anyone and would rather pretend nothing would change in the lives of the one’s she loved over the next two years. She was almost as awkward with goodbyes as she was with first impressions. May knew she would miss these friends more then she could express so all she could do was hug them and say thank you to them for the way they had loved her through the years. Together for the last time, they gathered in a circle and whispered her up to the Father. She would rather no other goodbye then a circle of finger locked friends whispering protection, guidance, clarity, and thankfulness to the King.

Finally, the 19th of April had arrived. During the previous days, the weather in Tampa was indecisive. May had longed to spend a few days at the beach, her favorite place, before she left for two years but had few opportunities as the sun and clouds played hide and seek with the rain and wind. She found herself appreciating the smallest parts of creation before she left. As she drove through sweet smelling orange fields surrounded by lush green tress, May contemplated the other smells she would miss; fresh cut grass, tulips, the beach, and clean, crisp air. She found herself drifting too quickly into the future while she was appreciating the present. The airport came to view sooner then she was ready to approach it.

Mama Z helped May pull the four gigantic bags out of her Jeep and load them onto the wagon. She held May close and lifted her up to The Father. May tearfully embraced her and thanked The Father for the way he provided such an amazing woman in her life throughout the last seven years. She came to the ticket counter and found her bags were ten pounds over weight. A half hour later and ten pounds of Gatorade lighter, May met up with her friend, Reb, and they spent the two hour wait reminiscing about old times. The time passed too quickly, as it always does in final goodbyes. May left Florida in the arms of one last hug from a sweet friend and landed in the arms of heart felt embraces from McCaine and Red in Virginia.

Chapter 6 "Final Centre Memories"

The days at training came to an end more quickly then the brothers and sisters had expected. May enjoyed the final week at the Centre immensely. It was filled with basketball games, bonfires, and time spent singing to the Father.

One of the final afternoons the brothers and sisters headed to the gym to play basketball. May, Flex, and Cappy played “Twenty-one”. Red and McCaine cheered May on as she tried to keep game with the brothers. Flex, a more natural basketball player then Cappy and May, quickly took the lead. Cappy tipped a shot Flex missed in and brought him back to zero. As the game continued, May utilized all of her trickster moves, pinching and pushing her way up in points. After a small break in which Flex coached McCaine on how to shoot, the game continued. Cappy and May tried their best but after an hour of fun filled shots, laughter, fouls, and tips, Flex was the winner.

May’s family drove from Connecticut to Virginia to wish her well on her journey. May spent a day with them and was blessed by the conversations and memories of their time together. Her siblings and Dad gathered around a table outside Dairy Queen. As May’s favorite childhood dessert, chocolate cookie-dough ice cream with two extra pumps of peanut butter syrup sauce dripped slightly onto the table, she remembered the many times she ate this, soon to be frosty delicacy, with her siblings growing up. She thanked the Father for simple desserts and fond family memories. It would be a long time before she enjoyed either, again.

Chapter 5 "Sailing"

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream…it was a dream of a day, the day the brothers and sister went row boating and sailing at McCaine’s house. Cappy earned his name that day, as he was the captain of McCaine’s sweet little row boat. He rowed the sisters around the pond while keeping their imaginations attentive on his stories and the explanation of the art on his upper left arm. On the distant shore, Flex and McCaine were receiving instructions on how to properly put together the sailboat.

After Cappy parked the boat, he and Flex blissfully sailed around the pond reminiscing on past sailing excursions and of future ones. Meanwhile, the sisters had made their way up to McCaine’s bedroom. One could gather much about her life through the glossy memories held in wooden frames on her desk and the childhood artwork that hung on the wall. Dusty passes to space camp leaned up against Jane Austin novels and trinkets from childhood. The sisters danced around in McCaine’s tobes, long pieces of material women wrap around themselves in the middle east. Their excitement for their future endeavor swelled as they pictured themselves roaming dirt roads draped in bright colors near their new home.

May glanced out the window and was excited to see the brothers pull to shore. She and Red were anxiously awaiting their first sailing experience, and their first deeper conversation. Red’s sparkling topaz eyes glittered against the water as her red hair blew in the breeze while they sailed away from the shore. May was bundled in a sweatshirt and a little nervous that she had no idea how to sail. She was in charge of the sail and Red, in charge of the rudder. It was not long before May and Red ran into the side of the bank. Flex and McCaine came jogging over to assist them in their positions. After much laughter and a pep talk, the sisters were off again.
May confided in Red during that adventure. She knew Red was a loyal friend later, when Red could have offered some interesting information, but held it in her heart to protect a sister. With much laughter May and Red finished their sailing adventure and cruised to shore for dinner.

The brothers and sisters ate burgers, cheese balls, and beans. After the meal Flex stood and made a toast. It was a sweet toast followed by the clanking of glasses. Flex continued to make toasts, each one a little more uncanny then the last. The brothers and sisters conversed under the moonlight that seeped between the branchy fingers of the oak tree limbs above their heads. Later, they danced in McCaine’s living room and conversed over brownies and coffee.

Chapter 4 "Soldier Dancing Night"

Chapter 4 “Soldier Dancing Night”
The Sisters, including Jane, went out to dinner one night for some quality time together. They shared their fears and excitement about the months that were approaching and enjoyed each others company immensely. Had it not been for a quick excursion to pick up a few necessities from the market, they may have later missed Arab soldiers dancing the night away.
There had been few conversations about the roles of men and women in the area the brothers and sisters were traveling to. The brothers had a “pep talk” on how to care for the sisters during their times together and the sisters were lectured on what to wear and whom to converse with and on letting the brothers protect them. It was at the precise moment, the sisters were talking about this subject, that they passed by little boy soldier costumes on one of the shelves. At once they knew it was fate and grabbed four boxes, purchased them and made their way home to their brothers.
A couple hours later, Flex, Cappy, and Mr. Chard opened the boxes and the sisters were reminded of children opening Ch***mas presents. For a moment May could even taste sweet holiday apple crisp on her tongue as she breathed in a stream of the fresh evergreen scent in the air. The brothers tore into the boxes, placed plastic helmets on their heads and belts of armor around their waists. They began fighting each other with their flimsy swords and guarding themselves with their shields. The walls around them crumbled and there amongst the dust were Arab soldiers fighting and dancing swiftly in the night. All seemed sweet and right in the cool Virginia night and a beautiful memory was shared amongst the brothers and sisters.

Chapter 3 "The Rock"

The Father blessed the sisters with the sweet fellowship of Jane, another sister who would travel to Peru and spend her time dodging tree branches and wading through rivers in the Amazon. An elastic always secured her straight dark brown hair in a firm pony tail that swayed right to left when she walked. Jane had the best perspective on each of the sister’s stories. She was close with each one individually and was the finishing piece of their puzzle when gathered in a group. The sisters missed her before they even went their separate ways.

Jane accompanied McCaine and May on their picture taking trip to the river. The three walked over the rock filled path and came to the opening. May saw the perfect place for the individual picture she wanted to give her family and friends and instructed McCaine and Jane to stay where they were and to let her cross the river to sit on a dry rock near the surface on the other side. Little did May know, her new shoes were not up for the task of crossing over the wet, slimy rocks. No sooner then when she stepped on the first slimy rock and placed her weight forward on it, did the rest of her body fly in the opposite direction. Her foot came out from beneath her and her body flew backwards into the air. She landed partially on her back and arm and her head whipped backwards and smashed into the rock.

Once she awoke from a slight two second blackout she looked to McCaine and Jane, slightly confused, not quite understanding why she was laying in the middle of the river on her back with cool water and mud running over her body. She was fearful when she noticed their expressions. They were staring at her horrified. After the initial shock of what happened lapsed, McCaine and Jane risked the waters themselves to pull May out. They helped May sit up, the water still running over her, and insisted she sit still for a moment. May was between laughter and tears and chose laughter because she knew the tears would not stop running down her checks once they began. McCaine and Jane helped May up, each holding an elbow, and pleaded with her to let them take her to the hospital. May’s pride came to the forefront and she refused. They demanded she at least go to The Centre’s nurse’s office to be looked over if she would not let them accompany her to the hospital. May’s headache prevented her from arguing long and the sisters marched her back through the path.

May was horrified when she saw a group of six other travelers approaching them, including one attractive brother who she had been noticing from afar, long ago. She knew there was no way to hide her drenched, mud covered body. McCaine and Jane saw the humor in the situation and tried their best to help May not feel so humiliated. They did most of the talking and described the river encounter to the six in a way that made the river sound like it came alive to eat May. She was appreciative of their effort to make her not feel so embarrassed. The sister cordially wished the others well for their journey over the river and cautioned them about the slippery rocks.

McCaine and Jane escorted May to the nurse’s office where she was told she may have a slight concussion but she did not have to visit the hospital unless she began vomiting or wanting to sleep, or felt she should go. McCaine was determined to get May to the hospital and went to the cafeteria to retrieve directions from the information wall. May, quickly began walking in the opposite direction, a little fearful she was going to be tackled into a car and brought to the dreaded hospital. McCaine noticed Jane and May well on their way back to their quad, a little confused to why they were talking the wrong route back. May requested the sisters take the long route back to their quad in order to avoid other people at all costs. May was thankful for such sweet sisters who watched over her through the night…and for the shower that rinsed the mud away.

Chapter 2 "The Wall of Maturity"

By the end of the second week, each of the brothers and sisters had settled comfortably into The Centre. The awkwardness of first impressions had lifted and the group decided to break bread over conversations about their lives and what led them to dedicating this season to The Father in far away fields. However, before stories could be shared, Flex and Cappy were eager to play a game they had made up, The Wall of Maturity. May had expected such a game from Flex, but she had not quite figured Cappy out yet. Flex stood at about 5’9” with a slender build. He wore his medium length curly hair well. He was seen as the cheerful, life of the party and his smile turned gloomy rooms sunny. Flex was found to be candid and sincere in their first few interactions. The Sisters also noticed the joy he had for talking about himself. The “Wall of Maturity” was typical of Flex’s character.

A scale was constructed on the wall and each participant was obligated to place a post-it of their age in maturity somewhere on the scale. After each person proposed their age, the rest of the brothers and sisters would articulate their thoughts on the individuals age of maturity. An average would be tallied and written on a post-it on the wall. As one would imagine, a couple of the brothers and sisters were more then a little off on their thoughts of their age of maturity. Flex and Cappy were deep into this silly game as May noticed the clock ticking away and hoped the game would end in order stories could be shared. She found Lanky’s reaction to his brother’s game amusing, he went over to the couch and laid down waiting for it to be over, every now and again adding some insight to each person’s maturity.

May did not expect such a game to be Cappy’s forte. Her impressions of Cappy were only half accurate and his personality seemed to be more a mystery after the game then before. He was authentic with a vast taste in music and literature. He was intellectual and deep. May had heard of his ingenuous personality long before they had met. The Wall of Maturity game proved he was a little on quirky side and she found that charming. He was the tallest of the brothers. His long sandy hair brushed up against his spectacles, that left indents on temples of his slightly freckled face. At 22 years he seemed to have an aged, sweet, spirit.

May found Lanky to be quiet. He seemed the deeper type, the theological type, and full of wit and sarcasm when he spoke. The Father had not ordained many conversations between the both of them. Naturally, she was not sure what else to think of him. He, like the other brothers, was tall and slender. He was the first of the brothers to cut his strawberry blonde hair short resulting in his sharp blue eyes being revealed. He was musically inclined with a beautiful voice and exceptional guitar skills. He, like the other brothers, wore his pants low, tightened around the hips with a colorful belt most of the time.