[Sticks]

Episode V – Various Types of Welcome

Ever wanted to make a fresh start and ever wondered what we really mean by that?
We have all sorts of natty euphemisms for this concept:

• Turn over a new leaf
• Start a fresh
• Clean slate

To name a few, but do they mean anything?
I suppose if we were to move to another city, we have to make new friends, take out new utility subscriptions, etc. But that is not what we mean by a fresh start, is it?

Is it not the idea of dumping all the baggage you have been hauling, literally and metaphorically, and starting as if you had never existed.

The trouble is, many people still hang on to their “baggage”, or it follows them.

This could be the situation a certain former minor spirit of virtue, the Ex-Spirit of Kindness faces. After willingly giving up her powers, such as they were, and to be honest she never knew she had them in the first place, and becoming fully human, she was promised a new life, as plain old Rebecca Sands, with her uncle and his family. But things went awry when the plane got diverted to New York.

But her uncle has shown himself to be one of the most decent and honourable human beings to walk the face of the planet, in sharp contrast to the so called boyfriend of Rebecca’s mother, and rescued her from her travails. Now it seems she is back on target to start the wonderful new life that was promised way back in London at the top secret base known as “The Facility”. This is to be Rebecca’s Fresh start.

One problem, how will those at the other end react to Rebecca, will she be welcomed or seen as someone intruding into their lives. As Rebecca sits with her uncle in the plane, she secretly dreads the latter, especially given how her life has been so far…

–

The plane reached its cruising altitude and the flight attendants were dealing out the in-flight meals. Rebecca was sitting by the window while her uncle sat on the isle seat, switching her gaze from the window to trying to see over the seats in front of her, the flight attendants delivering the food and drink.

Eventually they reached the two of them and they were given some kind of cold sandwich in a cellophane package with a small round carton containing mineral water.
“Thank you” Rebecca politely said as she received hers
Matthew also said a thank you, and then asked Rebecca if she had problem’s opening hers up, but Rebecca was able to manage it all by herself.

Rebecca found the meal was not as good as the food served on the US Air Force, but it was not inedible, so she ate it slowly, staring at the back of the seat in front her, thinking about what was ahead of her.
Matthew polished his of quite quickly, since he had eaten hardly anything since the following day when he had sat by Rebecca as she lay in a hospital bed after a severe panic attack.

As Rebecca and her Uncle Matthew tucked in, one of the flight attendants came up and asked Matthew if he wanted coffee, which he accepted, and then the attendant asked if his daughter wanted fruit juice or a soda.
Rebecca half expected her Uncle Matthew to correct her, but he just turned and asked Rebecca what she wanted, which made Rebecca feel good inside Yet again her uncle thought of her as if she was his daughter

Rebecca smiled at her uncle and opted for a soda, and then said another thank you to the flight attendant.

But as she drank it she went back to being reflective and pondering what kind of reception she would get.

Her beloved uncle could somehow sense something was playing on her mind, “Rebecca, are you ok?” he asked
Rebecca thought for a moment, her uncle had told her things would be good with the rest of his family, but the fact her grandfather had wanted nothing to do with her and her mother still played on her mind. What would her aunty Susan and cousin Frank be like? After all apart from her grandparents, her uncle was her only blood relative, so no wonder he loved her, they had one person in common, her dead mother.
“Rebecca” Matthew repeated.

Rebecca turned looked up at her uncle, “Uncle Matthew, do you miss my Mum as well” she asked
Matthew sighed, “Yes love, every day, when we were children we were quite close”
“I’m sorry I could not tell you, but my mum’s boyfriend would not let me” Rebecca said in a downcast tone
“That’s ok, love, I found out eventually” Matthew told her to try and reassure her, “From what I heard about this boyfriend of my sister, he was a real nasty piece of work”
“I was frightened of him Uncle” Rebecca said with pathos still in her voice. Then she looked down at the floor, “I had a dream about him last night, I was in the snow and he came and started hitting me”
Matthew suddenly had a strange sinking feeling, had they shared the same dream?
Rebecca looked up at her Uncle, “But then you came and saved me” she told him
“And then that small lady said that he was actually your self loathing” Matthew told Rebecca

Rebecca’s eyes opened wide, “So you were there as well Uncle Matthew!” she exclaimed
“Yes love, it appears so, and I don’t know how, but I was with you there” Matthew replied, “and remember what I told you there”
“That I’m not worthless like Jim said I was”
“Exactly” Matthew responded, and then he thought for a moment, “Did he ever tell you, you were worthless in real life?” Matthew asked
Rebecca nodded, “Sometimes, when I didn’t do some of the things he wanted me to do which didn’t feel right”
Matthew had another sinking feeling, remembering the shared dream they had somehow had, “And did he ever hit you in real life?”
Rebecca just nodded and then tears slowly rolled down her face, then she remembered how her mother had tried to protect her from Jim, sometimes at the cost of a beating, “I miss my mum too” she said quietly
Matthew placed his left hand on Rebecca’s right hand, “You and me both”
Rebecca just nodded, with the tears streaming down her face.

Matthew handed Rebecca a serviette so she could wipe her face, and then the same flight attendant who had served them earlier came by to collect the used trays and cups before landing.
“Everything ok sir” she asked
“Yeah, Rebecca just misses her mother” Matthew explained, “She died about a month ago, we were just talking about her”
“So she was your wife then” the flight attendant enquired
“My sister” Matthew corrected
“Oh so this young lady is not your daughter then” the flight attendant replied, then added “sorry I just thought she was your daughter”

Rebecca felt like she had been kicked in the guts by this flight attendant emphasising the word “not” and reminded her, that even if she and her Uncle Matthew were close with in his family, she would always be the outsider, just like at her school where all the children shunned her, because their parents had instructed them to, on account of something her mother did for a living, but she knew not what. The flight attendant did not even use her name.

“Daughter, Niece, those are just words” Uncle Matthew told the flight attendant, “As far as I’m concerned Rebecca here might as well be my daughter, because that is how I intend to bring her up as”, then he visibly held Rebecca’s hand to emphasise the point.
“I think that’s wonderful sir” the flight attendant replied, then she turned to Rebecca, “I’m sorry about your mother, but your uncle is a good man and obviously loves you very much”
“Thank You” Rebecca replied and then handed the flight attendant her used tray, as did her uncle. The flight attendant then moved away to deal with the next row.

Rebecca and her uncle just sat there holding hands, united in their grief for a sister and a mother.

Not long after, the seatbelt sign went on as the aircraft made its decent into Portsmouth International Airport

“Will Aunty Susan and Cousin Frank be meeting us at Portsmouth airport?” Rebecca asked
“I’m afraid not” Matthew replied, “Susan works today as it’s Saturday, at a real estate office in Rochester, and Frank is at an important baseball game, he’s one of his teams best pitchers” Matthew added with pride
“Oh” Rebecca sighed Obviously they must not think much of her she thought if they had better things to do than meet her off of the aeroplane, then she asked, “How are we going to get to your house in Rochester?”
“There’s an air service up to our local airport at Skyhaven, sometimes I like to take the train instead when I have time, but it would be a bit to late arriving in Rochester at this time of day. Even so by the time we arrive, Susan’s will have only just finished work, and Franks game should be into it’s forth innings” Matthew explained then he added, “So we will catch a taxi home”
“Ok” Rebecca murmured
Matthew could sense her disappointment at not being met, “It just means we have more time to catch up before we meet the others”

The plane managed to touch down with no problem as the storm that had diverted the USAF plane had now gone. The plane taxied to the stand and Matthew and Rebecca disembarked.

After twenty minutes in baggage retrieval, Matthew picked up Rebecca’s suitcase and walked with her, holding her hand. Matthew handed both passports to the immigration officer, and Rebecca remembering what happened in New York feared that history would repeat itself, but they were waved through like so many of the other passengers.

They then made their way to a ticket desk so that Matthew could buy tickets for the air service to Skyhaven. After buying the tickets, Matthew phoned up his wife’s work and got voice mail, so he left a message that they had arrived in Portsmouth and were taking the next flight to Skyhaven airport near Rochester.

Because it was a smaller aircraft, Rebecca got to take her suitcase on as hand luggage, and trundled it behind her with one hand while she held onto her uncle’s hand with her other hand. If anyone had seen them and did not know it, they would have thought of them as father and daughter, so naturally did they connect with each other, but still at the back of her mind Rebecca kept worrying how she would be regarded by her Aunt Susan and Cousin Frank, she was after all, invading their space.

They reached the gate and boarded the small aircraft. Her uncle carried the suitcase up into the plane and stowed it away. Again Rebecca had the window seat, so her Uncle Matthew could sit protectively in the isle seat.

While they were waiting for takeoff, Rebecca thought back to her earlier childhood and how she had never heard from her grandparents on her mother’s side. Maybe her Uncle Matthew would know why

“Uncle” she asked
“Yes Rebecca?”
“Why do nana and granddad not want to have anything to do with me?” Rebecca asked in a quiet sad voice, “What did we do wrong?” she added.

Matthew let out a big sigh, “Well, Rebecca, you obviously haven’t heard, I’m sorry, but I have to let you know, your grandma passed away last fall”
Rebecca looked down at the bottom of the chair in front, another member of her family had died, “Oh” she squeaked out.
Matthew held her left hand and turned to look at her as best he could in the airline seat, “I’m sorry, I did write, but I suspect my letter was intercepted by that Jim guy”
“He did that with all of our letter’s Uncle” she responded.
“Anyway Rebecca, it was all very sudden, she died in her sleep, she didn’t suffer”
“But why did they not want to have anything to do with us, what did we do wrong?” Rebecca insisted

Matthew thought it was best to explain the whole family background and so began, “When my father was stationed with the US Airforce in England, he met and married an English girl. I was born first, and my sister, your mother was born when I was five. We stayed in the UK until my father was transferred back to Rochester where he retired from the air force. Your mother was doing A levels at the time so she stayed behind with friends.”
“Is that when my mum met my father?” Rebecca asked
“Yes, they started living together without getting married and it upset mom and dad a lot, because they were committed members of our church, then she fell pregnant with you and it got even worse. Dad told her that if she wanted to return home, she had to give you up for adoption or marry your father. She didn’t see why as she was great friends with your father until he walked out.”
“I was told he was summoned to some place called the Mystical Realms” Rebecca interjected.
“Whatever” Matthew replied and then continued the family history, “she asked if she could come back after that, but dad was adamant that she should give you up for adoption, I think he didn’t want the shame of a child born out of wedlock under his roof, because he thought it would reflect on him and. Your grandmother tried to convince him otherwise, but he was immovable. Either your mother gave you up or he would cut all links with her. I already had a son with my wife Susan, She practically fell pregnant on our wedding night, but because of complications at birth she couldn’t have anymore children, so I offered to adopt you, it seemed like a win - win solution, but your mother said that was tantamount to saying she could not look after you and so my offer was turned down. Dad cut all links, but I still kept talking with my kid sister in hopes we could get a reconciliation, but that was not to be”

Rebecca thought for a moment and got very worried, “If granddad doesn’t want me, does that mean I can’t live with you after all?” If she could not stay with her uncle, where could she stay?
“Dad is not running my family” Matthew reassured her, “,I am, My wife Susan thinks he is a stubborn old man and that neither of you would have suffered at the hands of that monster if it weren’t for his intransigence.”
“Does he have nothing to do with you either because you talked with me and my mum?” Rebecca asked
“We still talk, we’re members of the same church so we have to, I eventually stopped mentioning you or your mother some years ago, as he got angry every time I brought you up in conversation, but I think it’s time he was made to face the consequences of his pride” Matthew told her, then he added, “Rebecca I love you and I will care for you like you were my own daughter”
Rebecca looked up at her uncle, “Thank you Uncle Matthew” she replied, “I love you and I promise to be good”
“I know you will love”

The plane taxied to the runway and took off. This time there were no in flight meals as it was a short service, and in less than an hour they were touching down at Skyhaven.

Matthew again insisted on carrying Rebecca’s case and soon they were coming into the arrivals hall. Again Rebecca held her breath as they went past some official, but again, unlike New York, nothing happened.

Rebecca asked her uncle if she could pull her suitcase along, and so her uncle let her, they then started heading for the exit and the taxis, hand in hand

“MATTHEW REBECCA” shouted a female voice

“DAD, REBECCA” shouted a teenage boy

Rebecca looked around to see who had called hers and her uncle’s names, but there were quite a number of people milling around. Then her uncle stopped and pointed at a woman, in her mid to late thirties, with very short brown hair, looking stern and a teenage boy that bore a resemblance to her uncle, “Look Rebecca they came to meet us after all!” her uncle exclaimed, “I didn’t expect them to do that”

Just then the boy ran up to her uncle, “Hey dad you made it back with her at last” the boy said in a joyful manner.

Uncle Matthew let go of Rebecca’s hand and grabbed the boy’s shoulders with both hand, “Hey Frank, I thought you had an important ball game today”
“Yeah Dad, but I told the coach that something came up, family wise” Frank explained, then he turned to Rebecca, “There’ll be other ball games, but I didn’t want to miss meeting Rebecca when she landed”, and then he gave Rebecca an unexpected, but welcome hug.

While Frank was embracing Rebecca, the woman came up and embraced Rebecca’s uncle and kissed him passionately.

“I heard so much about you” Frank told Rebecca and then released her from the bear hug, “Say what did they call you in England, Becky? Becca?”
“Rebecca” Rebecca answered, confused by the question
“Did you not like Becca or Becky?” Frank pressed
Rebecca was confused, “My name’s Rebecca”
Frank put his palms up “Sorry Rebecca, it’s just some girls I know with your name kind of shortened it to one of those alternatives”
“They just called me Rebecca in England”
“Rebecca’s cool” Frank then reassured her then took her suitcase telling her, “Let me take that for you”

Rebecca let go of the suitcase and allowed her cousin to take it.

The woman finished hugging her uncle and came across to a now slightly overwhelmed Rebecca, and knelt down to be at her level, “I’m Matthews’s wife” she introduced herself, “And you must be Rebecca”
“Yes Mrs Sand” Rebecca said in a nervous and demure manner
“Aunty Susan will do” Susan told her smiling and looking Rebecca, then she gave Rebecca a big hug, “You should have been with us long before this” she then added quietly
“Sorry Aunt Susan” Rebecca replied, nearly on the edge of crying, “But the plane got diverted and then they arrested me for a crime in Miami I never heard of”
Rebecca was going to go on, but Susan interrupted, “I didn’t mean that stupid mix up in New York sweetheart, I meant we should have had you when you were a baby, you and your mother”, then she kissed Rebecca on the forehead, stood up and took Rebecca’s hand.

Matthew then took Rebecca’s other hand and the three of them walked to the parking lot, with Frank carrying Rebecca’s suitcase.

So it seemed to Matthew, that Susan his wife still supported his suggestion at that time long ago to adopt Rebecca, but a lot of water had flowed under the proverbial bridge since he suggested it all those years ago, did she still think it was a good idea, and what would his son Frank think of it, would he object at the prospect of his inheritance being halved?

They located the car, which was a red Jeep, with a top on



and Susan got in the driver’s seat

“I wanna ride shotgun with mom!” Frank exclaimed as he went to deposit Rebecca’s suitcase in the trunk of the vehicle.
“Oh no you don’t” Matthew told him, “You ride in the back with your sis..” then he stopped, winced, “your cousin” ”That was some Freudian slip” Matthew thought, then reflected “Thank goodness Susan didn’t hear, I don’t want to bounce her into anything”

Rebecca looked up at her uncle with sad eyes, instantly Matthew could tell he had upset his sister’s child by highlighting she was not his direct flesh and blood, so he knelt down to talk to her. “Sorry Rebecca” he whispered to you, “I still consider you as if you were my daughter, if that’s ok with you”
Rebecca nodded, “Can I think of you as if you were my daddy then?” she whispered back in a pleading tone
“Sure love”, then Matthew spoke to Frank in a way that both Rebecca and Susan could hear, “Frank can you not refer to Rebecca as Cousin Rebecca, but just Rebecca” then he told Rebecca, “You can just call Frank, Frank, you don’t have to say Cousin Frank”
“Anything you say Dad, fine by me!” Frank replied and shrugged as if he had been requested not to stop breathing.

Matthew opened the passenger side door and tipped the seat forward so the children could get in. As the ground clearance was high, Matthew lifted Rebecca up so she could get in behind Susan, and then Frank climbed in unaided. Matthew then moved the seat back and got into the passenger side. Frank then leaned over and helped Rebecca with her seat belt, and then he buckled himself up

The Jeep then pulled out

Frank gently took hold of Rebecca’s right hand with his left, and Rebecca turned her head to look up to him. “I would like to think of you as my kid sister if that’s ok with you” he whispered.
Rebecca just smiled and nodded, this was just one of the few moments in her short life, that she felt happy. Two people wanted to consider her as part of the family, but what about the third, her “Aunt Susan”

After a twenty minute drive, they arrived at the house where the Sands’ family lived.

Rebecca had finally arrived at her new home, well the place she would be staying at the kind generosity of her dead mother’s elder brother anyway

Susan got out, and then got Rebecca’s suitcase out of the back whilst Matthew let the children out of the back, again he had to lift Rebecca down because of the height of the vehicle’s ground clearance.

As Rebecca stood in the driveway she saw that it was big and there was another car, presumably her Uncle Matthew’s

As Matthew opened the front door, and while Susan was locking the Jeep, Frank grabbed Rebecca’s hand and led her briskly though the front door, up the stairs and to spacious bedroom. “This is your new room Rebecca” he informed her, and then he pointed to where the upstairs bathroom was. Matthew then called Frank down for something and so he rushed back down the stairs leaving Rebecca alone in her new room.

Rebecca sat down on the bed and sighed, this was much nicer than Jim’s dingy flat, but she had left so much of her life behind, well she had no choice, not the way he had given her his twisted ultimatum just after her mother’s funeral. In the strange way, one thought can link to another she found herself wishing her mother could see that she had finally escaped that violent and sickening man, which led her to thinking about her mother and how she could not see her when she went into hospital for the last time and again how much she missed her, and a pain deep inside gnawed at her and she felt she was at the bottom of a very deep dark well, with no chance of escape.

“You ok sweetheart?” Susan’s voice interrupted Rebecca’s thoughts.

Susan had brought up the suitcase. Susan then sat on the bed next to Rebecca and put her arm around her.
“This is a lovely room, thank you” Rebecca started, “And thank you for letting my uncle look after me, I promise to not cause any trouble” she added with a pleading tone. Rebecca was still nervous about what her aunt really thought of her
“I know you won’t sweetheart” Susan reassured her, “But I can tell something is bothering you”
“I don’t know Aunt Susan, I just feel horrible” Rebecca replied, and a tear slowly started down her cheek.
Susan then hugged Rebecca, “I know what you are going through, I felt the same in the eleventh grade when my best friend Mandy died in an automobile accident several years ago” She explained, “I still miss her everyday as well, and your uncle, he misses his sister every day, I can tell”
Then Rebecca broke into sobs, “It hurts, Aunty, it hurts” she wailed.
“I know sweetheart, I know” Susan told her, “But we’re all here for you now”

Susan held Rebecca for what seemed like ten minutes, Frank briefly came to the door of Rebecca’s room, but on seeing his mother comforting his younger cousin, he backed off. He was only sixteen, but he knew enough to keep out of certain things. Rebecca had been through a lot, ever since the funeral, and only now when she was safe with the only family she still had left, would the grief start to reassert itself.

Susan helped Rebecca unpack her suitcase, and put things away, to try and change the mood from the sadness, she told her that she needed to take her out shopping for more clothes, then she got Rebecca to come down and help lay the table for an evening meal, as she told Rebecca, that one way to ease the pain of loss sometimes was to be busy so you did not dwell on things.

When the home cooked meal was served, it had been cooked by Matthew, as he happened to be the better cook; they all sat down, and like the Duncans in New York, they all held hands, whilst her Uncle Matthew said the prayer for the food.

After dinner, when the dishwasher was loaded, Rebecca slipped out of the main living room to go up to her room, as she thought that her Uncle Matthew ought to have some time alone with his immediate family., She was only a niece and not his daughter, she would only be in the way and she had taken enough of his time from his family as it was. Frank spotted her and asked her where she was going, because he wanted to get her to create her avatar on the family’s Wii. Without any protest she came back into the room, and spent a good time creating the avatar with Frank’s help and then trying out the ten pin bowling, with Frank, Matthew and Susan, all playing together with her.

It seemed like Frank was right, as Rebecca for the evening, on what had been a long day, forgot what had happened, and for the first time as far as she could recall, had fun, even if she didn’t win. It was like heaven, it was as if she was part of a family at last, and mercifully forgot that she did not think she was

“They look so natural together” Matthew whispered to Susan, and took hold of his wife’s hand
“Yes Matthew, they certainly do” Susan replied, and squeezed her husband’s hand.

Eventually it was bed time, and Susan reminded them it was church the next day, so they all turned in for the night.

After she got in, Rebecca felt the nice warm bed, and was thankful for finding such a nice loving and caring family, who would let her live with her beloved Uncle Matthew. She caught herself wishing he was her daddy, as she could hardly remember her real father, the Major Spirit of Virtue, the long dead, Spirit of Friendship, but that would be pushing her luck a bit too far. Better to settle for what she had

Soon she fell asleep, and fortunately none of her dreams featured the hated Jim

+-+-+

Sunday morning was bright and sunny but cold.

Rebecca woke up early, and made for the shower and managed to get in first. The controls seemed stiff, so she needed both hands to turn it on, and then she had to wait for the water to heat up, which seemed to take forever. Then she noticed a pull cord that turned the shower heating on, but it was just out of reach, and she did not want to disturb anyone by jumping, so in the end she had to endure a cold shower, which took her breath away. Rebecca found herself crying again, with tears of frustration, and was shivering violently when she wrapped a bath towel around her.

She opened the bathroom door to be confronted by Aunt Susan, in her nightgown carrying something over her left arm.
“Sorry Aunt Susan” Rebecca sobbed, “I didn’t mean to keep you waiting
“That’s ok Sweetheart, but you look frozen” Susan told her in a soft voice.
“I couldn’t switch the hot water on” Rebecca wept.
“I’m sorry about that, we should have left it on for you” Susan apologised “I’ll get Matthew or Frank to put an extension on it for you” then Susan ushered Rebecca back into the bathroom, closed the door, switched the hot water heater on and gave her what she was carrying, it was a bathrobe, “This used to be Frank’s” she explained, “It will do until I can buy you your very own one”
“Thank you Aunt Susan” Rebecca responded and then replaced the towel with the bathrobe.
“Didn’t you want to have a hot shower?” Susan queried.
Rebecca slowly shook her head, she did not want to delay her aunt, and she had showered albeit a cold one.
“Ok sweetheart” Susan relented, “Go and get dressed, now”
“But I don’t have any pretty dresses aunty, for church” Rebecca said to her aunt, with tears still in her eyes,
“What you have Rebecca is perfectly ok, we like to think of our church as a family, and if anyone does complain tell them to see me, ok”
“Yes Aunt Susan” Rebecca responded and then left the bathroom so her aunt could use the shower, and she went and got dressed in the most respectful clothes she could find from amongst those that were bought for her by the Duncans in New York.

When he got up, Matthew prepared a cooked breakfast and Rebecca tried to help, but as she could only just reach the back of the stove, she was assigned the task of setting the table. While she was doing it, to make conversation, Matthew asked if she had slept ok and how she was feeling. Rebecca told him about the shower and Matthew after apologising, told her he would look into it.

Frank, being a teenager was last to get up

Eventually they had breakfast all together and it was Frank who said the prayer. Because there was an early men’s business meeting, both Frank and Matthew left early, leaving Rebecca alone with Aunt Susan, but somehow the thought did not fill her with dread as it would have done a day earlier. In spite of her initial appearance at the airport, Aunt Susan seemed just as kind and decent and caring as her beloved Uncle Matthew, and she found she loved her Aunt Susan just as much as her uncle Matthew. It also seemed to her, that her aunt loved her too, even though Rebecca thought she could be seen as the outsider.

Eventually it was time for Rebecca and her aunt to leave for church, and so she was helped by Susan into the front Passenger seat of the Jeep, and strapped in. Her aunt got in and because it was so bright, Susan put on her sunglasses and drove off.

As they were driving along, Rebecca remembered how she had been what they called a minor spirit of virtue, The Spirit of Kindness and she got worried
“Aunt Susan” she started
“Yes sweetheart”
“The corporal on the aeroplane from England said you had been told I was some minor spirit of virtue”
“Yes indeed they sure did Rebecca” Susan replied
“Won’t the people at church think I’m a witch?”
“Not if I have anything to do with it Rebecca” Susan started, “the way it came across to me it sounds like something you can read in Genesis chapter six where Sons of God as it says went with daughter’s of men and they had children. Now some say the Sons of God were priests, but there is a view that they were angels, so maybe if you take the view that they were angels, this major spirit of virtue was just an angel doing exactly the same thing”
“So my father was an angel?” Rebecca asked, as she tried to shield her eyes from the sunlight.
“That’s what I like to think, and I would say that the Spirit of Kindness was some angel part of you, like a guardian angel almost, keeping you safe until you could meet those two from our armed services that found you. And don’t forget Rebecca, you voluntarily out of your own free will gave up this minor spirit stauts and God rewarded you by giving you your human soul. With the kind of power you had Rebecca, some would have tried to hold onto it, and I am so proud of you that you did not do that sweetheart”

Rebecca thought for a moment then came back with “When I was the Spirit of Kindness, they said I made people be kind to me when they would not have done” then her voice cracking with emotion added, “I didn’t mean to hurt them aunty, I wish I could say sorry to them”

Susan pulled the Jeep over into a safe parking spot and stopped it. She then turned and held Rebecca’s hand and looked into her sad eyes, “Was your mother’s boyfriend kind to you”
Rebecca choked with emotion could only shake her head and hang it in shame.

Gently Susan lifted Rebecca’s head with her hand, and instinctively Rebecca turned to face her, “They were only kind to you because they had it in them, not like that monster who tormented you.”
“But I made them do it and it was wrong, aunty”, Rebecca replied with tears flowing down her face
“Sweetheart the fact you are so cut up about this shows me you have a good heart, and that’s one of the many reasons I love you Rebecca, as for those people, in the book of Hebrews it tells people to show hospitality to strangers, because they could be entertaining angels without knowing it, if we think of you at that time as part angel, then all you were doing was helping them obey that part of scripture. Now I know it’s hard Rebecca, and I understand the way you feel about it, but you have nothing to be ashamed of, you needed help, you asked for it in a some what unconventional manner and people out of the kindness of their heats chose out of their own free will to help you. Now did everyone you meet stop and help you?”

Rebecca thought back to the one and a half weeks she had to sleep rough in London, on the move in case the police caught her and sent her back to Jim, and gently shook her head, “No Aunt Susan, it wasn’t everyone”

“So this special power, you freely gave up wasn’t hurting people at all, otherwise everyone would be effected, wouldn’t they?” Susan replied
“I suppose so Aunt Susan”
“Those people, who helped you, chose to help you” Susan pressed home

“Rebecca” Now Susan’s voice was showing a faint sign of emotion, “you are like the daughter I wish I could have had, and if you feel low or sad, I will always be here for you”
“I love you Aunt Susan” Rebecca told her
“And Matthew, Frank and I definitely love you, a lot”

With that, Susan restarted the Jeep and with the sound of accapella hymns on a CD to sing along to, they finished their journey to church

The church was not a bit like the churches that Rebecca had been to before, they were Anglican churches, old cold and draughty, this was a modern affair. There were no pews, only seats that could be moved and at the front where there was a pulpit, there looked like some kind of pool that was covered over. When Rebecca asked what it was, she was told it was a baptistery, when she asked if that was where the babies were baptised, she was told that they did not baptise babies, only believers by total immersion, as that was what the Greek word baptizo meant, and in Romans six baptism she was told was portrayed as a burial.

Susan told her that her Son Frank had been baptised in this building the very day of his sixteenth birthday and it had been one of the most happiest days of her life when, as Susan put it, “Frank put on Christ” It completely went over Rebecca’s head, but Susan assured her in time she could come to understand all about her beliefs.

Rebecca in order as she thought, so as not to get in the way, gravitated to the alcove near a fire exit and peeked out at the assembling throng, even so Frank came up to Rebecca and greeted her again. Rebecca asked him if their granddad was there, but Frank said he was visiting someone out of town that weekend
Rebecca was not sure what she felt, upset that he was not there or relieved that she would not make him ashamed to be there, since her granddad was ashamed of her because her mother was not married to her father when she had her.

Frank, as he was called left Rebecca and went over to greet other people as they came in the main front door. Rebecca thought he looked really smart in his suit jacket, white shirt and tie, and looked down at what she was wearing and felt inadequate, but then she noticed other children coming in with clothes similar to her, and even some of the adults came in casual attire, and no one batted an eyelid. Her Aunt was right, this was like some enormous family, and she observed the way people greeted each showed they cared about each other.

The only odd moment was when an elderly woman was speaking to someone Rebecca could not see, and the woman turned to look at her, and mouthed something along the lines of “That’s her, here in the house of God” and had a look of disgust on her face Rebecca was confused momentarily about this as it seemed so at variance with how everyone else were interacting.

Eventually everyone was seated and Rebecca sat between her Uncle Matthew and Cousin Frank. Susan sat next to her husband Matthew.

A man walked to the podium in a normal suit jacket
“He doesn’t have a dog collar” Rebecca whispered to her uncle
“Because we don’t believe in special dress here” Matthew whispered back.
Rebecca then fell silent, she was going to be a good girl, she was determined.

The man at the podium listed a number of men who would be doing various things in worship and described himself as “presiding”

Rebecca had never seen anything like this before, in the Anglican churches she had visited, the priest did everything apart from reading from the lesson from a Bible and play the organ.

A hymn was announced, and another man came to the front, and began leading everyone in singing the hymn, without any organ or any musical instrument. Rebecca had never heard of that before, but the singing was incredibly beautiful, and she tried to join in as best she could, but they were not hymns she recognised.

After the singing, the presider rattled of a list of announcements about upcoming events and then started to refer to her Uncle Matthew as Brother Matthew Sands, her Granddad as Brother Thomas and Frank as Brother Frank, “Now most of you will know” the presider began, “that just over three weeks ago both Brothers Matthew and Thomas Sands suffered a bereavement” the presider continued, “when Thomas’ daughter, Matthew’s sister, Frank’s aunt passed away overseas in England. They then suffered anxiety and heartache week later when Rebecca, a granddaughter, a niece and a cousin of only eleven years old went missing after the funeral”

Rebecca hung her head in shame and whispered, “sorry uncle, sorry Frank”
Matthew put a loving arm around Rebecca and gently hugged her to show her things were ok, as did Frank.

The presider continued, “Well remember the prayer chain we started, where brothers Matthew, Frank and Thomas…”
At this Frank whispered under his breath ”And he only took part reluctantly”

“The presider went on, “.. all took part. Well, never say that prayer does not work, as it says in the book of James The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. At the beginning of last Monday, Rebecca Sands was found living rough by two members of our armed services, she was taken to their base, a place of safety given food, shelter and clean clothes. The police in her home town of a place called Sloff”
“That’s not how it’s pronounced” Rebecca whispered
Matthew raised his hand, “Carl, it’s pronounced Sl-ow, as in ow that hurts”
“Sorry Brother Matthew” the presider smiled, “These foreign place names always trip me up” he nervously joked and then went on “Ok, the police in Slough were told she had miraculously been found safe and well, and they were sent photos of Rebecca enjoying a meal in the base canteen and were also told that they had even traced our brother Matthew as her long lost uncle. And so with the agreement of the authorities in England, Rebecca was put on a plane to America. There was a brief misunderstanding in New York, but that was resolved yesterday, and Rebecca is here with us today”

Rebecca’s face was bright red, but even so, she nervously stood up, unbidden. She found it very hard as a sea of faces turned towards her. There were also a load of amen’s muttered. After about thirty seconds Rebecca sat down and looked down at the ground, but looked up again when both Matthew and Frank briefly put loving arms around her back and shoulders.

But the presider had not finished, “Because Rebecca ran away from the man who had claimed to be her mother’s boy friend, the police, because in England, in cases like these, usually investigate those nearest to the person reported missing, first, usually to eliminate them from the investigation, found, how can I say it delicately with young children here in the auditorium, on his computer, highly disgusting material and evidence, and it pains me to say this, that children were harmed by this man and number of others”

Then the presider spoke directly to Rebecca, “Rebecca, by running away like you did, I believe you helped save a lot of other children who were in pain and suffering like you were at the hand of that man and his associates, and praise the Lord God kept you safe and brought you here, where you can be safe. I’m just sorry that you had to suffer so long, like you did and there was no one you could have turned to for help earlier”

Rebecca was really red with embarrassment, whispered “Thank you”, and looked around, and heard the sounds of “Poor child” and “We’re so glad you’re safely with us now”

The presider was now finishing his little speech about Rebecca, “So, just as Sister Susan and Brothers Matthew and Frank have welcomed Rebecca into their home, I would like us to welcome Rebecca into our midst, and I believe Rebecca you will find a lot off love here in this congregation”

Rebecca was not used to being the centre of attention, like this but somehow this felt good, that all these people who had never met her before, had been praying for her and had cared about her and it kind of made her feel special, a really unfamiliar feeling, that she had only begun to feel when she had found out about her uncle driving down to pick her up and getting his own law firm to rescue her from a prison cell, when she was innocent of any crime and arranged for her to be fostered by another very nice Christian couple.

The presider then announced the next song, which he called “The Greatest Commands”, and it was another one Rebecca had never heard before. Again it was without any musical instruments and it seemed to be a song where people sang different parts.

Youtube video

Rebecca really felt overwhelmed and she could not help but smile as she tried to sing what was called the alto part.

After a number of songs, another man came and “led thoughts” around what they called “The Lord’s supper”, but she had seen in the odd Anglican Church as “Holy Communion” and then after a prayer, a plate of some type of cracker was handed around, and some people took some and some, especially the young children and some of the teenagers did not. When the plate came their way, Rebecca knew just enough that she did not take communion, because she never did when ever she had been taken to an Anglican service, but to her surprise Frank did. It was the same when they handed a large plate with small individual cups of some red liquid. Again Rebecca did not partake, communion was only for adults in the Anglican Church, but she was puzzled that Frank partook; maybe they did things differently here in America she could only guess.

When a basket was being handed round, Matthew slipped Rebecca two dollar bills so she could put them in the collection, which Rebecca dutifully did. In the past she had only ever put in up to the maximum of ten pence, if she ever had money, but these people were putting in notes and some of a high value.

The sermon was about twenty minutes and Rebecca, not wishing to show up the people who had taken her in tried to listen to it intently, as the speaker talked about one of the New Testament letters, about some guy who had been a slave and had run away.
This resonated with Rebecca, as she had been a runaway, and indeed the preacher briefly used her as an example of someone running away and perhaps assisting a higher purpose, in Rebecca’s case bringing to light a nasty group of individuals and in the case of the runaway in the letter, becoming a brother,what ever that meant as quite a bit of the lesson went over Rebecca’s head.

The preacher did say when he mentioned Rebecca though, that her case was unique and that young people did not need to go to such extremes, as there was always someone to talk to, and he pointed to that congregation’s counselling service.

After the service a lot of people came up to Rebecca and told her how glad they were to see her, she was pretty, that the family she was staying with were utterly devout members of the congregation and that they were sorry for her loss, and she did a good thing by leaving that nasty man. All the time Rebecca would nod politely in agreement, and try her best to remember her manners, and all this attention embarrassed her yet gave her a really wonderful feeling that people genuinely cared about her.

Through out this experience Matthew and Susan both stayed with her, which reassured her, especially in the throng of unfamiliar faces, and a number of people told her uncle that he was such a good man for travelling all the way down to New York to pick Rebecca up.

Then it was time to go home, so Rebecca thought, but instead they all went to a fire station and in a mess hall, that is except for the elderly woman who had mouthed at her earlier. Susan told her that they were having something called “pot luck meal”, in her honour to help welcome her to their little community.

Rebecca was utterly speechless, if so many people did this for her, she really must be special after all and not worthless like Martha the neighbour of the Duncans had told her three days earlier.

After the prayer for the food, Rebecca got to go first to the large table of dishes, and Susan guided Rebecca through the etiquette of potlucks and soon she was chatting with other children of the congregation and the occasional adult, with Frank a in protective mode sitting right next to her, unlike back in Slough when the children shunned her on the orders of their parents.

After about an hour and a half people packed up, and the Sands family and Rebecca went home.

Frank got Rebecca to once again play on the Wii until it was supper time, and then after a light supper they played on the wii again until it was time for bed. It seemed that Frank was determined that Rebecca was not going to sit on her own in her bedroom and brood as long as he could help it, and Rebecca was so glad to be included in activities that took her mind off of all the awful things that had been in her past.

+-+-+

The following morning, Rebecca once again woke early, but this time an extra piece of cord had been attached to the switch for the water heater, and so she was able to have a hot shower this time and it was like heaven compared to the previous morning.

Breakfast was a bit more rushed as Matthew had to leave early to catch up on work that had accrued while he was off rescuing Rebecca from what she had been told were rouge NYPD officers. Frank also came down in a hurry, grabbed a bowl of cold cereal and left to go to his school.

Soon Rebecca was left alone in the house with her Aunt Susan, who only drank a glass of fruit juice and had some bread product that was in a ring. Susan called them bagels and offered Rebecca one. They seemed dry at first, but they were quite tasty, especially with what Susan called jelly on them. Rebecca was then surprised to find it was actually jam, and told her aunt what it was called in England. For about ten minutes, Rebecca and her Aunt Susan talked about how certain items in America had different names to what they were in England.

And then it was time for Susan to take Rebecca to what would be her school, and she was to go into what Susan called the sixth grade, or the first level at a middle school in the education system they had in New Hampshire.

Susan took Rebecca to the school office and was met by what Rebecca called the headmaster, but Susan told her was called the principal. Rebecca was over awed by this new figure of authority as he said his hellos to her and told her that he hoped she would be settle in quite quickly.

Rebecca was asked to wait in the office, as Susan wanted to speak to the principal in private, so Rebecca sat there on her own, very still and afraid to move as the secretary looked very strict. In the principal’s room Susan explained about Rebecca’s background and what had happened to her in Slough, England. Susan purposely left out the bit of Rebecca being a former spirit of virtue, but as it was a side of Rebecca’s life that Rebecca felt uneasy it was probably the right call and plus it was not relevant to how Rebecca was now. Susan also told the principal; Rebecca was still fragile and sensitive about her time under Jim’s domination, because of what he had done to Rebecca and her mother.

Because of Rebecca’s past background, the principal thought it was best that before Rebecca started at his school, the teachers who would be teaching her ought to be briefed so they could be aware and head off any awkward questions from Rebecca’s new class mates. The decision was taken that Rebecca should start the following day, plus it would give her aunt the opportunity to buy extra things the school required Rebecca to have, such as a kit for gym class and clothes more in keeping with the school’s dress code. Susan was also given a brochure of what was expected of Rebecca.

Eventually Susan emerged from the principal’s office, followed by the principal,

The principal bent down and told Rebecca that she would be starting the following day at eight o’clock sharp, and then he told her, that because it was some weeks into the semester, she would have to stay behind in the detention classes after school and at weekends until she caught up with the rest of the class.
Rebecca just nodded nervously and squeaked out “Yes sir”. He was big and tall, just like Jim was and so Rebecca was terrified of him, and she did not want to say anything that might anger him. It had worked sometimes with Jim, and so it was the only thing she could think of to avoid a beating.
Susan was not happy at this and told the principal that Rebecca could be seen as being “punished for being the victim of a violent home life in England that had fallen apart”
Rebecca was utterly astonished, even her Aunt Susan was standing up to figures of authority on her behalf
Susan told the principal in no uncertain terms that if need be, she and her husband could get Rebecca up to speed at home, just like they had done with her son Frank when he was at this school and had been off due to a serious illness. Susan also reminded the principal that both she and her husband were still on the board of governors.

The principal then seemed to back down and Rebecca would not have to serve her time in detention outside school hours after all.

As they left the school to go shopping for the things Rebecca needed, Susan sensed her niece had been terrified, so just outside the car she asked her why she was scared of the principal, Rebecca murmured something to the effect that the principal was of the same build as her mother’s boyfriend. Susan then reassured Rebecca, that the principal would never hit anyone and was one of those who did not believe in corporal punishment, and then Susan gave Rebecca a big hug.

The rest of the morning was taken up with shopping and in the afternoon Rebecca sat quietly in her Aunts Real Estate office looking through the brochure of the new school. When they got home Susan recounted to Matthew the encounter with the principal, and Matthew agreed with Susan, his Rebecca, (His Rebecca? – Rebecca tuned in to), should not be seen to be being punished when she had not done anything wrong.

That evening Frank apologised to Rebecca that he could not play with her on the wii, as he had homework, so Susan stepped in, as Matthew was cooking the dinner.

Rebecca’s first day at school was a complete culture shock, she had to wait until the other classmates had done the pledge of allegiance before a teaching assistant brought her into the classroom which would serve as some kind of form room before lessons actually started. The form tutor as sensitively as she could, explained to the class that Rebecca used to live in England, but she had come to America to live with her aunt and uncle, because her parents had died. The children could ask general questions about England, but they were not to press her on previous life in England as it might upset her.

She was asked by the teacher if she ever went by Becky or Becca, but Rebecca still confused by this question just stated that her name was Rebecca, and there the matter was settled.

As she was shown to her desk in the form room, she spotted one boy by the name of Darren, who had been at the church with his parents and who had spoken to her at the potluck meal. He too was not originally from America, as he was from Toronto, and immediately the two formed an instant rapport, so much so that they ate their lunch together during the lunch period, and he made sure she knew where to go for the various classes.

There was some teasing that Darren had got a girlfriend and Rebecca was worried that he might drop her, as she thought he was really nice, but Darren just told them “So what if I have” and “Your just jealous” and Rebecca was impressed.

Come home time when some parents came to collect their children Darren insisted his father wait for Rebecca’s aunt to come and pick her up before they went home, so Rebecca was not left waiting alone. When Aunt Susan did show up, she delighted that Rebecca and Darren were in the same class. On the way home in the Jeep, Rebecca talked all about how Darren helped her through the first day at her new school. Susan told Rebecca what wonderful people Darren’s family were and how delighted she was that Rebecca had made a friend.

It was the same over the evening meal, she talked all about Darren helping her through the first day at school and how he stood up to those who said she was his girl friend. Rebecca half expected Frank to tease her about Darren, but he just said she deserved some happiness after what she had been through and besides, Darren was one mean pitcher in the little league, Whatever that was Rebecca wondered

Rebecca’s second day at school was much like the first in that Darren was still taking her under his wing, what they had in common was that they were both born outside of the US and so spoke differently from the rest of the class.

On her third day, Darren mentioned that the church where his parents and her aunt and uncle went had a youth club on the Friday night, and his elder brother always gave him a lift to it in his pick up on his way to his night shift job and his father would collect him in the evening. Darren suggested his brother could pick Rebecca up from where she lived with here uncle and aunt, if they would agree.

When Rebecca put this to her uncle and aunt, they both thought it would be a good idea, and they rung Darren’s parents just to check, and confirmed the drop of and pick up times.

On Friday at school, it was business as usual, Darren helping Rebecca get into the swing of American schooling in the sixth grade, and Rebecca providing him with someone to talk to who like him had been born outside the US.

Evening rolled around, and just as arranged, Darren’s brother, Michael picked Rebecca up from her uncle and aunt’s home and drove the pair to the church building. On the way it started to rain, but Michael told Rebecca it was just a hundred yard dash from where he would drop them off to the church building

The pick up pulled up and the two children got out and ran through the rain to the church building, where they were met by the elderly woman who had mouthed something at Rebecca that previous Sunday.

Darren was allowed in with no problem, but the woman blocked Rebecca
“I don’t think so little lady” she told Rebecca in a stern voice
“But why?” Rebecca whined
“The Bible clearly teaches that ‘No one of illegitimate birth shall enter the assembly of the LORD’” the elderly lady said in a tone of righteous indignation, then she pointed at Rebecca and angrily told her “and according to your Grandfather, Thomas Sands, your parents were not married. I’m surprised Matthew and Susan had the gall to bring you to church last Sunday, I will be having words with the minister as he obviously didn’t know”
“Mrs White” Darren pleaded, “It’s raining”
“That can’t be helped master Darren now run along inside, this little lady has to go home, she should not be here”
“Then I’m going home with her” Darren insisted.
Mrs White barked back at him, “You know the rules; any one leaving early must have their parents pick them up”
“But..” Darren started
“DON’T TALK BACK TO AN ADULT” she growled at him, “Now get inside”

Rebecca was devastated, it was like being back in England when people excluded her on account of something her mother did. She could see that Darren desperately wanted to help, but this elderly woman was very effectively stopping him

The elderly woman turned back to Rebecca, “You had better go away little lady, before I call the police” and then she slammed the door on Rebecca as she stood there in the pouring rain.

Rebecca did not have any money on her, because she had been told refreshments were free and someone was picking her up, but that was ages yet, so crying as she went, so as not to bring shame on her uncle and aunt by being arrested as the lady threatened, she left the building and started walking down the street.

Rebecca went down a main road for a distance, and because of the time of year and the rain it was getting very dark and she was getting soaked, by the torrential rain. Rebecca was in tears and she was trying desperately trying to remember the route Darren’s brother had driven and her aunt had driven, but in the dark it all looked so different and she was afraid.

Suddenly a pick up truck screeched to a halt beside her.

There were two men in the truck with baseball caps on and from what Rebecca could see they were drinking something from green bottles.
“Want a ride girlie” the front seat passenger asked her in manner that unnerved Rebecca and remembering the injunction not to accept lifts from strangers, she just shook her head and tried to carry on.

The pick up truck moved up to be parallel to her and then over took her and stopped again. Rebecca stopped and looked in horror as the man got out.

“That was not a suggestion girlie” he said with an evil glint in his eye, “We’re gonna have some fun” he added. For a moment it looked like Jim, finally come to get her.

Rebecca turned around and started to run, screaming for help, but she only got fifteen feet away before the man managed to run and catch up with her and flung her to the ground, and then held her down.
“You can scream all you like, girlie; no one will hear you in this weather”

Then he picked Rebecca up, and as she screamed in vain for help, the man started dragging her towards the pickup truck…

To Be Concluded