Ice Cream Days [Sean]

Caroline could appreciate how difficult it might be to shovel a driveway. Sometimes, back in Omaha, when the snow got too high, some of the kids would shovel the walks to and from the buildings on campus. Some complainingly, and others because it was good work and they were being helpful. Caroline had rather enjoyed it, but she liked throwing the snow over her shoulder with the shovel. It wasn't a big shovel, or even one made for snow, but she'd had fun with it before being sent to Hammel.

"I like shoveling snow. Maybe, if it gets bad next winter, I can help? I mean, I'm sure there are other kids who could do it better, and faster, but I like it. It's good work. And Father Boe says that good work is worth doing." Accompanying the revelation was a sage nod from the girl as she carefully stepped over a break in the side walk.

"Is that your favorite thing about Spring? Not having to shovel snow anymore?" She hoped it wasn't that. While it was a good thing to look forward to, if one didn't enjoy shoveling, it was a little bit sad too. Spring had so much to offer. She liked the songs about the Rising at Mass, and she loved the colors. She liked the warm on her face, and the way grass felt under her feet. There was so much to love about Spring that it was so hard for her to pick just one, but maybe the wise Dr. Neville, who was so like Father Boe in some ways, had a favorite.

"Oh," She hadn't realized that he might not live on campus the same way Father Boe had lived among the houses and dorms in Boy's Town. It had been rather silly of her to think he didn't have a life outside of the school. It made sense, once she thought about it, but it hadn't really occurred to her before. Maybe the school would let her. Maybe if she asked herself? Though she didn't know who to go to in order to ask such an important question.

Caroline's worry was easily distracted by the answering of her question about Spring, and her young mind shifted gears easily.

"I like the flowers too! But what do you mean out on the water?" Maybe he'd meant like in a canoe. Part of the sprawling grounds and buildings of Boy's Town were along the south Lake in Omaha and sometimes there was swimming and canoeing on it. Caroline hadn't participated too much in those activities, not being a strong swimmer at all. She barely swam as it was, but liked dipping her toes into the water while others played and swam.

Unbuckling her seat belt once the car had been turned off, Caroline opened the passenger door and slid out, all excitement.

"Eeeeeee!" It wasn't exactly a high pitched noise, but it certainly conveyed the wide-eyed excitement. Coming around the car to join Dr. Neville on the other side, Caroline pointed with two fingers towards a woman and a man entering a shop.

"That's Mrs. and Mr. Quinlan. They're in the adult choir. Mrs. Quinlan gets some of the prettiest solos." It was nice to already be able to recognize people from Mass, and even nicer to be able to share the information with someone. "The solo she's working on for Easter Mass is amazing." Arise My Love was one of Caroline's favorite hymns, and the way she lifted her hand and waved to the couple before they disappeared indicated that she both liked them, and approved whole heartedly of the soloists interpretation of the music and lyrics.

All things considered, Caroline loved Pilot's Ridge. The people, the church, and the atmosphere were all good. Father Asucan and Father Hawke were good and both wrote excellent sermons, but she missed Father Boe.

"She really is amazing. My first Mass here, she sang Ave Maria, and goose bumps! All over goose bumps. She could sing professionally if she wanted!" And probably should. She knew that Mr. Quinlan was one of the pharmacists at the local pharmacy, but she wasn't sure what Mrs. Quinlin did, and as such, in Caroline's mind she was a singer.

The cooler air of the ice cream shop washed over her as Caroline practically skipped through the door held open for her.

"Rocky Road I think," Caroline answered without hesitation. She loved rocky road. But she loved strawberry too. And peach. And vanilla. And the Neapolitan scoops that had all three were fantastic. She'd had cookie dough only once before and it had been okay, but the nuts and marshmallows and chocolate of rocky road were by far her favorite combination. "What about you, Fa...er Doctor Neville?" Turning her head away so the bright flush that crawled across her cheeks beneath the dark freckles and down her neck wasn't quite so obvious, Caroline silently sent a prayer up that he hadn't heard the near slip.

He wasn't a priest. He wasn't Father Boe. There were some similarities, sure, but the school psychiatrist and the Jesuite Priest were two completely different people. She had to remember that.

Nodding almost sagely, Carline praised Doctor Neville for his choice. "The mint chocolate chip is a good flavor. One of the girls back home in Boy's Town loves it." It was one of the more common preferred flavors back in Boy's Town, and as such was easily obtained. While she liked it, Caroline did prefer the chocolaty, nutty, marshmallowy flavor of rocky road.

Shoving her hand into her pocket and pulling out the few pills and lots of coins, she carefully counted out what she had, then stared at the order board. There wasn't enough to get a waffle cone, but that was okay. A regular sugar cone and one scoop would be enough. It was, after all, Lent, and she needed to remember that.

Satisfied that she had enough for her ice cream and a tip for the jar at the end of the counter, Caroline nodded again, but this time to herself.

"There's a lot here isn't there?" She hadn't meant just the ice cream shop, but the whole of Pilot's Ridge. It was a bigger little town than she'd expected.

"We had a Field Day too. Well, days. It lasted a week with races and games and prizes for everyone who participated. It was a lot of fun." Caroline wondered if she'd be allowed to participate in the field day in Pilot's Ridge if she asked. Did they even let little kids participate? She wasn't quite so little as she had been a year ago, but she was still little and her perception issues made things difficult sometimes. But she still would like to play if given an opportunity.

Ordering her choice once they were able, Caroline tilted her head up to look at Dr. Neville. He was so tall.

But the question of what was going to happen to her during the summer remained. She didn't think they were going to send her back to Boy's Town, if only because she didn't know how to control her shifting yet and that was the whole reason for her being at Hammel to begin with. The general classes she was doing fine in, it was the training she had the hardest part over. Mostly because she simply didn't want to shift.

It hurt.

A lot.

"It's very pretty here," Caroline agreed as she made her way to the end of the counter to give the employee her money. Reaching up and over to set the money in outstretched hand, the young meta grinned as her cone was passed back to her.

"Thank you!"

"Well. When everyone lives there and classes are over, it's kind of important to keep activities going. So a week of field days is a bonus. There's rope pulling, foot races in different yardages. Batton passing. Hula hooping -- I'm not good at that -- all sorts of stuff! It's really fun. All of the Brothers help and Father Boe gives out prizes."

The community field day, as described by Dr. Neville, seemed really amazing too, if short. "Oh wow taht sounds like so uch fun! And babies! I love babies. I didn't get to see many of them at home, they usually got placed pretty quickly." There was an unspoken question of why hadn't she, but Caronline'd had that conversation with Father Boe before. God was saving her for something spectacular, she knew that. In her heart of hearts, and it was a horrible thing to want, but she wanted God to hurry it up. It was impatient of her, and there was so much else she needed to worry about now (like controling her shifting and not being afraid of the pain involved).

Eating some of her cone, Caroline looked around them at the shop. Really taking it in. The colorful walls and minimum tables seemed fun. But so much of Pilot's Ridge seemed fun. It was all different, still, but she liked the adventure of learning a new place. Before attending Hammel, she'd never been outside of Nebraska, and not very far from Omaha at all.

Omaha, she was sure, was the best place on Earth. But Pilot's Ridge was pretty awesome too.

"I can't wait to see what summer here is like."