Dissipate

Grabbing my backpack, I moved to the seat beside them, across the aisle. The women seemed to be in their mid-fifties. Two other things were on my mom’s suggestions for me to do. Maybe inquiring about those would lead me in the right direction. Nonchalant, Kenzie. Be nonchalant. “I haven’t been to the area before. I wanted to visit a library and check out a local college.”

The one sitting closest to me with black hair and green eyes responded, “Oh, you’re in luck. The bus drops off four blocks away from the University of Arkansas campus. They’ll have a library. It’s a good school. My friend’s grandkid graduated from there. We’ll point you in the direction when we arrive.”

“Thank you. That would be great.” Maybe luck was on my side this morning.

A few minutes passed when the woman closest to me looked over and asked, “Where did you graduate high school?”

Here’s to hoping the homeschool thing my mom mentioned in her letter worked. A light sheen of moisture formed on my palms. Doubt entered my mind. Should I? It was probably better to try the lie out on someone that didn’t care before I got somewhere that it mattered. “I was homeschooled. My mom recently passed and I needed a change of scenery.”

“Where are you from?” The persistence unnerved me.

“Montana.” I hated lying. My conscious ate away at me with each untruth.

The lady nodded to herself. “I hear there’s a lot of homeschooling in the remote parts because of impassable roads.”

“Yeah, winters are rough there.” That wasn’t a lie. Hopefully she didn’t ask me any more details. I didn’t know much about Montana besides some historical significances in the state and the geographic location.

The bus exited off a road and it looked like we were entering the city. My stomach growled and I realized I hadn’t eaten since lunch at the community hall. The other lady, sitting next to the window with brown hair, rummaged through her backpack. She pulled out a blue and white shiny pouch that said chips and a clear bag that had a sandwich.

Reaching across the seat, she offered with a southern accent, “Here, sweetie. Take this. I always pack some food in case we get hungry. We talked the night away and we’ll be meeting up with our friend here shortly.”

She extended her hand and my stomach made another noise of approval.

Taking the sandwich, I gave a smile and said, “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Were people always this generous? We were taught at The Society that evil plagued the world and only a few pure souls were left. The Keeper searched the area, trying to find the pure. This was all confusing as I tried to make sense of what was the truth.

Why wasn’t I better prepared through my teachings? Mom had left so much out. The woman with the black hair took out a piece of paper and wrote something down which had me pushing all the warring questions aside.

A few minutes later she handed it to me. “Don’t take this wrong, but if you don’t have a place to go, I’ve written out a place that’s near the University. It’s a shelter. They’ll give you a warm meal, a chance to scrub up, and a bed. It’s a good place. We’ve volunteered at it before. There’s other places you can search on the internet when you get to the library if this place is full.”

Did I look as lost as I felt? Probably. There was so much to process. Without thinking, I asked, “What is the internet?”

The woman raised her eyebrow. “Were you stuck in a hole in Montana? You haven’t heard of the internet?”

The disbelieving tone from the lady told me I had messed up. I needed to think fast as I mentally scolded myself. An extension of the truth was all I could think of. “I haven’t. My mom was anti-technology and believed only the fundamental skills and knowledge needed to be learned.”

Hopefully, the internet had to deal with technology. At The Society technology was the gas stove and refrigeration. My nerves were causing me to speak before I thought and that would get me in trouble. Slow down, Kenzie.

The women exchanged a speculative glance. The one closest to me spoke again. “I’ve heard about some people who homeschool their children taking the anti-technology approach. I’m sorry, sweetie, but it’s going to be rough while you adjust.” Producing a little box, similar to what the guy at the gas station had been using, she continued, “I’m going to give you a rundown to help get you by. This is a cell phone. Works like a telephone, but it’s portable.” She hit a button and a screen popped up. “The internet is a collection of information that you can search. It’s like typing a question and getting answers from space. See, if I type in shelters in Fayetteville, Arkansas and hit search a list of answers that fit your search criteria will come back. Are you with me?”

Internet was amazing, an endless source of information. A place for me to research questions versus trying to fumble my way through conversations. “Wow. Wow. I’m with you. Thank you so much.”

A world I never knew existed opened up and I was ready for the journey. The amount of learning that could be done was endless.

She put the phone down. “At the library, there will be computers. You can search the internet on those. Umm—I’m trying to think how to describe what a computer looks like. Oh, oh, oh, the guy at the gas station where we bought our tickets worked on a computer. You can use computers to work, search the internet, and send e-mails, which are like electronic letters. The list is endless. Get to know a computer. It’ll help you out immensely.”

The kindness these women had shown was irrefutable and my throat felt thick. Clearing my throat, I responded, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“You’re welcome, sweetie. Good luck.”

I finished my cheese sandwich quickly as the bus pulled to a stop. T

he chips had been salty and crunchy. My taste buds approved of the new flavors.

As we disembarked, the woman with the black hair pointed to the right. “Follow this road and you’ll find the University. I believe the library is in the middle of the campus. Ask any student when you get there and they’ll be able to point you in the right direction.”

“Thank you. I know I keep saying that, but you have no idea how much I appreciate your kindness.” It was tough keeping my emotions with all that these women had done for me, but I managed.