Hope and Faith

EIGHTEEN: HOPE

It was Friday July fourteenth, which meant that the second week of camp had concluded. These inaugural weeks had gone by so fast for Hope; someone who enjoyed the days, yet couldn't wait for them to pass. It was as though she was trapped in this paradox, confused and overwhelmed by time itself. She wanted to live in the moment and enjoy each day as it came to her, but there was also a sense of anxiety, as though she was running out of time. She counted down the moments until something new and exciting came along. She crossed the days off her calendar as they passed. It was as though life had a finish line, and Hope had to ensure that she made it there first.

Nonetheless, the summer was going by splendidly thus far. Camp had been taking up the majority of her time, understandably. But she had been doing other things as well. Attending events and recreational activities with her father; assisting her mother in the garden with her new tulips and daffodils; spending time with the girls whenever they all had a spare moment; and of course, seeing Matthew whenever she could.

Hope wasn't the only busy one this summer. Matthew had been going to work with his father, trying to learn new skills and make some money. Lorelei was over Elijah and preoccupied with another boy. Peyton, on the other hand, had gotten a summer internship working at the local career centre. Ironic, wasn't it? Getting a job to help people find jobs. But it worked, and Peyton enjoyed it. She was in there every day, nine to five, running errands, observing her supervisors, trying to be the best intern that she could. That left Coral and Daisy, who spent their days at the beach, lying in the sun.

Hope envied them sometimes, their ability to simply do nothing. She often wished that she, too, could do nothing. But she knew that wasn't feasible. She had things to do, a camp to run. People relied on her. She needed to stay focused on her priorities and remember what mattered. Although, a simple day at the beach would be nice once and a while too.

On Friday afternoon, once camp had concluded for the week, Hope began filing out of the building behind everyone else. That was when she saw her, standing there by herself, as usual: Faith.

"What are you doing?" Hope smiled as she approached her.
Faith turned to her, caught off guard. "Oh, um," she hesitated. "I'm not sure."
"Just standin' there?"
"I guess."
Hope laughed. "What are you doing after this?"
"Nothing, I guess."
"Would you like to come to my place? My mother is making Penne tonight and would be ecstatic to meet the new girl in town. Oh, and Matthew will be there. You can meet him too."
"Oh, I really don't know..."
"Come on, it will be fun."
Faith stared at her, considering her options. Finally, she sighed. "Fine. Not like I have anything better to do."
Hope laughed again. "Great. Come on then."
They began their walk to Hope's house, making small talk and discussing the day's camp activities.
"I can't believe July is halfway through," Hope said.
"I can. This month has just dragged on."
"You think?"
Faith nodded. "Each day passes by so slow. I hate it."
"Weird," Hope said. "For me, the days pass right before my eyes."

They arrived at Hope's place, and Hope, the cordial host that she was, introduced Faith to her mother, then gave her the tour of their house. They stopped in each and every room, Hope telling Faith something specific or explaining a detail about the carpet or furniture.

They decided to sit on the patio in the backyard since the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Joana brought them out glasses of iced tea, then headed back inside to make a start on dinner.

It was awkwardly silent for a moment, as though neither of them quite knew what to say. Hope knew what she could say. She could talk for hours and hours. It was Faith she was worried about, who sat there in silence, looking almost uncomfortable. Hope wasn't used to her presence yet as it was still a new entity in her life. Was Hope wrong to have brought her here? Forced her into something that she clearly didn't want to do?