14

Nia walked into the already crowded auditorium.

FRESHMAN ORIENTATION was written in a banner above the door.

“Nia. Nia. Over here.” Tanya waved. Apparently, Tanya was a freshmen even with her credits. So why was she allowed to have her car?

Nia waved but sat down in the nearest empty chair. She might have to accept Tanya as a roommate, but that didn’t mean they would be joined at the hip. The saying made her think of Keisha. She’d talked to her best friend last night, but the conversation hadn’t gone well. When she’d said the word adoption, Keisha had hung up on her and refused to answer the phone again.

Tanya came across as a party girl.

Nia rolled her eyes. She was pretty sure that was a certainty.

A dark-skinned woman stepped up to the podium. With a bright-colored, and obvious African-inspired outfit, she made a striking appearance. Her hair was short and natural. She put on a pair of glasses and waited for the room to go quiet. “I’m Dr. Danforth. Each year the freshman class is assigned a mentor and then that mentor follows the class for the next four years. Or however long it takes you to graduate. I’m hoping that will be four.”

A polite laugh followed.

“Think of me as your guidance counselor, your mother, father, and your spiritual counselor all wrapped up in one. In other words, you come to me when you have a problem, and we’ll work together to find a solution.” Her gaze moved around the group. “OK?”

No one responded.

“I said OK. I’m not the enemy. I’m here to help you and to make you successful here at St. John’s.”

Clapping broke out as Dr. Danforth smiled and opened her arms. “So just a few words about our program and our expectations. Even though you probably know all this anyway, it never hurts to remind you. Your first two years are mostly general education classes such as math and history and English. When you graduate, we want you to be able to read and write as well as to be knowledgeable about our world. In addition to those classes, you will have Bible studies classes that go through both semesters and a Freshman project. When you’re a sophomore, you’ll have a Sophomore project, and when you’re a junior…

Someone in the crowd yelled out. “A Junior project, right?”

“Right. When you’re a junior, it will be time to narrow your focus and declare your major.” She held up a hand. “But until that time, keep an open mind so that God can guide you to your correct path. Just because you think you know what you want doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have other plans for you. Along with your class requirements, you’ll need to pick a community volunteer program and donate twenty hours each semester.”

Groans filled the room.

“Oh, stop it. It’s not that bad. That’s less than two hours each week.” She held up a paper. “In the back of the room, you’ll find a list of possible places, or you can find one of your own and then run it by me.” She cleared her throat. “I’ll be teaching your Bible studies class and be your Freshman project advisor. So I look forward to getting to know each of you. Very well. Now, are there any pressing questions that can’t wait until the next time I see you, which will be tomorrow in Bible study?”

A hand went up and then another.

Nia half-listened to the questions and answers but her mind was on Keisha. Should she try calling again or give her a few days to calm down?

****

The next morning Nia hurried to Bible study—her first class of the day. Apparently, Tanya didn’t have a class because she was still in bed when Nia left. She’d been out late the night before.

Nia was pretty sure she smelled alcohol when Tanya had returned. They’d only been here two days so how had Tanya managed to find a place to serve underage people so quickly? Time to forget about Tanya and to focus on her first class in college. Butterflies swished around her stomach. Hopefully, her first class to her future—whatever that was to be. Now that Puzzle House wasn’t an option, she needed to be serious about her studies. She still wanted to serve God, but she needed to find out exactly how to do that. And to make a living doing it.

As long as she’d thought she would be working and living at Puzzle House, she’d never worried about her future. Now she would need to support herself. And she wanted to do something that she enjoyed. Life wasn’t just about making money.

Dr. Danforth was already there when Nia walked in the room. No African-inspired garb today. Instead she wore an elegant, mid-calf ivory dress with a lace bodice, but just as striking.

Nia went towards the front of the room. Second row, not first. First row meant one was trying too hard. Second row showed she was interested. At least that’s the way it was in high school. But this wasn’t high school And what did she care what people thought? She was here to learn. Standing up, she moved to the seat in front of her.

“Good choice.” Dr. Danforth said with a smile.

Nia smiled back.

“And your name is?”

“Nia Johnson.”

“I’ll be sure to remember that. Nia? That’s a pretty name.”

“It means special purpose in Swahili.”

“Excellent. And do you have a special purpose?”

Well, I was supposed to become a healer, but that didn’t happen so I’m open to suggestions. Probably not the best response. Instead, she said, “Don’t we all?”

“Excellent point, Nia.” Dr. Danforth looked up at the class. “Welcome to Freshman Bible Studies. I told you yesterday that everyone would have a Freshman project. What I didn’t tell you was that it’s actually a part of this class. And a full fifty percent of your grade.”

“Fifty percent?”

Someone groaned.

Dr. Danforth nodded. “Yep, that means it’s very important. And it’s also fifty percent of your English class since you’ll be writing a paper on your project.”

More groans.

“Welcome to college.” Dr. Danforth smiled. “Unlike the rest of your classes, this class runs through both semesters. So in the next thirty weeks, we’ll go through all sixty-six books of the Bible. Obviously, it will be more of an overview rather than an in-depth study. Your project will be an in-depth study of someone from the Bible. And it can’t be Jesus.”

More groans filled the air.

“Sorry, that would just be too easy.” She outright grinned this time. “And way too hard. My office hours are from two to four every afternoon. Sometime this week, each of you needs to stop by and tell me who you’ve chosen and why. Oh and by the way, you’ll be sharing your project with the student body the last week of the school year. We also want you to learn to be a public speaker. Now are we ready to start with Genesis?”

***

Nia sat on a chair outside Dr. Danforth’s office. She’d thought about making David the subject of project. She’d spent so much time studying him that it only made sense—even if she wasn’t going to be a healer.

In the end she decided against it. She needed to forget all about David and her David years. Time for a fresh start. Instead, she’d chosen someone else who’d failed. Samson and how Delilah had been his downfall. It reminded her of Keisha and Marcus.

The door opened.

A girl Nia had seen in one of her classes walked out. She smiled. “Your turn.”

Nia walked in.

Dr. Danforth motioned for her to sit. “Hi, Nia. How are things going?”

“OK.”

“I heard you had a roommate change. Is that working out?”

“I think it might.”

“Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it’ll do for now. So you’re from Atlanta. This must be a bit different for you. We’re pretty rural.”

“It is, but I’ve spent the past few summers in the country.”

“Really? How nice.”

“Even learned to ride a horse.”

“Well if you have any trouble adjusting let me know. So have you thought about on the subject for your project?”

Samson and Delilah. And how their relationship ruined his life. Like Keisha was letting some man ruin her life. She opened her mouth and said, “David.”

“Mmm. Interesting choice. But which David?”

That wasn’t what she’d planned to say. She wanted to put David and his learning years out of her mind. “What do you mean?”

“Well, we have David the shepherd. David the poet. There’s David the giant killer. There’s David the warrior. David the King. David the adulterer and murderer. I could go on, but I think you get the idea.”

“Wow. I never looked at it like that before.” Maybe she did have more she could learn from David.

“I’m glad I gave you something to think about. So why David?”

Nia met her gaze. This was exactly why she hadn’t planned to choose David. That and it was time to put her childish hopes away and grow up. “Uh, he’s sort of special to me.”

“Really? Care to elaborate?”

Nia looked down at her hands. “I…uh…it’s just that I’ve studied him before and would like to learn more about him. That’s all.” She forced herself to meet Dr. Danforth’s gaze.

The advisor’s dark eyes pierced Nia’s as if trying to discern the truth but then she nodded. “I sense there’s more to the story than that. You can tell me all about it when you’re ready. For now, I look forward to your project.” She handed Nia a paper. “Here’s the guidelines.”

“Thanks.” Nia walked out, feeling as if she’d failed a test. Again. Why was it so hard to tell people the truth about her anointing as a healer? No wonder God had changed his mind. If she couldn’t tell people about it, she didn’t deserve it. Especially here. If anyone would understand, it would be other Christians, right?