16

Tanya pulled into the parking lot of the mall and pointed at a store front. “Right there it is. Helping Hands.”

“Great.” Nia had a bad feeling. But having a soup kitchen at a mall wasn’t that bizarre, was it?

When they opened the door at least fifteen people sat at the oblong tables eating. Two people hurried around with pots and ladles serving them.

A woman spied them and gave them a wave. A moment later she walked over. “Welcome to Helping Hands.” The woman was older—at least forty—but that didn’t stop her from having bright pink hair with lots of jewelry hanging around her neck. “I’m Sunny. Are you here to eat? Because we have plenty.”

“That’s a cool name,” Tanya said. “I wish I had a name like that. I’m Tanya, I called about volunteering here.”

“My real name is Sunshine and yes, my parents were hippies. Of course, they deny that now but you can’t change history, no matter how much you want to.” She grinned as she fiddled with her necklace. “And believe me they want to. They’re two of the most straight-laced people you’d ever run into these days.”

Nia smiled. “I guess that happens.”

“I’m so glad you girls picked us to do your volunteer hours. We’ve never had anyone from St. Johns before, so this might be the beginning of a good thing. You can either wash dishes in the kitchen or clean tables.”

“I’ll wash dishes,” Nia said.

“Guess that leaves me to clean tables.”

Walking into the kitchen, Nia stared at the huge pile of dishes.

A woman who looked to be in her thirties was already washing.

“Hi, I’m Nia. Want me to dry?”

“That would be great. We don’t actually have enough plates so I’m trying to keep up with the demand. I’m Lucy.” She lifted her hands out of the soapy water. “I’d shake, but it’s probably not a good idea.”

“No problem.”

“So what brings you here, Nia?”

Nia picked up a dish towel and started drying a plate. “Oh. It’s for my volunteer hours at St. John’s College.”

“That’s wonderful, my dear. I always wished I’d gone to college.”

“It’s not too late.”

The woman laughed. “I think that ship has sailed.”

A half-hour later, Sunny walked up to her. “Nia, can I talk with you for a minute?”

“Sure. I’ll be back later, Lucy.”

“Okie dokie.”

Sunny led her to a small room off the kitchen with two round tables and very little else. “This is the break room. It gives our volunteers a little privacy and a place to sit down and rest for a few minutes, but we also use it for private conferences. They work so hard so they deserve it.”

“They sure do. Lucy’s been washing dishes for the past two hours.” Without waiting for an invitation, Nia sat. Her feet were throbbing. She hadn’t known drying dishes could be such hard work.

Sunny moved a chair so it was directly in front of Nia. When she sat, they were knee to knee. Sunny grabbed her hands. “I…we need to talk.” Her tone was intense.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“Not at all. I saw it as soon as you walked in today, but I didn’t want to say anything in front of your friend.”

Nia stared at her, not sure what Sunny was talking about. “Saw what?”

“I kept an eye on you while you were washing dishes, and I’m absolutely sure I’m right.”

“Sure of what?”

Sunny gave an enigmatic smile. “I have special abilities that allow me to see…certain things.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s one of my gifts. I can sense the energy that surrounds each of us.”

Nia didn’t believe in such things. But Auntie had taught her not to be rude to people when they talked about their beliefs so she simply said, “Oh. That’s interesting.”

“More than you know.” Sunny rolled her eyes. “I see that you’re a very special person. You’re surrounded with a healing aura.”

Nia couldn’t catch her breath. “Really?” Nia wished that were true.

“Absolutely. No doubt about it.” Sunny fussed with her pink hair. “In fact, it’s quite strong. But I also have a feeling you aren’t all that surprised to hear that, are you?”

“That’s not true. I’m very surprised.”

“Perhaps surprised that I know but not surprised by the word ‘healing.’ You, my sweet new friend, are a very special person. You have a wonderful gift. I am absolutely sure of that.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“I do, but I also sense that you’re struggling with it.”

That wasn’t a topic she wanted to discuss. She stood. “I better get back. Lucy needs some help.”

Sunny grabbed her hands. “I want to help you with that struggle. I want to make it easier for you. I want to help you help other people.”

Nia sat back down. “I don’t understand.”

“Oh, I think you do. I believe you have a very special gift. A gift of healing. That’s why you walked through that door today. So I could help you find it. You were meant to come here.”

If it were true, then she still had a place at Puzzle House. Maybe Sunny knew something she didn’t. “Do you really think you can help me?”

“Absolutely. I know I can help you access your power.” She smiled. “I went through struggles as well with my own gift. It’s not easy being given a gift that so many people misunderstand. But I found my way and so will you.”

“How?”

“You need to learn to access your own…own sense of divinity—your power. It’s really quite sad that so many people go around thinking they have no power. If they only believed that they had the power to change their lives then we wouldn’t need soup kitchens any longer.”

“I suppose that’s true.” But Rachel had said she didn’t have any power. That she was simply the cord relaying God’s power. “But I’m not sure I understand.”

“Of course not. You can’t be expected to understand it. Yet.” Sunny patted her hand. “It’ll take a few sessions, but I can teach you how to access your healing power so you can use it to help others. Would you like that?”

Of course she’d like that, but the things Sunny was saying didn’t make a lot of sense. But what did she know? It couldn’t hurt to try, could it? She made up her mind. “What do I need to do?”

“We can have the first session right now and hopefully another one tomorrow. We can’t let the power dissipate by waiting until next week. Each session will activate your power more and more. So the more sessions, the more power.”

“I don’t think I can do that. I don’t have a car. I came with my roommate today, but I’m pretty sure she won’t bring me tomorrow.”

“Not a problem. I’ll make sure someone picks you up. And if you like, you can come to our morning service on Sunday and then we can have a private session afterward. We need to get your power activated.”

Her power? It was God’s power. “I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”

“Wonderful. We don’t do this type of thing very often, but you are so special we have to help you find your power. I think you’ll do great things for Helping Hands.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean how amazing it would be that you could heal some of the people who come here. Do you have any idea how much our ministry would grow? Anyway, you can decide about tomorrow after the session. I’ll leave it up to you, but I really can help you with the struggle you’re going through. If you let me. Shall we start?”

“I guess.”

“Close your eyes.”

Nia did as she was directed.

“Imagine you’re floating.” Her voice turned quiet, almost a musical quality. “You are surrounded by blue sky. Think of nothing. There is only you and the blue sky and the warmth of the yellow sun. Breathe deeply of the blue. It fills you with calmness and peace…”

***

Tanya slopped water on yet another table as she watched Nia walked into a room with Sunny. Just her luck that she was out here slaving away Nia got to take a break with the boss. Everyone loved sweet Nia. Even Dr. Danforth.

Tanya glared at the closed door for a moment and then shrugged. Oh well. At least it was two hours less of volunteering. Not that she’d come back here—way too much work. Turning her attention back to the table, she scrubbed at a stubborn spot—dried chili or maybe spaghetti. Who knew? It was something red. Probably someone’s blood.

A teen-aged girl walked up to her. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail on top of her head. She held a pot and ladle. “And I thought my job was bad. Yours looks worse.”

“I think you’re right. Guess I should have gotten here earlier if I didn’t want to work so hard.”

“I don’t mind the hard work. It’s God’s work.”

Another Jesus freak. Wasn’t it bad enough she had to deal with them at college? “I guess. Hey, I saw Sunny and my friend go in that room over there. Is that the break room? I thought I’d take one in a little bit.”

“It is the break room, but they don’t like us to take a break while we’re still serving. See that yellow scarf hanging on the door? That means there’s a meditation session or a conference or something going on in there. Definitely a no-no to interrupt. Sunny gets quite irate if we do that.”

A meditation session? Nia didn’t seem the type. But then again, it got her out of working so not a bad idea. Maybe she’d try it next time. If there was a next time. “Thanks. That’s good to know.” Forty-five minutes later, Tanya sat down at a table. Her back and feet were killing her from lugging the bucket of water around. This was definitely a one-time thing. There had to be an easier job to volunteer for.

She glared at the yellow scarf still in the door knob. Must be great to take a nice long break and mediate while she was out here working her fingers to the bone.

***

“Nia.”

Nia opened her eyes, startled by the sharpness of the voice.

Sunny dropped her hands. “That went very well. How do you feel?”

“I feel…” How did she feel? Completely rested and at peace. “Amazing, actually. What happened? Did I fall asleep? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”

“You didn’t fall asleep, but you went to your place of power. Lots of people say that it feels like sleeping, but it’s so much more than that. A few more sessions and you’ll be well on your way to becoming the healer you were born to be.”

“You really think so?”

“Absolutely. Shall I come to get you tomorrow for another session?”

She had a ton of studying to do, but tomorrow was Saturday. There wasn’t any reason she couldn’t fit a session in, and she could always study more on Sunday. “Sure.”

“Oh…by the way. It might be better if we keep these sessions private.”

“You mean not tell anyone. Why?”

“Some people might not understand what we’re trying to do. And others will be downright jealous of you and your gift. Such negativity will only block your power. I don’t want you exposed to any more negativity than you’ve already been. It’s part of the reason you’re struggling with your gift.”

Rachel had always said it was God’s power. It seemed odd, but what did she know about it? And one thing was true—every time she’d talked to someone about her gift it hadn’t gone well. “I guess that would be OK.”

“I wouldn’t tell Tanya, either. Maybe later, but right now, let’s keep our sessions between us. All right?”

Nia shrugged. “If you say so.”