A New Zealand Mormon Girls Holiday In Utah
Chapter One: Today is going to be a horrible one, I thought as we traveled along a long road that was placed between two paddocks, which had grass that looked like straw. I gazed out of the window of the bus I was in and looked at the swaying trees nearby. I really wish I were home now I thought as I tackled the handles of my bag to open it up. I pulled out the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ, and started to read. Why did god send me so far away?, what am I meant to do here?. Those were the questions I had trouble finding answers for. As we turned into a little town, I felt calmness coming over me. I felt like I was home, even though I wanted to be really where my family are. I looked at a store as we drove passed. Two ladies were talking like chickens and the men stood beside them looking as if they are dogs on a chain wanting to be released. When we reached the bus station, I stood up and walked out side the bus. I grabbed my luggage and walked to a near by seat. I hope this is worth the travel I wondered as I looked around the foreign land. I listened to the American accent, and looked at the people greeting each other. I stood and walked towards the shop when I heard someone yell out to me, “ Excuse me!, excuse me!” A young girl called out, I turned to see a little red head girl run towards me, “ Are you Sister Shirley?” She stood to me looking at my face, her voice was American and deep toned, “Yes I am.” I smiled as I picked up my suitcase, “ My Mom is in the car waiting for you. She told me to welcome you to Utah. I hope you like it here?.” She took my hand and led me to a white car, with a blonde woman smiling at us. She got out of the car and walked towards me. “ Hello Sister Shirley. I am Mary Fairbanks, my daughter Alanna is the one who picked you up. Please put your luggage in the boot. I have started dinner at my home, I hope you like casseroles?” She said as she helped me put my last bag in, “ Oh, yes I used to make them at my home. My mother taught me how.” I said as I closed the boot and walked to the passenger door. “ Sister, I think you might actually like to sit on this side because that’s the drivers door. Remember you are in the USA now.” I felt my face go red as I looked at the steering wheel on my side. “ Oh, sorry I’m used to the New Zealand cars.” I walked to the other side and said to Alanna “ You can sit next to your mum ok?” I said as I opened the other passenger door, she looked at me funny as she hoped into the front passenger seat, “ Mom what did she say?” She asked as she put her seat belt on, “She said ‘ Mom’ she says it different to us, because they pronounce it differently.” She nodded as we took off out of the parking spaces. I watched out of the window as we traveled along a desert road. All I could see were mountain ranges that were dry and really rusty looking. I looked at my watch as it said twelve PM. “ What is the time here?” I asked as we pulled into a driveway, “ It’s only four o’clock. Didn’t you change your time? Before you left?” She asked as she took mail out of the letterbox, “ No, being a really forgetful person. I guess I better do it now or I will be going to bed when your family gets up in the morning.” I smiled as Alanna laughed at me, “ She talks funny” Mary looked at her daughter and shook her head as we took off along a gravel road. I fell asleep as we traveled along the road. I awoke as we slowed down to a stop. I undone my belt and took my jersey of for it was getting hot. “ Home sweet home.” Mary said as she stepped out of the car and opened the boot, I looked through the window to see two little boys, run out of the open front door, “ Mama!, Mama!” they grabbed their mothers leg and hugged her, “ Sister Shirley, meet my youngest twin sons, Peter and John,” She took my bags inside and called out to someone, “ Hello, how are you two going,” they looked at me and then turned and ran inside. I thought definitely scared of me and slowly walked towards the front door, I stopped and turned around to see another little girl looking at me, “ Hi. What’s your name?” I smiled, “ hello, my names Anna-lee. Why do you talk funny?” She asked as she walked towards me, “ I’m from another country. Have you heard a place called New Zealand?” I said as we walked to the front door, “ No, is it in Australia?” She asked as she went in the door first, “ It’s a little Island near Antarctica.” As I walked through the door a heard a growl, then I heard barking then I heard feet running towards me, “ Judah, sit!,” I turned to see a man sitting at the table, “ Don’t mind him, he always does that to new people.” I smiled, and started to laugh, “ Elder Fairbanks, long time no see.” I shook his hand, “ call me Jared, now ok” he said as he sat back down on his seat, “ You have surely changed from what I remember you to be” I said as I sat down on a nearby chair, “ That happens when you have children. Anyway I haven’t seen you in six years. How old are you now?” He asked as he sipped his orange juice, “ I’m eighteen now. I’m turning nineteen in December.” I said as Mary poured me a drink, “ Of course, that’s why you look much older.” He said as he stood up, “ I hope you like my little haven, I have to go and feed the dogs. See you at supper time.” He walked out the back door. “So you did know him, huh?, was he a good Elder?.” Mary asked as she sat down with one of her sons, “ He sure was, one of the best. My mum has a photo of him when he was serving his mission in my home town.” I sipped my orange drink and looked around the house, “ I’m glad you have come to stay with us. It will be great to have some form of outside contact. I was cleaning the storage room while I was in the mode, my kids were at School and Jarred was at work, I found his old Bible and I started to read some of the passages. That’s when I found your family’s things they have written and what you had written. I really felt happy that he knew you and your family. I tried to talk to your mother but she said that you were at the army maybe that I should talk to you, because your mother had been really busy when I rang up. That’s how I come to ask you to come here to America.” She stood and put her sleeping son in a bedroom and came back and sat down, “ I needed to get away from the Army. I hope I won’t be too much of a hassle.” “ No you wont. It’s Saturday, so what do you want to do?” “ I don’t know, have you started dinner?” She shook her head, “ well let me help you.” After preparing dinner we sat back down, I took my handbag and pulled out my wallet. I opened it up and took out a picture of my two brothers. “ That’s Mark and that’s Scott. Mark’s sixteen now and Scott’s fourteen.” She smiled as she looked at the front door and stood up, “ Hello Luke, how are you.” I still sat there drinking my drink, I heard a deep voice reply to Mary’s question, “ I’m good, where’s Jarred?” He asked as he sat down on the other side of the table, “ Feeding the dogs. Luke this is Sister Shirley,” I stood and turned to him, “ Please call me Mena, I am not on a mission Mary.” I shook his hand and smiled, “ Oh, sorry Mena. I’m just used to it that’s all,” She walked over to the oven and stirred the casserole. “ Where did you get this one Mary?, she sounds foreign.” He smiled at me while he placed his hat on the table, “ I am from New Zealand.” I said as I smiled back, “ Oh, a Kiwi. My brother Jarred served there. Your that girl with the two brothers and a mom that fights with swords?.” He said as he lent forward and placed his head on his hands, “ Yes, but I was a girl back then, stupid and, well just plain stupid.” “I think stupid girls are immature. I only like ones that were them but now beautiful and wise now.” I said as he smiled at Anna as she looked around the corner of the wall. She ran to him and sat on his knee. “ Luke, please save your speeches for when you go on your mission, and go and get your brother. Anna go wash your hands and get your brothers and sister.” She jumped down and ran out of the room, Luke stood and put his hat back on a walked out of the front door. “ Don’t worry about him. He thinks that because his brother went on the mission, that he went on one, and as you know all girls want a return missionary.” I smiled. She served the plates up with the casserole and a thunder of running children stormed through the house. The two men walked through the front door and sat down. When everyone was seated the smell of casserole floated around the room, the two boys were fighting over a fork and the two girls were looking at me and then laughing. Jarred grunted and then the children lent their head forward as we began to pray. After praying everyone started to eat. Luke was getting cheeky to Alanna and she was hitting him back, Peter was pulling Johns hair, Jarred and Mary were talking to each other. As for me I just sat there eating my food listening to the commotion. “ So Mena, how come you are not on a mission?” Luke asked me as he put a slice of bread into his food, “ I decided to save up two years worth of money enough to by a house and things while my future husband goes back to Uni. Lucky I still have a job to support me while I’m in Utah.” I did a sly smile and started to eat the rest of my food. Anna stood and started to collect the empty plates, thanked her and stood to pick up my plates, “ Don’t do that, leave that for the two eldest. They do the dishes on Saturday.” Luke said.He smiled as he lifted Peter and John down from their chairs and watched them race to their room. Anna and Alanna were doing the dishes, chatting away. I stood and walked to the lounge and turned the Television. I was surprised at the different programs they have on their TV. I sat down on the chair and changed the channel to a movie. Jarred and Mary went for a walk on the farm. “ Can I sit here?” Luke asked as I nodded. He sat down next to me. “ So, what do you do as a living?” I asked him during a commercial, “ I work herding Cattle over cross country. I’m saving to go on a mission.” He said as he scratched his head, “ How old are you Luke?” I asked as Anna and Alanna walked in, “ He’s eighteen, same age as you. Uncle can I sit on your knee again?” Anna asked as Alanna laid on the floor. “ Yup.” He said and Anna jumped on his legs. Peter and John walked in rubbing their eyes. Luke stood and took both their hands and led them to their room. “ he likes you,” Alanna said as she sat next to Anna, “ Yeah, he does,” Anna replied, “ No he doesn’t ok, besides I’m not looking for anyone” I stood and walked towards the door, I turned to see Anna and Alanna giggling, “ What is it?” I asked, “ Do you know where your room is?” They asked looking at each other. “ No, could you show me?” I asked, Anna nodded at Alanna. They led me to the hallway as Luke walked passed, muttering goodnight. They showed me a door, and opened it up, “ This is your room.” They took my bags, which were by the door and dropped them on the floor, “ Goodnight,” Anna closed the door. I listen to hear them giggling back down the hallway. I looked around the room to see pictures of cows and cowboys. Over in the corner was a pair of boots and a hat. I thought must be just junk and I changed into my satin nightie and jumped into bed. I feel asleep. Mean while Luke walked along the hallway, stopped to turn and say goodnight to Anna and Alanna in their bedrooms talking. He walked to his room and opened the door. He doesn’t bother to turn on the light so he took off his T-shirt and his pants. He noticed a smell of perfume and laughed silently. He thought Anna and Alanna had been in his room again. He walked over to his boots and hat to lay his belt on the nearby shelve. On the floor near the shelf was a purple colored lace bra. He held it up in the moonlight and shook his head. He thought the girls had left Mary’s bra in his room, even though he had never seen it on the clothesline before. He walked to the other side of his bed and hoped in. He noticed his bed was warm and he slid in more and pulled the covers to his head. He smelt the perfume stronger and he felt along the bed. Some thing was there because he felt two legs, as he followed up hips and when he reached the top he pulled the blankets down and turned the lampshade on. I awoke and screamed I then jumped out of the bed and covered my body with my arms so that he wouldn’t see my nightie. “ What are you doing in here Luke?!” I asked standing by the wall, “ Um, Mena this is my room,” he said sitting up in the bed, “ Those girls said that this was my room I’m staying in,” I said as I started to calm down, “ I think they were playing you around.” He said smiling, “ What’s so funny?,” I asked picking up my bra and clothes off the floor and stuffing them into my bag. “ Oh, jeez, I’m sorry” I said as I stood,looking a Luke laugh at me. He got out of the bed and picked my bag up and walked towards another door, “ I will show you where your room is, its right through here,” He turned the handle and it opened into another room, “ I am so embarrassed.” I covered my face as we walked through the door, “ Well, the girls were right at which door you should first go through, but they didn’t tell you that you have to walk through my room to get to yours. They haven’t built another door yet towards the hall way, so you have to go through my room.” “ That’s fine. Does the door have a lock on it, just to stop people coming in when I’m asleep or getting changed?.” I said jumping into the bed after Luke put my bags down on the chair by a window, “ Yeah, it does, especially to protect you from guys like me. Just kidding.” He said walking out of the room closing the door. I pulled the blankets up around my head and fell asleep. Tommorrows going to be fun, I thought.
Copyright © 2002 Alicia Marlene Dean-Hunter |