She shook her head again and continued.
“We’ll work out the details, but everyone has agreed to the terms we asked for. I just need to get your signatures on these documents.”
Ms. Dixon handed them first to Lacy, who signed, and then to my mom and dad. Then she had Pam and me sign to affirm our acceptance.
I sat there and wondered what I did after this? Was this like winning the Super Bowl, and you said you were going to Disney World? Maybe I should get a sweatshirt made as we did when we won State. I could see it now: “I Survived My First Scandal!” Honestly, I never wanted to go through something like this again. I didn’t need a t-shirt to remind me of that.
◊◊◊
Junior Year: Winter
Table of Contents:
Interlude
Chapter 1 – I Would Find Ways to be Me
Chapter 2 – Mmmm, Pork
Chapter 3 – Was it Something I Said?
Chapter 4 – I Can Do This All Day
Chapter 5 – Dr. Love
Chapter 6 – That’s Why We Play These Games
Chapter 7 – Nobody Taught Us to Quit
Chapter 8 – If I Weren’t Careful
Chapter 9 – So How Soon Can You Start
Chapter 10 – I Will Dare
Chapter 11 – Don’t Forget About Me
Chapter 12 – You’re a Manipulative Little …
Chapter 13 – A Bad Rendition of A Christmas Carol
Chapter 14 – Sometimes You Just Need to be the Hero
Chapter 15 – I Think I’m Going to Like it Here
Chapter 16 – This is Going to Hurt
Chapter 17 – Damn, David!
Chapter 18 – Searching for Clarity
Chapter 19 – Release the Hound
Chapter 20 – Don’t Say It Unless You Mean It
Chapter 21 – To Wish Impossible Things
Chapter 22 – You Gave Your Word
Chapter 23 – Man of My Word?
Chapter 24 – Don’t Take Me For Granted
Chapter 25 – Best Christmas Present Ever
Chapter 26 – I and Love and You
Chapter 27 – Three, Two, One … Launch
Chapter 28 – Just Enjoy What Comes to You
Chapter 29 – The Tale of Two Premieres
Chapter 30 – It’s All Fun and Games Until …
Chapter 31 – My Path in Life
Table of Contents:
Interlude
Chapter 1 – I Would Find Ways to be Me
Chapter 2 – Mmmm, Pork
Chapter 3 – Was it Something I Said?
Chapter 4 – I Can Do This All Day
Chapter 5 – Dr. Love
Chapter 6 – That’s Why We Play These Games
Chapter 7 – Nobody Taught Us to Quit
Chapter 8 – If I Weren’t Careful
Chapter 9 – So How Soon Can You Start
Chapter 10 – I Will Dare
Chapter 11 – Don’t Forget About Me
Chapter 12 – You’re a Manipulative Little …
Chapter 13 – A Bad Rendition of A Christmas Carol
Chapter 14 – Sometimes You Just Need to be the Hero
Chapter 15 – I Think I’m Going to Like it Here
Chapter 16 – This is Going to Hurt
Chapter 17 – Damn, David!
Chapter 18 – Searching for Clarity
Chapter 19 – Release the Hound
Chapter 20 – Don’t Say It Unless You Mean It
Chapter 21 – To Wish Impossible Things
Chapter 22 – You Gave Your Word
Chapter 23 – Man of My Word?
Chapter 24 – Don’t Take Me For Granted
Chapter 25 – Best Christmas Present Ever
Chapter 26 – I and Love and You
Chapter 27 – Three, Two, One … Launch
Chapter 28 – Just Enjoy What Comes to You
Chapter 29 – The Tale of Two Premieres
Chapter 30 – It’s All Fun and Games Until …
Chapter 31 – My Path in Life
Next Book in The Series
Notes from Author
Interlude Zoe Pearson
Growing up a Mennonite made it hard sometimes to make friends. People have many misconceptions about our religion, and those misconceptions make some of them wary of us. I guess before I go too far, I should clarify some things.
Let’s start with what we’re not. People seem to think Mennonites and Amish are the same. We’re not. We both come from the same Anabaptist branch of religion that was founded in the 16th century. There are differences in how we look at our Christian values. The Amish try to separate themselves from everyone else. They generally shun modern technology, keep out of political and secular involvements, and dress plainly. Mennonites, on the other hand, drive cars, wear regular clothes, and are actively involved in their communities.
Another common misconception is that we are some kind of cult or closed community. We do have a strong sense of family and community that comes with our religious beliefs. But at the same time, we welcome others to join us in our pursuit of finding God’s purpose for us. We believe in healing and hope, and we strive for grace, joy, and peace. I guess our main goals might be condensed to peacemaking, service to others, and living a holy, Christ-centered life.
Now let me explain what we are. We are Christians. We believe in the trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In many ways, we are like other Christian religions like Catholics and Protestants. We are Anabaptist, or as some call us, ‘rebaptizers.’
During the 16th century, those who founded our faith broke away from the state religion’s practice of baptizing infants. They reasoned that only adults could make the decision to follow Jesus Christ and volunteer to be baptized. So they ‘rebaptized’ as adults those whom the Church had already baptized as babies. Back then it was considered heresy to rebaptize. Anabaptists were persecuted and even killed for that belief.
Because of the persecution, many fled Europe for the freedom of the Americas. Given that experience, it was only natural for us to congregate within our own communities for protection. That might be where people get the idea we aren’t like others. It’s not so different from other groups of people that live in communities. I would bet people can point to Chinatown or Little Italy areas in their city.
With that being said about how we are open and enlightened, I grew up feeling isolated. I lived on a farm with my brother and parents. I’m sure many farm kids feel the same. For us, though, there was only one way in and out of the group of Mennonite farms, and that seemed to add to our isolation. As with many small farms, money was always in short supply. That meant there were no trips to town for trivial things like hanging out at the mall or going to the movies. We found ways to get by. Of course, we canned much of our food, made our clothes, and learned to create gifts with our hands.