"Celeste, really that's not necessary. You are a guest." "Vicki, I really need to do something. I feel useless here. I use to wait tables in college." "If it is alright with Tracy." I gave Vicki a quick hug and marched back into the kitchen. Everyone became quiet, a repeat of my first encounter with the women, the difference being that they continued to work careful not to burn any of the food or make a mess while dishing food into serving plates. Somehow I had to get everyone to stop feeling so awkward around me. I wasn't like the health inspector or their boss that would fire them. "I came to help." silence. An older lady step forward, who i assumed to be Tracy. "No offense dearie but do you anything about working in a kitchen?" "Three years busting my butt waiting tables while I studied in college." i said confidently. "If I could work in the city, I'm sure serving food to your family will be a piece of cake." that got some of the ladies to snicker. Tracy eyes gleamed with amusement, "We shall see. Susie give Ms. Celeste an apron." I tied the apron around my waist quickly and washed my hands. I began helping the ladies put the foods in several of the containers. I worked alongside Natalie whom I met earlier. I started asking questions about this place to see if I would get the same answers I got from Vicki. She was a wealth of knowledge. Although Vicki describe this place as self sufficient, Natalie informed me that people were free to come and go as they wanted. That was a huge relief. She said every weekend a bunch of the young people would go into the city and party staying at one of the few apartments they owned downtown. She also told me that once kids were done with school most went away to college. Some would come back while others decided to move away. So maybe this wasn't some crazy hippie commune that demanded everyone to eat, live, and work here. Finally time for dinner and the noise level in the kitchen had nothing on the deafening noises coming from the dining hall. Because we cut the tour short, I never did the tour of the house so I wasn't sure what the dining hall looked liked. The sounds coming from the dining hall were intimidating, kids laughing and screaming, men yelling over one another to be heard, giggling and high pitched sounds of young girls and boys, babies crying, and moms yelling at the kids to stopping running. Maybe I spoke too soon. Maybe this wasn't going to be a piece of cake. I was in the last group of women servicing food with Natalie. "Stay close Celeste, and you will do fine." Natalie shot me a reassuring smile and I smiled in return. Ok here goes nothing. The double doors opened and the scene that unfolded in front of my eyes was nothing short of a mad house. I was rooted to the floor not wanting to move. My thoughts of a dining hall with a long table and everyone sitting in their chairs and talking vanished before me. Because in front of me was utter chaos. There were tables everywhere, and people littered the floor. No one was civilized and eating a well prepared meal. The total opposite. Kids zooming around the tables. People standing around the tables laughing and talking. Everyone seemed to be enjoying each other company. They walked around with plates in their hands eating, talking, and communing with each other. I saw a few of the ladies from the kitchen being snuggled and kissed by who I assumed were their husbands or boyfriends. People who opted to sit at the tables were older people, moms with young children, and kids. I watched as a boy snuck up on girl snatching food off her plate. She squealed and a chase ensue around the dining hall. "Celeste, come on follow me. We are serving the last group of tables." Natalie snapped me out of my daze and step forward into the room. I had a couple of near collisions with running kids raising my arms above my head so that my serving dish didn't end up on the floor. I stuck close to Natalie and we finally made it to a set of empty tables full of hungry men. As soon as we placed the serving dishes down the food was immediately gobbled up as they grabbed the serving spoons and piled food onto their plates. I quickly step back out of the way so not to be bowled over. Natalie was giggling at the expression on my face when I heard a shrieking noise. "Luna! You shouldn't be serving food to these hungry dogs." at first it took a second to realize that the older woman was speaking to me. Luna? Why did she call me that? Her statement was like a bomb that went off in the room. All of sudden the room turned deathly quiet and all eyes turned on me. If I thought it was weird when the women all stared at me in the kitchen, this was downright scary. Hundreds of eyes stared and all conversations and movements stopped. It was like everyone was frozen in time. I chewed on my bottom lip nervously and shifted back and forth on my feet. I looked around and again eyes hit the floor. What the hell is wrong with these people. "Everyone, this is Celeste." thank god it was a familiar voice. Vicki came up beside me wrapping her arms around me. "Smile they won't bite." she chuckled. I plastered a weak smile on my face still overwhelmed and a little scared. I waved my hand in the air, "Hi Everybody, I'm Celeste." once the words were out of my mouth the room exploded in shouts of warm greetings. I was then overran by people coming up introducing themselves and giving me hugs. This went on for the next hour, some people rushed up to me knocking each other out ofnthe way fighting for my attention. I was bombarded by questions of Colin, was he ok, how did he sound, and did I think he could be found. The kids wanted to hear details about how I got away more specifically about the car chase, Then the inevitable, personal questions about myself, which I tried to keep vague and always tried to redirect by asking them personal question about themselves. By the end of the hour I felt so much love and haven't laughed so hard at some of the antics of the people. They were a lively and animated group of people and they function like a family. Although I enjoyed my time with them, I way dying to escape back to my room and rest. Vicki must have picked up on my feelings because she shooed everyone away and lead me out of there. "Welcome to our family. I hope it wasn't too much." "No, I'm fine. Everyone seems great. Thanks for helping me escape, Vicki." "You looked like you needed a break. Plus I know what its like meeting them for the first time." "Oh so you weren't raised here?" "Naw, I met Dylan a few year back and moved here to be with him." "How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" "Twenty-five." Oh so she was a few years older than me. "Well I see you in the morning. If you needed anything just grab anybody and they will help. You will find that there is always someone up and about at all times of the day." "Any word on Colin?" "Not yet." "Thanks Vicki." I trudged up the stairs through the kitchen up the three flights to my room. My room. I've only been here a day and I was already referring to it as my room. I pulled off colin's clothes and left them in a pile in the closet. I notice that the clothes I picked out were already hanging next to his in the closet and upon closer inspection a couple of drawers were dedicated to my underwear and night clothes. I shrugged it off, I will deal with it tomorrow. Right now I wanted to take a shower and sleep. Thoughts of the bed put a smile on my face.