Part II: Making Plans

“Well I think he finally put that together,” Shelby interrupted my thoughts, allowing the blush to pass quickly. “Anyway, I have to run to Walmart, but I couldn't stand to be this close and not at least say hello to my roomie! But I guess we'll have to catch up when you get back tomorrow. Looks like people are clearing out, so I better do the same. See ya!”

My fun-loving roommate had become my one of my dearest friends over the course of the 3 previous semesters. We made a rather odd pair at times, her 6-foot frame towering over my stubby self, but we had become like sisters, knowing each others deepest thoughts and most annoying quirks. It was so good to see her after the long break, even for a quick moment, and since she didn't seem to make anything of the more-than-brief encounter that had just happened, I decided to likewise let it pass without giving it much more thought.

The rest of the retreat passed with the usual balance of “meetings” and social time (which always seemed to blur together in the best of ways). I was surprised to find myself sharing a booth with Dan and several others at the local ice cream parlor prior to one of our brainstorming sessions that evening. We all chattered on about our trips home, and I was intrigued by his tales from California. It was such a foreign place to me and seemed like a warm, tropical paradise compared to my cold, snowy Missouri home. He talked about trips to the beach with his little sisters, both of which he seemed to be missing dearly now that he was back in frozen farmland. I'm sure the others sitting at the table had plenty of conversation to contribute, but my head seemed a little foggy that night. Why did I find this guy so fascinating?

The next day, we all headed back to campus, ready to begin a new semester. I was eager to make it back to the dorm to see Megan & Lori, two of my other dear friends that lived just across the hall from Shelby and me. The four of us were rather inseparable, and having friends like that was exactly why leaving home got a little easier each time.

Before we knew it, we had our first week of classes under our belts. As the weekend approached, I prepared for yet another busy one. Part of my role on the campus ministries team was to plan a Freshman retreat, which I had spent a good deal of time on. It would be taking place at a camp ground up in Spirit Lake, IA, a little over an hour from school. The problem was, I was required to be at another retreat about 3 hours south in Omaha, NE for my upcoming summer missions trip. The logistics were going to be tricky, but I had figured out a way to make it work.

So by Friday afternoon, I had packed my bags and my trunk. I headed over to the vans where the rest of the SOS team (Summer of Service – the missions team) was gathering to head south. I needed to talk to our leader one more time to make sure I had all the details and directions correct, but when I couldn't find Jill, I bumped into Dan once again. He was the student leader for SOS, having spent the summer before in Africa, and he wanted to make sure I had all the information. He double checked that I had the right phone number and address, and verified at least twice what time I thought I'd be arriving.

“I'm really sorry this is such a hassle for your guys,” I began to apologize. I hated making things complicated.

“It's really no big deal. I just wanted to make sure you feel good about everything. I know that's a long drive. Just be sure and check in when you're on your way. I'll be waiting for you when you get there...to make sure you get in alright and everything.”

He'll be waiting for me?? I wondered to myself. That was awfully nice. But he was probably just trying to be a good leader. I'm sure if it was anyone else, he'd do the same thing. Right?

“Well we'll see you later! Hope everything goes well with your retreat, too,” he said, turning to head back towards the group. “And – be careful, okay?” he added.

“Yeah, of course. See you guys later,” I said, puzzling at his concern. And with that, the SOS team piled into the vans, and I fired up my trusty old car to head in the opposite direction.