LYCEUM Book One: Lyceum Quest by J. Z. Colby - HTML preview

Chapter 43: The Long-Awaited Decision

Shawn and Brother Jacob were sitting in the lobby outside the conference room where the evaluation team was meeting when nine o’clock arrived on Monday morning. A couple of minutes later the door opened and Brother Howard stepped out.

“Good morning, Shawn and Jacob. Come on in,” he said without quite looking directly at them.

In the conference room, the ten members of the evaluation team were seated at four tables that formed a loose square, each with notebooks and files spread out before them. Everyone exchanged greetings, and Shawn and Jacob sat down in some empty chairs at the table closest to the door. Brother Howard sat near them. Shawn and Sarah flashed each other smiles.

“We know the waiting was terrible,” Brother Howard said, “but we had to put this meeting off until the other prospective members had headed home.”

Shawn could appreciate that need, but he wondered why the meeting could now take place when two other prospective members were still at Lyceum. “Oh, I didn’t mind,” he said. “Yesterday was the Lord’s day, and I had a lot of praying to do.”

“Thank you for understanding and making good use of the time. The evaluation team is aware of your correspondence with Brother Jacob, and of how your father tried to force you to return home, which led to a number of non-resident Lyceum members shuttling you across the country.”

“I’d be glad to pay back that expense as soon as I am able...”

Brother Howard cut him off with a finger to his lips.

Lyceum Quest 474

“We were glad to be able to help, and you don’t owe us a thing. The team has also taken into account all of our observations of you during the sessions of the evaluation week you just completed, all of your test results, and a number of other observations and opinions.”

“Your process is very thorough,” Shawn said, just looking for some polite words to say. His throat was dry.

“Thank you. We are constantly trying to improve it. I have to tell you that we could not take into account the fact that you currently have no residence as we made our decision.”

“I understand,” he said, his throat beginning to swell even as he spoke.

“In your self-evaluation and final interview, you indicated that you were still interested in membership. We would now like to welcome you as a probationary member of Lyceum, Brother Shawn.”

Shawn’s face slowly lit up with the biggest, happiest smile it could hold.

He reached out and started shaking hands with Brother Howard, and the handshake became a clumsy embrace. Everyone in the room was smiling and clapping. As soon as Brother Howard let him go, he embraced Brother Jacob.

Shawn felt closer to tears of joy than ever before.

When he and Jacob separated, Sarah was standing before him.

“Welcome, Brother Shawn!”

He gently hugged the almost nine-year-old. “Thank you, Sister Sarah.”

After a moment they parted. He stood alone now and faced the evaluation team and his contact person.

“I am deeply honored to be a member of Lyceum. I will do everything I can to always remain worthy of that honor.”

At that moment the door opened and a lady entered.

“Is my timing okay?” she asked.

“Perfect,”

Howard

said.

“Shawn, I’m Sister Leonora. I’ll help you get your records and files all set up.”

“We have a request,” Brother Howard said. “Out of courtesy to your friends Liberty and Ashley, if you see either before we meet with them, please don’t say a thing. Let each of them complete this process for themselves.”

“I promise!” Shawn said with a grin.

Lyceum Quest 475

He spent the next few minutes shaking hands and sharing embraces with all the members of the evaluation team. Finally, at about 9:20, he left with Sister Leonora. On their way to the Main Lobby they passed Sister Nancy, Brenda, and Liberty. He just waved, but he knew he was still grinning from ear to ear, and couldn’t have done otherwise if he had tried.

He and Leonora entered the Main Office behind the Information Center.

It was one of many rooms at Lyceum he had not yet seen. All manner of desks and work tables, office machines and computers, record cabinets and book shelves filled the room, but with plenty of open space and a small lounge so that it didn’t at all feel crowded. They sat down at a desk with a sign that said Membership Records. On the desk was a computer console and some other small machines that Shawn didn’t recognize.

“We’ll start with your computer file. It will take a few days to get all your paperwork in order. This first area of your file is public information. Anyone in the world can see this stuff, without any password at all, so most members don’t put very much in there. It includes the name by which you are known at Lyceum, which can be your first name, your middle name, both, or a nickname. It should be unique. If we have any other member named Shawn, even if it’s spelled differently, then you’ll have to add something or use something else. Now in order to enter or change your name or any other information, you’ll have to choose a password, which lets you, and only you, into the private areas of your files...”



When Liberty, walking with her companion and her contact person toward the meeting with the evaluation team, passed Shawn in the corridor, she saw the grin on his face, and could only think of one reason that grin would be there. She was happy for him, but could feel two distinct reactions inside herself. The one she liked the most, the one that had been in control ever since successfully getting through the role play session, said, Relax, be calm and collected, let your stomach stay loose, everything is okay, if they accept you fine, if not something even better will come along.

But there was another voice inside her, not in control but definitely making itself known, that said, You blew it already, you blew it when you bad-mouthed that brat Sarah, you blew it when you went out on the streets

Lyceum Quest 476

of Philly, you blew it when you cut classes at all those schools, you blew it when you were born, and all the rest of this, all these chances you’ve had have just been a farce, a cruel joke.

She told that other voice to go away. She didn’t need it. After sitting down in the lobby, she took a deep breath, and let the feelings of the first voice fill her entire body, her entire mind... her entire spirit. That surprised her, that she would even conceive of herself as having a spirit. What would happen, she wondered, if she let that spirit guide her right now?

Spirit, please stay with that first voice. Tell that other voice to go to Hell.

Eyes still closed, she laughed out loud at the doubly appropriate meaning of Hell in her thoughts. Her friends looked at her, but seeing that her eyes were closed, didn’t interrupt.

Please, Spirit of mine, stay with that first voice. At least that gives me a chance...

No

problem.

Her eyes snapped open. She had heard those two words as clearly as if someone near had spoken them, but she also knew it hadn’t been either Nancy’s or Brenda’s voice. She could feel her heart racing, then slowing as she breathed deeply and got used to the idea that something... someone... had responded to her plea.

A few minutes later the door to the conference room opened and Brother Ben looked out.

“Come on in, ladies.”

Greetings were exchanged. Liberty saw that there was a smile on Sarah’s face. Brother Ben sat near and spoke, occasionally referring to his note pad.

“Liberty, the evaluation team knows of your correspondence with Sister Nancy, and about the little conflict you had with Sister Sarah before the evaluation week started. We have seen you learn to talk about and deal with some habits you learned on the streets. We know about the baking and other chores you did with Sister Brenda, and about the trouble you’ve had with your stomach and your efforts to deal with it. The one thing that does not form any part of our decision is the fact that your father is a U.S. senator.”

“I wouldn’t want it to. I know I have to stand on my own two feet,” she said.

Lyceum Quest 477

“Good. You wrote in your self-evaluation, and you told me on Saturday that you still wanted to be a member of Lyceum.”

“Yes,” Liberty said, her heart in her throat.

“Welcome, Sister Liberty!” he said, smiling.

Her mouth and eyes opened wide. “You mean I made it?”

“You certainly did! As with all new members, you will be re-evaluated after one year.”

“HOT DAMN!” she said, jumping up and immediately exchanging hugs and handshakes with everyone in the room. Her face contained the biggest smile it had ever held as she thanked each person. Eventually she came to Sarah.

“Welcome, Sister!” Sarah said, grinning.

“Thank you!” Liberty said. They embraced. “Thank you for not letting me get away with stupid things.”

“I do stupid things too sometimes,” Sarah said.

A few minutes later Liberty was informed that her father would be on a video SatLink from Moscow at exactly ten o’clock. Liberty danced around the room with excitement and couldn’t wait to tell him.

As ten o’clock neared, Liberty, Brenda, and Nancy got comfortable in a telecommunications booth and Nancy initiated the SatLink. Liberty could imagine, somewhere far overhead, the video signal being received by the North American Orbital Telecommunications Platform, then the North Atlantic Platform, then the European Platform, and finally by a ground station in Moscow. The image of a nice office came onto the screen, and a moment later her father sat down.

“Hi, Liberty! Any news?” he said.

“Hi Dad! I did it! I got accepted!”

“Well, well! That is really fantastic! I’d take you out to dinner, but you’ll have to take a rain check until I get back to your side of the world!”

“That’s okay. One thing I realized when you were here is that we all have to do what we have to do. You can’t sit around daddying me all the time. I have to live my own life. And I want to be strong, and smart, like you, and...

you know... world-class!”

He laughed. “If you are anything, Liberty, it is strong and smart. And it

Lyceum Quest 478

looks like you’re working on the ‘world-class’ now too.”

After father and daughter talked awhile longer, Sister Nancy described to the senator several more items of paperwork that she was sending to him. To Liberty’s relief, he had no problem with any of them, and promised to get them signed and notarized as soon as he got home...



Ashley had risen early that day, meeting Tabitha in the gym and getting a good conditioning workout and some tumbling practice before breakfast.

Now she had on her best clothes and was breathing deeply but slowly to keep herself from trembling too much as she waited with Tabitha and Sister Heather in the lobby.

The door opened. Sister Rachael invited them in.

Inside the conference room, Sarah was trying to keep a straight face, but wasn’t doing a very good job.

“Ashley,” Sister Rachael began, “the evaluation team has reviewed all your records from your first evaluation week, including all your letters to Sister Heather, both before your first visit, and between your visits. We have looked at the fruits of your two volunteer assignments and your educational assignment, and we have seen you deal with the passing away of Brother Ted, who had a key part to play in the course of these events, as you know.”

“I miss him,” Ashley said.

“We all do. I must say that Sarah and I especially, since we served on both evaluation teams, have seen you change, and grow, and deepen your sense of who you are and what your goals in life are. Two days ago you told me you still wanted to be a member of Lyceum, even after going through evaluation twice, and you said you’d do it a third time if necessary.”

Everyone in the room chuckled.

“Is that still true?”

“Oh, yes!” Ashley said, with all the courage she had ever put into anything.

“Well, the third time won’t be necessary. We would like to welcome you as a trial member of Lyceum, Sister Ashley!”

It took about a half second to soak in. Then Ashley shot several feet straight into the air, revealing her athletic abilities even though she was wearing a dress.

Lyceum Quest 479

“WHOOPEE!” she yelled.

Ashley literally bounced around the room shaking hands and hugging people. Never before had they seen so much excitement in so short and small a girl. It was many minutes before she settled down enough to hear Sister Heather trying to tell her that her parents had arranged to be at a televideo in five minutes.

“Thank you!” she said before leaving the room. “Thank you, all of you! I will never, ever let you down!”

Ashley and Tabitha practically did handsprings all the way to and across the Main Lobby, and would have if they had been in leotards. Sister Heather had a hard time keeping up. She steered them into a video booth before they caused too much of a scene.

The two girls bounced up and down in their chairs as Sister Heather tapped in the number that Ashley’s father had given her two days before. The living room of a family friend appeared on the screen, and there were her parents sitting on the couch.

“Hi Mom! Hi Dad! I’ve been accepted! I’m so excited! Thanks for letting me stay for the weekend! Now I can start my training again, INCLUDING

elite levels, and I can keep learning French, and I’m gonna take lots of history classes! Did you know I get college credit for all the classes here? And I’ll be working on my G.E.D., and there are TWO dance classes I want to take...”



By noon, Shawn had almost completed setting up his computer membership files with Sister Leonora, but Liberty and Ashley had barely gotten started. Both Shawn and Liberty chose to be identified by their first names alone, but Ashley found there was another Sister Ashley who was not currently a resident. She added her middle name.

Together with their contact persons and friends, they joined the nearly four hundred other members in the Dining Hall for lunch. As soon as everyone was settled, the announcer that day, Sister Maggie, stood and addressed the assembly.

“Brothers and Sisters, I would like to introduce to you three new members of Lyceum. Will Brother Shawn, Sister Liberty, and Sister Ashley Marie please stand?”

Lyceum Quest 480



Shawn had begun his journey to Lyceum more than two weeks before when he had accepted Brother Jacob’s offer of a ride out of Greenville, and then all the way across the country. But in a very real sense, his journey had begun more than a year and a half before when he had first glimpsed the Welcome Center in the pouring rain, seen the Main Lobby and the Lyceum Lodge, and read part of the Visitor’s Guidebook. It had taken that year and a half to clarify for himself who he was, what he believed, and what he wanted to do, as opposed to what others had in mind for him.

Ashley had known that Lyceum was the place for her from the moment she had received the first packet of literature. In a sense she had begun her journey to Lyceum when she had taken her first gymnastics lesson many years before, but those lessons had not completely prepared her for membership. It had taken two trips to Oregon, months at the Rapid City Convalescent Center and the Pine Street Group Home, and the learning of a new language on a different continent to complete her preparations.

Liberty could trace her journey to Lyceum from the day, back in kindergarten, when she had first skipped school to explore the city streets and alleys and read the book she had found in a trash can. She had continued her journey when she had accepted her father’s offer to live at the Buchanan country house, but a year there had been barely enough. She owed much to Mr. Neils for contacting Lyceum and teaching her patience, and Sister Nancy for corresponding with her and asking her all those hard questions, and Brenda for making her feel welcome and accepted... and Sarah for showing her that Lyceum was not a place to bring just any old bad habit or weakness.



As soon as the three young people stood, all with big smiles on their faces, a roar of applause filled the room, punctuated with cheers and whistles.

Never, for the rest of their lives, would any of the three forget that day and that moment. It symbolized the beginning of the happiest, and most challenging, time that any of them would ever see.

In a sense it also symbolized the beginning of one of the most challenging times in human history.



About the Author

Born in the Mojave Desert, J. Z. Colby now lives and writes deep in a forest of the Pacific Northwest.

He has studied many subjects, formally and informally, including psychology, philosophy, education, and performing arts, but remains a generalist. His primary profession as a mental health therapist, specializing with families and young adults, gives him many stories of personal growth.

All his life, he has been drawn toward a broad understanding of human nature, especially those physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual situations in which our capacity to function seems to reach its limits. He finds fascinating those few individuals who can transcend the limits of our common human nature and the dictates of our cultures.