Hope Springs || Harry Styles

Hope Springs

   The alarm goes off and it feels like I've just laid down.  I lay in bed, contemplating going back to sleep, but I know I can't.  Our first, well, my first, group of volunteers will be here in a few hours and there's still so much to do.  I roll out of bed, tangling myself in the mosquito net.  I laugh, once I'm free; if this is any indication how my day is going to go, I will go back to bed. 

   After a quick shower, I throw on my standard uniform of khaki shorts, a white v-neck tee, and Converses.  I run a brush through my hair, snap a hair tie on my wrist, and I'm out the door. 

   I'm instantly assaulted by the scents and sounds of the rainforest.  As I walk the path between the cabins and the main patio, tears start to form.  I've missed this place the past year. 

   We moved to Rwanda when I was five.  My dad accepted a teaching position at the University, and my mom saw it as an opportunity to expand her philanthropic horizons.  Hope Springs is mine now.

   Set on the banks of Lake Kavu, Hope Springs is a non-profit organization whose main objective is to provide clean water to the villages of Northern Rwanda.  We work closely with Doctors Without Borders, The Peace Corp, and other NPO's to provide housing and transportation to the villages. While my parents worked hard to make it a reality, depending more on wining and dining the donors, I'm aiming for a more personal experience for our volunteers. 

   I enter the kitchen to find Lulu already preparing the food for tonight's welcome dinner.  "I make you breakfast?" she asks, reaching for eggs from the fridge. 

I shake my head no, "No time," pouring myself a cup of coffee.  I hear her call out "Natalie!" as I'm heading out the door, I turn and duck my head back in, catching the banana she tosses to me.  I roll my eyes at her, her laughter echoing behind me as I head to the clubhouse. 

   Lulu and her family have been with us from the beginning; they're my family now.  Her husband, Taj, their two daughters, and three grandchildren all call Hope Springs home-it could not function without them. 

   I find Taj unloading a delivery truck with enough alcohol to last through the rainy season.  I do the inventory and meet up with Mia, Lulu's oldest daughter, to comb the cabins to make sure they're perfect for our volunteers.  As we finish up the last one, I hear another delivery truck, the bottled water we'll be delivering during this week's camp, followed closely behind by a Jeep blaring the Eagles 'Life in the Fast Lane.'  I let out a squeal and jump off the steps of cabin #7, my best friend has returned to help me with my maiden voyage!

   Zoie is about five feet tall, a good six inches shorter than me.  We met on our first day at uni and have been best friends ever since.  You know, the kind of friend who tells it like it is, even if she knows it'll make you mad?  That's Zoie.  She pushes me out of my comfort zone, and I, in turn, rein her in when the boundaries get too blurry.  She's taken a month off from her job as a buyer for a retail company in L.A. to help me get settled in, and I couldn't be more grateful. 

   As I run the path around the cabins to greet her and her current boyfriend, Nick, I let out another squeal when my other best friend steps out of the Jeep.  I met Gabe at uni, too, and after the awkward first couple of dates, we decided that our friendship was worth way more to us than anything else.  He stayed in Kigali after graduation, working for the Consulate.  He's been a godsend, helping me with the red tape and advising me on mission policies.  Having spent every summer in college, here, with me at Hope Springs, he's like the big brother I never had.

   "Gabe!  You said you had to work!" He picks me up and swings me around, grinning.  He knows I hate surprises.

   "You know I wouldn't miss this for the world!  I'm so happy you're back!"

   The next couple of hours fly by.  Zoie and Mia go over the last minute checklists, while Gabe and I unload the delivery truck of bottled water to be stacked in the warehouse.  I hear the rumble of our bus coming down the road, the excitement winning out over the sheer terror in my gut, as I take a deep breath, counting backward from ten to one.

   Here we go.

   The volunteers are here.

~~~~~

A/N:
8/3/19
Wow...15k reads.  Seriously, I never dreamed Hope Springs would get that, and I'm beyond grateful for the reads, votes, and comments.  Thank you to everyone who has, and please! keep it going!  I would love to hear from you!  Lmk what you're thinking and feeling!  Talk to me!!!

XOXO-Cait

Hope Springs hit 11,000 reads and I'm blown away!  Please, vote if you like.  Comment, lmk what you're thinking!  Tell me what your favorite chapter is, or if it loses your interest, why! Tell me things!!!
Much love-Cait