Proselyte 2:02

The next morning brought a crisp breeze and a cloudless sky. Winslow woke up feeling refreshed, with warm sun rays pouring through the small window in her room. She slid out of bed before even glancing at her phone, kneeling carefully on the floor to begin her morning prayer. She found it to be a necessary start to every day.

Winslow then spent a few minutes in front of the bathroom mirror, doing a little bit of makeup, brushing her hair, putting in her contact lenses, and changing into fresh clothes. She had a to-do list for the day, so there was no time to lounge around. After grabbing her laptop computer from its spot on her desk, she made her way upstairs to the kitchen. She quickly threw together a smoothie with yogurt, fruit, and ice, then sat at the table to wait. Pretty soon, she would be calling her cousin, Cherry, for their weekly check-in. They found that these video calls helped them both feel less overwhelmed by school and life in general, especially since neither of them really had close relationships with their siblings.

Winslow, of course, loved her siblings— seven-year-old twins, a boy and a girl— but they weren't really people she could turn to for advice and comfort in most situations. Cherry, however, always knew what to say. Winslow hoped that she was able to help Cherry in return, but she worried that being several years younger than her cousin meant being viewed more like her own siblings. Though, Cherry would open up about a lot of things that Winslow wouldn't dare try to explain to Jordan and Ruby, so maybe she was worried for nothing.

Wiping a fingerprint off the webcam, Winslow clicked the contact labeled Cherise Hall to initiate the video chat. Her cousin answered immediately, full of excited energy.

“Hi!” Cherry waved eagerly through the grainy computer screen. She then told Winslow that some things had happened since they’d talked last weekend, so she definitely needed this call.

Winslow was glad to hear it. “Okay, I need to make some muffins for this girl in my ward. Is it okay if I do that while we talk?” She took another sip of her smoothie.

“Duh, go for it.”

“Awesome,” Winslow stood up and moved the laptop to the kitchen island. “So, spill,” she said, repositioning it so that her face was in view of the camera again, then pulling out a cookbook and flipping through the pages.

“Okay, so I had that meeting with my academic advisor—”

Winslow gathered the ingredients to bake the treat for Izzy, and Cherry began telling a story about a class that she was having trouble getting into her schedule. She had needed to take it as a prerequisite for another class, which was required for her major. Apparently, when she left to go on a mission for their church after her second year of school, she missed the class when it was offered. The class, for some reason, wouldn't be offered again until next year, when she was supposed to take the upper level class, because that won't be offered for another two years either. The whole story made Winslow's head spin. College sounded really complicated.

Cherry did seem to pick up on Winslow's confusion, though, and explained that the timeline got all messed up because she graduated high school early, and then got sent home from her mission and took some time off for her mental health. For most students, the course schedule wouldn't be a problem.

Winslow continued baking the muffins, multitasking to follow both the recipe and Cherry's story, and put the pan into the oven right as her cousin finished talking. It seemed the academic advisor would be trying to get special permission to allow Cherry to take the classes concurrently.

“He said it would require some extra work to do it that way, but I'm doing a lot better than I was.” Cherry quieted down for a moment, thinking. “These calls have helped a lot,” she realized. Winslow had moved back to the kitchen table, and stared intently at the screen. “The first two years down here were brutal, and then things got really hard when I was sent home from my mission. Spending that fall with your family really helped, but…” Winslow nodded in understanding. “Last semester, when we started doing this… That was the first time in years I felt like I could keep my head above water. Thank you.”

Winslow leaned forward with a serious but soft gaze. “You're my favorite cousin and my best friend. You don't need to thank me for chatting with you.”

Cherry smiled. “I know, it's just… It means a lot. So many people acted like I was suddenly this huge disappointment. Graduating a whole year early and earning full rides to four schools… then just breaking down like that? Your parents treated me better than my own did, and you treat me better than my sisters. I wish you knew what that's done for me.”

“It's not your fault the stress caught up to you.”

“I know… but still. Thank you.”

“I love you, Cherry. You're gonna totally rock this semester!”

“I love you, too.”

“No pressure, though!”

Cherry exaggerated rolling her eyes, then asked how Winslow was adjusting to her new classes. Winslow had already promised to keep her family posted on her AP history class, so she gave truthful updates. Cherry was worried that Winslow would fall into the same unhealthy habits that she had, so keeping an eye on her young cousin's stress levels felt important.

Soon enough, the oven timer beeped, frantically indicating that the muffins were ready. Winslow hurried over and stuck a toothpick into the center of a few to ensure they cooked properly, then pulled out the hot pan and set it on the counter to cool.

In the background noise of Cherry's call, Winslow heard a doorbell. Her cousin looked up, saying “Okay, the study group is here. We'll talk next week?”

“Duh!” Winslow said, coming back to the table to wave goodbye. “Have fun!” Cherry disconnected from the call, so Winslow closed her laptop and ran back downstairs to her bathroom. She checked her hair in the mirror, and her phone buzzed on the counter. A notification popped up with a new message.

It simply said, “You ready?”

Winslow picked up her phone and typed out, “Yeah, just a sec!” and headed back upstairs. She put some muffins in a little treat box, grabbing the card she’d made earlier in the week and heading to the door.

On her front porch, she found Lynn, a girl from her ward. She was Winslow's first counselor for the Mia Maids, which pretty much just meant that she helped with any of the things at church that Winslow couldn't do herself. She had a few of her own duties, like starting class on Sundays, but Winslow preferred that most efforts stay collaborative.

Together, they walked down the street, chatting and enjoying the nice autumn air. Reaching a small house with a long driveway, they climbed the front steps and knocked politely on the door. A girl around their same age opened it.

She looked the pair up and down, saying, “Oh, hi.” She seemed a little confused to see them.

Winslow didn't mind. They had come as a surprise, after all. “Hi Izzy! I think you've met Lynn? She's my first counselor.”

Izzy recovered quickly. “Yeah, hi! Want to come in?” She stepped aside and let the girls inside, gesturing for them to sit on the couch. She pulled up a velvety chair opposite them.

“We brought you muffins!” Lynn said, and Winslow handed them over with a smile.

“Awh, that's so sweet. Thank you,” Izzy took the muffins and purred. “Ooh, still warm...”

“We missed you at the Back to School Bash last weekend!” Winslow said this because it was true, not because she was instructed to say it— although that had happened as well.

“I was really looking forward to it, too. Getting the flu during the first week of school is such a bummer,” Izzy lamented, hanging her head for emphasis.

“Yeah, and the other girls really wanted to meet you,” Lynn added.

“We were actually thinking that maybe for Mutual in the next few weeks, we could have a do-over,” Winslow said. Izzy seemed to perk up at the suggestion. “It would be just the girls from the ward, and maybe the young men, but not the whole stake, so it'd probably be a lot less pressure, anyway. Fewer people to meet.”

Lynn piped up again. “We could have the fire pit and campfire snacks, and you could pick the movie we watch on the projector! Assuming it's appropriate, I mean.” 

Izzy said, “Dang it, I was going to suggest Magic Mike. Girls’ night, you know?” Winslow paused and looked at Lynn in surprise, but Izzy laughed. “Guys, I'm totally kidding! I'm not a fan of dirty movies either. And I'm way too queasy for horror, so that's also out.”

The girls laughed together and Lynn asked, “Does it sound fun, then?”

“Totally! I wanted to get to know the girls before camp rolls around in the summer anyways, so this is a great start. Maybe we could watch Finding Dory?”

“Cute! Let's do it!” Lynn clapped.

“I'm with my mom this week, but I'll be here next week!” Excitement shone in Izzy’s face.

Winslow smiled, making a mental note. “Okay, I'll let Tammy know. Does Wednesday work? We can plan it for another weekday if not.”

“Wednesday is great!”