Bette looked around the large room with plastic chairs and long tables folded in the middle. Everything seemed aged, and she was pretty sure some of it was older than she was. It appeared clean, and the smell wafting through the large serving window smelled pretty good.
Six or seven men were doing various jobs in the kitchen area. They were preparing for lunch. They stopped to stare, then one of the men cleared his throat loudly, and everyone returned to work. The guy who had cleared his throat greeted them. His hair was shaved close to the scalp, and his eyes were shockingly bright blue. "Hi, Mr. Tyler. Can I help you with anything?"
"Is Ms. Elaine here?"
"Yeah, she's just outside. Hey Danny, tell Ms. Elaine to come here," he instructed one of the guys near an open door. The tag on his chest said Josh.
In the back of the kitchen area, Bette could see chrome prep tables and two large industrial stoves. Through a small door, she could see freezer doors and some shelves with various bulk-size items on them. Looking at the food they were putting into the prep containers, it looked as if they were going to have some sort of pasta for lunch.
It didn't take long for a fiery, red-headed woman who was tall and wispy, wearing a navy blue apron and a big butterfly clip in her unruly hair, to come through the back door. She smiled brightly at them. Her smile instantly warmed Bette's heart. She already knew she would like this woman.
"Hey Tyler, who do we have here?" Elaine asked in a deeper voice than Bette anticipated. Something about her made Bette think of fairies. It could have been the airy way she moved, like she was dancing without actually dancing, or it could have been the tie-dyed t-shirt poking out from under the apron and the leather-bound sandals, but Bette was pretty sure it was the way she moved.
"This is our new office manager for The Church. Bette Cooper, this is Elaine Dott."
Bette frowned. "Church?"
Tyler chuckled, "You'll see."
"Well, we're happy you're here. Especially at The Church. Maybe you can lightenKer—"
"We really need to get moving. I just wanted to show her where the cafeteria was and introduce you. Bette, Elaine will be the person you'll order your building's cleaning products from."
Bette felt like Tyler was trying to keep something from her but decided to let it go for the moment. "It's nice to meet you, Elaine."
"Same," she grinned behind thick lime green-rimmed glasses. It was as if the longer Bette stared at Elaine, the more she noticed about the woman. "If you need anything, I'm extension 105, and my office is directly across from the door you came in. Oh, and if you want a plate for lunch, just call the kitchen by nine and tell whoever answers. Otherwise, we'll assume you don't want one. We're on a tight budget and try to make only what we need."
"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."
They bid Elaine goodbye, and Bette was happy to leave. She felt eyes on her the whole time she was in there. In fact, she didn't think she went more than a few feet without someone looking at her. She tried to ignore it. She felt like the new girl in school, the odd one standing out.
They re-entered the long hallway of dingy yellow and continued the tour. Tyler showed her some offices, but she didn't meet any of the counselors as they were finishing something they called Group. In the back of the building was a covered concrete patio area with some picnic tables and chairs and two smoking towers for people to put their cigarettes out in. "This is where the other counselors take a break. Clients aren't allowed back here, though we do occasionally hold a group session if it's nice enough. Do you smoke?"
Bette shook her head, causing a piece of blonde hair to fall in her face. She tucked it behind her ear. "No, I did when I was in college but stopped."
He chuckled. "You'll find a lot of us do. Clients as well. You'll be taking orders for cigarette runs on Tuesdays for The Church."
She wanted to ask again what this church was, but he moved on quickly. "Every morning, we, meaning staff, have a meeting at 8 in that portable," he pointed to the small manufactured building on the other side of the covered area. "We go over staff information, new clients assigned, and things like that. It usually lasts 30 to 45 minutes because counselors need to get ready for Group at nine."
"And that's required every day?"
"Yes, at least one member of The Church needs to come down for it. Everyone is encouraged to go, but usually, only one is sent. There are two counselors in that building."
"Does everyone live in this building?" asked Bette, motioning towards the one they had just left.
"No, those rooms are for clients who just arrived or are medically fragile and need to be close to nurses. With the exception of just a few, every client will start here and then move to the houses. Sometimes, it's just for a few days, and others up to two weeks. Clients who need to be closer to medical care usually don't get assigned to The Church because it's the farthest building on this campus and up a hill. There's another building that runs independently, like The Church up the road. It also has two counselors and houses their clients."
They walked behind The Main towards the gravel parking lot that ran the length of the building on one side. There were potholes half a foot deep in spots. It seemed fitting for the drab building. Past that, on a small incline, were two buildings that looked like they were once apartments. "That's admin and intake. Clients will go there first when they arrive and get checked in. That's also where staff handles calls to the facility. You won't be in there often, but you will be in charge of making sure it's clean."
"Like a cleaning crew?" Bette asked as they walked across the parking lot to a small set of stairs with one weathered wooden railing. It was a lovely spot with large oak trees towering over, making it peaceful. It was the most inviting area she had seen so far.
"No, the clients have chores here. They need to learn how to get back into a routine, stay busy, and do things that remind them of everyday life. You'll assign them the chores."
A concrete pathway sprawled out like branches on a tree. One led to the back deck of the admin building. Walking a little further, another branched off to the left and then another off to the right. The trees opened up to a large expanse of land with residential houses dotting it, each with a concrete path directly to it.
"These are where the guys live once they leave The Main. Some houses are also across the street, but that's extra housing for The Main counselors clients. Each house is named after a bird. This," he pointed to a light blue clapboard house with a small porch and an addition that was once the garage on the side, "is Sparrow. The top part of the house is upper Sparrow, and the addition is lower. Sparrow is The Church's house. All the clients from your building who are not in The Main are housed here. Does that make sense?"
Not really. "For the most part. I'm sure I'll catch on quickly."
