“Looks amazing,” Karina said.

“And that,” Micah pointed at the phone in her hand, “you should leave at the front door. We all do. Phones go in a basket in the front coat closet.” He smiled, his warm brown eyes crinkling at the corners.

Karina hesitated, accustomed to feeling her phone in her back pocket all the time.

“Try it,” Micah said. “I bet you’ll like it as much as the rest of us. If not, you can always take it back. But you should make the effort to really be here, with us.”

“All right.” Karina walked toward the front closet. It was true, she hadn’t seen people using their phones much around the house, nor at the community garden. Maybe that was why time seemed to slow down here. She gingerly placed her phone into the basket with the other phones, wallets and key rings. By the time she returned to the kitchen, dinner was ready. Her mouth watered as she spooned wild rice onto the center of her plate, topped it with chicken and drizzled some sauce from the pan. The aroma of thyme and lemon were heavenly. Her mom’s cooking had become increasingly bland since she’d decided, under the guidance of Guru Brahmananda, that garlic, onions and chilies were not good for her spiritual being.

They squeezed around the dining table while reggae music played throughout the house. Micah motioned for her to sit next to him. “To the newest member of our family, Karina!” he said, holding up his glass until she picked up the glass of red wine in front of her and clinked his. “I knew as soon as I met you that you were a good person, with a good heart. Now you’re surrounded by good hearts.”

Ericka held her glass in the air. “Karina, I loved you from the first time you came to the community garden. You’re super-smart and really fun to talk to and hang out with. Welcome, sister!”

Each person around the table said a few words, welcoming Karina, complimenting her, telling her what they loved about her. She had a sip of wine with each toast and soon found herself feeling emotional. August was the last to speak. “Karina, I was really impressed with your moves on the surfboard today.” Laughter broke out around the table. “Seriously, it takes a lot of courage to try something new. You are fearless, girl! Can’t wait to see what you do next.” He held up his glass and everyone did the same, toasting her, and Karina felt the warmth of red wine slide down her throat.

31 | Karina

January 2, 2015

Her first morning at the house, Karina woke to a deep resonant gong. She felt weighted to her bed from the physical toll of moving and too much red wine the day before. But the sound continued, so she crept out to the hallway. Through the window and the darkness, she saw Micah standing outside next to a large gong as a crowd gathered on the lit patio.