Now Is the Time
The day that Darcy left to go help out in Africa, she knew that she was never coming back. She knew that she was running away from her problems but, she couldn't bring herself to change her mind. There were so many things in Toronto that she needed to leave behind. Staying there, she knew, wouldn't help her cope with the rape, or any of the mistakes that were eating up inside of her. She needed to go to Africa, and she felt God calling her to do it, or at least she thought she did.
As months turned to years she started to enjoy herself in Africa. She had definitely changed. Her faith in God had grown stronger with each passing day, and she learned the true meaning of life. And that was to help people, and to do God's work on Earth. She felt at peace with herself, though in the back of her mind there was this nagging voice asking her when she would return. But being in Africa felt like a dream, one that she didn't want to wake up from at all. She had taken on so much work in Africa, and she forced herself to believe that that was the reason she couldn't leave. She needed to help these children.
She started off helping in the building of homes, but later on she was suggested to help out with the children. She read Bible stories to them, and took care of them when their parents couldn't. She felt happy. She was finally doing what she wanted to do all along, and that was make something out of her life. She wanted more than just going to college and getting a nice job. She wanted to reach out to people and inspire them. And she had definitely inspired these little kids.
One girl in particular, by the name of Sequoya, really looked up to Darcy. She found everything about her fascinating. From the color of her skin, to her generosity, to her faith. As Darcy entered the classroom that they had built in Kenya, she found herself grabbing a children's Bible and smiling at the boys and girls.
"Habari! Are you guys ready for today's lesson?" Darcy asked the kids with excited eyes. She spoke fluent Swahili now, which was mostly what her students spoke, but every once in a while she mixed it up with English so that they could learn that language too.
The kids nodded eagerly.
"Nzuri! Well today I'm going to be reading the story of Jonah and the Great Big Whale!"
The kids looked at her anxiously. One girl, a dark skinned 7 year old with short hair raised her hand politely and Darcy smiled, "Yes?"
"Was the whale really big?"
Before she could answer a boy joined the conversation, "Yeah and did he have big mkali teeth!"
The students eyes widened and they leaned forward towards Darcy, waiting for her to answer. She felt herself giggling. These kids brought happiness into her life, as well as youth, "Well...I'm sure the whale was huge! Hivyo kubwa! It could probably swallow you guys whole, much like it did to Jonah!"
With that she started her story, and they sat there and listened the entire time. She saw a light in their eyes and she enjoyed it almost more than reading the actual story itself. When she was done, she closed the book and smiled at them.
Sequoya looked at her, with a puzzled expression on her face, "Miss Teacher!"
Darcy giggled, "Yes, Sequoya?"
"Why was Jonah so afraid?" Her eyes were troubled and Darcy was taken aback by her question. She almost had to stop and think.
"Well...I think sometimes when you think something's too hard for you, you get a little scared. You want to...run away because you feel like you can't handle it," she responded, and something in her heart ached. She knew that she could immediately trace Jonah's story back to her. She had been afraid. She had been running away by going to Africa. Yes, she wanted to help but that was definitely not the only reason.
"But didn't he know that God would never give anyone something too big to handle?" she pushed.
Darcy swallowed a lump in her throat, "I suppose he forgot that."
"How did he forget?"
She felt tears coming to her eyes, "Sometimes we forget...how much God loves us, and how he doesn't want to hurt us. We're so wrapped up in our own little world, that we can't think rationally."
"Did Jonah forget again after that?"
Darcy looked at her with a pained smile, "No more questions ok? Why don't you guys all go outside and play?"
Everyone seemed thrilled with the idea. They started running like crazy kids out the door and she sighed as she let her shoulders relax and let her head fall down into her knees. Only one girl stayed behind, Sequoya, the star student of the class.
"Miss Teacher? Are you ok?"
Darcy looked up at the beautiful African child and smiled, "Yeah I-I'm ok. But I need to do something."
The girl looked at her questioningly, "What?"
"I need to go home," she breathed.
And for the first time in the many years that she had been in Africa, she couldn't fight the feeling anymore. God was pulling her to go home, to face her demons, to take care of her family and be there for her sister, and to take on the drama of Toronto with a new strength inside of her. She smiled a bitter smile, feeling just like Jonah.
Sequoya took off and Darcy was left there by herself. She closed her eyes, "God...I think I'm ready. It's time for me to come home."
I always thought that Darcy would come back, but she never did and it upset me. They gave us no explanation or anything, so I just had to write a little one-shot because Darcy was one of my favorite characters on the show. Thank you for reading.