It came! It finally came! Anna Bates was so excited, she almost ripped the envelope open right in the yard. Luckily, she had regained control of herself and scooped up the rest of the mail off the lawn before going into the house. She placed the long awaited parcel on her husband's desk, determined to wait until he got home to open it. She looked over at the world map on the wall, wondering where this year's exchange student might come from. Japan? Mexico? She definitely would not mind making more Tamales. She tried holding the envelope up to the light, seeing if she could at least see a flag or something.

She remembered well the painful years she and John had spent trying to get pregnant, only to be dismayed every time Anna got her period. They had tried all kinds of treatments and even thought about in vitro fertilization. But with him being a peace officer and her being a kindergarten teacher, it seemed a bit out of their price reach. Same with adoption. Then, Anna got a job teaching at the high school. It was like a dream! She realized she was much more comfortable around teenagers than she ever was around small children. The feeling only grew when she got promoted to be the guidance counselor. That's when they got the idea: instead of continuing to try have their own children, they would just become host parents for an exchange student. Whenever one child left in May, they knew there'd be another one coming in August. And they didn't even have to suffer through late night feeding at temper tantrums. It seemed perfect. And while not every kid they got was totally ideal, it was, for the most part, a positive experience for everyone involved.

It came! It finally came! Elsie Hughes was so excited, she almost ripped the envelope open right right in the middle of the post office. Luckily, she had regained control of herself and scooped up the rest of the mail off the floor before sprinting back to her house. She placed the long awaited parcel on the kitchen table, determined to wait until her mother got home from taking Becky to the doctor's. She looked over at the map on the wall, wondering where she might be going. New York? Oklahoma? Maybe Colorado. Wherever it was, she just knew it was going to be the most amazing year of her entire life. She tried holding the envelope up to the light, seeing if she could at least see a name or something.

It proved to be too much for her. Sorry, Mum. She thought as she began to tear the envelope open. No! She had to wait. They would be so disappointed if she didn't. Especially after all the trouble Mrs. Hughes went through getting Becky used to the idea that her "Essie" would be gone for almost a year.

Anna could finally see her husband pulling into their driveway. She grabbed the envelope and ran out to greet him. "It's here! It's here! It's finally here!"

"That's great, Love!" He said as the two hurried inside.

"I think it's going to be another boy." John said as they settled down on the sofa.

"Oh, no. It's a girl this time. I can just feel it." Anna got knots in her stomach as she peeled the tab off. "I can't do it. My nerves are too much." She went through this same sensation every year.

"Well, I opened it last year. It's your turn."

"All right, then." The moment of truth finally arrived. Anna ripped the envelope completely open and pulled the packet out. They read through the profile together.

Name: Hughes, Elsie

Gender: Female

Age: 16

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Hometown: Argyll, Scotland

Native Language: English (UK)

Favorite Subject: Literature

Least Favorite Subject: Gym

Hobbies: Knitting, writing, drawing, bike riding.

Anna looked at the small photo. "Isn't she just cute as a button? I can't wait till she gets here. I adore her already!"

Elsie and Mrs. Hughes were looking at the photo. "They look like lovely people." Mrs. Hughes commented to her daughter. "So, yer really gonna do this, Luv?" As much as

"Aye am, Mum. But don't worry. I'll be emailing ye and Becky ev'ry day." In a way, Elsie did feel bad about leaving her poor mother alone with Becky, but she also knew that this was her one chance to do something for herself, and if she passed this up, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

Beryl Patmore opened the door. "Ms. Anna! Mr. Bates! What brings you here? Wait! Did it arrive?"

"It did. Is your mom here?"

"She's in the kitchen with Bill." Beryl turned around. "Mom!" She hollered out. "The Bates are here!"

"Beryl, I could hear them from in here." Daisy Mason emerged. Flour was all over her apron. "So, who are you guys getting this year?"

"Her name is Elsie, and she's from the U.K." John said as he handed the packet to Daisy.

Beryl snorted. "Elsie. I hope she's prepared to get teased with a name like that." She started to giggle.

"Beryl!" William scolded his stepdaughter. "You will stop it right here and now. Elsie is going-"

By this point, Beryl was cackling so hard, she fell onto the couch. "I wonder just how much milk she drinks." She said before exploding into another fit of laughter.

"That's enough!" Daisy exclaimed. "We are so sorry about this, Anna. Aren't we, Beryl?"

Beryl was laughing too hard to even try to speak. All the adults rolled their eyes. "Shall we go into the kitchen?" Daisy asked. She led the group in that direction, leaving her daughter in the living room. On her way, she got her laptop out of the desk drawer. "Let's see what we can come up with to fix for her first night here." She placed it on the island and powered it up.

"Hmmmmmmm," Anna said, "haggis looks interesting." Then they read the recipe. "On second thought….."

"Maybe fish and chips?" Daisy suggested.

"You've been watching those britcoms again, haven't you?" William asked. Daisy rolled her eyes.

"Besides," Anna added, "She's from Scotland. I'm not quite sure how she'd feel about being served an English dish."

"All right. We'll keep looking." Daisy continued to scroll through the recipe website.

A few days later, Mrs. Hughes was pulling up to the entrance of the Edingburgh International Airport.

"Last chance to change your mind." Mrs. Hughes said jokingly.

Elsie gave her mother a look. "Sorry, Mummy. Not happenin'."

"I can still try, can't I?" Mrs. Hughes sighed as she looked at her daughter.

As soon as Elsie got through security, it all became more real for her. She looked out the window to see her mother and sister pulling out of the parking lot onto the street. A wave a fear crept through her entire body, like the first time she jumped off the diving board into the deep end of the pool. She realized that this would be the first time away from her family for any real amount of time. The thought terrified her. Then she realized that she had never taken any mode of public transportation by herself, except for the local bus. What if she messed something up and landed in the completely wrong place. She got even more scared as she boarded the plane and realized she had never flown before. She took a deep breath as she settled down into her seat. Too late to go back now. She got the folder out of her carry-on bag and looked through the packet. John and Anna Bates did look like very nice people, indeed. Even though it was just a photo, it seemed like they were reaching through the glossy finish and reassuring young Elsie that everything was going to be just fine. Next stop: Downton, Arizona.