Author's note: Disclaimers at first chapter. Now the retreat begins! Pls. read & review!
Rugrats Midlife: Seven Years in Seven Days
Chapter Five: Palm Sunday
Tommy
So we've arrived. Phil looks tired but happy.
"Welcome, retreatants, to the House of Solitude Retreat Center, Berkel Creek!" the reception woman said as we entered. "Oh, Fr. Philip, there are actually more retreatants than expected-Opus Dei has a recollection here too. Worry not, have a seat there for a while-we'll see what we can do, okay?"
Some of us grumbled, wondering why, but the priest in the group tried to calm us down. "Now guys, I know this is hard, us being in a bind, but relax, 'kay? Maybe I can wangle something from them-any available dorm." He then left for the reception desk. "Well," Angelica grumbled, "looks like it'll be a danky attic for us."
"Well, for a danky attic this looks marvelous," Cal remarked later as we stepped into a spartan but beautiful common room, sandwiched between the dining room and the comfort room. It had a view of the nearby plains and the creek as well as the mountains from the two large glass windows, and in between was a fireplace. Comfortable sofas and lounge chairs were sprawled nearby, and on one end were video and audio equipment. On another end was a whiteboard and a box of erasable felt markers on a small table.
"Man," I gasped, "even my old barracks was nothing compared to this!" If there was a lack of decor in here, just imagine what my old place at Decatur looked like. Lil immediately brought out two cans of corned beef and a box of eggs.
"Who's hungry?" she asked. Four hands-mine, Chuckie's, Dil's and Fred's-went up.
"Well, that's five hungry people there," she replied. "Man I'm hungry!" She then headed, with Madie, to the kitchen to the right. That was the moment Phil, who took a leak in the nearby comfort room, chose the moment to appear.
"Hey fellas, wanna see the place we'll be staying in?" he asked. Duh?
"Well then, let's take a tour. Come!" Padre then led us along the corridor to the left, first leading to a double door. Opening one of them, he revealed the men's dorm, filled with up to sixteen bunk beds, as well as a table in the middle isle, and two radiators for heating. There were also windows with the same panoramic view as that in the common room, but with an added bonus: two balcony doors.
"This, my friends, is the men's dormitory. Unfortunately for you the women's dorm is just beyond the kitchen. Now, I have my own room here, just near the comfort room, so that I as spiritual director show my neutrality while at the same time being close to the retreatants. Choose your beds, though I suggest you take the lower bunks to maximize the use of space." I immediately chose the one near the balcony door, beating Dil.
"Hey, no top bunk remember!" I shouted.
"He just suggested that, T," he replied. I just sighed in surrender. Fred got the bottom bunk beside mine, Chuckie just near the door, Malcolm beside him, Calvin beside Fred. That wasn't so bad a plan, I thought to myself.
Phil then led us to another door, fronting the double door we passed by earlier. "This, my friends, is the shower room-two showers, two toilets, three faucets & sinks. But as I said, six to ten in the morning and evening-no water in between. There are pails and drums of water, as well as a dipper, but that would just allow you enough water for a three-scoop, 30-second bath. Sorry it has to be this way." We followed him back to the doubledoor, out of the dorm and back to the corridors, just in time to hear a "Food ready!" from the kitchen.
Breakfast for the four of us was brief, but for me at least for me, fulfilling. Afterwards Kimi cannily approached me.
"So how're the lodgings, Tom? Did they have sixteen bunk beds, a central..."
"...Central table, balcony doors, a view of Mountains, a shower room with two of almost everything but the three sinks, and radiators? Uniform look throughout, no?"
"No. Ours has a lavender color scheme. Yours?"
"Red." We looked at each other, and laughed.
Just then, Phil got a microphone, gave it a test, and motioned everyone to take a seat anywhere near the fireplace. "Alright fellas, have a seat, retreat beginning in, well , fifteen minutes. Take time to set things up or stretch your legs. C'mon now, let's do what we need to do!" So saying, we went to the doorway to collect our bags and move them in the dorms.
Kimi
"Fifteen minutes up folks!" Phil exclaimed long after I had placed my possessions near my bed (bottom bunk, near the door, beside Lil, above Madie and Susie). We then gathered around him like children that we were in the midst of some preschool lecture.
"Right then folks, welcome to the Rugrats Lenten Retreat. This will be a week where we, ever suffering from the pressures of the world, will try to resuscitate our relationships... as husbands and wives... as brothers and sisters... and most importantly, as friends. Let us now begin, unless anyone objects, with a prayer." No objections. Tommy, Chuckie, Calvin, Angelica, Malcolm, Susie, Dil and I lowered our heads, Katrina cupped her hands, while the rest made the sign of the cross. Phil then cleared his throat and began:
"God Almighty, Creator of all that is good, Ever-Merciful, Ever-Compassionate, Ever-Munificent, we praise and thank You for this day when you brought us, a hodgepodge of people whose preferences and attitudes contrast sharply, together, to relish in the memories of friendship, and ensure that friendship grows on and ever on. We thank You, Lord, for the experiences we have undergone, for the successes we have attained, for the hopes we have realized, are realizing and yet to realize.
"In spite of all that though, we come to You as imperfect human beings, beings, who have made and broke ourselves through Your gift of reason and free will. At one point we became hostile with each other, and to a degree, we still do. And for all that, we realize we have to let go. Our hatred of each other will immolate us in hate and continue to eat us up until we become shells of our former selves, possesed by hatred, greed, and anger. Lord spare us from this destructive path, the path that will drive us astray.
"Please, Lord, we come to you today pleading, to help us where it hurts. We pray to You, guide us to wherever You think is the best way for us to stay together , to stay with You. And after all our tribulations, we ask you to please make us stronger in faith and love in You and each other. Our faith is small enough to uproot a tree, make it big enough to do more. Our hearts are restless, O Lord, until it rests in You. Amen." After some mutterings the serious face Phil had put was replaced by a brighter smile, a smile everybody knew as trademark Philip DeVille, SJ. "Well then folks, let's get started!"
He took the board and markers and rolled it in front of the fireplace. Taking out a marker he then listed down the words inquiry, reflection, resolution, and integration. Beside the last word he wrote monologue. "Right then, let's take up the retreat structure. Always after breakfast we will get settled down and have a sort of icebreaker-that's inquiry. There will be interesting and challenging activities to do. After that, most of the time will be taken up by a reflection of what we did and its relation with the topic discussed. This may continue even after lunch, and after that there's resolution, the part where we close the reflection with a more serious activity wherein we try to relate to what we have discussed earlier. Finally, integration, just after dinner, is when we share the things in ourselves that relate to the topic discussed-that's the monologue part. Two couples will be chosen by lot to discuss their life experiences-singly, that is-and how they can relate it to the day's topic. I should tell you though, you may stray from the topic to discuss your life, if needed, but also, there won't be any repeat of speakers. Everyone gets one chance to speak. Questions?"
"So what's the first topic?" Fred asked.
"Getting there hermano," he replied. "Well, for one thing I'll have to get some paper," and off he went with Chuckie. They returned with a box of pencils and some ruled notepads and started distributing sheets to us. "Now, divide the paper into two parts, but for the love of God don't cut or tear it up. Today's topic: Getting To Know You." What? Is he kidding, we asked ourselves. "Fill one side with at least ten past actions or characteristics of yours, and the other with your partner's traits or past actions, but don't, I repeat, don't label them. What you need them for I'll tell later." List of traits huh. Oh man, am I gonna have some fun. I immediately wrote down Tommy's on the right.
Let's see: Still owns small screwdriver. Damn sexy. A bit extravagant. Smart. Very creative. Sir Read-a-lot. Made films out of our embarrassing moments. Mom beat him at every game they played together. Horrible British accent impersonation.
Me? Gangly libertine, as my husband puts it. Loves to drive the Cresta, much to Tommy's chagrin. Dyed hair pink. Loves mountain climbing. Took Clemmie to Dummi Bears World, enjoyed it more than she did. Went in and out of love nine times. Loves computers. Good at irritating Chuckie. Enjoys Tommy best at night, in a closet. And very damn sexy!
Phil now looked at his watch. "Finished? You will in five four, three, two, one, give me the sheets please!" Sheets given. "Fine then, I'll give you a different sheet of paper, choose a trait of that person, and perform an example of it in front of the rest!" Good Lord! I got Chuckie's paper! I know his handwriting when I see it!
"Is this some kind of charades-like game?" Madie asked.
"A harder version-no clues on number of words will be given. The player, of course, isn't allowed to talk, and most hints will be based on the actions. One hint will help you though-the one described won't join in." Cripes. "So what we do is a classic case of spin the bottle, and whoever gets the open end first will perform the charades in front of the so-called tough crowd over here. Ready?" He took out the empty Perrier bottle, took it to the center of the circle, and let it have a go.
"'Round and 'round she goes, where she stops, no one knows...Ha-ha! You're in!"
I'll just let either Tom or Chuck tell you the rest.
Let's see who got the other end of the bottle. Watch for Chapter Six: Of Charades and Rumsfeldian Quips, coming soon!
P.S. Who do you want to see perform the charades first, and who will he/she be describing? Send me the details to my e-mail address, on my profile.