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"What's their name again?" Joey asked his dad, peering over the dashboard as the car made its way carefully down a gravel lane. They must be getting close. On both sides of the lane there was a fence bordering open green fields. At least, some of the fields were green. Other fields were brown and empty, but in those there were men using a machine to turn the dirt over. Joey guessed that the men were farmers getting ready to plant something.

"You mean your aunt? Technically she's your great aunt. She's my father's sister. But you can call her Aunt Laura."

"No, I mean the people on the farm."

"It's called Ecclesia."

"Eee-klee-zee-uh." Joey sounded it out. "That's a funny name."

"It's from the Bible. I don't remember what it means."

"That's weird. Why does Aunt Laura live on a farm with a name from the Bible?" Joey had never read the Bible but he knew what it was. One of the books on his bookshelf was called Bible Stories. He had looked through it one time so he kind of knew what it was about. But he didn't see why anyone would name a farm from something in the Bible, especially a name like Ecclesia.

His dad paused as the car turned a corner and drove through a patch of mud in the road. "Great, now I'll have to have the car washed when I get back to the city," he grumbled. He didn't speak again until they were all the way through the mud. "Your aunt Laura is very religious, Joey, and so are the people she lives with. They read the Bible every day."

"Will I have to read it too?" That didn't sound like much fun.

"No, but you'll hear them doing it a lot."

"Will they pray a lot, too?"

"Yes."

Joey sat up in alarm. "Will they make me go to church every day?"

"They're too busy working to go to church every day. You'll go once a week."

"Oh." Joey thought about that. Church was okay once in a while. Mommy took him to a service at Christmas time, at the big building down the street from the condo. That was okay. But he didn't want to go to church all the time.

He brightened up as they drove past a group of half a dozen boys and girls running and chasing each other around on a grassy open area. They were maybe his age and they looked like they were having fun. "Do those kids live in Eee-key-lee- . . ." He couldn't remember what to call it. "On the farm?"

His dad glanced over at the group. "I think so. You'll have to ask Aunt Laura when you see her."

From the sound of his voice Joey knew daddy was getting impatient. He didn't really mean for him to ask Aunt Laura, he meant for him to stop asking questions. So Joey sat back in his seat and looked at his game again, but his eyes kept going outside the car, to where farmland was passing by on every side. One field with a brown wooden fence around it had horses in it, another one had goats. Lots of other ones just had plants growing and no animals or people anywhere. It was nothing like the blocks and streets in Philadelphia, with people pushing everywhere and cars crowding each other and honking.

Finally the car came to a stop. His dad sighed as he turned off the engine. "We're here." He didn't sound happy.

They had stopped at the end of a gravel road, underneath some trees, in an open, grassy area with a red barn on one side and a matching red farmhouse on the other side. At least Joey thought that was what the house must be. It was enormous. It only had two floors but it was way bigger than the condo he and his mom lived in. It had a porch going all across the front and around the sides and a row of windows with white shutters across the front. Wide, shallow steps led up to the porch and the front door.

To the side of the farmhouse was another small set of trees, a swing set, and a seesaw. In the distance he could see what looked like the edge of a pond. Now that the car engine was off, everything was very quiet.

Joey looked back at the house. "Is that where I'm going to stay?" It was too big. He would get lost in it.

"No. That's where they have meals and meetings and things like that. The families live in their own little houses, back behind the barn."

A woman came out of the farmhouse with a barking golden retriever at her side. She used her hand to shield her eyes as she looked at the newcomers more closely. Then she started down the steps and towards the driver's side of the car. "Here comes my aunt."

Aunt Laura stopped to shush the dog as she drew closer, giving Joey a chance to take in her appearance. Her auburn hair, streaked with grey, was pulled back into a loose pony tail. She wore jeans, a plaid shirt, and brown leather boots. "She looks like a cowboy," said Joey.

His dad, staring through the car window, was frowning. "She's always worn a dress when she's come to visit us."

"Do I have to dress like a cowboy, too?"

That made his dad laugh. "No, squirt. You'll dress like the other kids. They probably have your clothes set aside already."

Daddy opened the car door and Joey decided he should probably do the same thing. He got out of the car and came around the front just as Laura reached his dad. She gave his dad a quick hug and a small but friendly smile. "It's good to see you."

"Good to see you, too." But daddy didn't sound like it was good. "Joey, you remember your aunt."

"Hi Aunt Laura," Joey said, uncertainly. He felt like saying Nice to meet you, except they had already met before, even if he didn't remember her very well.

When Aunt Laura looked down at him her face was softer, and her smile was warm. "We're really glad you're here, Joey. You're just in time for lunch. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, ma'am." His mom had told him to use good manners.

"Then come this way." She held a hand out to him. "I thought we could eat together and introduce you to some people you'll see a lot of this summer."

"Thank you for agreeing to take him," daddy said.

"He's family." Laura answered simply, as if that settled the matter.

Joey put his hand in hers and they started walking towards the farmhouse. He liked the way her hand felt, warm and rough, with calluses and dry skin, but not holding his hand too tight. She walked steadily, with long strides, but not too fast for him to keep up.

"Will the community be all right with us just showing up this way?" his dad asked as they walked.

"You know we always have extra food at mealtimes." Aunt Laura led the way towards the double doors. "Anyone who happens to be around is welcome to join."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant."

They didn't say anything for a few steps. Then, "You look different," daddy said, looking at Aunt Laura's shirt and jeans as they reached the steps up to the porch. "You're not wearing a dress. Or a head covering."

"It's been a long time. Some things have changed." Laura led them up the steps. They paused outside the screen door. Joey couldn't see inside but he could hear the clinking of silverware, the clanking of plates and glasses, and low voices speaking. The smell of whatever was cooking inside made his stomach growl.

"Some things are still the same." Daddy squinted at a faded wooden sign over the screen door.

THEY HAD ALL THINGS IN COMMON - ACTS 4:32

Joey wondered what the sign meant and why his father stared at it, but he didn't have a chance to ask before Aunt Laura opened the screen door. It creaked behind them as they stepped inside.

Cool air hit his face. They were in a long, low room that made Joey think of the cafeteria at his school. It was nearly as large. The walls were wood, but the hard floors shone like stone. Folding tables like the ones at his school filled the room, and men, women and children sat at each one, all eating and speaking to each other as they passed plates of food back and forth. It was noisy confusion. The people at the tables closest to them glanced at them quickly but then looked away and kept eating.

"Is this a school?" Joey heard himself ask, knowing he was wrong before the words even came out of his mouth. The people on the benches were sitting in family groups, with moms and dads and children together, not children with their teachers.

"No, this is our meeting room," Laura answered. "We eat lunches and some dinners together here, too. Come over this way."

She led the way to a table in one corner of the room, where a small group sat.

"This is Jacob." Laura indicated a grey haired man with a bushy beard who looked like he could be a grandfather. Jacob nodded at them. "And these are the Millers, David and Amy, and their children Micah and Esther." Micah had short blond hair and he looked about the same age as Joey. The grown ups at the table put down their food to greet the newcomers, but Micah kept eating his cheese sandwich. He looked at Joey curiously as he chewed. Joey guessed that Esther, Micah's sister, was four or five. She had the same golden hair and blue eyes Micah did. "Jacob, you remember Mark. Everyone else, I'd like you to meet my nephew Mark and his son, Joey. Joey is the one I told you about, who'll be staying with us for the summer."

Jacob, David and Amy nodded and said hi to Joey. They smiled and nodded at his dad, too, but Joey noticed that they looked at his dad differently than they looked at him. They stared at his dad longer, the way the kids in his class at school stared at a new student in class. Then they went back to eating.

Laura sat down at the table and Joey and his dad followed her lead. There were already place settings with silverware for them. Next to Joey's plate was a platter of toasted cheese sandwiches, another of green beans, and a glass of water. A little further down the table was an oversized bowl of applesauce. Joey looked up and down the table but saw nothing else.

While Joey stared at the food and decided what he should try first, Mark and Laura sat awkwardly with the other adults at the table. Laura put a sandwich on her plate but Mark pushed away the plate in front of him.

"It's been a long time since you were here, Mark." Jacob started the conversation, his grey eyebrows moving up and down as he spoke. "Welcome back."

Mark frowned. "I don't remember you."

The older man smiled. "Your father was my best friend."

Mark frowned, trying to recall the weathered face. "Sorry."

"You and I used to see a lot of each other. For a while we lived in adjoining units. Do you remember that time you climbed the apple tree and took apples before they were ripe?"

"Vaguely."

"You were about five."

"That sounds right." Mark nodded. "Dad said he would have spanked me, but getting sick to my stomach was enough punishment. He didn't see the point of adding anything to it."

"Your father was a wise man."

"I suppose he was. My stomach hurt something awful all night!" He gave a half laugh.

"Confession time: I was the one who told your dad what you had done." Jacob's mouth twisted, bemused. "Maybe I should have minded my own business."

Mark shrugged ruefully. "There was never any getting away with anything around here. Everyone sees everything, and everyone talks to each other."

"That can be good and bad," Jacob acknowledged.

"Jacob is one of our elders, and he's a big part of the reason the group agreed to take Joey in for the summer," Laura told Mark between bites of her sandwich. "He spoke on Joey's behalf."

"Thank you." Mark nodded at Jacob. "I was a little surprised the community agreed to take him in, what with my father and all."

Jacob glanced over at Joey, who he was absorbed in spooning applesauce onto his plate. "It's fair to say we had some concerns."

"I bet you did."

"We came up with some ground rules for Joey staying here."

"Rules?"

"Rules may be too strong of a word." Jacob stroked his beard. "Maybe understandings would be a better way to put it."

Mark looked at his aunt. "Laura, did you know about this?"

"It's not the way you think," she answered. "Joey is Andrew's grandchild so he's one of us. We would never turn him away. If he ever needs somewhere to live he's always welcome here, at least until he's an adult."

"But he does have a home," Jacob pointed out. "He already has somewhere to live. He shouldn't need to stay here at all. So this is a new situation for us. We've never received a request like this before."

"Is this going to be a problem?" Mark asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jacob didn't answer him directly. "Ecclesia has a very specific purpose, a calling we are doing our best to fulfill. We're not meant to be a place where parents can just drop their children off and come back months later to pick them up. So we had to think carefully before agreeing to take Joey. And as a group we decided we would like to make a request of you and Beth."

"Okay." Mark's voice was suspicious. "What is it?"

"We think it's important for both of you to stay connected to Joey over the summer. We would like at least one of you to stay with him every weekend."

"Oh." Mark relaxed and sat back. "Is that all? Beth and I already agreed on a schedule. It's one of the few things we did agree on. She'll be out here next weekend to visit him. The weekend after that will be my turn. We'll rotate like that all summer."

"That's good, but I don't mean just a few hours. We would like you to be here for the whole weekend."

"The whole weekend? That might be a problem." Mark briefly considered his caseload. "I guess I could probably do that, just for the summer. Not today, though. I have a conference call in a few hours."

"Starting the next time you're here is fine." Jacob agreed at once. "But there's more. We believe that you and Beth need to visit with Joey at the same time. Together."

There was silence for a moment. "Now wait just a minute," Mark started, sitting up taller, but Jacob held up a hand to stop him.

"Hear me out, please. As I understand it, you and Beth are sending Joey here so that he can get away from the anger between the two of you, isn't that so?" Before continuing he glanced at Joey again, but the boy was paying no attention to the adults. He was absorbed in conversation with Micah, and Andrew and Amy were speaking to each other. This conversation would be private. Jacob leaned over the table and met Mark's eyes levelly. "I'm going to be frank with you. That's the dumbest idea I've heard of in a long time."

Mark felt his face flush. "What gives you-" he started, but Jacob cut him off.

"How are you ever going to learn to parent Joey together if you never see each other? What was the court thinking, to agree to such a thing?" He sat back again.

"It's not the court's choice. It's a decision we made with our mediator."

"That's a mighty strange mediator, then." Jacob gave a huff of disapproval. "A mediator is supposed to bring two sides together, not make it easier for them to stay away."

Mark was beginning to wonder if this arrangement was a good idea after all. He kept his voice even with an effort. "If it's a matter of money, I can pay for Joey's support for the summer."

"Look around." Jacob held out his hands to indicate the plain room they were in. "Do we look like we want more money?"

"People always want more money. Whatever you want for his support, I'll pay."

"We have all the food we can eat and the land to grow more. We don't own personal property so we don't need much. All of our material needs are met."

"Joey is one of our own," Laura interjected, trying to be the peacemaker. "His grandfather was a member, so as far as we're concerned he is too, until he comes of age. This is not a matter of money."

"But," Jacob repeated, "it's important to us that you and Beth spend time here together so you can parent him together. You'll stay in different houses. You won't have to act like a married couple, but you will have to get along with each other. No arguing in front of Joey."

"I'm not the one who starts arguments," Mark said defensively. "That's Beth's department."

"You're not responsible for what Beth does. You're only responsible for yourself."

"Fine." Mark crossed his arms. "Then I'll answer for myself. I think I'm just fine parenting Joey on my own. But if you insist, twice a month I will visit here at the same time Beth does. We will show you that we can parent our child together, without anger."

"Good enough," Jacob nodded.

"And we will not act like a happily married couple."

"We wouldn't expect you to. Anything else?"

"You get to explain this arrangement to Beth. Not me."

Laura raised an eyebrow at him. "You're angry."

"No, I'm not." Mark unfolded his arms. It was his turn to sound annoyed. "I'm a lawyer. I negotiate deals all the time. This is how I do it."

His aunt sighed. "Believe it or not, we want you and Beth to be happy with this arrangement. And we are delighted to have Joey here for the summer. We'll treat him just like one of our own. He'll have the same play times, the same chores, all the same experiences you had when you were a child here."

Mark turned his head to see Joey doubtfully pushing green beans back and forth on his plate with a fork. "He'll have some adjustments to make."

"He'll do well." Laura glanced at Mark's untouched plate. "If you're finished eating, I'll take you to see where Joey will be staying."

What kind of place do Laura and the others live in? Can Joey possibly be happy there for the summer? Find out in the chapters to come. In the meantime, please leave a note to let me know what you think so far! I read and treasure every single comment! -Elaine