Good News For Carmen

"It certainly is funny, Sis," Rafael disagreed, still laughing. "lighten up, will you?"

"That's enough," Lisa chided. "Carmen, why don't you go outside while we finish cooking breakfast?"

"Okay, Lisa." Carmen said.

Carmen was barefoot, so she decided to go to her bedroom to put her jellies on.

Then, Carmen decided to take Lisa's advice and enjoy the sunny day outside.

Carmen could see a few of her comrades in the band playing kick ball from under the shade of her favorite reading tree.

"Hey, Carmen," Mirabel called. "come play with us!"

"Carmen doesn't like kick ball, Mirabel," a boy named Mitchell Gardner said. "she would rather spend her time reading."

It was true that Carmen loved her books and she loved reading, but this time she started to daydream about her mysterious guy.

Within Carmen's daydream, it was a warm morning as a group of Pine Hollow students had ridden down to the shore of the nearby river.

Carmen was there too and she was talking to some of her friends who attended the riding school.

One of Carmen's friends heard splashing and saw a young boy flailing his arms in the water.

"Oh no," Carmen's friend shouted. "a boy is drowning in the water! And the current is carrying him into the rapids!"

Carmen took her jellies off and made a quick dive into the water.

"I won't let you die in a watery grave!" Carmen exclaimed.

"Do be careful, Carmen." Carmen's friend said.

Carmen swam over to the boy just before he hit the rapids.

Carmen got the boy to shore safely.

"The fool swallowed a lot of water," a snooty rich girl laughed. "he's done for!"

"Not yet, Renee! I know CPR!" Carmen said to the snooty girl.

Deborah came over to the spot where Carmen was administering CPR on the boy.

The boy coughed up some water.

"Good job, Carmen." Deborah praised.

"Carmen... Carmen... Carmen... Carmen... Carmen..." Lisa repeatedly called.

"What? Oh, hi, Lisa." Carmen said.

"Breakfast is ready, Carmen." Lisa said.

"Great, Lisa," Carmen said. "I am famished!"

Carmen followed Lisa inside.

At breakfast with her brother and sister-in-lae, Carmen was getting a plate of food for herself.

Carmen sat down across from Lisa.

"So, my sister," Rafael said to Carmen. "you have been dreaming about rescuing a boy from drowning, am I correct?"

Carmen swallowed her bite of biscuits and gravy before answering her brother's question.

"You are indeed, Brother," Carmen replied. "I just can't get him out of my head!"

"Personally, Sis," Rafael said to Carmen honestly. "it would be nice if the boy from your dream would end up being a member of our growing clan."

"What makes you say that?" Carmen asked Rafael.

"I don't trust Ryo as far as I would like to throw him!" Rafael exclaimed.

Lisa swallowed her ladylike sip of water before she spoke.

"Rafa! That's a rude thing to say!" Lisa scolded sharply.

"Sorry, Dearest." Rafael sighed.

Carmen took another bite of her biscuits and gravy.

"Back to the topic at hand," Lisa said. "Rafael, do you think it's time?"

"Yes, Dear Wife, the time has now come." Rafael answered Lisa.

Carmen swallowed so hard on her second bite of biscuits and gravy that she nearly choked on it.

Rafael simply heimliched the bite of food from his sister's throat just to be on the safe side.

"The time has now come for what, Lisa?" Carmen asked.

Lisa looked her sister-in-law right in the eye, "The time has now come for you to become a woman in the eyes of our people, Carmen." she explained.

Carmen gasped in shock, she nearly fell off her chair.