The Tyros were responsible for the lowest of maintenance duties. They cleaned toilets, mopped floors, removed trash. Ruffing explained to Liam that it gave them humility. What Ruffing knew about humility was a mystery to Liam. But Liam didn’t argue with his financier.
The Tyros’ day would begin with morning meditations, followed by a breakfast of oatmeal and fruit. Chores came next. Midmorning, the Tyros would attend classes on philosophy and yoga. Then came lunch. All meals were served in the great hall, which had once been the barn. It had a dozen long wooden tables and seating was by levels. Only Tyros could sit with Tyros, Pledges with Pledges, and the Luminaries sat at a table set on a platform of risers in the front of the hall, where they could watch over everyone. There were also Guardians, employees of The Haven, not acolytes, who did that as well. They guarded the property when everyone was inside the compound and guarded the members when they went out in public. And they always moved in groups.
On a typical day, after lunch, Tyros would go to the farming area to see what work needed to be done or to run errands with the Guardians in The Haven’s vans.
The Tyros were responsible for doing the laundry. The carts would be rolled into the parking area, where they would load the bags into a van. The number of bags determined how many Tyros were needed to do the laundry. The bags often had small padlocks of the kind one would use on luggage when traveling. While that seemed strange, no one questioned it. And if on a rare occasion someone did ask, the answer given was that they contained personal and private clothing for the Luminaries. They would also take Noah’s and Liam’s clothing to the dry cleaner next door to the Laundromat. Liam’s and Noah’s clothing were in black garment bags which also had padlocks on them. The half dozen or so Tyros would take carts from inside the Laundromat, unload the bags, and wheel the bundled laundry to a door in the back of the Laundromat. The words in red letters read PRIVATE. There was also a security keypad that prevented any nosy busybodies from entering.
The Tyros would knock on the door and someone in a black shirt and pants would open the door, revealing only a vestibule where another locked door would lead to a private room. Within a few minutes, the black-garbed person would return the carts to the Tyros, with the clothing in the carts no longer in the original bags. The Tyros would then begin the washing, drying, and folding routine. No one seemed to question what went on behind the closed doors. For all anyone knew, maybe they were counting the uniforms to be sure there were none missing? Possible?
One of the Tyros would be assigned to take clothing to the dry cleaner, which had a slightly different routine. The Tyro would drop off the garment bags and be handed different ones to return to The Haven.
This all happened twice a week. On the weekends, the Tyros would load the vans with tables and whatever the Pledges would take to sell at the farmers’ market. It was a collection of produce, honey, zucchini bread, and carrot cake they called Heavenly Foods. Other items for sale in-eluded handmade pieces such as macramé plant hangers and belts, crocheted vests, and a few decoupage boxes.
They placed a small CASH ONLY sign on the table. And the Guardians watched every transaction like hawks. People sometimes grunted when they were told they couldn’t use debit or credit cards, but most people had enough cash to buy a few eggplants, or fennel, baked goods, or a jar of honey. The handmade items were never more than thirty dollars, an amount most people had in their purses, or combined in pockets with their friends or spouse. At the end of the day, the Guardians would put the cash in a locked box and secure it in the front of one of the vans. The Pledges and Tyros would gather whatever remained, fold the tables, and return everything to the van, including themselves. No one ever seemed to want to sneak away. For most of them, it was a way to avoid sleeping in a cardboard box and scrounging for food.
It was common knowledge that both the Laundromat and the dry cleaner were operated by other members of The Haven. They were supposedly from a different but connected faction. But no one asked. In truth, no one was allowed to ask questions of a superior outside a classroom. Not even a “How are you?” was permitted.
The Pledges were on a similar schedule but attended more advanced classes. When not studying or meditating, Pledges would pick vegetables, prepare meals, and sew. Once the main chores were complete, they were allowed to go to the arts and crafts cottage and make something that could be sold at the market. There were no days of rest. If a Pledge was lucky enough, he or she would be asked to work in the office to assist Liam or Noah. Those were highly coveted spots and caused some jealousy among the women. Ruffing would remind Noah and Liam that jealousy was a great motivator. Pledges were constantly trying to outdo each other for attention.
That’s when Liam took special notice of Gabby. She wasn’t like the rest of them. She was genuinely interested in evolving, and jealousy was not an asset when it came to one’s spiritual development.
Gabby made it through the Tyro phase easily. Paying the ten thousand dollars enabled her to avoid the unpleasant tasks used to take care of the entry fee. Still, she understood the importance of doing a job well, no matter what it was. Her spiritual compass seemed to be out of kilter. Perhaps she had become jaded from covering horror stories in the dark alleys of the city.
When she first arrived at The Haven, she considered doing light housework a promotion from covering crime scenes. She had been at The Haven just under six months when she became eligible to move up to Pledge status. She felt she had decompressed and was ready for some serious enlightenment. She had emptied the polluted vessel of her mind and released the past. She was open and ready to receive and gladly spent the twenty thousand dollars to take the position and the opal ring that came with it. It was the only piece of jewelry allowed.
*
Several weeks before Gabby was to fly home to see her mother in the hospital, she overheard part of a conversation between Liam and Noah.
It had sounded a bit heated, with Noah raising his voice, and saying, “We have to deliver whatever he wants before the end of the month, and it doesn’t appear that there are any possible candidates.”
Liam sounded frustrated. “You know I don’t approve of any of these secret rendezvous or whatever else he has on his agenda. I don’t know why you insist on dealing with those people.”
“Listen, little brother. If you want this spiritual mumbo jumbo gig to survive, we need his funds to keep the place going. We simply can’t survive on free labor and a vegetable garden.” Noah sounded gruff.
“Noah, I want to spread a message of brotherhood and sisterhood and connecting with a higher power. I believe we can get there through our work. We can get more people and maybe some other benefactors. Becoming a global institution is not a priority.”
“Yeah. Whatever. You always had reality issues,” Noah snapped back.