Chapter Two

1 year later:

High School Years

It was now a year later after her grandpa died. She had cried at the funeral and said her last goodbye. Her family then moved to a new country from America to Netherlands as her dad Walter got a job there as CEO which paid more money.

She clearly remembered her first day when she arrived at her new high school in her Dad`s car. It was a very huge school even bigger than the one she attended in America. The car park was filled with all these rich people cars she only saw on TV, shocking her that her schoolmates drove cars like that. She was definitely going to have to ask her dad for money to buy a car for herself. At first it was hard to adjust to the life there as she had to start first year high school in the middle of the term as they arrived in the country late with school year already started. The school she was at had less international students so most of her peers spoke a different language she could not understand. They spoke less English and she had arrived late when everyone had chosen who their friends are, so it was hard for her to make friends easily.

So in the first year there because of this communication barrier, Purity became more reserved, insecure, lonely and depressed. She became quieter and quieter no longer social.  She had even started gaining a bit of weight going from skinny to medium as she became an emotional eater causing her to start wearing closed off clothes like large hoodies and baggy jeans from being insecure of her body.

After class finished when it was break time, she always sat by herself as she had not made any friends and she would miss her life in America as there she had friends, spoke same language of English and was never lonely with lots of relatives around. She had lost contact with her friends in America as they moved on with their own lives. Here she knew no one and there not too many friendly people. Then there was also the color of her skin which made her stand out as there were not many caramel skinned, brown eyed people there, Although she was a bit light skinned from her mother`s side and had long black her which she always liked to tie it up in a cute messy bun.

 She had asked to change to another school but her parents had refused her dad saying that the school Royal Academy which she was at was one of the top schools in the country and how she was lucky to even get in.

But they were also perks of coming to Netherlands as they moved in to a bigger house, she now had her own room and no longer had to share with her Sister Getty. The house was her mom`s dream house, a huge two story building house with lots of large rooms and space. It had a bigger yard too and even a swimming pool. They also now lived in a suburban neighborhood with less traffic noise. Her dad also now gave her and her three siblings more allowance money too.  Being the oldest she therefore got more money.

Although at school she was lonely at home she so not. She got along well with her 3 sibling but problem was they were young as while she was now 16 years, her sister Getty was 14 years, her first brother Phillip was 13 years and then her little brother Trey was 9 years old. 

But she also loved the views as the city they lived had lakes nearby and beautiful hiking forests.

It was then one day on a Sunday afternoon that her mother Cynthia told her she had met someone and they had invited her to come to the church. Unlike her unsocial self, Purity knew it would not take long until her mom had made lots of friends. That is how she was, her mom Cynthia was a social creature and could start a conversion with anyone and make them feel like they were her new friend. Her mom had come to tell her this as she was in her room totally lost in music which was her escape route whenever she wanted to not think about how miserable her social life was.

She really did not want to go, as it would be just like school having to deal with other people. But she quickly got up and bathed knowing her mom would force her to go still. It was not that she wasn’t religious, as back in America she did go to church but she only went there to be with her church friends and had never really had that close relationship with God. She believed he existed but was not interested in her little life.

Their dad stayed at home wanting to watch a soccer match happening while her mother loaded her and her siblings into the car to go to church.

They arrived at the church and it was this huge Victorian building with a large parking space filled with cars. People were getting out of their cars and quickly heading into the building as music had started and could be heard signaling that the service had started. After quickly rushing in, it was also large inside as it was outside but full of people. It looked like the whole city was attending some form of Sunday service. They took a sit by seats that were at the back as they were the only available ones.

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you, 1 Peter 5:7” Purity then heard as the preacher started his sermon and just that simple sentence changed her relationship with God to a new level as she started realizing that God did care about her. And for the first time in her life she actually enjoyed and listened attentively to a sermon and knew she would be coming to that church every Sunday.

As her first year was ending she started reading the bible on her own during break time when she sat alone with no friends and learned of how much God loved her. She started healing from the inside. Instead of feeling depressed and always thinking depressing thoughts as she used to before like how she has no friends, she would instead close her eyes, imagine wrapping all those thoughts into one bubble and seeing them fly away into the sky to God. He was the one who would take care of them.It then as her second year in high school started, her relationship with God had changed making her a new person.