As they paint and sand, the two boys enjoy the work and understand that they need to do a thorough and respectable job.

They take pride in showing their progress and love it when the residents admire their handiwork. They also find opportunities to have fun, joking with each other, singing and doing that teenage mouth rhythm thing they call beat boxing. It's obvious that they enjoy their new friendship and have developed a respect for each other and for the work they are doing together.

Although Adil Kahssay and Coltan Hell didn't know each other until this summer, they have a lot in common. Both are 17 and attend public high schools where they are getting good grades. Both of their mothers work at Providence Mount St. Vincent. Coltan's mother is Gina Hodo (Hell), the "foot" nurse in the Wellness Clinic. Adil's mother is Amira Idris, a nurse in a fifth floor nursing neighborhood.

You cannot tell from a casual encounter with these two boys, both hard working, both smiling and joking, but Adil and Coltan come from vastly different backgrounds. Coltan was born and raised in Seattle. Adil was born in Ethiopia and came to the United States when he was 12. He spent three years in a boarding school in Canada before returning to Tukwila to live with his mother. His father just came to the United States and now, for the first time in many years, the family is living together.

Both of the boys love working at The Mount for their summer jobs. They say that their favorite part is entertaining the residents and they know which ones enjoy just watching them work and which will enjoy a joke or a song. Sometimes they take a break and help a resident water his plants. Sometimes the staff treats them to a soft drink or a snack on a hot afternoon.

Maybe their least favorite part is getting out of bed at 4:45 in the morning to get rides to work with their parents. While many of their teenage friends are sleeping until noon on these long summer days, Adil and Coltan have almost put in a full days work by then.

In other parts of the world right now, these two boys might be living very different lives, perhaps as enemies instead of friends. Seeing them exchange a smile and hearing them tell how much they enjoy working together is touching.

Arlene Carter is assistant director of Annual Giving and Public Relations and can be reached at Arlene.Carter@providence.org