16 - Orphanage

‘I’m so glad all three of you are here today. I haven’t seen you in a long time, and my, how you’ve all grown. Max and Jeremy, you boys are still very handsome.’ Mrs. Powell patted their cheeks. ‘Don’t make the girls cry, okay?’ and they both smiled.

‘And you, my dear, have become more beautiful. A little thinner than before and with dark circles around the eyes, but still beautiful,’ she lovingly caressed Clara’s cheek.

‘Have you been sleeping well these days? I saw your article in the newspaper and congratulations on the launch of your new product. Some of your staff installed a few of your cameras here as well, but I doubt we’ll need it.’ 

The Powell family and the Johnson siblings have known each other for 10 years. Mr. and Mrs. Powell asked the siblings to call them Ma and Pa, just like everybody else.

Clara visited Mrs.Powell a lot during the early days to get advice on cooking, baking, sewing, and how to deal with her brothers when they were misbehaving. Clara had learned a lot from her over the years and still held her counsel from time to time when she needed it.

‘That’s the reason we are here,’ said Max. ‘Clara hasn’t been sleeping well these days. We believe we’ve found her real family, and we wanted to see the records of when they took her in, some pictures maybe.’

‘Hmm…,’ Mrs. Powell started opening drawers.

‘Did they keep a record or picture of us when we were kids? That’s all we need. Maybe we can help you find it,’ Jeremy volunteered.

‘Hey, kids!’ Mr. Powell says from the open door. After a round of hugs, he told them that records from the kids that were in the orphanage before they assumed management was missing. 

‘I asked them about all those records when we arrived, and they told us about a break-in years earlier. Those idiots trashed the whole place. Do you know what the biggest surprise was? The only thing the looters absconded with were records of all the kids living here. Since most of you guys have grown up and moved on, they never bothered to restore the missing data,’ he said. ‘I think the old caretakers should have because there is always a chance that someone might return.  

‘Pa, were there any other pictures you could show us from before?’ Max asked hopefully. 

‘Nah, but you know what, I was cleaning out a few boxes a few months ago and found a bunch of negatives. You’re welcome to look through them or maybe get a few developed, see if you can get something useful out of ‘em? Let me go get the box,’ he said as he left.

Clara had tears in her eyes. Another dead end.

‘Boys, why don’t you help Pa look for that box?’ Ma shooed them away. They both hug Clara before they leave.

‘Don’t cry, my dear,’ she pulled Clara for a hug, letting her cry her eyes out, ‘I know life’s been tough on you since they left you out here, but you have us. Don’t despair. You will find what you are looking for sooner than you think. If you feel in your heart that these are the people you are looking for, then they will be.’

Clara pulled away and told her what had happened at the club when she met Celine. ‘You see, I was sure it was her, but what if I was just imagining things? I did not want to get my family's hopes up by declaring myself their lost child and asking for a DNA test, outright. What if I am wrong? 

I thought the picture on my record might have been a big help since the article showed a photo of their child when she was ten. Max says she looked like me when we first met. Of course, we were both kids then, so can we trust our memories?’

‘Quiet your mind and concentrate on what’s in front of you. Pray for guidance, and it will come. We will try to look for any boxes that might have any other pictures, and we will all pray together that you meet your parents soon. Don’t worry too much about it and forget to eat. 

I love you, Clara, we all do, so even if you never find your real family, know that we are all here for you, okay?’ Ma kisses her cheek like an actual mother would kiss her anguished child. 

‘Come,’ Ma wipes her cheek, ‘I asked the kitchen to make your favorite foods for lunch. We should get there before your brothers finish everything.’

-=-

Ma and Pa used to manage another orphanage. They met the Johnson siblings because they had been volunteering at orphanages, much like the one they came from. They would take the kids out on field trips to the beach, the mountains, or other orphanages for a chance to mingle and make new friends.

Clara’s goal was to provide happiness to kids who were alone. She wanted to provide everybody with a family they could lean on when the time came. 

They struggled in the beginning, but she really wanted to make helping out as many kids as she could. This became her goal in life because she saw teens who were not as lucky as she was. So, after soliciting from different companies and asking for donations, she established a center for teens and young adults, especially ones that never got adopted. She wanted them to have somewhere to stay after they reached 18 to keep them off the streets. This was so they could at least finish high school, or they could also choose to further their studies and pursue college, vocational school, or any certificate programs to make them employable in the future. 

By the time she opened SST, most of the teens she helped out were either working for her as student workers or had graduated. Some of them even became part of her regular staff. She had given them hope and a purpose.

Because of their cause, they had attracted an impressive amount of sponsors. Now have several of these establishments all across the state. In these homes, she had counselors, tutors, trainers, and teachers. The teachers taught them basic life skills like cooking, carpentry, plumbing, accounting. Counselors and tutors were on hand for guidance. Trainers were there for basic self-defense, so they could defend themselves if the need arose.

Some described it as a dorm that offered extracurricular activities. And she expected everyone to pull their weight while they lived here. To help clean up, do laundry, wash dishes, and help with cooking. All the chores were rotated, so nobody would complain about being assigned the same tasks, over and over again. 

But to these kids who had nowhere to go, it was a place they could call home.