The Orphanage

Hailey

“Hey, you,” she said when I walked into the rec room where she was surrounded by a small group of kids at a large circular table.

“Hailey!” several of them shouted, running to wrap their arms around me.

“Hi, guys!” I greeted each and every one of them with a hug.

“What brings you by?” Mandy asked.

I shrugged a shoulder, looked at the kids and then her. She gave me a subtle nod, understanding it wasn’t a child-appropriate conversation.

“I wanted to come by and see some of my most favorite people in the world,” I said with a smile.

Mandy grinned. “Thank you. You know how much they appreciate your visits. Guys, I think Hailey wants to make one of our beaded necklaces.”

The group erupted into cheers, which always made me feel good. I loved being able to brighten their days a bit.

The kids in this group ranged in age from five to ten. Some were recently orphaned, while a few had been orphaned shortly after birth. They had never known what it was like to have a loving mother and father. Mandy had been working as the activities coordinator at the orphanage for almost five years, and sadly, some of the kids had been there longer, waiting to age out of the system.

“You can sit with me, Hailey,” one of the little girls said in a shy voice.

“I would love to sit with you, Melissa.”

She took my hand and led me to her seat at the big round table. I sat in the small plastic chair next to her and helped her make a necklace. The kids told me all about what they had been doing in school and who did what around the orphanage.

“All right, guys, it’s time to get cleaned up for dinner,” Mandy announced after a good hour of necklace making.

The kids each said their goodbyes. I promised to see them again soon before they filed out of the room, giving Mandy and me a chance to talk. I looked around the activity room, noticing all the subtle signs of Mandy’s creative touch. 

“Johnny wasn’t here,” I pointed out.

Mandy smiled. “Nope, he got adopted by a lovely family last week.”

My mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding. That’s amazing!”

She nodded her head. “It was a perfect fit. Not many kids get adopted at ten years old, but they fell in love with him, and he was over the moon. He cried, I cried, everyone cried when he left, but they were tears of joy.”

“I’m so happy for him. I’ll miss him, but I am glad he found his own family.”

“Me too. So, what brings you by?” 

She knew me well. “Rough day at the shoot.”

She groaned. “Another jerk photographer?”

“Carl.”

She rolled her eyes. Carl had been the subject of my complaining for years. Things had gotten better, but he was still a jerk.

“What’d he do this time?”

I shook my head. “Nothing to me. He was putting one of the new girls through her paces. I hate seeing him treat the new ones that way. They’re so young and impressionable.”

Mandy smiled. “You hate seeing anyone mistreated, no matter who they are. It’s what makes you so special. You have the biggest, kindest heart of anyone I know. I seriously think you were born an angel.”

I always felt weird receiving compliments. I was a model, a successful one at that, but inside, I was still the little girl who loved all creatures and was insecure, no matter how often people told me I was beautiful.

“Thank you,” I muttered.

“Are you still thinking about getting out of the business?”

“I am.”

“Acting?”

I nodded again. “I want to tell stories—good stories.”

“What if you don’t get the roles you want?”

I shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t mind doing small roles, and I don’t have to make twenty million for each movie. I just want the chance to inspire others through storytelling.”

Mandy laughed. “Twenty million would be nice, but I understand what you’re saying.”

“For now, I’m still under contract with this ad agency. I’m hoping I’m not going to get fired for standing up to Carl today. When I finished the shoot, there was a voicemail requesting my appearance at the office on Monday for a meeting with some of the executives. If Carl gets me fired, I will seriously be mad.”

“Maybe they like your work. You’ve been working a lot on that campaign, and we’ve all seen the ads. They’re a roaring success.”

I nodded my head. “I hope so. I always get nervous about these things.”

“Don’t borrow trouble,” she said. “There’s plenty enough to worry about without making things up.” 

“Anyway, how is Melissa doing? She seemed to be happier today and getting involved.”

Mandy sighed. “She is doing better. It will be a slow recovery for her. She lost her entire family in the blink of an eye.”

I shook my head. When Melissa had shown up at the orphanage a month ago, I happened to be there visiting Mandy. The look of fear and sadness on the girl’s face broke my heart. There was nothing anyone could do to make her pain go away. Mandy assured me she would get plenty of counseling and support.

“Good. That makes me happy to hear as well. I should probably get going. I know your next group will be in soon.”

“Don’t stress about the meeting. You know you’re doing a great job.”

I smiled. “Thanks.”

I left, heading home for a wild Saturday night of N*****x and maybe some wine. I made money on my looks. I had to make sure I got plenty of sleep and ate right, especially considering the meeting I had coming up. I was nervous as hell about the whole thing.