The Orphanage

After half an hour they stopped in front of the gate of an old mansion near the border of Lotus City and Lantana Province.

J opened the window when she saw a guard approaching them. As the guard saw her, he immediately opened the door and let them enter the compound.

The old mansion is surrounded by a tall fence and inside were fruit-bearing trees. At the back of the mansion, you can see a huge open lawn.

Jacob saw some kids playing at the back of the mansion. J got down from the car, one of the little girls that were playing saw her and hurriedly rushed towards her. "Miss J is here!" Jacob heard the girl scream. Soon Jacob saw ten kids running towards J and hugged her.

Jacob watched J interact with the kids with interest and amusement in his face then in the corner of his eyes, he saw a sophisticated lady in her early fifties come out of the entrance door of the mansion.

Soon Jacob found himself inside that old mansion. Some of the kids had already taken the boxes out of his car. He saw J in the middle of the kids opening the boxes.

As he was looking at her, he felt like he was looking at a different person. J looks happy. There were sparks in her eyes and the smile that was plastered on her face never falters one little bit. Once in a while, he can even hear J laugh. He can tell that her smile and happiness were genuine.

Jacob noticed the sophisticated lady approaching him so he smiled at her.

"I'm sorry but I guess Miss J forgot to introduce us. I'm Evangeline, you can call me Miss Eve." The lady said as she raised her hand in front of him.

Jacob received her hand and introduced himself, "I'm Dr. Jacob Parker."

"You are Miss J's friend I assume." Miss Eve glanced at Jacob waiting for his reply.

Jacob thought for a while. No. He is J's husband. But should he tell her that?

"Yes." finally Jacob said. If he told Miss Eve that he is J's husband, things might get complicated. J might get angry and it will ruin her day. He doesn't want to ruin her day, he doesn't want to spoil her mood.

"I've never seen Miss J with a friend before, nor she talks about one before. I was worried that she doesn't have anyone at the hospital. It turns out she got some after all." Miss Eve said then she took a look at Jacob and smiled at him.

Jacob takes note of the way Miss Eve called his wife Miss J, just like the way the manager of the restaurant back at Lantana Province addresses her. He thought about inquiring about that but changed his mind later on.

"Miss J used to be alone. She even told me that she will grow old and die alone. Poor kid. Even when her parents were still alive, she has always been alone. Then her parents died, she was left to her grandfather then was sent overseas. All this time she is alone striving. No one to protect her but herself. I always prayed that she finds someone to love and protect her. But I also know that Miss J wouldn't dare to find someone. So, I was hoping that someone finds her...soon. And if that someone came, I hope that he has a lot of patience and does not give up easily on her because I know it will be hard to get her trust. She is a precious one."

Jacob was so engrossed in Miss Eve's words that he didn't notice the meaningful look that Miss Eve gave him or the message underneath her words. In his thoughts, J doesn't need to find that someone because Jacob already found her. At that moment Jacob was determined to take care and protect her with his life.

Jacob looked at J with fondness and adoration. At the thought of J being alone all this time, his heart aches for her. He wanted to rush over her, embrace her, and stroke her hair. He tried hard to resist that urge.

"How long has she been coming here?" After a couple of minutes, Jacob looked at Miss Eve and asked. He didn't expect Miss Eve to trust him immediately and talk about J's past so he is not going to miss this opportunity to get to know more about his wife.

"Seven years. Since she came back from overseas, she has been visiting the kids once a month. She always considered herself as one of them. An orphan." Miss Eve said that while looking at J with compassion.

"How did she find out about this place? It's a bit far from the city." By the way, Miss Eve talks about J, Jacob could tell that she knows a lot about his wife and he intends to know more about her from this lady. So he tries to be very discreet with asking her questions.

But Miss Eve noticed it so she just said. "She just saw us on her way to Lantana Province."

Makes sense. Jacob thought to himself. Miss Eve became more alert with his questions so he diverted his questions from J to the orphanage. He would just let her keep on talking.

"Can you tell me about this orphanage?" Jacob asked Miss Eve while looking around what seemed like the family room.

"Should I give you a tour?" Miss Eve thought that it would be better if she gave Jacob a tour of the whole mansion. Jacob nods in agreement. Then he followed Miss Eve.

"This used to be a traditional mansion owned by an old billionaire twenty years ago. He used this as his primary home. The whole of his family used to live here until they decided to donate this to convert into an orphanage before they migrate overseas. We have 30 rooms in total. 20 rooms on the second floor were used by the kids. The other 10 rooms we converted into classrooms, family room, dining, storage, office, and library. The library is Miss J's favorite room. Almost all of the books there were donated by her." Miss Eve boastfully showed Jacob the rooms in the mansion.

"You have classrooms in here?" Jacob asked in surprise.

"Yes. We do. We also hired teachers. They teach the kids from preschool until Junior high school. When they reach senior high school and college, we let them choose what school they want then we will find a sponsor for them. As of now, we have 14 students in different schools." Miss Eve proudly said to Jacob.

"How are you able to keep up with your daily expenses?" Jacob asked her. They are now in the backyard of the mansion.

"Donations. There were a lot of groups and individuals who regularly donate food, clothes, school supplies, medicines, and money. One of them is Miss J. Plus look at this place. We have a lot of space to plant trees and vegetables." Miss Eve showed him a big garden full of vegetables. The whole place is self-sufficient.

Jacob saw the kids running towards the big lawn. "How many kids do you have here?"

"64 kids. 50 were here. The other 14 kids were in college. Kids come and go. Some were adopted. Some have already graduated from college and already have a job of their own." Miss Eve bends forward to meet a little girl running towards them.

She lifts the girl and introduces her to Jacob. "This is Nana. She is five years old. She is the youngest."

Jacob smiled at her and raised his hand to shake hers. "Hello Nana, it's a pleasure to meet you," Jacob remembers that this is the girl who saw J earlier upon arriving.

"They are going to play dodgeball. They wouldn't let me in" The little girl said while pouting her lips.

Jacob chuckled at the little girl. "Look at them, they are all bigger than you, you might get hurt if you were hit by their ball."

"That's unfair." Nana whimpered at Miss Eve.

"Hmm...how about this. I play on your behalf. If I win, you win as well. You like that?" Jacob tried to console Nana.

Nana was delighted at that thought so she immediately said yes. She takes Jacob's hand and drags him towards the other children to announce her participation with Jacob as her representative.

Everyone agrees. J looked at Jacob. He has taken the little girls' hearts. She also noticed some of the teenage girls giggle when they saw Jacob joining them in the game. It looks like he also wins over other girls' hearts. Tsk… He sure knows how to impress.

The game started. Six girls including J against six boys including Jacob. They made an imaginary central line in the middle. Three balls were in the middle. Then the opening rush started. J wasn't good at throwing, catching, or dodging a ball, she just enjoyed the games with the kids that's why she joined them.

Soon J was the first one eliminated. Then followed by the other girls. The boys headed by Jacob won this round. And the happiest person was Nana whom Jacob promised earlier that if he wins, she wins.

Another round began followed by another round. This time Jacob tried not to hit J. He deliberately missed her. Sometimes he intentionally hit other girls. Until they were the ones left. J and Jacob throws and dodges the ball. At last, J was able to hit Jacob, and finally, the girls won. Jacob lost but he felt like a winner seeing J happy that they won. As much as possible he will try to keep her happy because he knows that once they return to the city she will return to her cool and distant self.

But one girl is not happy with his loss. He looked at Nana's side and saw her heartbroken. He has to think of a way to make up for her.

He walks towards Nana. "Hey I'm sorry, I lost," he said while scratching the back of his head. Nana was gloomy and didn't even bother to look at him. "How could I make it up to you? Hmm?" Jacob makes an adorable look at Nana.