Adoption Day

At eleven o’clock in the morning, we were already preparing the food for our lunch. We were cooking seafood paella. I began boiling the crabs in a pot of salted water then I started deveining the prawns. Stephany cleaned the mussels and the other children prepared the rice. There were squids as well.

The couples would come by at 2PM this afternoon and we have to be prepared and ready an hour before they would arrive. We would line up at the entrance to greet them all at once and then Mrs. Mayers and all the other staff and orphan keepers would introduce themselves and introduce us, kids, one by one, starting from the youngest. There are at least a hundred of us here and in each month, fifteen to thirty children would finally meet and have their new parents. But there are also months where none of us would be chosen. Especially when couples are picky.

Aside from giving us away, new orphans also come here almost each month. It hurts to see lots of children being sent here because they lost their parents. It hurts more to know that some of them were sent here by their own parents because they couldn’t take care of them anymore.

“Hmmmmmmm!! That smells good!” Paul said as he grabbed the sides of my apron while sniffing the paella that I’m cooking.

“Hey, you shouldn’t be here” I said as I stirred the rice. “The smell of the food would stick to your clothes and our visitors might notice that and they won’t pick you anymore.”

“That’s okay.” He said. “If we smell the same, then you won’t be chosen as well. We’d have more time together.”

He has a point. But I really shouldn’t let him stay inside the kitchen while we cook. He might burn himself.

“Ok.” I said. “But if you stay here in the kitchen with me and you knocked off any of the food, Mrs. Mayers would get mad at us. She’d punish us and won’t let us play on the playground until next month.”

There was fear in Paul’s eyes the moment I mentioned the playground. He immediately waved goodbye and left me with my chores.

When we finished cooking and plating, the other children set the table and called the rest of us to eat. It was a lovely lunch and the paella was so delicious. I saw that the other orphans loved the food as well. Even Mrs. Mayers and the other orphan keepers enjoyed their plates.

After eating, we hurriedly washed the dishes and cleaned the table so that we’d still have time to fix ourselves before the couples would arrive. I braided my hair and straightened the crumples on my dress. I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. This was the first time that I dressed nice again. It felt good.

As more time passed and the arrival of the guests would come nearer and nearer, my breath also grew shorter and shorter. It was as if I was so close to hyperventilating. My heart felt like it wanted to burst off my chest. I don’t know why I was feeling this way but deep inside me, there’s still that desire to have a family again. I wanted to go back to school and live a normal life. I wanted Paul to be my sibling. We would take care of each other while our new parents would treat us right and love us.

We lined up at the entrance and saw cars coming and parking in front of the orphanage. When they got out of their vehicles, we saw couples from different age groups. Most of them looked young and newly weds while some looked like they’re already desperate to adopt a child because they couldn’t produce their own. Some of them looked like their children already have their own families and they were left alone in the house. That's why they wanted to adopt a younger kid that they could take care of and be with them.

We welcomed them all before Mrs. Mayers proceeded to introduce us. After the introduction, the couples explored the orphanage. An orphan keeper toured them towards the living room, activity area, playground, kitchen, dining area, bathrooms, and in each of our own bedrooms while all of us, kids, just followed them. Our visitors examined every room and observed every corner. Mrs. Mayers told them what we had for breakfast and lunch. The couples seemed happy about what they saw and heard.

After the tour, we lined up again in the living room while the couples would interview some of us. I could feel the sweat dripping down my back. I was so nervous and my hands were shaking as a young woman walked towards me.

“Hi! You’re Chari, right?” She greeted me and smiled “How old are you?” she asked

I curtsied before answering, “Hello, Ma’am. Yes, my name is Chari and I am nine years old.”

She smiled again, “Oh, no need for a curtsy. Just call me Dianne” she said “You’re so pretty. Where did you get that dress? That’s an expensive brand.”

I smiled and looked at my dress. It was indeed very pretty. It’s my favorite.

“My mom gave it to me. It was a gift for my fifth birthday. But she said to only wear it when I get a little bigger. She said that the store didn’t have one for my size at that time.” I answered.

“Your mom must be really sweet!” she said

“She was.” I replied. I kept the smile on my face even after the woman left. She was right about my mom.

Dianne went on to interview other orphans. She was nice to them as well. It’s hard to tell if she liked me. She treated the other kids just the same.

An hour had passed and the couples had already chosen who they wanted to adopt. They told Mrs. Mayers the names of the orphans that they picked and some couples mentioned the same names. The headmistress then asked them if they had other children in mind that they wanted to adopt instead of the first one that they chose. Some agreed to change their first picks and some were really firm with their decision.

After some time, everything was settled and the decisions were clear. Mrs. Mayers finally asked the couples to call the names of their chosen orphans.

Seven of the youngest children were called first. Obviously, the couples wanted the younger ones. Then, when it was Dianne’s turn to call her chosen child, she called,

“Chari…”