Adopt a child

The Orphanage

"But what about my rounds?" Gerald asked as he was lead into the orphanage by his staff.

"Do not worry," Enri said. Mister Dugger and Mr. Nurmeen will be delivering dinner to your shut-ins this evening. You have more important matters to attend to."

"What could be more important than my volunteer work?"

Enri motioned to a jittery and sullen woman waiting for them in a finely tailored business suit. "The press."

"All right, let's move all these frakkin kids out of here," Ssdra Krint ordered to Priestess Urawa. "Get em in the kitchen, we'll pick up some shots of them after the interview and splice it together."

She sat down sullenly as a chair grew up out of the floor to meet her. She let off a belch and scratched her armpit as her makeup was applied. Her assistant set down a stool for Gerald and setup the microphone and translators in front of him.

"You're a little different in real life," Gerald said to himself.

"Okay, this is going to be a very light, people story," the producer explained. "Something to put at the tail of the broadcast, end on a high note, the retired community can't get enough of crap like this. All right?"

"Um, okay," Gerald said as makeup was surprisingly applied to him as well.

Suddenly a dozen floating holo imagers were on him from every angle. The lights became so bright he had to squint just to make the silhouette of the reporter

The producer called action and everything changed. The holo imagers came to life, the microphones buzzed, the producer motioned for everyone to be silent. The air itself became tense.

But nothing changed more than the reporter. Suddenly she was sunny, friendly, and accessible.

"Hello Deen and Ti'in, this is Ssdra Krint, and I have had the privilege of spending the day here at the Cha'Rolette Ssykes Mission. It is the second of its kind here on Central, and a third is opening over on the east side." She paused and nodded, as if she were being asked a question. Gerald realized that the newsroom side would be filmed later and she was operating from a script.

"Absolutely Deen," she said with a chuckle. Gerald was surprised at how truly sincere she sounded.

"These kids are a delight, and I have with me here a special guest, this is one of the monks that volunteers with the orphans, a human from Eeeyarth, Gerald Dyson. How are you Gerald?"

"A little nervous, Sadra."

"Ssdra."

"Ssdra."

"Oh, there's no need to be," she laughed, placing a friendly hand on his knee. Gerald looked at it as if he had been bitten.

"So, tell me Gerald, what do you find to be the most rewarding part of your work?"

Gerald leaned to the side so the microphone wouldn't block his face, an unnecessary gesture, since the holo-imagers deleted themselves from the feed. "Well, I would say it's the kids," he began, then he noticed her expression. He had seen it a thousand times before since he came to Central. A distant thousand-yard stare as she used her crystronic link to wirelessly dive into the hypernet. Scrolling through conspiracy theory sites, watching live celebrity feeds, reading trashy romance novels, commenting on regional conflicts, basically doing everything except listening to his answer. She wasn't even in the room, she was elsewhere, and she wouldn't return until he stopped talking. And Gerald knew if she wasn't interested, then the people at home would be even less so.

"Words are cheap, Ssdra. Let me show you why I do what I do. He stood up, which shook her out of her stupor and bade her to follow him into the kitchen area.

The kids looked up in surprised as he approached them, a dozen images hovering around him. Gerald knelt down next to the table, and little Yurawaa slid off her chair and onto his knee.

"This is Yurawaa, she wants to be a doctor when she grows up."

"A brain doctor," she added happily.

"Think about it, Ssdra. Somewhere out there right now, one of your viewers could be the person to give this wonderful little girl a home, and be the parent of the doctor who cures implant sclerosis."

Yurawaa put her thumb in her mouth. "All I need is a staff, a grant, and a lab to work in."

Another kid jumped on Gerald from behind, wrapping his arms around his neck.

"Ah, now this little guy is Exohae. He and I are learning how to play the Zadra."

"I'm way better," Exohae boasted adorably.

"Ssdra, how would you like to have a symphony named after you someday?"

"I would be ecstatic," Ssdra said from off screen.

"Well, this little guy will do it someday. All of these kids have a seed of greatness inside of them, but they need a home to plant it in. We can give them all the love in the world here at the orphanage, but it can never compare to the special care they can only get in a family, Ssdra. Your viewers can give them that."

Another young child reached up and swung from Gerald's muscular arm. He had kids crawling all over him like he was an organic jungle gym.

"And all of these wonderful little ones are up for adoption right now?"

"Oh, they are busting at the seams. And you don't have to be a super person. All these kids need is love and consistency. Anyone can give them that, and what a wonderful gift that is."

Another kid grabbed onto Gerald's arm, and still another wrapped herself around his knee. "Here's the amazing thing. These kids are like mirrors to their own experience. If we show them kindness, they will learn kindness. If we show them patience, they will learn patience."

Gerald looked right at one of the holo-recorders. "Your viewers out there, Ssdra, can imprint on these little ones every good thing within them, and pass it along to the next generation."

"What's a generation?" Gralix asked, his missing tooth whistling.

"Well, here, I'll show you." Gerald grabbed a handful of grapes from a plate.

"Hey, those are mine!" Erupan complained.

Gerald put Erupan in his lap and set down one on the edge of the table. "Now, let's say this grape represents me. Now, when I die, everything I have learned will disappear with me. He set down a row of grapes.

"But if I pass on what I have learned to the next generation, then that will stay long after I have gone. And they will pass it on to the next generation, and they will pass it along to the next." Gerald drew in the kids closer to him. "In this way, a parent will live on forever."

J'h'por snapped up a grape with her tongue and ate it. "Grapes are yummy," she gushed.

"Hey, you just ate my grandson," Gerald teased.

The kids laughed.

"Your grandson tastes like grapes," J'h'por said happily.

Everyone burst out laughing, even the adults.

As Gerald tickled J'h'por, Ssdra walked up alongside Enri, and watched from outside the view of the recorders. "Oh, he's good," she commented. "How long have you been training him?"

"This isn't something that can be taught," Enri said proudly. "This is the real deal."

"Tch, okay, whatever," she scolded, assuming he was being coy.

Eechol fell on Gerald's neck, hugging him warmly. Seeing the kids laugh, and him laugh with them was so warm, so pure, that even the jaded producer couldn't help but crack a smile.

* * *

Atop a nearby subspace tower, Trahzi stood looking down, her eyes fixed on Gerald through a window as he played with the children and spoke with reporter after reporter, into the late hours of the night. Absentmindedly her hand came up and clutched over her heart.

"Something is wrong. This feeling is..."