Chapter thirteen

Finally! I was going to see my family today.

I was so excited, and I couldn’t wait to see them. I had woken up at the crack of dawn, and I had been ready to leave hours ago. Initially, I had thought it would just be my parents and me visiting, but that wasn’t the case. The twins, Gabriella and Mason, were also coming with us.

We left when everyone was ready. My parents had packed so much stuff, and I was surprised by how much they brought. Even "grumpy Gabby," as Nicole liked to call her, had packed things to take with her. All in all, we were heavily loaded, and I knew the people at The Home would be overjoyed to see us.

After a few hours of driving, which felt like forever, we finally arrived. I looked at the shelter, and all my memories came flooding back so strongly that I gasped. It looked so small now. Of course, that was probably because I had been living in a giant house, but this was where I grew up.

I left everyone in the car and went ahead. I wanted to surprise my friends. Judging by the time on my phone, they were probably in the dining hall having lunch. I tiptoed past the dining hall and could hear the lively chatter and clatter of utensils.

I reached the door that led to the front of the hall and let out a huge breath of air I had been holding. I was really anxious about the reaction I would get. Blowing out one last deep breath, I opened the door and walked in. The door creaked loudly, causing a few people to turn around.

I looked around the room, and I could tell that almost everything was the same. Then, someone gasped and called out, “Chloe, is that you?”

As if on cue, everyone’s attention turned to me, and cries of surprise filled the room. Out of nowhere, Sandra rushed over and tackled me with a hug that made us both fall. We laughed together, but I could tell she was crying. We stayed like that for a few minutes until the Mother cleared her throat, looking at me pointedly.

I sheepishly rose and went to hug her. She held me tightly, and I felt warm and emotional. I hugged as many people as I could until I felt tired from all the hugging and greetings. The Mother calmed everyone down, and I went to the front again to address them. Sandra was still holding me by the shoulder, not letting go, and I was grateful for that. It felt good to know I hadn’t been forgotten.

I told them how much I had missed them all. I gave a short summary of my life now, leaving out the major details. I didn’t want them to think I was flaunting anything. Then I informed them about my fellow visitors.

One of the sisters went to get them, and I asked several grown men to help carry the gifts. Everyone was excited to receive them. After everything was brought out, I left the sisters and my parents to help distribute the presents. I pulled Sandra with me, since I had a special gift for her.

“This phone is a gift I want you to have. This way, we can talk at all times without problems.”

Sandra was really happy. She loved all the things she received, but I was most excited about the fact that we would stay in touch and be connected much more. I needed someone to talk to, someone I could share all my secrets with, and that person was her.

We spent the rest of the day enjoying ourselves. I told Sandra everything about my life, and while she found it hard to believe, she still understood my situation. Like always, she had my back. She was also a little thrilled about my not-so-small crush on someone. According to her, “Grumpy Gabby” could go to hell because she was shipping “Ase” (Andrea and Mason).

Yeah, that was our ship name. My best friend was kind of crazy, but I loved her to bits.

After all the fun, it was time to leave. Truthfully, I had been avoiding thinking about the departure part. But now, seeing that it was inevitable, I had to accept it and appreciate the time I’d spent with everyone.

Sandra and I held hands as we walked to the hall for the farewell. She looked just as sad as I felt, and I wanted to cry. I side-hugged her, and we slowly made our way to the hall.

My parents were with the Mother. I hadn’t been around them much during the day, and I had barely seen my siblings or Mason. Looking around, I noticed Gabriella was basking in the obvious attention and intrigue she was getting from the young men here. She was glowing with pride and joy. Yeah, that was more like her.

Mason was playing with little kids. He was obviously being ogled by almost every girl, but he didn’t seem to notice, or maybe he just didn’t care. That made me smile secretly.

Nicole was busy bossing around girls her age, telling them what to do and how to do it. Her “minions” were happily obliging to whatever orders she gave them. They all looked happy.

Finally, Nicolas was showing the younger boys how to play with all the new equipment they’d received. He looked really content, and the boys all had big smiles on their faces.

It was such a gratifying sight, and I felt happy. These people deserved the happiness they were experiencing, and I vowed to myself that I’d keep coming to visit them whenever possible.

The Mother cleared her throat, and the room fell silent immediately. Laughing internally, I thought that she and Justin would probably make a great team. Well, that wasn’t possible since the sisters never marry. It was then that I realized I hadn’t seen Justin for a while, and I made a mental note to ask my parents about him after we left.

The Mother gave her speech of gratitude and sincere appreciation, speaking on behalf of everyone. I could feel in my heart that it was true. This was a special moment for everyone.

Afterward, we all took turns saying something before we left, and I really struggled to keep my tears at bay. As I hugged Sandra tightly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I looked behind me, I saw the Mother with a sad smile on her face. A few stray tears fell, and I quickly wiped them away.

“Hey, Chloe,” she said softly, “I’m so happy you remembered us. I want you to know that we will never forget you. You will always remain in our hearts. You’ll always be my little girl. But that’s beside the point... I’m humbled that you came back to check on us. I’m glad to see that you’re in a good place now, and by helping us, it shows that you were taught well. It brings me joy, and I’m really proud of who you’ve become.”

By this point, I was sobbing uncontrollably. I didn’t care anymore. I hugged her tightly, but that wasn’t all she had to say.

“Seeing as Sandra here has not yet had the chance to get into university, your parents decided to take her with you…”

I didn’t register what she said after that because at that moment, I felt an overwhelming wave of love for my parents. I rushed to them and embraced them. I couldn’t believe it! We were taking Sandra with us! When I looked at her, she looked shell-shocked. I knew exactly how she felt.

After all the arrangements were finalized, we left with a still-disoriented Sandra. I knew she would be in a daze for a while until she adjusted. It was a huge change, life-changing, in fact.

But it didn’t change the fact that I had my best friend and closest companion with me. I knew that, together, we could cope with anything to some extent now. Because we were each other’s support, always and forever. And I hoped it would never change.

I was looking forward to the coming days. I had so much to teach her, and my body buzzed with excitement. Only I knew how it was going to unfold, and most likely, it would be quite a ride.

Gabriella was in for a surprise.

“Look out, Gabby! You won’t know what hit you!”