Take My Daughter from the Orphanage
Mary stood bewildered, suspiciously eyeing the woman in front of her.
The caretaker had just explained that her mother had arrived!
Mary had believed she had been left behind, but her mother had been searching for her all along. Mary had once wandered off in another city and was taken to the orphanage. Her mother had never given up the search.
Mary watched the smiling stranger intently, trying to recognize her, but couldn’t. Were those her mother’s eyes? Her hands? Could this really be her mother? She couldn’t remember.
Mary tilted her head, and suddenly, something in the woman’s face changed. She still tried to smile, but tears began to roll down her cheeks, impossible to hold back.
Mary’s little heart softened. Of course, it was her mother; she recognized it now—in the sparkle of the eyes, the tilt of the head. By what magic, she couldn’t tell.
Mary took a couple of hesitant steps before flinging her arms wide and running toward her with a shout, “Mom, mommy, you finally found me!”
That evening, at home, they sat huddled together on a big, soft couch. Julie stroked Mary’s hair, her slender shoulders, and planted kisses on her tear-streaked eyes.
Once more, Mary asked the question that weighed on her heart, “Mommy, why did it take so long for you to come? I waited for you so much!”
“My sunshine! Forgive me, I searched for you every day. But you disappeared, it was horrible! Someone saw a woman running with a child in her arms. We even visited the travelers, but you were nowhere to be found! I traveled to every nearby city. Then someone mentioned a girl, left at the orphanage, and I thought it could be you and rushed over!”
“So long, mommy! I’m glad you found me! – Mary held Julie tight with her warm little arms.
Later, after the treat of a sweet bun and milk, warmed by the apartment and her mother’s embrace, sleep started to weigh down Mary’s eyes. Her small arms clung to her mother, but they grew weak and limp. Julie lifted the sleepy child and carried her to bed.
“I’m safe now, aren’t I, mom?” Mary murmured sleepily.
“Nobody will take you away from me again, I promise!” Julie held Mary close, planting a kiss on her silky hair, then laid her in bed.
“Don’t leave,” Mary murmured, and Julie lay beside her on the child’s couch.
Mary soon drifted into sweet slumber, one hand clutching Julie’s nightgown, as if checking if mom was still there.
“I’ve fulfilled my dear sister’s last request. I found Mary, and she’s with me now. Diana asked me not to tell Mary about her. Now I’m Mary’s mom,” Julie thought, lying awake.
She adjusted the child’s soft blanket, and Mary smiled in her sleep.
Let all the bad memories fade into the past, as hard as it was to accept losing both sister and mother.
Their mom had been a kind woman, but helpless in her way. She’d raised them on her own. Julie recalled how their mother constantly wept, overwhelmed with the burden of raising two girls alone. As if someone else were to blame.
Diana, older by fifteen minutes, always took charge for them both.
When their mother brought home a third partner, Diana insisted they needed to leave, or things would get worse.
Julie felt sorry for their mom. How could they abandon her? She was trying her best for them, wanting a man in the house.
“Julie, I’ll come up with some money, and we’ll leave,” Diana would insist. “Things won’t end well here! We’re seventeen, we can apply to college and live in the dorm, right? This guy won’t leave me alone!”
Julie had been so naive then!
Diana hinted about their stepdad, but Julie thought she was imagining things. Their mom seemed happy, and the stepdad bought them sweets and fruits. He even winked at Julie once, “Isn’t it better with a dad around? Stick with me, everything will be alright, understood, blue eyes?”
“Back off from the kid, got it?” Diana would immediately stand in front of Julie. And Julie found Diana’s tone with him very strange.
Diana had changed a lot back then. A boy from their block was courting her.
Anton had liked Diana since fifth grade. They were good friends, and Julie even teased her sister that Anton would marry her, and Julie would be lost without Diana.
But recently, Diana had a falling out with Anton, and he was grumpy. He even approached Julie, but she had no clue about their argument.
Not long after, Diana showed up with a large sum of money, which scared Julie. Where could she have gotten it?
“Where it’s from is not important!” Diana snapped, “Are you coming with me or not? You’re always so childish, though you’re only fifteen minutes younger! Are you coming?”
Diana’s look terrified Julie, and…she agreed. They did plan to go to college, after all.
But things turned out differently. Diana rented a room and dropped the idea of college. Then they found out Diana was…pregnant!
“Shouldn’t you tell Anton, Diana?” Julie encouraged her sister, but Diana snapped back, “What does Anton have to do with this? Leave me alone!”
Later, Diana cried and asked for Julie’s forgiveness. Julie comforted her, offering to help with the baby. She’d work, and things would sort out. But that only made Diana angrier.
The baby girl was premature. Julie met her sister and niece from the hospital. She got a job as a shop assistant, bought essentials for the baby, and did her best to support Diana.
But fate wouldn’t be swayed by wishes. Their mom learned from someone how poorly her daughters were “studying.” Worse, the stepdad claimed money was missing, accusing their girls as the thieves. Heated words flew, and he let slip that it was his child Diana carried!
Their mom didn’t expect such a revelation. She pushed him away, causing him to hit his head on a sharp desk corner. Their mom called in panic, “Girls, I’ve messed up, what do I do?”
She was sentenced, but fragile as she was, she didn’t survive, never returning.
Diana lost all interest in life. One day, returning from work, Julie found no one home.
A note on the table read, “Don’t look for me, or Mary. I’ve taken her to a city orphanage. You have your life, and I, mine. Farewell, sister!”
That night, Julie cried herself to sleep. How could it be? Her mother was gone, and now her sister had left her too!
Julie wept all night. But by morning, she washed up, determined to find Mary. She had no one else left.
But despite her efforts, the search bore no fruit.
Two years later, the phone rang. Diana’s voice, gruff, strange, and desperate, “Julie, grant me this request, take Mary from the orphanage. It’s in the town of ***. Forget about me!” and then she hung up. Just like that…
***********
Mary whimpered in her sleep, and Julie tucked the blanket around her, whispering, “Shhh, sleep, sleep… my darling.”
Darling.
Yes, a darling.
Soon Paul would return from his business trip. They’d talked it all over. They would adopt Mary and not tell her anything, at least for now. Did the child need all those details anyway?
Eventually, the truth would sort itself out.
Perhaps Diana would return?
Life had a way of being unpredictable.
Mary’s true mother was found.
But now, they would simply get on with life. Julie and Paul wanted more children and everything to be just right, that’s all!
Simple family happiness was always Julie’s dream.
And dreams do come true if you wish for them strongly enough…
