The monk advised, “Adopt an orphan. That way, you’ll have your own child, but you must never turn the adopted child out of your home!”
The Smith family lived on the outskirts of town, and they were known as hereditary tailors. All the wealthy people in the city were their clients, allowing the Smiths to lead a comfortable life. Nobody knew where they sourced such high-quality fabrics during times of scarcity, as they never revealed their secrets. It was clear that only those who weren’t struggling financially could afford to use the services of such skilled craftsmen.
In the post-war years, a young woman with a small child came to the Smiths… The woman appeared completely exhausted and asked the owners for food. It was apparent that the mistress of the house didn’t associate with beggars, so she turned the young woman away. The girl sat by their fence, and her child started crying softly until, finally, it stopped forever.
The girl remained by the Smiths’ fence until evening, clinging to her child’s lifeless body. Nobody knows where she went afterward, but eventually, the Smiths faced troubles too numerous to describe.
People said that their God punished them for not helping the unfortunate girl. Every woman in the Smith family gave birth to stillborns. Even if a child survived, it was often very ill.
The mother and father cherished their daughter, Emily, more than anything in the world. They had three children, but their sons passed away in infancy.
They scrutinized all of Emily’s suitors, wishing for a prospective son-in-law with status.
When an ambulance worker, one of her suitors, became violent towards Emily, the parents promptly instructed her to end the relationship. They weren’t fond of a math teacher, either. The Smiths dreamed of Emily finding a gentleman from afar, as a family legend unceasingly haunted them.
Emily’s grandfather dreamed she would marry a lawyer, judge, or another man of importance.
“What about love?” the girl teased.
“A man loves money, but he can learn to love anything else!”
“Did you love Grandma?”
“My wife came from a wealthy family: money attracts money!”
Emily married the son of a high-ranking official from a nearby town.
Her relatives were pleased with the marriage. The young couple settled in a new home. They had everything except for children. Emily consulted numerous doctors, but they could only shrug their shoulders.
One day, a woman advised Emily to visit a monastery where an old man helped childless couples. Although the Smiths didn’t believe in miracles, they decided to try. Emily, her mother, and father revealed their misfortune to the monk. He listened seemingly aware that his guests weren’t telling the whole truth, hiding this sin even from themselves. After listening, he said:
“You must make a donation.”
“How much do we pay?” the father inquired.
A smile appeared on the monk’s face.
“It’s not about money, the offering isn’t material.”
“We’ll agree to any cost,” he replied.
“Adopt an orphan. Then you’ll have your child, but you must never send the adopted child away!”
The monk spoke to his guests with a tinge of sadness. Yet, he knew he had advised them wisely.
The Smiths pondered for a long time whether to heed the monk’s advice but eventually decided to adopt a two-year-old boy.
When the boy turned five, Emily became pregnant, and the Smiths insisted the boy be sent back to the orphanage. Emily’s husband was against it and asked for the boy to stay with them, but Emily was resolute.
As Emily was about to give birth, she told her husband that while she was in the hospital, her father would take the child back to the orphanage. Her husband protested and begged his beloved not to do it.
The next morning, as Emily descended the stairs, she fell and lost the baby.
She blamed her adopted son for her misfortune and demanded her husband get rid of him immediately. She screamed that she hated the child, as he took away her son. Without hesitation, her husband packed his and the boy’s belongings and moved in with his parents. Later, he remarried a woman who gave him two sons. The parents adored the adopted boy, calling him their “guardian angel.”
The Smiths, however, blamed their former son-in-law for everything that happened, since he left his wife and took their son with him. Emily wept, but he showed no mercy towards her…
