Make a Wish.
We gathered around the tables for breakfast this morning, a group of children wearing matching ugly haircuts and clothes. It's an unspoken rule in this orphanage to sit according to our age, so we all take our designated spots.
“My mama is going to pick me up today”, I whisper, covering my mouth with my hand happily, protecting my wish from escaping from my heart. I feel comfy enough to confide in a girl - she must be seven like me - happens to sit next to me over breakfast this morning. Just because she doesn’t care, I know she won’t judge me.
It’s Sunday. The adoption day. The day when grown-ups from outside come in to check us out. Usually, beautiful, smart, and white skinned kids get adopted. So I don’t bother lining up. Yet, I feel happy and smiling today.
“Stupid…” She let out an irritated sigh and gave me the look eye-roll, not bothering to say anything else as she brushed her long, beautiful eyelashes. She didn’t even look at me, yet I could hear a silent pain in her voice that made me look at her more thoughtfully. Her head bows as she stares at her hands, her fingers twisting and fidgeting. Her eyes are focused on the table, avoiding any direct eye contact with anyone, and I can see a hint of sadness in her posture. What is her story, I wonder.
We aren’t even friends, and I don’t know her name either, a thought raced through my mind. I get smaller and keep my head down. I don't want the grown-ups in their white coats, who keep moving around, to pay attention to me. What is it about sharing anyway? Even grown-ups do it. Is it to avoid feeling alone? Forgotten?
I munch on a bun, contemplating the concept of having butter with it. I've only seen other kids have it at school. Some even have jam and salami to the mix; I can't help but wonder how it would taste. As I take a sip of milk from my glass and sit at the table in the large, decaying room, I pay no attention to my oversized slippers that have fallen onto the wooden floor. Even though it's summertime and warm outside, the mandatory morning shower sends shivers down my spine. We all have no choice but to endure it.
The big dining hall is bustling with children and young grown-ups up to the age of 20, sitting kinda quietly as we eat our breakfast. The scent of food wafts in from the nearby kitchen, filling the air. The only sounds are the gentle clinking of utensils and the soft murmurs of conversation. The room is bathed in warm sunlight streaming through large windows. Soon, we will all head outside to play.
“Just close your eyes and make a wish”, the magic voice from the black and white TV still echoes in my head while running towards the second building of the orphanage gray complex.
Yesterday, the grown-ups allowed us to watch Alladin’s fairytale. In the story, the prince and princess were separated but wished to be reunited. I know that princesses don't live in orphanages, and wishes don't live on screens; but constantly beating underneath our hearts, so I know that I have a chance. I have a heart!
As I close the door behind me, pass a short hall, open another glassy door, and then look for a chair to sit on, a thought buzzed through my mind: only grown-ups live in this building. The principal’s office, the maintenance rooms, and a large laundry facility. And the rest of the grown-ups. This is my first time coming in, as this room is usually reserved for parents' visits only.
I quickly trade my chair for the one by the door and a large window, which I fix my gaze on. I sit and wait, thinking of the last night.
Laying in my bed last night, with my eyes wide open and a feeling of excitement and rebirth coursing through me, I knew wishes come true. And even though I know I didn’t have a lamp or three wishes like Aladdin, I still rubbed my heart and made one silent wish while hiding under my blanket, thrilled and happy all the way to the moon! I felt as if my blanket transformed into a sky full of twinkling stars, resembling glowing fireflies dancing in the dark. All I want is just one wish granted: for my mama to come pick me up and take me away from this confusing place forever.
As the hours ticked by, the adoption time got over, the colors outside gradually shifted, and no one came to look after me - Despite this, I still clung onto hope that my mama would come. I know she is coming because I made my wish. A tear or two escaped my eyes…
As time passes…All of a sudden, the door opens angrily.
The girl who sat beside me at breakfast this morning suddenly bursts through the door with a look of anger on her face. She stalks towards me, resembling a dragon spewing fire from its inhuman nostrils as she yells once again, "I told you, you're stupid!"
“No one is coming, and no one ever will, don’t be stupid!” She grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to leave the room immediately.
For once, I am not hungry. I took a shower and went to bed earlier than usual. I just wanted to escape from everything and everyone. Nobody seemed to notice my absence at the dinner table. Laying in my bed now, I should think about Alladin, but it makes me think about the girl only. Even though she looked angry and furious, I could still feel something soft and gentle in her eyes. Has she waited, too? Was anyone there for her as she was there for me today?
Now I know. My mama will never come. I just know it, deep inside my heart, deeper in my soul.
And even if I have given up on making wishes for myself, I still hold out hope that they will come true for the girl. As I shut my eyes, I silently make a wish. A wish for her mama to come, take her away from this place, and never return again.
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