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It was Peter's last chance. If he did not go, he might
never be able to leave the orphanage. The folks who had
come to adopt him were willing to adopt him even though
he was 10 years old. Most couples come to the orphanage
looking for a young child below five years of age. In
fact, Peter had already given up hope of ever being
adopted. He had resigned himself to being an orphan and
not having anyone he could call as mummy or daddy.
From a tender age of six, he had learned to help out
with the chores in the orphanage and to take care of the
younger children. He was loved by all the children who
knew they could turn to him if they needed a shoulder to
cry on. Peter, although a child himself, was capable of
comforting and being a role model for the others.
Whenever someone came to adopt a child, Peter was the
one who helped the child pack and overcome the initial
fear of leaving. Many times, he wished he could exchange
places with the fortunate chosen child but he had
learned to accept the fact that he was too 'old'.
That particular day was different. When Sister Anne
came and told him that Mr & Mrs Joseph wanted to adopt
him, Peter could scarcely believe his ears. He was
overjoyed but at the same time scared out of his wits.
He did not dare get his hopes up in case there was a
mistake. He wondered why they wanted him. He also
wondered if they were a nice couple. A million thoughts
entered his mind as he was getting ready to meet Mr &
Mrs Joseph in the office.
When Sister Anne came to accompany him to the office,
she found Peter waiting patiently. His hair was neatly
combed back. He was wearing his only shirt, worn-out but
neatly tucked into his shorts. She smiled kindly at
Peter and led him towards the office with her hand on
his shoulder. As soon as Peter stepped into the office,
the kind, smiling eyes of the couple greeted him. They
seemed the kind of parents that Peter had always dreamed
about. Perhaps his dream was going to come true. Mrs
Joseph stood up and came towards him. She knelt in front
of Peter and took his hands in hers and said, "Hello,
Peter!" He smiled at her and replied politely, "Hello,
Mrs Joseph." Peter knew that he would really love to
call her `mummy'. She was better than all those he met
in his dreams.
After speaking to Peter for a while, Mrs Joseph then
asked him if he would like to come and live with them.
Everyone was waiting expectantly for Peter's consent but
after what seemed liked eternity, Peter said, "I'm
sorry, Mrs Joseph but I don't wish to go with you and Mr
Joseph." Everyone was surprised and taken aback. Mrs
Joseph was visibly upset.
Sister Anne looked at Peter and was puzzled because
she knew how much it meant to Peter to have parents. She
took him aside and asked what the problem was. Peter did
not give her a reason and remained silent. Even when Mr
Joseph came over to speak gently to Peter, he was not
successful in getting either a reason or a positive
response to being adopted. |
