PROLOGUE

 

 

It was a sunny afternoon by the time a blue Sedan stopped in front of a two-storey building with a large sign that was printed in bold, green letters, “St. Francis Home for Orphaned Children”.

The orphanage stood besides a massive broken-down building in the Bronx, a place that wouldn’t be complete without cracked roads, gang fights, and police sirens. It was pitiful to see that a kind of institution such as this would be in a place so unsettling for children to grow up in, much more children without having the privilege of a loving family.

An anxious-looking couple stepped out of the vehicle and walked to the door. They gave off an aura which suggests that they enjoyed the simple life of suburbia. They were undemanding people who had their share of ups and downs in life, always abided by the law that governs them, and contented with their small wealth. But of course, there was something missing in their happy yet lonesome life: a child of their own.

 Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Hayden were in their mid-thirties, both having brown locks that were curly and graying around Mr. Hayden’s temples, and his wife’s scalp. Benjamin Hayden had the looks that probably had the girls swooning over him back when he was still young and pretty-boy looking. With his astonishing grey eyes, high bridged nose that was slightly crooked from playing football in junior high, and a smile that was so engaging, Ben definitely had the looks most men would kill for. He works as an architect in his own private firm and earns enough to pay the bills with a few dollars to spare.

Laura Hayden meanwhile, was a stay at home wife, and for the duration of their 7 years of marriage; after experiencing the despair of having 2 miscarriages and the news that she will never be able to carry a child, she had grown quite lonely in their empty household. It was a pity though, with her classic beauty and eyes the color of pure honey; she and her husband would have produced such beautiful kids.

Finally, the day had come where she can finally have an innocent little person under her wing.

As the couple neared the door, a young woman in her early twenties greeted them with a smile that was clearly put on for show. She ushered them inside to a large room filled with toys, cries, and giggling toddlers running around and making a mess. The woman wrinkled her nose in disgust and whisked away without a word, leaving the couple in awe of how many children there are to choose from.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”Mr. Hayden asked; a little intimidated by the commotion these little people were making.

“I’ve never been surer of anything, love” his wife answered, wincing as a little girl shrieked her lungs out, demanding another child for her doll.

“Well honey, why don’t we choose one who isn’t prone to wrecking the house?” he suggested playfully.

Laura was about to answer when something caught her eye. There was a little boy sitting very still in the corner, looking at the ground silently. He had his eyes closed and eyebrows scrunched together, concentrating very hard.

Curiosity taking over her, she walked over to the little boy and sat beside him, the boy not noticing her presence. 

“Hello dear. What are you doing?” Laura asked, Ben standing beside her, curious as well.

The boy finally opened his eyes and lifted his head. Laura gasped. He was such a beautiful boy; His eyes the color of emeralds, his hair a tinge of chestnut and fair-skinned. His lips were a pinkish red he’d put lipstick to shame. But Laura couldn’t help but feel there’s something different about his yes. They looked kind of…glazed somehow.

“I’m listening.” He answered simply.

“Listening to what?” Laura asked. The boy wasn’t looking at her at all. Instead, he was looking straight ahead, at the small red table.

“To voices.” He said.

Ben raised an eyebrow. This was a strange thing to do for such a young person.  

“Why aren’t you playing around with the other kids?” Ben asked.

The youngster frowned at this. “They don’t want me to play.”

Laura, being the kind person she is, was immediately filled with pity and rage. How could those children be so cruel?

“I’m Laura. This is Ben, my husband. What’s your name?”

The boy fell silent, deep in thought. After a long moment, he smiled.

“I’m Daniel. Nice to meet you.” He extended his right hand, asking for a handshake. But his hand wasn’t reaching toward Laura at all, but right in front of him. Only then did comprehension dawn on the couple.

Daniel was blind.

Ben moved in front of Daniel and shook his hand. The little child looked very pleased with himself, thinking he guessed right. Laura smiled gratefully to her husband, tears forming in her eyes. Ben didn’t want the child to be disappointed.

“Nice to meet you too,” he replied. “So, Daniel, anyone going to take you home today?”

Daniel frowned once more. He knew no one would want to adopt him. “Nope. Nobody wants to because I can’t see.”

“Well, we’re just gonna have to change that, won’t we?” Laura pressed, furious at what Daniel said. It was bad enough for other people to treat disabled people who are old enough to take care of themselves with such rudeness, but to inflict the same treatment to an innocent child was just too cruel. 

Daniel’s face lit up, eyes wide and the corners of his mouth twitching.

“Are you really gonna take me with you?” his eagerness clearly expressed in every syllable.

“How old are you, Daniel?” Ben inquired.

“Five.” Daniel answered. Raising his hand and wiggling all five fingers.

“Perfect.” Laura marveled. He was still young. It wasn’t too late to show him how a real home felt like.

Daniel meanwhile, smiled widely at her remark. He had been called a lot of things, but he had never been called “Perfect”.

“We’re gonna ask the lady outside if we can take you home with us, ok sweetie? We’ll be right back.” Laura promised.

Daniel nodded, still in good spirits. Laura gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder and walked away with her husband to sigh the necessary paperwork to officially make Daniel theirs.

The woman stared at them with disbelief.

“You do know that the kid is blind, right?” she asked, not missing a beat.

“Yes, we’re well aware of that, thank you.” Ben answered his tone of equal rudeness.

“Wouldn’t you rather consider looking at the other children before you make any rash decisions?”

“Oh, but we have. And we’ve decided on Daniel. He’s perfect.” Laura replied, her voice echoing in finality.

“Well, alright.” The woman said, finally giving in, though still unconvinced. “I’ll go get the contract.”

After a few minutes of signing and discussing Daniel’s wellbeing, they went back to the play room to get Daniel, who was waiting patiently in the same spot for them.

“I can’t wait to finally be home, Mommy!” Daniel exclaimed, holding his new parents’ hands as they walked out of the orphanage to their car.

Laura smiled broadly at him. “Mom”. She had wanted to be called as such for a long time, and it hadn’t even taken a few minutes until Daniel chose to call her one.

In such a short time, she had fallen in love with his sweet, intelligent boy and she was sure her husband felt the same way, for who wouldn’t learn to love him?

“Hey, Daddy.”

“Yes, son?” Ben smirked. He was finally a father now.

“Are you and mommy gonna be my mommy and daddy forever?” he asked, a little intimidated that the answer might be “No”.   

“Of course we will, squirt.” he answered lightly, ruffling the little man’s hair, sending the kid into giggles.

“Forever?”

“Forever.” His mother answered.

 

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