Episode 5

I worked in the diner for six whole months. I tried saving money; had one meal a day. My family never even looked for me.Why would they?I was a burden to them,anyway. The results were out by September. I had passed in flying colours with a mean grade of A+. I was the top student in the whole of Queens. I was invited for graduation by the headmaster on the 27th of October. I attended but none of my family came. I thought that wondering about their absence would cause unnecessary pain,so shrugged it off with a sigh.

I had a great time;the music and food. I was getting less fat. But what I loved most was when the time the mayor called me on stage and awarded me 5000 dollars. I was shocked and I couldn't believe my luck. My future was secured;cause,that amount of money was enough for 5 years as my pocket money. I immediately opened a bank account. Things were turning out far more better than I had thought.

Anyways,on Christmas,I decided to visit my family. To reduce the distance between us,you know. As I peeped through the window, I saw my parents, Sophia and Adrian having dinner. They looked so happy and I was totally forgotten. I slowly walked to the backyard to check on my room. What I saw caused a tag in my heart. It was filled with boxes and was very dirty. The walks laked my stickers and my bed and wardrobe were missing.They really wanted me gone.

That was the worst Christmas ever. My own family juat didn't care the heck about me. I quickly ran ou of there but stumbled into a group of kids singing The Christmas Carols. They looked so cheerful and active. Next to them was a board with writings St. Thomas' Orphanage.

"So they are orphans,"I wondered.

I sat on the steps across them as I listened to their songs for a long time. This made a nun notice me and she strode towards me.

"Child, Merry Christmas,"she began.

"Merry Christmas to you too miss,"I replied respectfully.

"You seem to have no place to go for Christmas. If you like,you could join us for dinner." She added politely.

"I...I,"i stuttered.

"Please don't decline,Child,"She added.

"Okay,"I replied with a smile.

"Now that's the Christmas spirit. Come on now, chop chop,"she escorted the children and I towards an old house. The gate was broken and the state of the house was awful but they All seemed happy and cared less. Dinner was served and we all sat down and had an amazing feast. It was so much fun. Truly speaking,I had never had an amazing dinner compared to this one. Everyone was talking about this and that and all the noise created a buoyant atmosphere. I met many children of different ages; ****,a 17 yr old boy who loves football;Suzie,an 8 yr old girl who admired Barbie and many others. I helped with the dishes afterwards and before I left,promised the old nun that I would return as a sponsor for her orphan.

As I walked down the road,a smile was plastered on my face after a long time. I had gained another family,I realised. One which cared for me more than I did for them. As I was helping the nun with the dishes, I explained to her the unfortunate affairs that happened between me and my family.

"Don't worry my dear. God is always there for you even if others abandon you. And don't ever say that you lack a family. We are here from now on a family for you,right kids?" She asked the children.

"Yeah!"They screamed out in excitement.

Suzie came and hugged me tight saying,"From now on, you are our sister Rosie."

I almost broke down in tears. I even started wondering if this was the best Christmas I have ever had in my life. The next morning, I received a scholarship for medicine in Harvard. I immediately informed Nanny Caroline,the nun. I was congratulated by everyone through the phone. It was a happy occasion for me. My employer offered free burgers after she learnt about it. The diner was packed.

However, I had to beg leave to everyone before departing for university. Nanny Caroline prayed and packed me home-made biscuits to have on the way. My employer,Mrs.Miller wished me luck and handed me a beautiful dreamcatcher. It was different from what I had expected. It was a half;the other half was missing.

"Where is the other half?"I inquired curiously.

"It is with an old friend of mine. We had bought it together and each of us took each piece."She replied.

"Where is she?"I questioned.

"I don't know dearie. She had an underage pregnancy and had to drop-out of school. I never heard of her ever since,"she replied sadly.

I took a closer look of it. It was brown with feathery decorations. It had some imprinted words MEANT TO. I.had a feeling that it wasn't complete. The remaining words were inscripted on the other half. Nevertheless,I had no hope of finding the other half. Such a mystery is for date to unravel it.

So, I set off for Harvard and what I saw when I first set foot on the university had me singing HALLELUJAH. The architecture of the institution was a wonder on its own. The campus was huge. Each faculty had its own building. It was amazing. The admission process was a long process on its own and by the time I was shown to my dorm room,I was exhausted. Then,I met my roommate. Her name was Sarah Lights and she was all descriptions of fun . She was an engineering student and love to talk. I aimed to make her my pastime but she was amazing. We hit it off the moment we met. I was hoping for vigorous activities on the years to come and I was ready. And as I watch the sun set,I realised that the times of being ran over by people was long gone.Now it was my time. To live and enjoy life to the fullest.

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