Nathaniel:
“Samkiel family vlog entry #1!” I hear Tim yell next to me, as he turns on the camera. I take it out of his hands, and turn it off.
“We are at an orphanage. You are not making a vlog entry,” I tell him.
“Right, sorry. Why are we bringing the camera, then?” Tim asks.
“Well, I figured, with all the good press you have going now, since you began to build the houses and all... these kids need a home, Tim. We can help with that,” I tell him.
Tim looks around. I can see, as well, that there are only two children in the courtyard. He smiles, and then marches up to them.
“Hello, kiddies. What are your favorite things?” He asks. For a moment, I want to facepalm. He is embarrassing us, with his yelling.
“Math,” the boy of the two says.
“Bottling my emotions,” the girl says.
Tim then looks around. After a little while, he speaks.
“So, are you the only kids at the orphanage?” Tim asks. I can see the gears in his head turning. Quickly, I rush to him. I take him by the arm, and tug him to the side.
“We are here because Tine and Dany want to adopt. We can’t take the only kids in the entire orphanage from under their noses,” I hiss at Tim.
“There are two of them. I take it, Tine will gush over a daughter. Daniel will develop a protective mama bear instinct in due time. As for us, well, I am good at Math, Nate,” Tim’s voice turns whining at the end. I rise an eyebrow at that.
“I thought you weren’t ready for children?” My eyes narrow at him. Just what is he playing at?
“Before I was a Samkiel, I was an Angelid,” Tim says, sounding wistful. “I guess, if I had only asked Thea and Tony, they would have confirmed it sooner. What I am trying to get at, is that there are always plenty of children in the Angelid family. Tine is the odd one out, as the only son in his family. Still, his parents are young...”
I don’t want to imagine Augustine and Samantha doing the deed, thank you very much. As far as I am concerned, they no longer do it. Just like how my parents...
My mood sours at that. My parents. I haven’t seen them in a year. Do they miss me? Do they ask questions?
“Hey,” Tim says, cupping my face. “I am trying to give you back as much from what you have lost as I can. One child, at a time. You’d make a wonderful and loving mother.”
I narrow my eyes at him. I am just about to snap at him, to quit referring to me like this, when he continues.
“A kind and loving father as well. And, in about thirty years or so, a kindly grandfather. Who dotes on his grandkids with the care of a grandmother,” Tim brushes his lips to mine, and then separates from me. “Where are Tine and Dany?”
“Inside, getting through the adoption process,” I tell him. I look at the children, who look at us, with hope in their gazes. Then, I do something, without allowing myself to think. I take Tim’s hand, and march him inside the building.
It is not a piece building, as far as I can see. Rather, it is a normal brick and mortar one. Soon, we are before the office of the matron. I knock, as Tim is giving me a dazzling smile. A stately Naga woman lets us in, soon after.
“We would like to adopt,” I say, looking straight into Daniel’s eyes as I say that. He sighs at that.
“There are only two children in the orphanage,” my cousin says. Still, I bet that, if it comes to it, he will agree to wait. I nudge Tim, letting him take care of this.
“The girl likes to bottle her emotions. But the boy, he was made to be a Samkiel, cousin. He likes Math,” Tim beams at Daniel, who shares a look at Constantine.
“We were hoping we won’t have to separate the children,” the matron says then.
“We live next door to each other,” Constantine says. “It would be nice, if there is someone there with me, during my happiness bottling sessions. Someone I can teach all the tricks of the trade.”
“Well, then I suppose that we can allow for it. The two are cousins, you know? They are the only thing they have,” the matron says, and we all nod.
“What happened to them?” I ask. I can see that Daniel is at the edge of his seat. Instead of the matron, it is Constantine who answers.
“It was on the news. A car crash, because of a storm,” Constantine says, and the matron sighs.
“They were both in their grandparents’ car. The grandparents didn’t survive, but the children did. Only to be brought here. We tried our best to give them all the love and care we could, but they just want a new family,” the matron pulls out some papers, and hands both me and Daniel a stack.
“Fill these up, and take those sweethearts home,” she says, and I nod at my cousin.
When the matron leads us out, the kids are still in the sandbox. They are pushing the sand around. I think they were trying to make a sand castle before, but gave up.
I don’t like seeing them in the dumps. So, I nudge Tim.
“Go on, light show,” I command him. He grins, and the world explodes in orange color. As various animals jump around the grass, and birds made of light begin to sing, the kids stare around them in wonder.
They stand as one, and slither towards us. They look at us, both looking hopeful.
“Are you going to adopt us?” The girl asks.
“We will be the ones adopting you,” Daniel says, as he takes a hold of Constantine’s hand.
I take a step forward, and lay a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“And my husband and I will be the ones adopting you. You will remain cousins, and live right next to one another,” I tell him. He looks at his cousin, and then back at me.
“My name is Tom. Tom, not Tommy,” my new son says, and I look at Tim.
“Sounds familiar?” I tease him, as he stands there proudly.
“And I am Sara,” the girl goes, and hugs Constantine then. “You have pretty hair, mom.”
“Hey!” Constantine protests.
As we all make the walk home, the children keep on talking about themselves. I am glad that their eyes are animated again. I lean into Tim, and whisper in his ear.
“Two more, darling. Two more,” his shoulder slump, but he doesn’t argue.
We will need to visit the orphanage at Wendel, I guess.
But I will have my triplets!
doravg I don't know about you, but posting this story chapter by chapter got on my nerves. I will post the entire From Scorpio with Love, which is the last book in the Cosmos Shared Universe, tomorrow. Read at your leisure.
Nathaniel:
“Samkiel family vlog entry #1!” I hear Tim yell next to me, as he turns on the camera. I take it out of his hands, and turn it off.
“We are at an orphanage. You are not making a vlog entry,” I tell him.
“Right, sorry. Why are we bringing the camera, then?” Tim asks.
“Well, I figured, with all the good press you have going now, since you began to build the houses and all... these kids need a home, Tim. We can help with that,” I tell him.
Tim looks around. I can see, as well, that there are only two children in the courtyard. He smiles, and then marches up to them.
“Hello, kiddies. What are your favorite things?” He asks. For a moment, I want to facepalm. He is embarrassing us, with his yelling.
“Math,” the boy of the two says.
“Bottling my emotions,” the girl says.
Tim then looks around. After a little while, he speaks.
“So, are you the only kids at the orphanage?” Tim asks. I can see the gears in his head turning. Quickly, I rush to him. I take him by the arm, and tug him to the side.
“We are here because Tine and Dany want to adopt. We can’t take the only kids in the entire orphanage from under their noses,” I hiss at Tim.
“There are two of them. I take it, Tine will gush over a daughter. Daniel will develop a protective mama bear instinct in due time. As for us, well, I am good at Math, Nate,” Tim’s voice turns whining at the end. I rise an eyebrow at that.
“I thought you weren’t ready for children?” My eyes narrow at him. Just what is he playing at?
“Before I was a Samkiel, I was an Angelid,” Tim says, sounding wistful. “I guess, if I had only asked Thea and Tony, they would have confirmed it sooner. What I am trying to get at, is that there are always plenty of children in the Angelid family. Tine is the odd one out, as the only son in his family. Still, his parents are young...”
I don’t want to imagine Augustine and Samantha doing the deed, thank you very much. As far as I am concerned, they no longer do it. Just like how my parents...
My mood sours at that. My parents. I haven’t seen them in a year. Do they miss me? Do they ask questions?
“Hey,” Tim says, cupping my face. “I am trying to give you back as much from what you have lost as I can. One child, at a time. You’d make a wonderful and loving mother.”
I narrow my eyes at him. I am just about to snap at him, to quit referring to me like this, when he continues.
“A kind and loving father as well. And, in about thirty years or so, a kindly grandfather. Who dotes on his grandkids with the care of a grandmother,” Tim brushes his lips to mine, and then separates from me. “Where are Tine and Dany?”
“Inside, getting through the adoption process,” I tell him. I look at the children, who look at us, with hope in their gazes. Then, I do something, without allowing myself to think. I take Tim’s hand, and march him inside the building.
It is not a piece building, as far as I can see. Rather, it is a normal brick and mortar one. Soon, we are before the office of the matron. I knock, as Tim is giving me a dazzling smile. A stately Naga woman lets us in, soon after.
“We would like to adopt,” I say, looking straight into Daniel’s eyes as I say that. He sighs at that.
“There are only two children in the orphanage,” my cousin says. Still, I bet that, if it comes to it, he will agree to wait. I nudge Tim, letting him take care of this.
“The girl likes to bottle her emotions. But the boy, he was made to be a Samkiel, cousin. He likes Math,” Tim beams at Daniel, who shares a look at Constantine.
“We were hoping we won’t have to separate the children,” the matron says then.
“We live next door to each other,” Constantine says. “It would be nice, if there is someone there with me, during my happiness bottling sessions. Someone I can teach all the tricks of the trade.”
“Well, then I suppose that we can allow for it. The two are cousins, you know? They are the only thing they have,” the matron says, and we all nod.
“What happened to them?” I ask. I can see that Daniel is at the edge of his seat. Instead of the matron, it is Constantine who answers.
“It was on the news. A car crash, because of a storm,” Constantine says, and the matron sighs.
“They were both in their grandparents’ car. The grandparents didn’t survive, but the children did. Only to be brought here. We tried our best to give them all the love and care we could, but they just want a new family,” the matron pulls out some papers, and hands both me and Daniel a stack.
“Fill these up, and take those sweethearts home,” she says, and I nod at my cousin.
When the matron leads us out, the kids are still in the sandbox. They are pushing the sand around. I think they were trying to make a sand castle before, but gave up.
I don’t like seeing them in the dumps. So, I nudge Tim.
“Go on, light show,” I command him. He grins, and the world explodes in orange color. As various animals jump around the grass, and birds made of light begin to sing, the kids stare around them in wonder.
They stand as one, and slither towards us. They look at us, both looking hopeful.
“Are you going to adopt us?” The girl asks.
“We will be the ones adopting you,” Daniel says, as he takes a hold of Constantine’s hand.
I take a step forward, and lay a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“And my husband and I will be the ones adopting you. You will remain cousins, and live right next to one another,” I tell him. He looks at his cousin, and then back at me.
“My name is Tom. Tom, not Tommy,” my new son says, and I look at Tim.
“Sounds familiar?” I tease him, as he stands there proudly.
“And I am Sara,” the girl goes, and hugs Constantine then. “You have pretty hair, mom.”
“Hey!” Constantine protests.
As we all make the walk home, the children keep on talking about themselves. I am glad that their eyes are animated again. I lean into Tim, and whisper in his ear.
“Two more, darling. Two more,” his shoulder slump, but he doesn’t argue.
We will need to visit the orphanage at Wendel, I guess.
But I will have my triplets!
doravg I don't know about you, but posting this story chapter by chapter got on my nerves. I will post the entire From Scorpio with Love, which is the last book in the Cosmos Shared Universe, tomorrow. Read at your leisure.
