Status: active
Une-Belle-Rose
Two Orphans
The truth was that I had no idea where we were heading. As soon as we were a safe distance away from the house, I glanced back to say one last good-bye. Then I saw how close we had come to trouble. I asked, "See?"
"See what?" Rosaline knitted her brows.
"The police. They've come for us." I said. I saw the confused look she had put on display on her face and sighed, "They've come here looking for me to take me to an orphanage. They probably think that I'll go with them."
"Why? Don't you wanna go? You’ll be looked after and will have new friends. You can start life from the very beginning.” Rosaline said.
“Looked after? I won’t be cared for once. And I don’t think I can make friends with those children. I don’t want to be pitied upon. I can stand independently.”
“I don’t get what you mean to say," she began. "We WILL gradually adjust and find our own way among the others. Where are we even going now? That place will at least open new opportunities for us."
“I don’t know about you but I’m never going to that place.”
“Don’t be foolish,” she said. “I’ll not leave you alone like this specially when you were with me when I needed help. You were the one who allied me. Even if I do abandon you at this moment, I won’t be able to abandon the permanent name of shame my heart will be stamped with. But why do you think that an orphanage won’t be good enough for us.”
My eyes turned glassy, "You don't know what life in an orphanage is like. You don't understand how dull those orphans become. There's this girl I know from school. She belongs to one of the best orphanages of the country but your sight hardly fails to notice the hollowness in her eyes; they look so empty. It appears as if she is tired of craving for what she wants. It looks like the world she has been introduced to was never any larger. I decided the moment I saw her that I would never accept an orphanage fo-r a home."
"Oh." Rosaline’s eyes looked down, "I myself have had a friend from an orphanage. Now I see why she never discussed a thing about that place. I never really understood that she was holding back pain, even though her tone gave a hint sometimes. Now I get it why little things like good food and clothes made her happy, things that don't give me much joy."
I nodded and no one said anything for a long enough moment.
Rosaline was the one who shattered the thick glass of silence, “Don’t want the police to get us, do we?”
“’Course not. Where do we go,then?”
Rosaline smiled, “We go out of this place." And for once I wanted to be with her just to keep my spirits up.
The story I had made about Rosaline's aunt was just something to get the responsibility of the two of us off Uncle Moser's shoulders. It was not as though I had been regretting the choice of having Rosaline for company, but I knew Uncle Moser's salary was barely enough for him himself. He could by no means afford to take care of us. Also, I did not really trust him. He was never in his life a serious man, being always dependent on others. His brain was of not much worth for an adult.
When we were about to leave my house, uncle had pulled me aside and offered to look after me. I had quickly changed the topic, brushing his offer off. I had somehow felt responsible for Rosaline too. And when I explained all this to Rosaline, she nodded. It was not like l actually expected her to understand, but I still had to try.
“I’m tired.” I flung the backpack off my shoulders and let my shoulders relax, “Can’t walk another step.”
“Neither can I but we need a place to rest. We can’t sit down by the roadside!”
“I know, but we don’t even know what kind of a place we are looking for and how long it will take us to figure it out. We can’t just go on walking forever.” I pleaded, “What do we do?”
“I have an idea, but I don’t think we should,” Rosaline began. I nodded, encouraging her to go on. “There’s this old woman who lives in a cottage not very far from here. She was a friend of my grandma. She knows me and will certainly help us if we go to her.”
I stared at her in disbelief, “Why didn’t you tell it to me before?”
“It’s just that she is a little strange and we might not be able to stay with her for longer that a few hours. You’ll see why I never liked her.”
“I will see. Till then, let’s go and find a cure for our drained spirits.
"See what?" Rosaline knitted her brows.
"The police. They've come for us." I said. I saw the confused look she had put on display on her face and sighed, "They've come here looking for me to take me to an orphanage. They probably think that I'll go with them."
"Why? Don't you wanna go? You’ll be looked after and will have new friends. You can start life from the very beginning.” Rosaline said.
“Looked after? I won’t be cared for once. And I don’t think I can make friends with those children. I don’t want to be pitied upon. I can stand independently.”
“I don’t get what you mean to say," she began. "We WILL gradually adjust and find our own way among the others. Where are we even going now? That place will at least open new opportunities for us."
“I don’t know about you but I’m never going to that place.”
“Don’t be foolish,” she said. “I’ll not leave you alone like this specially when you were with me when I needed help. You were the one who allied me. Even if I do abandon you at this moment, I won’t be able to abandon the permanent name of shame my heart will be stamped with. But why do you think that an orphanage won’t be good enough for us.”
My eyes turned glassy, "You don't know what life in an orphanage is like. You don't understand how dull those orphans become. There's this girl I know from school. She belongs to one of the best orphanages of the country but your sight hardly fails to notice the hollowness in her eyes; they look so empty. It appears as if she is tired of craving for what she wants. It looks like the world she has been introduced to was never any larger. I decided the moment I saw her that I would never accept an orphanage fo-r a home."
"Oh." Rosaline’s eyes looked down, "I myself have had a friend from an orphanage. Now I see why she never discussed a thing about that place. I never really understood that she was holding back pain, even though her tone gave a hint sometimes. Now I get it why little things like good food and clothes made her happy, things that don't give me much joy."
I nodded and no one said anything for a long enough moment.
Rosaline was the one who shattered the thick glass of silence, “Don’t want the police to get us, do we?”
“’Course not. Where do we go,then?”
Rosaline smiled, “We go out of this place." And for once I wanted to be with her just to keep my spirits up.
The story I had made about Rosaline's aunt was just something to get the responsibility of the two of us off Uncle Moser's shoulders. It was not as though I had been regretting the choice of having Rosaline for company, but I knew Uncle Moser's salary was barely enough for him himself. He could by no means afford to take care of us. Also, I did not really trust him. He was never in his life a serious man, being always dependent on others. His brain was of not much worth for an adult.
When we were about to leave my house, uncle had pulled me aside and offered to look after me. I had quickly changed the topic, brushing his offer off. I had somehow felt responsible for Rosaline too. And when I explained all this to Rosaline, she nodded. It was not like l actually expected her to understand, but I still had to try.
“I’m tired.” I flung the backpack off my shoulders and let my shoulders relax, “Can’t walk another step.”
“Neither can I but we need a place to rest. We can’t sit down by the roadside!”
“I know, but we don’t even know what kind of a place we are looking for and how long it will take us to figure it out. We can’t just go on walking forever.” I pleaded, “What do we do?”
“I have an idea, but I don’t think we should,” Rosaline began. I nodded, encouraging her to go on. “There’s this old woman who lives in a cottage not very far from here. She was a friend of my grandma. She knows me and will certainly help us if we go to her.”
I stared at her in disbelief, “Why didn’t you tell it to me before?”
“It’s just that she is a little strange and we might not be able to stay with her for longer that a few hours. You’ll see why I never liked her.”
“I will see. Till then, let’s go and find a cure for our drained spirits.