Please Don't Leave by Nghi Montero-Duong (early readers .txt) 📕

I had grown used to my new routine of staying after class to have a rivoting conversation with William. We offered each other topics and debated on how these things were essential to not only our well-being but also for the mind and soul. We would sit there working and talking just debating. I would occasionally suprise myself with a curl of my lips after a few of his remarks.

"Your smile is really beautiful. You should smile more often." He grinned at me with his chin resting on his hands clasped together. I felt my face heat up and moved my mouth to speak yet no sound came out. I hadn't been complimented by anyone for years and it was wonderful to feel something other than sadness, pain and fear. My heart had welled inside me and I was about to smile with all my heart. That was until a pudgy old man with a round stomach and a tall pipe hat came in to talk to William. His voice boomed very loudly as though he were a foghorn sounding to remind others where he was.

"Mr. William, I need to have a moment alone with you. Please dismiss this child so she can get along with her work." The headmaster had said this while puffing out his chest reminding me of those red-breasted birds that would blow up their chest to an immense size during mating season. I couldn't help but glare at him. William saw this, of course, and sent me off with a smile as I grumbled to myself involving various different names that should not be thought by a young lady. As I walked by I could smell a pungent cologne that could have stunned a large elephant with just a small amount, no less than a drop that is. I crinkled my nose in disgust.

Anyone knowing my mind and behaviors would've known that I was outside the door listening quietly while peering in. The pudgy headmaster was twirling his short, snow white beard and as he talked his stomach bounced with great heaving, as though he was being bounced on. William seemed very professional at that moment with a smile on his face he spoke very precisely with an adult-like air around him. I couldn't hear what they were saying (but I could smell the cologne, too well I might add) so I inched closer, reluctantly, to the door only to be picked up by the collar like a dog and carried all the way to my room by a hall monitor.

I was furious. I had failed to eavesdrop on their conversation leaving me distracted in class. I was wondering Is this what would take for me to give up? No! I would not give up. I was concocting plan after plan looking for the problems and solutions until I decided on the best one. I was called on many times in class after I was too busy to listen but, strangely enough I knew all the answers. It seemed as though I had subconsciously been listening to the class or I had known all the answers already.

After class I was going to confront William about what was spoken that night but when everyone else left and I was left behind he had ushered me out of the room giving me a lecture on how a proper young lady should be in her room instead of walking about in the middle of the night. I was contemplating on whether to tell him it was the middle of the afternoon or to just leave it be. As I was opening my mouth to tell him the time of day I could hear heavy footsteps resound within the hallway. The footsteps could only be described as the sound of a herd stampeding by, only this herd was walking very, very slowly. As the headmaster got nearer and nearer I could smell his usual scent of powerful cologne.

I was surprised when the headmaster looked at me and beamed brightly like a clown that you see in your nightmares. "Congratulations, Ms. Subaru! You have been adopted!" I stared at him with my jaw hanging. I couldn't believe I was going to be adopted. Many adult couples, unable to have children of their own, would come and talk to me but none ever wanted to adopt me. I couldn't believe the fact that someone would adopt a child with such a terrible attitude.

I could only think of one adult who was so naive as to adopt a problem child. He was staring right at me with a huge grin planted on his face. With that kind of smile on his face I couldn't help but to smile back.

Being adopted, having to adjust to all the different things and changing yourself to fit in with the family. I hated all of that. With William I didn't need to bother with any of it. It was just like any other day: get ignored by the other kids, getting stares, being pointed and laughed at, being hated. Sure, the hate was just a bit more concentrated than usual but I didn't mind. I now had a safe haven away from the orphanage. I was able to be myself and smile more often, knowing that he knew how I became an orphan from my own mouth. He didn't believe all the rumors floating around the orphanage, from teachers and students alike. William liked to find out the truth behind all the tangles of lies.

It was very interesting coming to a place called home and having someone there to say "Welcome back!". I usually just went back to my little bed and just sat there staring at nothing. I thought it was strange, at first, to see someone there waiting for you to wake up and then waiting to see you come back after awhile. No matter how strange I always felt this small little warm feeling bubble in my body. Though sometimes the things he did reminded me of my real family, leaving me with a clump in my throat and my eyes getting misty. I love it here, I don't ever want to leave.

It has been over a month since I have been apart of this family. William's birthday was nearing and I needed money to buy his gift. I spent many hours after school looking for well paying jobs that would accept a 13 year old girl. I took any job available including measly household chores. Many a day I came home tired, cold and dirty. I was scolded harshly as well. It didn't matter to me because I wanted to be able to give William the best present I could buy as a token of my gratitude for taking me in. I was saving all of the money I had pain stakingly worked for in a small box that I hid in the closet compartment that only I knew of. I ran a risk of being caught many times by William when he went on errands and other times I was nearly kidnapped by strange men. Thankfully I had taken self-defense lessons from my older brother, who was a fighting fanatic, before he died.

After sometime I had finally raised enough money to buy the best present I could think of. I ran out the door and went to the store to buy the gift. I came back breathing heavily. The cold winter air was biting my face when I had left. Now that I was back at home I was feeling the warmth of the fire melt the layer of cold air that coated me. I was glad that my long journey was now over. I quickly and quietly went to my room and snuck to the closet hiding the gift in the closet where I had put the money. I was called down to have dinner, I was obviously going to be scolded beforehand for staying out late. I had gotten through his punishments by lying about what I was doing. I'm glad that one of my brothers was a great liar. He taught me the ropes when I blackmailed him into telling me.

"Where have you been!" His voice was booming. I looked up at him timidly and flinched when I saw his eyes were red and puffy. He had been crying. I had lifted my hand and softly brushed the bottom of his eye. "It's unbecoming of a man to cry," I felt terribly guilty but continued talking. "My brother said that a guy should only cry if their parents died or they got kicked in the middle." We exchanged a small smile and when he turned I sighed a sigh of relief.

"The food is still a bit hot so wait for it to cool! I'm going to take a bath so call me if you need anything!" I couldn't help but giggle as he said all this. He was sticking his head through the doorway periodically, like a little kid waiting to see Santa Christmas Eve. I took a look at the stew and smelled the lovely aroma of potatoes, carrots and meat. I loved potato stew, my mouth always watered when I thought of it.

I grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and filled the bowl up with the stew. I placed my bowl on the table and grabbed the bigger bowl, filling that one up as well. I found the spoons and placed one in each bowl. I sat down and slowly picked up my spoon, scooping up a the stew, and placed it in my mouth. I was in heaven. I scarfed down the rest of my soup and got up to have seconds. William