04

"There are friends. There is family. Then there are friends who become family."

"Cake?" I asked Hop again, who was by my side at the grand kitchen.

We reached their house, which is huge by the way. Huge! It had a garden, and a separate garage. Inside there was like dozens of rooms and bathrooms. There was this huge sofa in the living room and this! This enormous kitchen and dining area!

It's like a whole community lived here. Everything was huge!

"It's-it's coming soon, Madie." he said, smiling at me softly. His eyes were staring at me like he was seeing something he liked. Did I look pretty to him?

He said soon. He said that earlier, too.

"But you said that a thousand times already! I want cake, Hop." I pouted at him; hugging Ellie close to me. It was unfair. He said they had cake and cookies.

Liar. There was nothing to eat. No sweets. Just veggies. 

I didn't want veggies. I wanted cake. I was just so hungry. It was also past lunch, so I should've been home by now. I could have had lunch with the others and maybe dessert too. But nooo. Adon and Hop had to drag me here.

Well, not drag. I basically came with them on my own.

But still! They promised cake.

Noticing my pout and teary eyes, he approached me and patted my head softly. 

"Don't worry, angel. Food will be here soon. I ordered chicken and pizza for us, dessert too." he said while his hand was at the top of my head.

Chicken? Pizza?

"R-really?" I sniffled and wiped my tears. Food was coming. "Promise?"

He smiled and nodded.

Yey. Food.

I immediately smiled and hopped around, taking a tour around the kitchen. There was only a bit of colors here and there, but mostly grey and white. Everything was pretty.

I took a tour around the house earlier, and everything is really huge. Except for the east side of this big house. 

Adon prohibited me before I even got to step inside one of the rooms on the east part of the house. 'Don't go there, princess. You're not allowed there' he said.

I complied. I should be a good guest. They were so kind to invite me here in this house, so I had to be a good girl and comply.

"How many people live here, Hop?" I asked Hop, who was typing away at his phone.

"Uhh..." he thought "Plenty, angel. Too many to count."

"Oh. Is it a hotel?"

He laughed and shook his head. No? "No, Madie. It's a big house and... we're just a big family."

I smiled at him and nodded, understanding what he meant. "We're a big family, too. In the orphanage."

He stared for a bit. He didn't say anything. I think he was hungry that's why he's speechless. 

"How long have you been there, angel?"

I thought for a bit. "I don't know exactly. But I grew up there. Maybe when I was two? I'm not really sure."

Stepping close to him and sitting beside him, I started my story time before the food came. It was a long story. 

"So, I grew up there. Sister Mary Eunice said that someone dropped me of there when I was two years old. They tried to find out who, but they didn't know who it was. Then when I was twelve, people started asking about me and where I came from. The Sisters didn't know how to answer them."

He didn't say anything. Just listened.

"The parents didn't like knowing where I was from, they were scared that I might be a sick child. So they didn't adopt me. It was okay though. I was happy at home. But then kids started to pile up and we were so plenty at home." I smiled at him, thinking about the little babies.

"The Sisters said that food would need to be monitored because the government didn't have the kind of money to provide for us. It was the only orphanage in the city, so the kids who didn't have parents are dropped there. We weren't allowed to buy..." I thought fist, what was the word again?

"Un-unneed-unneeded things." No. I don't think that's right. 

"Unnecessary." Hop said. Yeah! That's the word.

"Yeah. We weren't allowed to buy unnecessary things. We had to save up for food and milk."

"I was a bit lonely, too. Since the babies came, Sister Mary Eunice didn't have much time for me anymore. She was too busy to play with me." I frowned, remembering how Sister Mary Eunice said that the kids needed more attention than me. That they needed more love than me.

But I wanted more love, too.

"It's okay though. I have Ellie." I showed him my white and purple elephant stuffie "She's my only friend, but she's the only friend I need."

He smiled at me again, his eyes sad. Was he sad for me?

"Well, that's a shame." a voice said.

I turned around and saw Adon. Adon carrying four boxes of pizzas and a big square box. A cake?!

There was a man behind him too. Carrying bags of food maybe?

"Adon!" I squealed, stepping over to him and looking inside the boxes and bags. I wanted to eat so bad!

"You said Ellie is the only friend you need, princess." he said "It's a shame, I was planning on being your friend too."

I gaped at him. Was he for real?!

"R-really? You wanna be my friend?" I was just making sure. What if we played and he didn't like me? Or what if he's a sore loser when it comes to tag? I'm a fast girl.

"Of course! And Hop, too." he smiled and patted my head, like I was a kid "We can play anytime you want."

Excitement burst through me and I squealed and jumped at him, hugging him by his waist. I have my first friend ever!

Well, except for Ellie and the others inside the orphanage. I have friends outside home now!

"That's cute and all, but Madie waited a long time for the food. I'm guessing she's starving now." Hop said at my back, taking the boxes of pizza from Adon and setting it in the long table. 

"Eating time!" I yelled, pulling Adon with me to the table to sit down. He chuckled and sat beside me. I was in the middle of Adon and Hop.

We ate plenty and we laughed, and they told me stories about how they have so many people in this house that it was always so noisy. They told me about the others that were here. They were only men, they said. 

Their work is like being a bodyguard. Like a company that protects their boss. Wasn't a company of bodyguards supposed to guard other people?

The work that they have is weird. It was okay though. I liked them, they're all nice.

We finished the pizza, chicken and pasta that Neil, the other guy, brought with him. There was still some, but we were full. We still had space for dessert, of course.

"Here you go, Madie." Hop said, laying a plate of chocolate cake in front of me.

"Cake!" Finally!

I took a bite from the fork and moaned at how yummy it was. Chocolate cake is the bestest cake!

"Slow down, girl." Neil said, "We don't want you choking now, do we?"

Hop and Adon chuckled, watching me eat the yummy cake. I didn't care. I couldn't stop eating. It was so yummy!

All of a sudden, all three of their phones rang and someone called. 

"Work?" I asked, it was like they were hesitating to answer the call. What if it's their boss? Or something important?

They didn't answer me, and they didn't answer the call either. Why? Were they still hungry?

"Why don't you take the rest of the food home, angel?" Hop said, looking over at Adon who was the first one to answer his phone "I think it's time we went back to work."

Oh. Time to go home, then.

We packed the rest of the lunch and Hop put it in a container and a bag. It was like I had presents for the kids and the Sisters now.

Adon and Neil turned to me. "Hop will take you back home, Madie. Neil and I need to go back to work, you see."

"Mm'kay!" 

We went out of the kitchen and Adon and Neil went to one of the cars in the garage, waved me goodbye and drove away. Hop ushered me to another car, and we drove to home, too.

"Here we are, Madie. Home." he said, turning to me in the driver’s seat. "I'll see you next time."

I smiled back at him "Thank you for today! I ate so many at had so much fun."

"Yeah. We'll see each other again next time, angel." 

I waved goodbye, watching as their black car drove down the road. 

I had so much fun today!