When The Obstinate Billionaire Meets The Lovely Orphan

Leticia Albuquerque

It was about midnight and the sound of the house next door was so loud that I could feel my bed shaking. I got up, highly irritated. João couldn’t sleep. The man didn't feel pain anymore. He didn’t complain either. He mumbled something when I left the house, perhaps to avoid the trouble I would cause. But their efforts were in vain. When I found myself, I was already there.

When I returned, he was still awake, now sitting on the bed.

“Are you okay?” he asked me, intrigued, and I took a while to answer the question.

“I am,” I replied, but I knew there was a huge frown line on my forehead.

“You don’t have to go there every time they decide to have a party” João was so concerned about not bothering others that he allowed others to take away even his peace. "They are good neighbors”.

“There is nothing good about disrupting the tranquility of the entire neighborhood." My voice came out harsh. ”Ravi is so lazy, and he has some horrible friends”.

“What was happening out there?"

João was already a gentleman of more than sixty years of age and, due to experience and coexistence, he knew me better than anyone else. Between his question and my answer, there was a silence, as I was still trying to understand the turmoil of feelings that were taking over me.

“Nothing to worry about. “I shrugged when I remembered that boastful boy. “I hope I never meet that man again in my life”.

“Who are you talking about?”

“Father” I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down, throwing all the memories of that meeting to the back of my memory “it’s a pastime for you to be sleeping. I don’t want to receive complaints from Maria tomorrow, telling me that you slept all day”.

“Maria has nothing to complain about,” he snorted. He seemed irritated just by remembering her “are you sure you’re okay?”

”Better now.” I offered him a calming smile. "Tomorrow we’ll talk more about it”.

But we didn’t talk. I didn’t want to talk more about the events of that night, or remember Ravi’s parties or his annoying friends. I turned off the light and said my prayer one more time.

Daylight was already showing outside when I woke up before the alarm clock. I got up, watching my dad sleep, what felt like a heavy sleep. The snoring coming out of his lungs told me he wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon. I ran into the bathroom to take my shower and get ready for work. I intended to be ready before Maria arrived. Furthermore, I went into the kitchen and was making coffee when the front door opened with its rancher. Hurried footsteps came towards me as Maria’s crinkly, loving eyes met mine.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said, as she hung her worn-out bag on the jamb attached to the entrance wall.

I looked at the clock and found Maria’s perception of the time strange. It wasn’t even twenty minutes past her normal arrival time.

“It’s absurdly cold outside” she was still in a hurry to speak “and there was a horrible accident with my neighbor’s husband last night”.

“How did it happen?” I strained the coffee, and the smell was always wonderful.

“He was run over,” she seemed worried as said, “he was returning from his delivery work, when a car hit him. Miraculously, that man did not die”.

Maria walked towards me and filled a cup with coffee, not waiting for me to pour it into the carafe.

“Was it really that bad?”

“Extremely serious.” he took a sip. "He underwent surgery last night and is in a coma”.

“I’m sorry, Maria,” I looked at her, forgetting to drink my coffee. “Was the driver arrested?”

“He gave himself up” he took another drink. "He was driving drunk”.

I looked at her, really scared and thoughtful about the accident.

“How absurd,” my eyes bugged out. “I wish your neighbor a good recovery and that this driver is stuck for a long time”.

“I hope so.” He took the last sip of his coffee. He put the glass down in the sink and seemed to return to his own reality. “And how is João doing?”

”Asleep” that was when I remembered that I needed to drink my coffee before going to work “and due to the events of last night, he won’t wake up so early”.

“Another party?”

“It wouldn’t be news” I took a long sip and looked at her. "Don’t let him go hours without eating”.

“I’ll try to accomplish this impossible mission,” he said, “but don’t worry”.

“Thanks, Maria” I put on my coat and grabbed my purse. "See you tonight”.

I heard her say, “go with God” as I walked through the door. An icy wind hit my face, and I shivered. I hurried down the street when I saw Ravi at the door of his house with two other boys. None of them looked like the man from the night before. I sighed in relief. But Ravi looked worried. He didn’t notice me passing by, but he’ll soon hear from me when I knock again on his door, to let his parents know he’s been having a good time while they’re away.

I turned my attention to the path I was walking and twenty minutes later; I saw the big house from afar. The orphanage looked like those old medieval castles. Abandoned house, with haunted appearance. With huge imperial windows and walls built with brown bricks. It was located on a street isolated from the others on the west side of Curitiba. But that environment was familiar to me. I took the keys from my purse and crossed the extensive garden in front of the residence. I spotted Sister Adelina in the window above, watching me. Not only that, but I smiled at her before heading to the front door and stepping inside. Gustavo didn’t even give me time to lay my coat on one of the chairs at the entrance. He hugged me tight, like he did every morning.

“Good morning, champion.” I ran my hands over his back, while I bent down to be at his height. "Did you sleep well?”

“Like every night,” he smiled, and they mostly made his teeth of milk. “She had small eyes and her hair was straight”.

“Do you have your breakfast yet? I asked”.

“I was waiting for you”.

Gustavo was an orphan. His parents had died in a car accident when he was just two years old. No close relative wanted to stay with him. Now, at the age of six, the Mother Teresa Orphanage was the home he had, and I was the family he knew.

“I need to go say my prayers,” he reminded him, “and only then will I have coffee with you. Can you wait?”

“Of course I did. I stood up, still looking into his eyes”.

“Wait for me in the cafeteria and in twenty minutes I’ll be there”.

He nodded and hurried off towards the other room of the house. I went downstairs to the basement and into the chapel. The orphanage was an old empire farm. Built in 1859, it was a successful Baron’s home. The chapel has remained intact since its construction. Of all the rooms in that house, this one was my favorite. I was not a Catholic, but a Protestant heretic, as Sister Adelina referred to me. But I liked going to that place and getting down on my knees, even if it wasn’t in front of the images. I thanked God for that day and for everything else.

On one of those days, weeks after the party at Ravi’s house, while I was praying in the chapel, the sister entered the room with hurried steps. Standing next to me, with the grumpy air she always had, she brought me news that made me very uncomfortable.

“We received a court order” I stood up, looking at her with wide eyes. "A condemned boy will come to the orphanage to perform community service here”.

“And you accepted?”

“The big house belongs to the government,” ​​she remained with a not very pleasant expression. "We only maintain the orphanage because of donations from public bodies. We cannot deny it. Nor should we”.

“A criminal inside the orphanage?”

Sister Adelina said nothing about my comment.

“You will be responsible for supervising the boy,” he informed me. "He arrives on Monday”.

“I can’t…” I stammered, finding that an affront. “I already take care of the children, I won’t have time for that”.

“It will continue to take care of it,” he said. "It will only have one more member”.

“But…”

“No complaints.” She held up her hand in a stop sign. “You’re well paid to work. So work”.

I watched as the sister turned her back and hurried out of the chapel as quickly as she came. I collapsed onto the bench behind me and wondered what God’s purpose in my life was for all of this.