บท 4: Stranger

She never really had friends nor people she could call family. There was only this person that she keeps close to her heart.

Emily. That's what all she can remember from that special person.

Her first memory of her was when she was four years old. She was playing in the sand box alone when a box of chocolates suddenly appeared in front of her. She looked at the woman handing her the chocolates and was shocked to see an unfamiliar face. Out of shyness, she immediately ran towards the swing opposite the sand box and tried to hide behind a pole.

She peeked to see that the woman was holding her laughter. When the woman saw her trying to peek and continuing to hide at the back of a thin pole, the woman waved and motioned for her to come and take the chocolates.

Out of curiosity, she "came out" of her hiding place and walked towards the woman's direction.

"Hi, Jasmine. I'm Emily. Here, take these chocolates. I brought it for you. Don't you remember me?"

The little kid didn't hear anything as she was busy opening the box. She saw different shapes and animal figures but all of them looked like the mud in the ground.

At that moment, the kid's confusion brought a smile to Emily's face and a tug at her heart. She picked up a heart shaped piece and put it on her mouth, showing the kid that it's edible. Without hesitation, the kid got one too and took a bite. Her widened eyes and small but fast hands grabbing the next piece was a sight to watch.

After that marvelous snack, her little self decided that she likes this woman already. In her heart, she hoped that she will be able to see this stranger again.

She was not disappointed the next day.

After the parents' death, the hospital decided to put the baby in the newborn's ward while they tried to contact possible relatives that can take her in.

The nurse who looked after the parents before they died volunteered to go to the registry office to verify their identities and ask for contact numbers of their relatives. She later found out that the dad was a budding entrepreneur and lived with his wife at the room upstairs their very own café. The last of his relatives moved to another country and the contact information available can no longer be reached.

The wife was working in a small delivery company and was in charge with the inventory of mails/parcels/packages coming in and being delivered to different locations. The owner of the company said that they had little background of her but accepted her anyway.

He remembered receiving her application form with only her name written along with her husband's name under the contact information. They thought of chasing her away, but she pleaded that she really needed a job to prepare for her childbirth.

The owner accepted her out of pity at first, but he never regretted his decision. She was kind and always smiling and never caused trouble. The woman who they knew as Sophia Blackwood talked little of herself and always evaded questions about her origin. Her coworkers were not bothered by this at all and never forced her to speak. Too bad they'll really never be able to get to know her.

It was a dead end. The nurse felt bad for both the baby and the parents. Not being able to see each other's faces for the first and the last time. Not being able to spend this coming Christmas together. Not growing old together, watch as the daughter comes of age, falls in love and start a family of her own.

It was all so tragic that even she felt a heavy weight on her chest. Her eyes started to water as she made her way back to the hospital. She silently prayed for the child to find happiness in life. The hospital will now have to take this matter to their own hands.

And soon enough, the newborn's custody was transferred to the orphanage built by the same hospital.