Encounter: Maybe I Surprised You

It was Saturday again, and Hazel knew they'd have to welcome another guest at the Moon Orphanage again, a possiblity to be adopted, a possibility for a warm loving home.

Dancing surrounding garden of flowers, he swayed as the melody hugged him and possessed his body to act on its own. He was alone yet he felt good, at least during that slowed moment.

Minutes later, Hazel got startled by a sudden honk of a car that made him pause his practice, curiosity got to him as Hazel swiftly arranged his things and hide behind a hornbeam tree—it was the guests, he thought, as he spotted a shiny limousine entering from the Orphanage front gate.

After a few minutes of being frozen to his feet, he gripped the edge of his steampunk ruffle shirt and left out a heavy sigh.

His flustered face was obvious as seen, while t'was kissing the sun. When the car stopped, and before it reveal the guests, Hazel turned his back and runs rapidly at the back door connecting a hallway going to their foyer, he continued running while calling for his year older friend, Sian, an orphan since birth.

"Sian! Sian! The visitors are here, tell Pastor Glenn!" His voice, soft and sweet, echoed and made its way across the room, which made others panic too.

It was a special occasion during weekends, visitors often come for charity, and if some are lucky, they would get adopted too. Surely, Hazel also thought about it, that's why he's always been eager to love dancing and to showing his hidden talents.

Still running, now through the stairs, Hazel stopped at a sudden realization and looked down at what he was wearing. "If Pastor Hiydan and Pastor Glenn saw me, they might scold me! I'm still unprepared!"

"Hazel! You'll be late at the assembly!" Sian shouted as he saw his friend panic. "That's okay, we will wait for you!" He added again before Hazel finally reach the second floor. Hazel waved and smiled at him as a sign of gratitude.

An hour later, Hazel hurriedly returns at the garden, t'was where the guests are currently at. The venue, was just beside his usual spot. It was blocked from awhile ago by the wall separating the main garden, and his little one.

"Hazel, performances will begin in eleven minutes, you are the fourth performer so it's alright to be a little late, however, since our guests today are the potential adopters, I want all of you to be seen, so next time make sure to come early, alright?" Pastor Hiydan seem concerned about him, he always tells him how deserving he is to have his own family, little does he know that Hazel also consider them as one.

Hazel turned to the man beside him and nodded, "I understand, Pastor Hiydan. Sorry, I was just a little engrossed with dancing awhile ago." He reasoned out.

Pastor, standing behind a huge flower decoration, chuckled, which only lasted for a minute, "This child." He thought.

"Then, make the guests feel at home, Hazel." Pastor pat Hazel's shoulder and smiled before leaving the back stage, sitting near the guests, he immediately greeted and entertained them.

Hazel now focused himself on preparing his dance while waiting for others to finish. He was stretching and doing some basic warm up, when Sian came to him and spoke, "Hazel, where's your pin? It's always a requirement during performances, remember?"

"It's here with me." Hazel answered.

"I haven't pinned it yet though can you do it for me? I was really busy rushing awhile ago." He added still doing stretches, Sian only said yes before excusing himself for a second.

When Sian came back, he saw Hazel biting his lips, it was a sign that he's anxious, he worriedly asked, "What's wrong?" And tapped his friend's shoulder.

"Si, I think I forgot the pin inside my room!"

Sian paused for a minute after Hazel spoke, and thought of an idea.

"Get it! It's still early to perform, we still have Sunnie and Danielle before your turn. I'll let Sister Rosa tell Pastor Glenn and Pastor Hiydan about it, so do not worry."

Due to his friend's assurance, Hazel runs back and got his orphanage's pin, it's a small circular botton- like pin which symbolizes their identity. There are 4 pin colors: Red, Blue, Yellow, White.

Red means, that the child had been adopted before but was sent back at the orphanage. Blue means, a child had parents but they chose to leave the child's faith to the orphanage. Yellow means, the child isn't ready to be adopted yet. White means, the child has no history of being adopted even once.

These were a rule set by Mother Grace, the Head Parent of Moon Dream Orphanage, by the means of knowing that new and old potential parents had already finalized a decision to adopt before giving them a head up.

It is, for the whole family, the safest way to avoid children discrimination, abuse, and false hope leading to a child's disappointment and isolation.

Running his way back to the garden, he saw a not so familiar back, it was a woman around her 50's with her long coat and sunglasses hitting the sun. "I'm at the Moon Orphanage right now." Her voice was getting clearer as he walks closer to the patio door she's standing at.

"I told you I may adopt a child, Hon." It was an intense phonecall, Hazel thought.

He was a bit worried on how to escape through the door because the woman was standing in front of it. "Excuse me, Ma'am. May I pass?" Hazel politely asked as he stops at the back of the woman.

The woman turned to him, still on her phone, "Yes?"

"Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt your call, Ma'am. But may I pass by this door? It's my turn to perform now."

The woman, who was Mrs. Crane, froze up as she looked at Hazel still explaining, "Ma'am?" Hazel on the other hand was confusedly looking at how the woman looks at him. The stares were intense that made the situation look awkward.

"Oh I'm sorry, what was your name?" She asked out of curiosity.

"I'm Hazel. Hazel Grey, Ma'am. Pleased to meet you." Now embarrassed, Hazel turned his head down.

"Hon, I'll call you back later." Mrs. Crane hanged up the call and chuckled, "Hazel, you have a nice face, and a nice name...and you look just like him." Mrs. Crane now smiled.

Hazel didn't know what to say nor what to do, he just stood there awkwardly until Mrs. Crane broke the silence.

"Sorry, maybe I surprised you. I'm Mrs. Evangelista Crane, and I'm one of your visitors today. Let's go, I think someone's already waiting for you."

Hazel can't help but smile while walking behind her as he thought, "Maybe this will be my time. Maybe, it was meant to be."

But before he could get any deeper in his thoughts, someone suddenly called him, "Hazel, it's your turn to perform now!" Annie, also his friend, yelled while running towards their direction.

Everyone's eyes widen in surprise as they saw him with the visitor. Sian immediately grabbed his arm after Mrs. Crane left and sat on her chair. "Hazel! It was a miracle! Are you finally going to be adopted? What happened back there? How did you meet?"

"Sian, calm down. I just met them on the door and we only chatted about my name. Let's not assume things." Hazel explained.

"Alright, but what's with that face? You're sweating a lot. You're the next performer! Look here I'll help, you look like you've just been out from a nightmare it's concerning me. You're always clumsy, I'd be so worried if ever you'll get adopted in the future."

Hazel laughed at him, "Don't say that! You're letting my wish in vain, I want to get adopted too. Just like Rome." Sian suddenly stopped after hearing those words.

"Rome? Ha ha! He didn't call even once after being adopted. Do you want to be like him?" Sian scoffed at the idea.

"Don't be like that! He's still our friend, oh! I need to go and perform now, stay right where I can see you, Sian! I'm going now!"

Sian smiled sadly as he thought, "How I wish we'd all stay together forever. But I know that's not going to happen."

After a minute of silence, Hazel came out from the stage and started to pose, it took a minute before the music also started.