Birthday and Suspicious adoption

Chapter 3 – Birthday and Suspicious adoption

(Short Chapter, I was busy this week)

GDCP - Death Row.

In a room with a metal table, a young man in his 20s sat handcuffed, staring at a small cupcake with a candle in front of him.

"Aren't you going to make a wish, Simon?"

A calm, solemn voice echoed in the room, causing Simon to lift his eyes from the cupcake and look ahead.

"What do you want now, Edgar?"

"I want to understand why." Edgar leaned forward.

"This again. Why does it matter? They're not here anymore. I'm stuck, waiting for my execution. It's over."

"This isn't a game, Simon. The families need—"

"Really? You're going to try sentimentality on me?" Simon mocked Edgar. "You know as well as I do that the families were the first to turn their backs on them. Now you want me to give them some peace so they can feel righteous about what they did? Please, most of them didn't even bother finding out how they died. Many didn't even have a funeral; they were buried in secret or had their ashes scattered somewhere. And now that I've turned myself in, they send you here asking for answers, pretending they cared, as if they hadn't abandoned them first?"

Edgar and Simon locked eyes for a moment before Edgar sighed and stood up. As he opened the door, Edgar paused for a moment and turned back.

"Happy birthday, Simon," he said before leaving Simon alone, staring at the cupcake.

Simon stayed silent with his eyes closed, and after a moment, he opened them, blew out the candle, and ate the cupcake.

<><><><><>

July 3, 1981

Opening his eyes, Simon sighed a little at the dream he had just had.

'It's my birthday, huh?' he thought while waiting for someone to come change his dirty diaper.

It didn't take long for Amelia to enter the room. With a smile, she carried him to the bathroom, gave him a bath, and then took him to one of the many rooms in the orphanage.

Among the children's laughter, for the first time since he had his second chance, Simon felt that the life of a reincarnated person wasn't as glamorous as he imagined.

When Simon first found himself as a baby, it was shocking, but he accepted it. He survived the torture of having his diapers changed, and honestly, he even liked being pampered that way.

However, no one had told him that he'd have to serve as a model for the little girls on his birthday.

Staring at the ceiling as Amelia changed his diaper, Simon couldn't help but frown at the group of girls who wouldn't stop talking about his first birthday and how the clothes they picked out were better than the others.

"Sailor outfit."

"Overalls are better."

"Pajamas."

As Amelia finished changing Simon's diaper, she smiled at him before turning to chat with the excited girls.

Simon gazed at the ceiling for a moment, then adjusted himself in bed to sit and watch Amelia give a little lecture to the girls with a small smile on his face.

He liked Amelia. She was lively and spontaneous, never holding back her opinions. She also enjoyed taking care of the younger children, seeing herself almost as their tutor. With the help of the orphanage director, she got into a good university and was currently studying to become a teacher.

Additionally, Amelia was soon to marry Johan, one of the former residents of the orphanage, who had left after coming of age but still kept in touch with the people at Little Garden. He currently worked as a manager at a small grocery store franchise in Clapton.

Simon had seen Johan a few times. From conversations between Amelia and others, he knew that Johan was a simple but hardworking young man studying to become a lawyer. He and Amelia had arrived at Little Garden as kids and, in a way, were childhood sweethearts, each supporting the other's dreams.

"Alright then, let's let Simon choose. How about that?" Seeing that the girls were still unwilling to compromise, Amelia could only step back and leave it in Simon's hands.

She looked at the small baby sitting on the bed and, along with the girls, approached him.

"Come on, Simon. Today is your big day, and you need to look handsome. So, choose your outfit," Amelia said with a smile to the baby.

She then went silent, watching as Simon glanced at the clothes and stayed quiet. Amelia was perceptive and sometimes felt that Simon seemed to understand what she was saying.

Not that she could prove it, considering that the youngest resident of Little Garden, besides Simon, was already 3 years old, and she hadn't taken care of him in his early years.

Even so, she knew Simon was special. Call it feminine intuition or something else, she just knew.

Simon remained still for a moment, looking at the four outfits prepared for him, and couldn't help but sigh at how hard the Little Garden director was working for a child that wasn't even hers.

Simon really didn't understand how a woman could be so kind as to put in so much effort to throw a party for someone who would never remember the event.

Shaking his head, Simon concluded that overthinking it was a waste of time, and he might as well just enjoy the moment. After 'debating' for a while with the girls, smiling and pointing out which outfit Simon should choose, he crawled over to a three-piece suit that strongly resembled those worn by Thomas Shelby from Peaky Blinders.

'If I'm going to be in a nice photo, I'll be a Sigma Baby.'

Amelia smiled at Simon's choice and began to dress him. The girls whose clothes hadn't been picked simply sighed before leaving the room to let Amelia finish dressing Simon.

Once done, Amelia turned around and, in front of Simon, began to undress. Honestly, this wasn't the first time Amelia had done something like this. Though it had surprised Simon the first time, he quickly got used to it.

After a moment of appreciation, Simon merely averted his eyes and grabbed his white tiger plush toy. He didn't really know why he liked the toy so much, but ever since he had received it from Amelia, he had never let it go.

Amelia also noticed Simon's actions, but instead of commenting, she entered the bathroom and emerged 15 minutes later.

When she returned, she gave Simon a quick glance—he was lying down, staring up—and then went to get dressed.

Once she was finished, Amelia looked at Simon, smiling with the toy in his hands, and picked him up in her arms before leaving the room.

The house that served as Little Garden was an old Victorian-era home, built in 1892. It belonged to Director Victoria's family and housed dozens of children from the poor areas of East End.

Simon was carried from one of the second-floor rooms down to the ground floor, where a group of nearly 30 people had gathered. Most were children, with the youngest being 3 years old and the oldest almost 18.

As for the other people, they were former residents of Little Garden who, unable to secure good jobs or for other reasons, decided to stay and help raise the children.

In the center of the room, seated in an old chair, a woman in her 60s was patiently waiting for the birthday boy's arrival. As she spotted Simon in Amelia's arms, the woman couldn't help but smile.

"Amelia, bring him here," she said with the gentle, soft voice of a grandmother.

Amelia returned the smile and handed Simon over to the woman, who held him with great care.

Simon gazed at the old woman, who still served as the Orphanage Director. From what he knew, Victoria Lavinsky was a Holocaust survivor. She had managed to escape Poland in 1939, at the beginning of the German invasion, and eventually settled in London.

At the time, she was no more than 12 years old, and after a while, she lost her mother, her only family, to illness. Alone and with no one to turn to, she would have perished if it hadn't been for the orphanage's former director, who found and took her in.

It was a difficult time, but she managed to get back on her feet. After the war, she thought about returning to her homeland, but she decided to stay in London. Over time, Victoria lived her life, married a former orphanage resident, had children, and lived her life. One day, the old director fell ill, and feeling indebted to the woman who had taken her in, Victoria stayed by her side until the end. Shortly after, she took over the orphanage and became its new director.

Simon was rocked in silence by the old director while she sang a Polish lullaby, which he didn't understand. When she finished, she took him to the seat of honor at the table in front of a large birthday cake, and everyone present sang for the little one before they sat down for lunch.

In the afternoon, while Simon slept, Amelia went to talk to Victoria.

"Excuse me," she said, knocking on the door of the old office. Amelia entered and closed the door behind her. Inside, she found Victoria with a steaming cup of tea beside her as she looked at a file with a serious but also content expression, prompting Amelia to ask, "Is something wrong, Director Victoria?"

"Amelia. We've received an adoption request," Victoria said calmly. "A young couple, in their 20s, wants to adopt a child. They submitted the necessary paperwork some time ago and have already gone through the screening process."

"That's wonderful," Amelia smiled, genuinely happy. Although she loved Little Garden and saw everyone living there as family, Amelia still deeply regretted not having had parents while growing up. Of course, she loved and respected Victoria very much, but it just wasn't the same.

"Undoubtedly, it is wonderful, and I'd like you to accompany me for their visit next Monday."

"No problem, Director," Amelia agreed with a smile.

"Good," Victoria smiled and handed Amelia a folder. "Here's information about the couple. Take a look over the weekend."

Looking at the documents in her hands, Amelia nodded and then left the office, leaving Victoria to enjoy her tea.

<><><><><>

The following week, while Simon played in the small courtyard with some children, Amelia suddenly appeared and scooped him up in her arms.

"Simon, there are some people who want to meet you," Amelia said, smiling.

Simon found the situation strange and babbled something, making Amelia smile even more before she carried him to the orphanage office.

Inside, he saw Victoria chatting animatedly with a young couple. The man, possibly in his 30s, had short hair, a clean-shaven face, light skin, and brown eyes. He appeared serious and reserved in how he carried himself.

As for the woman, she seemed younger, perhaps in her 20s, with fair skin, short brown hair, and green eyes. She was the one who spoke most with Director Victoria, while the man occasionally added a few points.

"Excuse me," Amelia said as she entered with Simon in her arms.

The young couple glanced at the small baby in Amelia's arms with brief smiles, but the woman quickly toned down her excitement when she realized he was a bit older than they had in mind.

"How old is he?" she asked.

"Simon turned 1 on Friday," Victoria replied.

"May I hold him?"

"Of course." Victoria nodded to Amelia, who handed Simon to the woman, who held him carefully.

Simon felt like merchandise being evaluated.

As for the man, he looked at Simon for a moment and smiled slightly but didn't attempt to hold him.

"Director Victoria, when can we take him with us?"

Hearing the woman, Simon couldn't help but feel a bit stunned.

'Hey, what do you mean by taking me? Since when is adoption this easy?'

"Miss Morgan, the paperwork has already been approved. It all depends on you now," Victoria said with a smile.

"In that case, we'll take him today."

'Wait. What do you mean by now? And why are you agreeing to this so easily?'

Victoria chatted a bit more with the young couple while Amelia left the room. She returned shortly with a packed suitcase, handed it to the man, and just like that, Simon was officially adopted.

Watching the young couple leave, Amelia smiled at seeing a new family happily formed.