ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-EIGHT

SHIMMER'S POV

When it was all over, I asked to speak. I asked everyone to kindly meet at Dylan and Anisha' house on the following day. I told them that I had a very important announcement to make, and I begged everyone not to miss it. We were to meet at twelve noon.

People looked reluctant, but they all agreed to be there.

"I know you have busy schedules, but please, I request with my entire heart. Pleased be there." I begged them.

When we were leaving, I had offered to go and drop off Tessa and Amelia at their hotel, for they were staying in a hotel which was on the way to my home. My place was very close to my parents' home. Tessa and Amelia politely refused, stating that they were ok with the transport that the young de Milos had prepared for them.

I watched everyone leaving, and I happened to be one of the last people to leave. I had hoped for Dylan and Anisha to talk to me, yet Anisha, who was looking weary, said she was going to sleep. Dylan carried his wife and off they went.

"Will she fine? Is she always sick like this?" I asked Iris with pure concern.

"Ma'am Anisha has the problem of morning sickness. It really is not treating her well." She explained.

"Do you have ginger tea in the house?" I asked and she said yes,

Mrs Silva assisted me as I fixed a cup of the ginger tea. I offered to personally take it upstairs for my daughter in law. Just as I got to their door, I overheard Anisha saying,

"I really don't know what to make of it all. I fear for my life."

"I don't know…it's too early for us to know what her intentions are," my son said.

"Well, I would rather keep my distance until I understand what this is all about," Anisha said.

"I hope she is genuine this time," Dylan said.

My heart broke. With the cup of ginger tea in my hands, I turned around to leave. I no longer had energy to hand it over to her, lest she thought I had sprinkled poison in it.

My heart was torn apart, but I knew that there was a lot of work to be done by me, before I could be fully accepted by the family. I had dug my own grave. It was time to bring myself out of it, and I was not expecting anyone to easily accept me. Yet I was more than willing to work on it.

***.

On the following day, which was a Sunday, I was seriously anxious as I waited for the family to come. I arrived at the junior de Milos' house around 11AM, and Mrs Silva and Iris welcomed me. I asked about Dylan and Anisha, and they said they were still upstairs.

To my gratitude, people began to come. They honoured my invitation. They came! I was more than happy to see them all. Each and every person came as per my request; not one person was missing. It touched me that they chose to come.

I did not want to waste anyone's time, so I asked everyone to get into their cars and follow mine. They looked unsure, but I had to give them the assurance over and over again that all was well.

The motorcade drove all the way, following my car, until we arrived at the gate. It was opened, and we all drove inside, and parked at the neat parking area.

Everyone came out of their cars, looking surprised.

"I want you to see this place," I told them.

I led the team around the place, showing them each and every room. We went to the playgrounds, to the orchard and to each and every corner of the place. When we were done, I led them to the chapel, and everyone took their seats.

"Is this your new place?" Roderick asked me.

I shook my head and took out the title deeds for the place.

"Here are the title deeds. I only renovated this place and made it nice; but the new owner of this place is Mrs Anisha de Milo."

"What!" Anisha gasped in great shock.

"This place, Anisha, which used to be Olga Children's home, is now yours." I told her.

"Is it a school now?" she asked, still astounded.

"It is a children's home; because every child deserves a decent place to live in. They all deserve exposure and access to computers, laptops, and high quality gadgets." I said.

"Did you do this, mum? All these renovations?" Dylan asked.

"I did this. With almost all of my savings, I reconstructed some of the buildings here, and I renovated some, after I came up with this idea."

"And it is an orphanage?" he asked.

"It is," I nodded my head in agreement.

"And it belongs to my wife, you say?" Dylan asked again.

"Yes. I bought the entire place from the city council, and I bought it in the name of Anisha. It is up to her to either name it Olga children's Home, or to choose a new name for it. It is in honour of her, because she taught me life. Every child deserves a chance in life. Anisha made me understand life from another angle; an angle which no one else never helped me understand. I used almost all of my life savings to make this place be as it is; and I am not complaining. Instead, I am happy. I don't have words to ever express my wish to be forgiven, and to be given a new chance. But to show that I understand the importance of loving all people equally, I thought to give this gift. All children whose parents are dead should not be cursed and looked down upon. If anything, they need to be loved."

"This place looks like some posh school of some sort," someone said.

"It has to; because no one chooses to be an orphan. When their parents die, orphans too deserve to live good lives. They also deserve a room each, with all the facilities that most children with parents have." I said.