particular, this place. It wasn’t that his memories were all bad, in fact, some of them were the best times of his life. But then there were other times, dour times, lonely times, times where, if it hadn’t been for the kindness of Sister Elizabeth, he may very well have become another faceless member of the youth suicide club.
But now, ironically, with the appearance of the package, his one and only friend from this place could prove to be the one who’d cheated him out of a proper upbringing and the family life he’d craved so much in those dark times.
Because he’d been more or less dumped there at the age of one, Daniel had no recollection of what his life had been like prior to entering the building. Admittedly, short of breastfeeding, filling diapers, and crying, there wasn’t much of a one-year-old’s life to talk about anyway. For Daniel, life as he’d known it had started when these doors had opened, and now, as they swung open again, he was going to fill in the blanks that before the package arrived, he hadn’t known existed.
Immediately, the musky scent of the old building hit him. Oak and stone, polish and disinfectant — a plethora of nostalgic aromas that had been part of his life for such a long time. He took a moment to absorb the smells as they brought a smile to his face. Slowly he climbed the foyer steps, running his hands along the glassy feel of the wooden handrail worn smooth from over a century of use.
As he walked down the corridor towards the main administration office, he thought about how much it had changed. Originally, the place had been set up as an orphanage — in the late 1800s if his memory served him well. But as times and needs changed, the orphanage introduced boarding and term schooling; then, over time, the boarders became fewer until it evolved into what it was now — a Catholic school. Daniel had been deposited there on the cusp of it evolving; he was essentially the last of the orphans to be taken in. Daniel smiled to himself when he thought about a Catholic School and the word evolution in the same breath.
They had effectively bent the rules when they accepted him. There were still some hard to place live-ins there, but over ninety percent of the kids were outsiders. Kids with money, kids with cars, kids with attitude, but worse still for Daniel — kids with families that cared.
Daniel was a misfit. Being the youngest orphan, he was easy prey for the older and more established ones there. And being a live-in, the outsiders didn’t want to know him. He was chubby and uncoordinated, so the girls weren’t interested; he had no money to be bullied for, and he wasn’t one of the brightest, so even the academics gave him a wide berth.
Now that the orphanage was a full on school, and one that attracted the wealthy, he could immediately see money had been spent around the place. But Daniel could also tell that despite the aesthetic changes, the core was the same.
Behind the glass panel, the Administration office was a well-lit open-plan area. There were several people milling around, some at their desks and others over by the photocopier; they all looked busy and by the way they dressed none of them looked to be devout Catholics. As Daniel neared the panel, a woman on the other side of the glass spoke into the microphone that was mounted on her desk; her voice boomed from a speaker on his side of the partition.
‘Can I help you?’ she asked.
Daniel looked around for a button to push so he could talk back, but couldn’t find one.
‘My name is Daniel Carter, and I’m here to see the Abbess herself, the Director of Schools,’ Daniel replied.
Daniel called the Director the Abbess because that was the way the frumpy woman used to conduct herself.
‘Do you have an appointment?’
‘Not exactly, but I have a feeling she might be expecting me.’
‘Okay, Mr. Carter, I’ll go and see if she’s available. Please, take a seat in the room next door.’ The woman
But now, ironically, with the appearance of the package, his one and only friend from this place could prove to be the one who’d cheated him out of a proper upbringing and the family life he’d craved so much in those dark times.
Because he’d been more or less dumped there at the age of one, Daniel had no recollection of what his life had been like prior to entering the building. Admittedly, short of breastfeeding, filling diapers, and crying, there wasn’t much of a one-year-old’s life to talk about anyway. For Daniel, life as he’d known it had started when these doors had opened, and now, as they swung open again, he was going to fill in the blanks that before the package arrived, he hadn’t known existed.
Immediately, the musky scent of the old building hit him. Oak and stone, polish and disinfectant — a plethora of nostalgic aromas that had been part of his life for such a long time. He took a moment to absorb the smells as they brought a smile to his face. Slowly he climbed the foyer steps, running his hands along the glassy feel of the wooden handrail worn smooth from over a century of use.
As he walked down the corridor towards the main administration office, he thought about how much it had changed. Originally, the place had been set up as an orphanage — in the late 1800s if his memory served him well. But as times and needs changed, the orphanage introduced boarding and term schooling; then, over time, the boarders became fewer until it evolved into what it was now — a Catholic school. Daniel had been deposited there on the cusp of it evolving; he was essentially the last of the orphans to be taken in. Daniel smiled to himself when he thought about a Catholic School and the word evolution in the same breath.
They had effectively bent the rules when they accepted him. There were still some hard to place live-ins there, but over ninety percent of the kids were outsiders. Kids with money, kids with cars, kids with attitude, but worse still for Daniel — kids with families that cared.
Daniel was a misfit. Being the youngest orphan, he was easy prey for the older and more established ones there. And being a live-in, the outsiders didn’t want to know him. He was chubby and uncoordinated, so the girls weren’t interested; he had no money to be bullied for, and he wasn’t one of the brightest, so even the academics gave him a wide berth.
Now that the orphanage was a full on school, and one that attracted the wealthy, he could immediately see money had been spent around the place. But Daniel could also tell that despite the aesthetic changes, the core was the same.
Behind the glass panel, the Administration office was a well-lit open-plan area. There were several people milling around, some at their desks and others over by the photocopier; they all looked busy and by the way they dressed none of them looked to be devout Catholics. As Daniel neared the panel, a woman on the other side of the glass spoke into the microphone that was mounted on her desk; her voice boomed from a speaker on his side of the partition.
‘Can I help you?’ she asked.
Daniel looked around for a button to push so he could talk back, but couldn’t find one.
‘My name is Daniel Carter, and I’m here to see the Abbess herself, the Director of Schools,’ Daniel replied.
Daniel called the Director the Abbess because that was the way the frumpy woman used to conduct herself.
‘Do you have an appointment?’
‘Not exactly, but I have a feeling she might be expecting me.’
‘Okay, Mr. Carter, I’ll go and see if she’s available. Please, take a seat in the room next door.’ The woman
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