She never thought she'd see the sun again. Well, not literally.
She just didn't think things could get better because all they've done is get worse over the years.
She grabs a bottle of milk out of the freezer and gulps it down within minutes. It was for the cat but Shelby could easily go into the trash and get something else to eat. And that bottle of milk was the last one.
Her hands reach for the portrait of her mom hanging lopsidedly on the wall, fixing it back into place. She never knew her father and her mom didn't have much to say about him either.
Mom and Shelby were the only people who'd ever been consistent in her life. There was Maryanne but she left the neighborhood in sixth grade and that was the end of their friendship.
There was Peter too but his mother never liked her. She'd swing her chubby arms at Peter, yelling, “Haven't I warned you to stay away from that urchin? It's like you're associating with a swamp mouse!”
Peter's visit to her shack started to dwindle and eventually, he stopped coming. He didn't even speak to her at school even though his mother's hawk-like eyes couldn't see him there.
When she left middle school, mom left too.
Now it's just her and Shelby. She grabs her backpack hanging from the wall and slings it over her shoulder.
“Come on Shel’, we gotta go.” Shelby purrs and leaps into her open bag. Old Connie doesn't appreciate her bringing her cat to clean the docks but there's no way she's leaving Shelby behind.
Besides, the cat always finds leftover fish to eat. How could she deprive him of that?
She grabbed the handles of her rickety bicycle, hopped on it, and began to pedal all the four kilometers to the docks.
Her legs were wobbly by the time she arrived but thankfully, she was five minutes early. Like she always was.
Old Connie was yet to arrive. Perfect.
She went into the cartons stacked on each other in Connie's office, looking for anyone which would have a loose opening. Every morning she snuck into Connie's office and grabbed a fish or a prawn, made a small fire and half-cooked it, then hurried it into her mouth before anyone else arrived.
The earliest of them always arrived ten minutes late.
She found a fish at last, proceeded to wiggle it free from the carton and went out to make a fire with scanty branches she collected from the beach.
Five minutes later and her fish was roasting away on the fire. However, before she could eat it, a man and a woman arrived at the docks.
She slipped the fish into her backpack, fixed a smile on her face, and went out to meet them.
They were unlike any customers the docks had in a long time.
“Hello there cutie, who runs this place?” The man asked, a big smile on his face.
Cutie? She nearly scoffed. She knew she was far from being cute. Her teeth were yellow and her hair was a tangled, brown mess.
“I do. At least till Old Connie shows up this morning. What do you want?”
The woman beside him giggled. “Oh, she's a smart one, isn't she? What's your name, girl?”
She looked at both of them cooing over her like an adorable toy. What's their deal?
“I'm Vivian. Everyone calls me Vivi.”
“What a cute little girl…”
“You've said that before. Now what do you want?”
The two adults exchanged glances and laughed. “We own a newly opened restaurant in town and we need a steady supply of fish. Someone asked us to come here.” The man responded.
“Oh..we could help you with that. You just got to sit down and wait while I bring the contract for you to sign. This way.” She led them into Connie's office, all the while wondering why none of the other workers had arrived yet.
“What're you doing working in this kind of place? You should be in school playing with your friends.” The woman commented quietly.
Vivi gave her a sad smile, “Life isn't a bed of roses for some of us.” She didn't know what that meant, her mother just used it all the time. She rummaged through Connie's locker and found the contract that talked about delivery. “Here's your contract. Read and sign.”
“Where are your parents?” The man asked. She shook her head.
“I don't have one of those.”
The adults exchanged glances again. “I know this would sound weird but….” The woman looked at her husband and hesitated. He nodded at her. “Do you think you'd want to come home with us?”
“Why?”
“So we could live together and be a family.” The man responded. “We lost our son when he was only four years old and we've been trying to get another child for the past four years but all to no avail. We'd be grateful if you accepted to come with us as our own.”
She didn't think she was hearing correctly. No one ever wanted her, not even old Connie. How come these ones did?
“Look Vivi, we have a big bed for you, a whole room, you get to go to school and you get to have parents. Think about it.”
The woman said. Her eyes were already tearing up.
“Why don't you go to the orphanage if you want to adopt a child?”
The man shakes his head. “My wife didn't connect with any of the kids there. Maybe our grief connects us.”
She didn't understand what that meant but the promise of a bed and a whole room sure sounded nice.
“I have a cat.” She blurted out. The woman laughed.
“That's great, Vivi. My name's Stacy and this is Frank. We'll wait to see this Old Connie of yours and then we'll take you home.”
Home. When she woke up today she never thought there'd be another definition besides the shack and the empty fridge. Now she has a big bed, a room and parents.
What a fateful day.
Image is not mine