After completing several games of Tres, Chan winning the majority of them, they got up from the floor, put their teacups into the sink, and stood on the front porch, deciding what to do.
With a gasp, Chan said, "It's Friday evening." He looked up at the doctor, and they both had the same idea. The doctor grasped the child’s hand, and they walked in the direction of the town, hand in hand, father and son, radiating with joy and love in the late summer light.
When they got into town, they went from window to window, peeking in to see what each store was selling. They stopped at a almost-closed street vendor, and got some Palm sugar for them both to enjoy.
Walking through town with a sweet taste in their mouths, neither could be any happier. They pointed at waddling spot-billed ducks, and then they would chase after them, causing them to quack hysterically until they flew off somewhere else. The two would about collapse in laughter.
When the reached the end of the town, the doctor said, "We should probably head back to the orphanage now. The matron's probably freaking out by now."
Chan looked down in disappointment, but with a small smirk. "Yea, she probably is." A sudden thought hit him at that moment though. "Could we do something in the morning?"
The doctor thought back to his hospital schedule. I have saturday mornings off till noon. He remembered. "Yes, I do believe we can." Chan's face erupted into a giant smile, and they walked back to the orphanage, meeting a hysterical matron at the doorstep.
~~~~~
Early the next morning, Chan was up and practicing cello, to the dismay of all the boys he shared the room with. When he bowed the first note, there was a chorus of groans, and multiple pillows turned over on top of annoyed boy's ears. The little boy with his cello continued on though, with a slight smirk on his face.
He practiced through the wake up bell. He practiced through bustelings and laughing boys. He practiced through silence, enduring his own thoughts.
By nine AM sharp the doctor was at the orphanage. The night before he had picked up the adoption papers, and this morning he had returned with them all filled out. He handed them to the matron, and she smiled saying, "I'm glad he found a home. " Then she ushered the doctor to the room that was pouring out music.
Chan heard the floorboards creak under the doctor's feet, and he didn't need to look up to see who entered the room. "Hello doctor." He said, finishing his piece.
"Are you ready for your concert tomorrow?" The doctor asked. "How do you feel, knowing that you're going to be world-famous in under forty-eight hours?"
Chan placed his wooden bow on the stand across from his and began wiping the rosin off of his cello, leaving the coat shiny and clean. "I'm definitely ready for the concert. I've been ready since I got the music. But I'm still going to prepare, so it will be perfect." He smiled up at the doctor. "But as far as the fame goes, that still hasn't gotten to me yet. I guess I'll see how I feel in forty-eight hours."
He laid down his cello, and grabbed the doctor's hand. "We ready to go?" He said, looking up.
"Yes," the doctor replied. "I turned in the adoption papers today. You're now officially my child." Both of their faces were beaming with delight. One looking up, the other looking down. They both felt the same at that exact moment.
Breaking the moment, the doctor said, "So, where are we off to?"
The child led the way out of the orphanage, and onto the dirt road. Kicking up dust behind them, they went to the left when the road decided to fork. Chan ran up to a simple average house, and stopping in front of the door, he waited for the doctor to catch up.
