My Patchwork Child

Chapter Eighteen

'And...done!' Alden says as he draws his hand from my head.

My ninth birthday.

I'd spent ten months in the orphanage and whilst I hadn't grown used to my new life, after the argument with Alden and Natty, the other kids ignored me.

Alden hadn't missed a day since the argument, either. My loneliness was comforted by his constant visits.

For my ninth birthday, Alden bought me a beautiful turquoise flower hair clip. He told me it matched my eyes.

'Thank you!' I gave him a hug of gratitude.

He hugged me back then told me, 'Now! Let's go have a blast, hey Bean?'

I nodded enthusiastically.

He took me to a café in the village. It was a warm, homely place. It wasn't loud and boisterous, just a gentle underlying chatter creating noise.

I leant my crutches against the chair and used my arms to haul myself onto it.

Slowly, throughout the ten months, my arms had become stronger and stronger. Now, I found it easy to manoeuvre on my crutches, but also, without them.

I ordered a hot chocolate and a cheese roll with crisps and a salad. Alden got a tea and a jacket potato with cheese and baked beans.

To put the meal simply, it was delicious. It was the first full meal I'd ever had in my entire life.

The meals I had with Cinder were more like scraps we found. She never cooked me a full meal.

And the orphanage? I wouldn't say what they gave us was food.

'Enjoying it?' Alden asked half way through.

I nodded, 'It's amazing!'

Alden laughed and took another bite, 'Oh! And the house is coming along beautifully.' He informed me.

'Awesome!' I grinned, eyes shining.

'Mmhmm. The framework is completely done. After we visit Chewy, I can show you around it.'

I gaped at him in amazement. 'That's so amazing! I can't wait.'

For pudding, we both indulged in some ice cream.

I'd also never eaten anything sweet before so when I took my first mouthful, the cold, rich taste washed over my tongue and I blinked in surprise.

'...Wow. That's really good!' I swallowed and immediately had another bite.

Alden laughed as I gulped down all of it.

'Slow down, you'll get a stomach ache.' He chuckled. I paid no mind to his comment and stuffed down the melting food.

Once we'd finished the meal, Alden took me out to see Chewy.

He was in a huge, grassy field, grazing. But when I called his name, he lifted his head and pricked his ears. In seconds, he'd bounded over on wobbly legs to come see us by the gate.

I rubbed his muzzle, 'Hey, boy. I've missed you, so much!' I cried, wrapping my arms around his neck.

'Would you like to give him a brush, Misty?' The new owner asked.

I grinned, 'Yes please.'

So, together, Alden and I gave Chewy a long grooming session. He stood peacefully, munching on some hay with sleepy eyes.

I occasionally tripped and Alden had to catch me before I tumbled into the old donkey. Eventually, we resorted to ditching the crutches and Alden held me up as I brushed Chewy and washed him down with a hose.