Three Thousand Miles - Forever, (book #3 of Three Thousand Miles, Series) (14 page)

“Miss Alanna,” I hear a soft voice say. I quickly set down the colouring book
onto the table. I smile at the little three-year old as he looks at me.
“I will finish your drawing in a moment,” I reassure him as I turn to face the
faint voice. I smile as I see Olivia standing behind me. Her eyes are sparkling
and her smile is captivating. She is dressed in white leggings with pink dress
over them. I stare at her more and I notice that she is wearing the bracelet that
I gave her. She is staring blankly at me.

“Olivia, are you okay?” She doesn’t say a word as she comes closer to me. Her
eyes widen and she holds out her arms in my direction. I am not sure if she
wants me to hug her or lift her onto my lap. I feel nervous as I stare at her
more. “Sweetie, are you okay?” She looks at me as she moves closer. Her eyes
are staring through me.

“Miss Alanna, can I please sit on your lap?” I gently laugh, as I lift the little girl
across my legs. She wraps her arms around my neck and she softly kisses my
cheek. I have to hold back my tears as I take in this little girl’s affection towards
me. I grip her tighter and I don’t want to let her go. I feel connected to her and
I don’t know why. She reminds me of Penelope, but that’s not my connection
to her. I feel love for her deep in my heart and I know that’s crazy, but it’s how
I feel. She feels right in my arms and I feel as if I could take her home with me. I
want to know more about where she came from and I need to know if there is
anything that I can do to help her.

Olivia stays by my side until Janet announces that its lunch time. As the
children rush into the dining room I begin to tidy up. I make my way over to
the playpen and I begin to pack away the toys that are scattered across the
floor. Once I finish, I start on tidying away the books and pens. I slide open the
drawers on the large side board and I begin to neatly place all of the books
inside.

“You are an angel.” Janet gushes as she makes her way over to me. Janet
reaches me and I stop what I am doing as she handsme a cup of coffee. I begin
to sip the drink as Janet sits down on one of the chairs. She slides a chair over
to me and she alerts me to take a break. I sit downand I begin to enjoy my
coffee. Janet is sipping away at her tea and I can’t escape my thoughts about
Olivia, I wonder if now would be a good time to talk to Janet about her? I place
my cup down onto the table and Janet notices that I have something on my
mind.
“Is there something wrong, dear?” I shake my head and then I slowly begin to
talk to Janet.

“I just feel sad for the children. Do any of them have parents?” Janet looks
more serious than I have ever seen her before and I hope that I haven’t upset
her by asking this question.

“Most of them have parents, but not ones that they can rely on. There are
children in here who have never known what it’s like to have a mother or
father. My job is to care for them and to let them know that someone loves
them.”

“How do you stop guilt from taking over how you feel?” Janet sighs.

“As long as you try your best to help then there is no reason to feel guilty. I
know it’s hard to escape those feelings, but if you are to work here you will
need to grow a thick skin. There will be days when parents come to visit and
you will see how difficult it is on the children. You will witness a child’s heart
being broken and that image will change you forever. We need to be strong for
them and to not let our emotions get in the way.” I take in Janet’s words and I
agree with them. I understand her opinions and I am grateful for her advice.
Now I want to ask her about Olivia.

“Does Olivia have parents?” Janet shakes her head and her actions alert me
that she hasn’t.

 

“No, Olivia has no one. She has been in my care since she was 6 months old.”

“Wow, what happened to her parents?” Janet sighs again and I feel that talking
about this hurts her, but I want to know so I don’t back down, I stare at Janet
until she confesses.

“Olivia’s birth-mother died during child-birth and there were never any records
to indicate who her father was. Olivia has no grandparents no aunts or uncles
she basically has no relatives. We did however finda distant cousin, but she
was in her twenties, was about to get married, so she said that she had no time
to look after her. So we just kept Olivia here withus. My biggest hope for Olivia
is that one day someone will have the heart to givethis little girl a proper
home.” I feel awful and I don’t know how to respond. I can’t begin to imagine
how terrible it must be for her. She has never met her mother and there is no
hope in finding her father. My mind is rushing and I can’t breathe as images of
Penelope are spinning in my mind. Penelope adores my mom and she depends
on her for everything. I am realising just how lucky she is, as Olivia will never
have the feeling of having a mother. She won’t get to experience all the things
that mothers and daughters do – like shopping. I can’t begin to understand
how un-fair life can be.

It’s now five o’ clock and it’s time for me to go home. I gather up my things as I
make my way into the lounge to say my goodbyes. As I enter the room a few of
the smaller children rush over to me - a little boy and two little girls to be
exact. The boy – Tomas is his name, grips onto my leg as he tries to get me to
stay. I gently pat his soft brown hair as I loosen his grip on me. He bounces
back from me and he playfully sticks out his tongue. I laugh at his cheeky
behaviour and then I gently pat the two little girls on the head. Janet notices
me standing by the door, so she quickly gets the attention of the children.

“Quiet!” She shouts. The children instantly do as she says and they all turn to
face her. She smiles at them and then at me. I gently laugh as she begins to
talk. “I want all of you to say goodbye to Miss Alanna and don’t forget to thank
her for looking after all of you today.” Janet orders. I blush at her words and
then I begin to pull my coat onto my body. As the fabric collides with my skin, I
feel a gentle tap against my arm. I look down to see Olivia standing in front of
me.

“Thank you Miss Alanna!”
The children say in a rhyme. I gently laugh at their
cute voices and then I turn my attention to Olivia.

 

“Hey sweetie,” I say. She smiles at me and her sweetness melts my heart –
again.

 

“Do you really have to go now?” She asks. I kneel down to her level and I take
her little hand in mine.

“I am afraid so, but I will be back tomorrow.” She nervously plays with her hair
as she considers my words.
“Do you promise?” I pull her towards me and I grip onto her. Her hair smells
like strawberries and her skin is so soft. I could hold onto her forever and I wish
that I could. I gently stroke her soft hair as I whisper.

“I promise.”
Seven

Later that night when I arrive back at our house I feel drained. I slowly make
my way out of the car and into the house. I step into the hallway of the house
and I find that it’s freezing inside. I quickly close the door behind me as I make
my into the laundry room. I switch on the heating and then I march back into
the kitchen. I check my watch and I see that it’s six-thirty, the traffic was crazy
and I didn’t expect that it would take so long for me to get home. I make my
way over to the fridge and I begin to pick through the contents as I decide
what to make for dinner. I chose Adrian’s favourite – steak with new potatoes.
The house is still cold, so I keep my coat on as I begin to prepare our dinner. I
start by boiling some water for the potatoes and vegetables and then I
carefully wash and peel them until they are ready to be put into the water. I
throw in some salt and I pop on the lid. I won’t need to cook the steak until the
potatoes are nearly ready, so that gives me time to check my emails. I rush
over to the dresser by the back wall and I grab my laptop. I make my way over
to the dining table and I sit myself down onto one of the leather chairs. I wait
as my MacBook powers up and when it does, I instantly click onto my mail. I
sign in and then I hear a beeping sound as I have four unread messages. With
excitement, I open my browser and begin to run through my emails. One is
from my mom and another is from Sophie the other two is some type of junkmail, so I don’t waste any time looking at them. I click onto the message from
my mom.

Dear Alanna,

I am sorry that I haven’t been in touch for a few days, but your father and I
have just gotten back from Miami and you know how hectic things can get
when we are down there. Anyway, I hope that you are okay and please say ‘hi’
to Adrian for me. I hope that you are having a great time over there and I wish
that you can come and visit us soon. Penelope is growing every day and every
day she gets more and more like you. We all miss you and we can’t wait to see
you. I hope to hear from you soon, all my love, Mom.

I quickly compose a reply email.

 

Dear Mom,

Adrian and I are fine and yes I am having a wonderful time over here in the cold
of London. I started work today at the orphanage and I loved it. Please tell Dad
and Penelope that I miss them and that hopefully I can visit soon. I am glad
that you and Dad had a break in Miami – the sunshine will do you good. Any
way I am making dinner so I better run just now. Talk to you soon, Alanna x

I hit send and then I click onto Sophie’s email.

Hello Alanna,
I am just dropping you this little email to ask how things are getting on
between you and your husband. I hope that you aren’t too tired from all the
love-making! – That was a joke by the way, anyway I would love to hear from
you so please don’t be a stranger, Sophie X

I roll my eyes at Sophie’s email and then I let out a little chuckle as I read her
words again. I begin to respond, but I stop as I hear the front door unlock. I
shut my laptop as I jump up from my seat. I rush back into the kitchen and I
immediately check the potatoes. I lower the gas and then I slightly jab at the
food with a fork to check if they are soft. When I am satisfied that they
shouldn’t take long, I begin to rummage in the cupboards for my grill pan. I
keep one eye on the door, as I begin to lightly season the steaks with some salt
and pepper. I heat up the pan and then I place the steaks into the pan to a
wonderful sizzling noise. However, I drag my attention away from the cooking
as I see Adrian walking towards me. He is dressed very smartly today in a dark
grey suit and black overcoat. His chocolate hair is messy and it’s flopped down
onto his forehead. His gorgeous green eyes are glowing as he greets me.

“Something smells nice,” he says as he takes off his coat and suit jacket. I
frown at him as he places his clothes down onto the sofa. I don’t know how
many times that I have told him to not leave his things lying around, but he
never seems to listen. I gently shake my head as he stares at me. “Why is your
face like thunder?” Adrian says firmly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say sarcastically. Adrian narrows his
eyes as he glides over to me. I try to hold back my smile as he grips me from
behind. His arms are wrapped tightly around my waist and his hands are gently
rubbing my abdomen. Adrian places his head onto my neck and he playfully
begins to nibble on my skin. I am trying my best to hold back my giggles as
Adrian’s actions are tickling me. I give in as he nibbles harder. I let out a
massive laugh as Adrian spins me around to face him. His hands are now on my
face as he positions our lips together. I melt into him for a moment and then I
pull back as the steaks begin to sizzle –more violently. I quickly shut off the
heat and then I carefully transport the meat from the pan onto the serving
dish. I place some foil over them to keep them warmand then I begin to
prepare a side salad. I tear up the lettuce and slice some tomatoes along with
cucumber and a red bell pepper, I toss everything together and add a dash of
olive oil. Once I am happy with the salad, I set it to one side and as I begin to
drain the water from the potatoes I realise that Adrian is staring at me. He is
sitting on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. His eyes are fixed on my every
move and I begin to feel a little self-conscious. I don’t know what it is about
Adrian, but he still has the capability to make me feel uneasy.

“I love to watch you,” he says lightly. I blush slightly from his comment and
then I focus my attention back to the food. I drain the potatoes and then the
vegetables; once everything is ready, I begin to plate up our dinner.

“Alanna, the food is amazing.” Adrian gushes as he begins to tuck in. I smile at
him and I do the same. We eat in silence for a while and then Adrian asks me
about my day. “Did you enjoy working at the orphanage today?”

“Yes, it was great.”

 

“Was everyone nice to you?” Adrian asks as he sets down his fork and knife.

“Yes, of course.” I reply as I take a sip of my water. Adrian smiles at me and
then he begins to eat again. My mind is spinning from today’s events and I
can’t escape my fears about what Adrian has been doing today. I want to ask
him about it, but I don’t know if I should. Adrian could flip out if I falsely accuse
him of lying to me. I clear my throat as I try a subtle approach.

“How did your meeting go today?” Adrian turns to me and he is now staring
directly into my eyes. I feel that he can see right through me and that he knows
that I am fishing for information, but I hold my stare as I try to bluff.

“So you enjoyed spending time with the children today?” Adrian says quickly. I
begin to feel sick as Adrian has just avoided my question and he instantly
changed the subject. I am now surer than ever that he is lying to me. I push
away my plate of food and Adrian quickly notices my actions.

“Are you okay?” He asks. I force myself to smile at him.

“Yes, I am fine. I’m just not hungry. I am going to clear up so you just sit and
enjoy your dinner.” I quickly grab my plate as I stand up. Adrian grabs onto my
wrist as I try to walk away.