Orphan Petal

October 2023 - Part 1

Shirley has a chance to get a new family

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(pictures done by ai)

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Doctor Mary:
Shirley has a chance to accept a trial period with the Sterlings. This comes at a very fragile time in his life. He feels that he is transgender and gets support from Aunty and others. Austin has forgiven him, and Susan supports him as much as she can. Dickens also seems to support Shirley but is not afraid to set boundaries. Despite the fact that Shirley still wears diapers and is babyish, he is in a bedroom for a “girl” his age and not a nursery. Shirley even stopped thinking too much and started living his life. It was so nice to see him having fun. Now he was offered a trial period to be adopted. The strange thing was that Shirley agreed to be a boy, as he was made to believe that this was the only way he would be adopted. What will the consequences of this be?

Shirley:
The Sterlings wanted to adopt me, and I agreed to the trial period. Mr. Dickens told me they had not told the Sterlings that I was a transgender boy since I came to the orphanage. They did not need to know this. According to Mr. Dickens, I was not transgender. He thought that I was just playing a game. A game to get attention and make people think I was special. Mr. Dickens reminded me that I was helping the orphanage, as this couple was very important. I did not understand why it was so important that it was me who could help the orphanage. When I looked in the mirror at me wearing boy's clothes, they just felt wrong. When I dressed and acted like a girl, it was not a game or me looking for attention. It was who I wanted to be. This being said, I understand that these people wanted a boy, not a sissy boy. Being a boy was a sacrifice I could deal with; after all, I was a boy most of my life!

Aunty:
I cannot believe that Shirley has agreed to this trial period. I know it's a trial period, but Shirley is a child that anyone would want to adopt. I am happy that he is being adopted. I am just asking myself why he agreed to this. He is being a boy again and forgetting the changes he has gone through since he came here. Shirley is forgetting who he is and who he wants to be. I simply do not understand why he wants to be adopted here. Was Shirley not here? Was he not happy with me taking care of him?

Mr. Dickens:
I am one happy man. Shirley left the orphanage today to live with the Sterlings. In a month or two, they will tell me that they want to adopt him. Shirley was dressed as a boy. He still has that long hair, but at least it is not in pigtails. He still wears diapers, but no child is perfect. The main thing is that he is now out of my hands. I could not understand him or why he thought he was a girl. I never understood why boys think they are transgender. I know that Aunty understood him. The problem was that she did not try to bring Shirley to his senses. Aunty made things worse. Ah well, not my problem anymore.

Jason:
What was I thinking of? The couple wanted me at first. I told them that they should speak with Shirley, as he was a special child. Well, this is true. Shirley is as special as they can get, and I am still unsure why I have done this. Maybe I wanted to humiliate him when this couple did not like his sissy ways. Maybe I wanted to prove to myself that I could be nice. Whatever the case was, Shirley has now left us and lives with a rich family. He will be living a life of luxury, while I will be forgotten here. I was a bit mad at myself for giving him this opportunity. I should be given a medal for being so nice!

Mr. Sterling
As we bought the boy home, I was in second doubt about this boy. We were told that Shirley was the best that the orphanage had to offer. It made me think of what the other boys were like. As I looked at him, I could not help but sigh. There was something just not right about him. His hair was very long, and he was very small for his age. I imagined that he was not good at sports. I would go as far as to say that he would lose a fight with a housefly. To be honest, I did not want to adopt a child in the first place. It was my wife's idea. It does not make sense to adopt a child. We do not know what their past is or the quality of genes they have. On top of this, my wife and I work many hours. If we are not working, then we are socializing. We do not have time to be parents. My wife thinks a governess would help in times when we don’t. This does prove that I spoil my wife, and having a child will cost me a lot of money. We were told that Shirley has a bladder problem, but it should get better. I think that this makes Shirley a wimp. My wife has become so obsessed with adopting a child that she thought it was cute, and no one can see he wears diapers as they are hidden under his clothes. I can see the diaper bulge and do not think that it looks cute. Do you know how much diapers cost?

Susan
Saying goodbye to Shirley was so hard. I know I will not see him at school, but it was not the same. For the first time in months, he was dressed in a suit—a boy suit. It was so strange not seeing Shirley in pigtails and something girly. He did look very handsome and smart, but it did not look like him. He did not have that same sparkle on his face. I figured it was because he was thinking about what his new life would be. I hope he will be happy and not pretend to be something that he is not. I also hoped he would not be like other rich people—an arrogant and snobby idiot. As for me, it hurts that he has gone. As for me, I will survive. At least I hope I will. At the moment, I just want to cry all the time. It was like there was a hole in me.

Doctor Philomena:
Aunty called me today and told me that Shirley would no longer be seeing me. He was on trial, and they did not know that a few weeks ago, Shirley considered himself transgender. When he left the orphanage, he was dressed as a boy. He still had his long hair, but Aunty was sure that it would be cut soon. This confused me. Why did the orphanage not tell the new parents about Shirley's identity? I am sure that Shirley considers himself to be transgendered. He cannot pretend to be something he is not. If Shirley tries to forget who he is to please some other people, then this will end up hurting Shirley more than he can deal with. It could end up giving him mental problems. I think that it is bad that I am no longer needed. Shirley needs support and guidance. He needs the puberty blockers that he started. Shirley needs me.

Shirley
Everything is a bit overwhelming. I now have to live with two people I do not know. They have no other children, so it will just be me. Since my parents died, I have been put in new situations all the time with people that I did not know. Now I would be living with Mr. and Mrs. Sterling. They looked so posh and like some celebrities, you see on TV. Mr. Sterling never smiles, and his wife is always pinching my cheeks and telling me how cute I am. I was warned by the orphanage not to ruin this chance to get adopted. I do not have a good record of families wanting me. Even the only foster family I had did not want me. I was warned by the orphanage to be normal and not be girly. This is a sacrifice I would have to make. When I put on boy's clothes, they felt so wrong. When I wear boy's clothes, I feel like I am pretending to be someone else. I am trying to be positive. I do not want to fail during this trial. It is important for me that I can prove to myself and others that I can be loved, and some love me enough to adopt me. So far, being a rich boy has been fun. I was in a limousine, and I would be living in a huge mansion, and my bedroom looks like a toy store. One thing I did not understand was why two people would live in such a big mansion. Why do two people need 17 bedrooms?

Mrs Sterling
There is one word to describe Shirley: adorable. Sure, when I saw him first, I thought that he was a girl. I also think that it's strange that an 11-year-old boy would have to wear diapers. However, this is all part of being a parent. I am sure that with a haircut, Shirley would look more like a boy, and I am sure he would outgrow the diapers. Besides, we have hired a governess to deal with things like that. Today, when Shirley saw our home, his mouth was wide open. He looked as if he had just entered paradise. Shirley has to get used to being a privileged boy and not needing to worry about things. One thing that made me smile was when Shirley saw his bedroom. I bought nearly the whole toy shop, hoping he would get what he wanted. Shirley glanced at the toys and looked a bit lost. This was until he saw a dollhouse in the corner of the room. It was the dollhouse that I had as a little girl, and I felt a bit embarrassed that the dollhouse was in the room. I did instruct the staff to put it in the attic. Shirley's reaction surprised me. He became excited when he saw the dollhouse and said it was the prettiest one he had ever seen. I told him we could take it away, but Shirley begged that the dollhouse stay in the bedroom. I allowed it. My husband moaned and was not happy that his new adopted son was so excited about a dollhouse.

Nanny
I will be the new nanny for Shirley. My first impression was that he was very short for his age and had incredibly long hair and long eyelashes. Shirley looks like an angel. He also seems to be very polite, and this is always a good thing. I feel sorry for him in a way. He could be adopted by this family. Of course, he will have everything that he wants. What worries me is if Shirley will get the love that a child deserves. Mr. and Mrs. Sterling will not have that much time for Shirley. Let's hope that the child is not just a trophy for them.

Susan:
Shirley still goes to my school, so things are not as bad as I thought they would be. We talk a lot at the school. This is to be expected. Shirley is experiencing so much with his new family that he had to tell me about it. Shirley talked a lot about his nanny and all the toys he had. It seems that he ate a lot of good food. Shirley told me that he even tasted snails. That sounds disgusting. I am glad that he still goes to my school. The sad thing is that Shirley's status has changed. No one speaks with Shirley. I am the only one who speaks with him. I think that everyone is jealous of Shirley. He is now seen as some privileged rich kid.

Mr Sterling
Shirley comes every day and spends an hour with me and my wife before he goes to bed. I ask if he did his homework or if there is anything he needs. When he told me that he wanted to continue ballet, I spit out my coffee and was speechless. I have been very patient with this boy. I did not try to make him into a son that I could be proud of. He was not forced to get a haircut. I did not give him a problem because he was a diaper boy. I did hope that he would be interested in sports. The ballet was the last thing I expected him to do. I wanted Shirley to be happy. I want my wife to be happy. When he told me about ballet, I remained calm. I just commented that I hoped he would not wear a tutu.

Governess:
I have a lot of experience with children. Shirley is probably one of the most special boys I have ever met. He is a quiet boy who does not complain. His new parents do not have a lot of time for him, but he just finds things to do himself. He spends a lot of time playing with the dollhouse. It is when Shirley does this that he seems happiest. Otherwise, he is happy when he speaks with a girl he knows from the orphanage. Otherwise, Shirley is a mystery to me. It's hard to get to know him. It seems as if he is just trying to fit in. The only time that Shirley has a spark in his eyes is when he plays with the dollhouse or speaks with his friend on the phone.

Aunty:
I have not been feeling well lately. I have been hiding in the staff office. This is something I have never experienced before. I was always full of energy and doing things around the orphanage. Now I do not have any energy. Everything seems so black.