Orphan Petal

November 2023 - Part 1

Shirley is back at the child's home. He hoped things can be the way the once were

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(pictures done by ai)

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Doctor Mary
Welcome back to “Orphan Petal," the documentary that follows the life of Shirley, who is an orphan. It is my job to remind you of what has happened so far. Shirley is an orphan, and when he moved into the orphanage, he found that he was happier living, dressing, and acting as a girl. This was a big change from the bully and arrogant boy that he was before he came to the orphanage. Why was he suddenly a “sissy boy?" Was it because this is who he is, or was it to get acceptance from Aunty? Shirley was given a trial period with a family that could not accept his feminine ways. Shirley was told he was born a boy and nothing else was acceptable. Shirley was not happy about this, and when he dressed as a princess for Halloween, they were very upset. Let us see what happens next.

Shirley
Mr. and Mrs. Streling called me down to the kitchen for a talk. I could see that Mr. Sterling was furious. He did not say a word. It was his wife who talked. They knew that I dressed up as a princess for Halloween, and they found this unacceptable. Then she told me what I had been dreading. She told me that the trial period with them was not a success. They decided that they would not adopt me and that I would be sent back to the orphanage. I felt faint when they said this and started crying and pleading for me to stay. I promised that I would do everything they said and would be the best boy in the world. Mr. Sterling finally said something: “We do not want you! You are a freak and corrupt. You are a boy with twisted desires to be a girl. You will be sent back to the orphanage tomorrow. I do not want a faggot-sissy son! We do not love you!”

Dickens:
I was called to the Sterling's house to take Shirley back to the orphanage. When I was driving to the Sterlings, I was so mad at Shirley. How could he ruin a good chance like this to be adopted into a good and wealthy family? However, when I spoke with Mr. Sterling about what he told Shirley, I was now mad at him. Shirley is a strange boy, but he is still a child and is finding his identity. No one should insult a child the way Mr. Sterling has done. It's inexcusable to call a child a freak. I could see I made a mistake sending Shirley here. I was thinking of getting rid of Shirley and the donations the Sterlings would bring to the orphanage. I told Sterling my thoughts, which he, of course, did not understand. I was very blunt in telling him that I would do everything in my power to make sure he would never adopt a child again.

Shirley
I was now back at the orphanage in my old girl's room. My girl clothes were still there, as were my dollhouse, bed, and toys. When I was in the Sterlings and they forced me to be more of a boy, I missed this room so much. Now that I was standing here, I was not so sure. I was not smiling and didn’t know why I was not as happy as I should have been.

Aunty
Shirley should never have been sent on a trial with a family, especially not the Sterlings. He just lost his parents; he tried being in a foster family, but that did not go well, and since he came here, he has been discovering a side of him that he never knew that he had. Sending Shirley to a foster family seems wrong and a bit hasty. I heard that Dickens agreed to the trial adoption because of the prospects that the Sterlings would donate to the child's home. It seems as if money was put before the welfare of a child. Dickens is not alone to blame. I kept quiet and did not say a word. I buried my head in the stand. It is easy to look back, see the mistakes we made, and get wiser. Who knows what is going through Shirley's mind? It's now that he needs adults to support him and tell him that he is wanted.

Jason:
It was me who suggested to the Sterlings that they should adopt Shirley. A part of me wanted Shirley's girly ways to be exposed and shunned by his new family. This has happened. If I was looking for revenge, then it worked. Shirley is back. Since he came back, he has been in his room and has not shown his face. I expected him to be wearing his sissy dresses again. The few times I have seen him, he just wore clothes like overalls or leggings. They were more unisex clothes than girly. He has not said anything. It's no secret that I do not like Shirley, but we did agree that we would be civil with each other. I wanted to say something to him, but it probably would not have helped. I would probably have told him that no parent would want to adopt a sissy boy. I am proud of myself that I kept my mouth silent. A part of me thinks it's good that he now knows that he is weird. Another part of me thinks that it is all my fault that Shirley had to go through this.

Shirley:
I wish everyone would just forget about my time with the Sterlings. The fact is that I did not like it there, and they did not like me. Should life not move on? When I came back here to the Genesis home, I was sad that it didn’t work out, but that is life. The thing is, when I came back here, I just wanted to get back to the way things were. This is not happening. I am being reminded every day about the failure of the trial period. I can see the way people look at me. Some have faces that show sympathy, while others have expressions that are like, “I told you so." I have been trying to keep a low profile. I have not even dressed as girly as I used to. At school, I even wear the boy's uniform. I was bullied at school when I was at the Sterlings because I was considered a rich brat. Now I am being teased by others, telling me I am a failure and no one loves me. Some even told me that no one could love a boy who likes dressing and acting like a girl. The thing is, when I got back to Genisi's home, I was sad that it did not work out with the Sterlings, but I just wanted my old life back. Now I don’t feel like I can do this.

Austin:
Shirley and I spoke over the webcam today. He is back at the child's home. He told me that it did not work out with the Sterlings. They wanted him to be more boyish, and when he dressed as a princess for Halloween, that was the last draw for them. Shirley told me he was okay with coming back at first. However, now he feels that he just isn't suitable for a family. Shirley was sure that he would be an orphan for the rest of his life. The foster family did not want him, and now the Sterlings do not want him. He has been hearing a lot that no one would ever want a boy who likes dresses, dolls, and ballet. The chat was so hard. Shirley was in tears, and I hate when people cry. To me, Shirley has many flaws and sometimes is very annoying, but deep down, he is a boy who just wants to be loved. This chat was over my head. I did not know what to say. The only thing I could say to him was that Logan is transgender and that he is loved. I could see from Shirley's face that this did not help. He did not even respond, except by saying he was going to bed. Did I fail him?

Susan:
I am probably the only person who is happy that Shirley is back. I missed him so much. Now he is back, so things can go back to the way they were. This has not happened. Shirley is being teased and bullied at school. In the past, he would be the one bullying others, or when he was bullied, he would fight back. This is not happening now. Shirley goes around with his head lowered as he is ashamed of something. I tried speaking with him. Shirley gives one-word answers and is smiling less and less. It's a bit hard for me to understand. The others at school don’t tease me; they just ignore me. I think that this is worse. At times, I would love even to be teased. It would feel like I was not invisible. For now, I have to try my best to be there for him as a friend. It's not easy to see Shirley hide more and more as if he were in a cacoon. It is hard to understand why and what I can do to help Shirley.

Jason:
I have been trying to turn over a new leaf and try to be nicer to others. Since I have done this, I have noticed how screwed up the world is. I have been seeing the news more and more, and it has been depressing. There is so much hatred and fighting in the world, and so many people can't even speak with each other. In a way, I am glad Dickens spoke to me and convinced me to try to treat others better. Since then, Austin and I have become friends, and I am not so angry. I do not want to end up like them, who are in the news. After saying all this, it can be hard to be nice all the time and try to understand people. Shirley is so hard to understand. He has the ability to always be the centre of attention. All the drama is centred around him. Now he doesn’t even stand up for himself. Does he not realise that it's all his fault? It's like karma. He wants to be a sissy, and that means he gets attention from people who do not understand it. Shirley wants to be weird and not accept the consequences. I will do my best to ignore it all and concentrate on myself.

Aunty
I have not spoken with Shirley since he came back. To be honest, I want to take him in my arms and hug him to tell him that everything is okay again. I try to tell myself that it should be him who comes to me, and we can take it from there. Shirley is most likely trying to forget his experience with the Sterlings. He can now be himself and wear the clothes that he wants. He does not have to wear boy clothes anymore. Maybe it's bad that I have not spoken with Shirley yet. Maybe everything I just said is just an excuse because I do not know what to say to him. In a way, I do not want to get close to Shirley again only to see that another family wants to adopt him and he will be leaving again. Maybe I am just trying to protect myself.

Doctor Philomena:
Shirley is now starting to visit me again. Aunty suggested that we start the puberty blockers again. Shirley just shrugged his shoulders and showed me his arm. There was not the usual panic about a needle. At least Shirley is now back in the treatment that he needs to be the transgender child he wants to be. This being said I could not see the Shirley that I once knew. What happened to Shirley? What did that family do to him? I asked Shirley to tell me about the Sterlings. It was not a good tale, and I asked Shirley what came to my head first if he thought he was a failure. For the first time, Shirley looked at me with his puppy eyes and then looked down at the ground. I tried explaining that he was not a failure and that it was the Sterlings who had a problem. I do not think that he was listening.

Mr Dickens
I do not understand people at times. Today, Mr. Sterling sent me a message saying that he wants to adopt Jason. I told him, in a very blunt way, that this would not happen. I do not care about how much he can donate to the child's home or how powerful he is. The way that he treated and spoke to Shirley was unforgivable. That man should not be around children. Some people have the nerve. He is a rich and powerful man, but money cannot buy you everything, especially the ability to adopt.

Shirley.
I have found out that everyone is right. It was my fault that my parents died. I was sent to a foster home, and they didn’t want me. The Sterlings did not want me because I am not a normal boy. At school, they think I am weird. Aunty has kept her distance from me. I am not normal. I must be a freak. I am a failure.