Orphan Petal

December 2023 - Part 2

Chistmas is coming...

Doctor Mary
Welcome back to “Orphan Petal." It's nice when everything is rosy and everyone seems so happy. Shirley is very happy and looking forward to his performance. Some people have noticed how much Aunty has changed. She has become less manipulating and selfish and is now in love. Miracles do happen. Let's see what will happen. Will there be peace and happiness that is best around Christmas time, or will Shirley attract unwanted drama?

Jason
I talked with Mr. Dickens today and told him that I would like to be adopted by the Sterlings. It was a decision that I was afraid to make up to now, as I did not want to be hurt like Shirley was. I am gay, and I even have a secret boyfriend. They would not like this if they knew, but they do not need to know everything. I am now a teen, and this is my last chance to get a family. What child does not want a family and to be wanted and loved? I am tired of being in an orphanage and being a statistic of a child that no one wants. So you see, the Sterlings may not be the best parents a child could wish for, but I am not perfect either. As the old saying goes, beggars can't be choosers. It is up to me to make the best out of the situation and find happiness with my new family.

Shirley
Why do things happen at the worst time possible? I have to perform at the show next week and need to practice all that I can. Now I can't do that as I am dying. Well, maybe that is exaggerating it a bit, but I am sick. I am coughing nonstop, and it's hard to breathe. I am hot one minute and cold the other minute. The only thing I can do is stay in bed surrounded by my stuffies. It's horrible being sick. My body seems to be giving up, and all I am worried about is that I will not be able to perform next week. I know I should probably think of my health first and not some ballet show, but this show is so important to me, and it would break my heart if I could not perform. It makes me think that sometimes God is trying to punish me.

Aunty
It's so hard to see Shirley in bed and so sick. The boy can hardly breathe, and when he does, he is having coughing fits. I had tears in my eyes when I saw him suffering in bed. I know what you will say—that I am a staff member and should not get emotional about one of the children. If it were a few years ago, I would not care. But let's face it, Shirley is very special, and I have a soft side for him. It's just hard for me to see him sick in bed. The boy could hardly breathe and was gasping for air. I told him that it was a chest infection and he would get better. Shirley managed to smile when I gave him a present of a new nightdress with a unicorn on it. It has frilly sleeves, which he loves. I bought the nightdress with my own money and did not use orphanage funds. I will get in trouble for this, as Dickens will consider it special treatment. I don’t care, as when Shirley smiled when he opened the present, then it was worth it.

Jason
Shirley is sick and once again getting all the attention. So I did my civil duty and offered to take Shirley's lunch to him. It was tough to see him in bed as he looked like he was a living corpse. Shirley did not eat anything, but I was grumpy and dominating enough to warn him to drink something. It was a strange visit, as I did not understand much of what Shirley was saying. When I did understand, he was being completely weird. He told me that if I wanted people to like me, I should try wearing dresses and being a sissy boy. Then he admitted that it takes some time to get used to being girly, but it gets easier. It would make me feel different and special, and people would give me a lot of attention. Shirley told me that I could try one of his dresses, although they may be too small for me as he is small for his age. What could I do after he said this except glare at him? I snapped at him and told him that I did not need the attention he got. I reminded Shirley that he is a boy and should not be wearing dresses and diapers and trying to corrupt others like me. I stormed out of the room and was so mad. Let's face it, Shirley is good at pressing my buttons and making me want to beat him up.

Susan
Shirley was getting his diaper changed when I visited him today. So he was in his bed in a nightdress with a diaper and pacifier in his mouth. I could understand that Shirley is feminine, but I will never understand why he wants to be treated like a toddler boy... or toddler girl. I did not talk with him about this, as there is a time and place for everything. I just sat down on his bed while he whined and felt sorry for himself. He was sure that he would not be able to do the show. In fact, this is all he talked about. I tried to be patient with Shirley and told him that there would be other shows and everyone gets sick when we least wanted it. This did not help much as Shirley started asking why he should get sick during the best month of the year. He thought it should be against the law to be sick around Christmas. I love Shirley, as he does say the funniest things at times.

Jason
Mr. Dickens talked with me today about the adoption. My time at the orphanage was coming to a close, and I would be getting a new family. Dickens asked why I did not look happy and told me that he knew that the adoption was a big step but that it should be a time of happiness and excitement. I told Dickens it has nothing to do with the adoption but more about Shirley. I used to be a bully and make people's lives hell, and I am happier now that I am a nicer person, but it's hard to not return to my formal self when I was with Shirley. I explained that I knew that Shirley was not faking his sickness, but he did love the attention. Dickens also heard that Shirley suggested that I should be a sissy boy and start wearing dresses, as he thought people would like me better. I am still mad about this, as I do not want to be treated like a baby or wear dresses. Dickens's only comment was to say “Interesting Shirley said this” and told me that being a sissy boy would not make me have more friends. It is a person's personality that people like, and I am a good person, and this is all that people want. I was happy that I had this talk with Dickens. He is not a bad man, and in many ways he is wise. It's not Dickens's fault that he is so old. One thing I will admit to is that he helped change my life for the better.

Shirley
I was told that the Sterlings are adopting Jason. I did not know what to think about this. It did not go so well with me, and I was a failure once again at being in a family. Now they would adopt Jason, which made me feel sorry for the boy. The Sterlings would not have time for him and want to mould him into the son that they want. It would end in drama as Jason is more stubborn than I am. I could only hope that it will go well for him. As for me, I have accepted my fate to be an orphan that no parent would ever want for the rest of my life. That's ok, as it's something that no longer bothers me. I have Susan and Aunty that love me, and that is enough for me.

Dickens
Jason's talk with me a few days ago was making my head spin, so I decided to visit Shirley's sick bed. It's great that he was looking much better and didn’t look like he was the living dead anymore. I did roll my eyes that he had a pacifier in his mouth and a lot of stuffies on his bed. I sat down on his bed and innocently told him that he must know that many people care for him, and this is a big change from when he started at the orphanage, where no one liked him because he was so mean and basically a bad boy. Shirley smiled and told me that he knows that people like him better now because of who he is. People liked that he was so girly and even a baby in many ways. I hope Shirley did not see my eyebrow raise at this admission as alarming. I commented that since he started being more feminine, he had started to get more attention, especially from Aunty, and others were no longer afraid of him. Shirley just smiled at this, which meant that he agreed. It made me think about who Shirley is. Is he a transgendered child, or does he use this as a way of being accepted?

Jason
I moved in with the Sterlings and was shocked at how the rich people lived. Their house was so big that you needed a map to find your way around. The furniture was all designer stuff—you know, the type not to be used but just admired. The Sterlings seemed nice enough but were very businesslike. The welcome was quick, and then Mr. Sterling gave me a long speech of what was expected of me. Then he excused himself as he had to do some work. Mrs. Sterling stayed and told me that she had decided to work fewer hours as she felt that she failed Shirley when he lived here. She did not want to make the same mistakes as she did with him. I told her that I was not Shirley, and I was sure things would work out. I do not need constant attention, and I do not wear dresses. This made Mrs Sterlings laugh as she admitted she loved how blunt I could be.

Shirley
One thing that I learnt is that people do care about me. I never thought about this much before, but Susan and Aunty visit me a lot when I am sick. I even get text messages from Austin and Logan hoping that I am better. This would never have happened before I came to the orphanage. Only my mom and dad loved me then. I had no friends, as everyone was afraid of me. I have changed and changed to a person people like. Isn't that all that matters?

Susan
Shirley is once again well, and what is the first thing he does? He practices ballet! I told him that he should take it easy and slowly get back into it, as his body must be weak after being sick. Maybe it would be best if he started to eat something, as he hardly ate when he was sick. Shirley just smiled and told me he was so happy that he was alive. Besides this, he had to practice to be the best dancer at the ballet show. Shirley confuses me at times; however, no one can say that he is not dedicated.

Aunty
Dickens did it. He proposed to me! That is right, he wants to marry me! I did not know if I wanted to scream or cry when he asked me this. This was something that I was dreading, and now it was happening. For a while, I was silent and could see Dickens sweating more. I did not say no to him. I told Dickens that I had to think about it. This was not the answer that he was expecting.

Doctor Philomena:
Another visit from Shirley today. I used the time together reaffirming that he is a girly boy, and I was proud that he no longer questioned it and accepted it. I reminded him how happy he is that he is a sissy boy and how sad and frustrated he was as a boy. Shirley did not say much, and when he did, he just talked about how excited he was about doing the ballet show next month. Shirley was afraid he would not be able to do it because he would be sick. Shirley has changed a lot since he first visited me; he no longer seems confused and knows what makes him and others happy.