Most of the children in the welfare house were under twelve years old.
Over the years, Ms. Kosslyn had been helping them get the chance to be adopted so that they could live a family life like other children and integrate into society.
When the children reached school age, she would send them to school. And she would take care of the younger ones in person.
In the welfare house, there were toys brought by volunteers in each room.
Just now, when preparing the room for Henry, Ms. Kosslyn, who was very caring and kind-hearted, specially put some toys for him inside the room.
At the head of Henry’s bed, there was a round cushion with the pattern of Captain America’s shield. And on the table, there were several models of Marvel characters.
Henry was holding an Iron Man model in his hands. He was so fond of it that he couldn’t tear himself away from it.
At this moment, he was smiling happily, looking totally different from what he was when he had just been saved from the river.
“Uncle, are you Aunt Estelle’s boyfriend? You are so handsome!” he said politely.
Sitting side by side with him on the bed, Cristofer looked at him with a gentle look and thought of himself a few months ago.
He was much relieved to see Henry become friendly and lively again.
Henry looked at Cristofer carefully for a while and suddenly shook his head. “No, you are not Aunt Estelle’s boyfriend.”
“Why do you think that I’m not her boyfriend?” Cristofer asked.
“Uncle, we met at the airport not long ago. Don’t you remember that?”
“Have we ever met before?” Cristofer asked.
“Yes, we met about a month ago. My Mom worked as a cleaner at the airport. That day, my mother got a bonus and bought me a beautiful football! And I met you when I was waiting for my Mom at the airport terminal!”
Hearing this, Cristofer frowned and suddenly remembered everything.
That day, he and Gretchen came back from their trip around the world. At the airport, Gretchen said that Henry’s ball hit her.
“Uncle, we meet again. Mom said that it is fate if people meeting by chance can meet again. I’m destined to meet Auntie Estelle and you!”
“That’s right,” Cristofer smiled. “I’m also destined to meet Estelle.”
However, Henry said disapprovingly, “Uncle, a man can’t be with two women at the same time. I saw you with another aunt at the airport.”
“We have broken up,” Cristofer revealed.
“What?” Henry was surprised. “I can see that you cared about her very much. That day, when she said that my ball hit her, you were angry with me.”
“I’m sorry, Henry. I didn’t mean to show a bad attitude to you,” Cristofer felt awkward.
“Never mind,” Henry said with a smile. “But Uncle, I still want to clarify that it wasn’t because my ball hit her that she fell. At that moment, I was far away from her. Suddenly, she walked towards me, pushed me, and then she fell to the ground. I had been holding the ball tightly in my hands all the time because my Mom warned me not to play with it at the airport to avoid hitting passers-by. When that lady pushed me, the ball fell to the ground. Then she pretended that my ball caused her to fall!”
Cristofer nodded and caressed his soft hair. “I know the truth now. It was not your fault.”
“Uncle, thank you for giving me the money that day. Auntie Estelle also gave me a lot of money before. Both of you are good people,” Henry said gratefully.
“When did she give you money?”
“It seems to be a long time ago when my Mom was still a cleaner in the hospital. One day, I was waiting for my Mom and happened to meet Auntie Estelle. Auntie Estelle said she was ill and was there to see a doctor. She gave me a lot of money when she knew I was also ill. And I sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to thank her. She seemed to be very sad that day…”
Henry kept talking while recalling the situation that day.
When Cristofer heard his words, he pressed his chest with a frown, feeling as if a knife were piercing his heart.
It should be that day that Estelle was diagnosed with lung cancer.
She went to the hospital alone and bore everything alone.
‘On the night we had sex one year ago, the blood on the bed sheet was… coming from her vomit…’
‘She was seriously ill at that time. However, when she informed me about her illness, I didn’t believe her and wrongly accused her of lying…’
“Uncle, what’s wrong with you?” Henry suddenly inquired, noticing his silence.
“I’m fine.”
“But you are crying!”
“No, my eyes are stung by sand.”
“Uncle, you are lying. Auntie Estelle told the same lie before. When she cried that day, she lied to me and said there was sand in her eyes.”
Cristofer then wiped his tears, licked his dry lips, and sighed.
“Henry, I wish you happiness every day,” he sincerely declared.
“I will!” Henry puffed out his chest confidently and declared, “And I’ll grow up quickly so that I can protect my Mom in the future!”
“Good boy. Your Mom still needs you, so you must live well. She will be happy too when you are happy,” Cristofer reassured him.
“Uncle, I’m sleepy again…”
“Then go to sleep.”
“But Auntie Estelle hasn’t come yet. She enjoys hearing me sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I want to sing the song for her before going to bed,” Henry said.
“You’ll have plenty of chances to sing for her in the future. For now, you should go to bed, and I’ll wake you up when she arrives, alright?” Cristofer comforted him.
Hearing this, Henry felt reassured and nodded. Clutching his favorite Iron Man toy, he slipped under the sheets. Before closing his eyes, he reminded Cristofer, “Uncle, don’t forget to wake me up when she comes.”
“Okay,” Cristofer nodded in agreement.
Henry then suddenly grabbed his hand and whispered, “Uncle, I want to tell you a secret.”
With a gentle smile, Cristofer bent over and approached him.
Henry whispered in his ear, “I think you should be with Auntie Estelle.”
Hearing this, Cristofer chuckled and asked with interest, “Why do you think so?”
“Because both of you are good people. Good people should be together. The lady I met at the airport lied and slandered me. I don’t like her. I like Auntie Estelle. What about you, uncle?” Henry inquired.
“I like her too,” Cristofer replied with a smile.
Hearing this, Henry giggled happily, hiding half of his face under the quilt while gazing at Cristofer. “Uncle, I can tell you really like her!”
Cristofer gently tucked him in and said, “Yes. As long as I can be with her, I’m willing to do anything.”