Before we travelled on our honeymoon, I thought that having a week-long trip may be too long. That coupled with the fact that we didn’t have anything planned truly made the trip seemed too long. However, when the week came to an end and we needed to head back, it just felt too short.
“It’s like we just got here…you know…” I murmured softly as I leaned my head on Reiner’s broad shoulder.
“I know what you mean but there’s no need to be so depressed about it. We can take another holiday anytime…” Reiner comforted me with his sweet words before planting a kiss on my forehead.
We were sitting on a hammock together by the beach. I could feel the fine grain of the sand against my toes and the wind blowing in from the sea on my face and bared arms. Tomorrow, we’re flying back home and that would be the end of our honeymoon trip. Although I knew that Reiner was right, we could take another trip together and it wasn’t like this was our last trip together, I still felt a little uneasy inside.
“I truly had fun on this trip. Thank you, R…” I whispered sweetly.
I grabbed his large arm and hugged it closer to my body. Reiner placed a hand on my head and started stroking my hair lovingly.
“I had fun too. Let’s go on more holidays…hopefully, we’ll have more free time soon,” Reiner said wistfully.
So much work must have piled up while we were gone. I bet that I could manage my work, but I believed that Reiner would have a much harder time clearing his work. Usually, he was always swamped with work even before our honeymoon. I wished that King would never retire because if Reiner had to take over King’s work as well, I couldn’t and didn’t want to imagine how busy he would be.
“The sunset here is so pretty. The sun looks bigger and fatter than normal…” I pointed out as I pointed at the setting sun in front of us.
The sun had started dipping below the horizon and how its reflection was reflected in the sea looked magical and very mesmerizing. Somehow the sun’s color looked brighter than normal.
“I’ll take you to see sunsets in difference places. Let’s go on more holidays together from now on, Natalia,” Reiner said it like a promise.
“I’d love to!” I proclaimed loudly and gleefully.
After jumping into his arms, Reiner had to wrap his arms rightly around me to hold me and keep me from falling out of the hammock. Although our honeymoon was coming to an end, I knew that everything would be fine because we still had so much time ahead of us.
…
“Are you sure that you didn’t forget anything?” Reiner asked.
“I’m sure. If we do forget something one of the staff can always mail it to us, right?” I replied hopefully.
“Yes, they sure can. Let’s go then,” Reiner said as he closed the car trunk.
Then we were on our way to the airport where Reiner would fly us back. After we got off the plane back at our home island, that would be the official end to our honeymoon trip. It was a little sad that our trip was coming to an end in just a couple of hours, but we sure made the most of this trip. There was just one thing that I needed to talk to Reiner about before we arrived back at the island.
Once everything was settled and we were up in the air for a while after take-off, I decided to bring up the topic that had been on my mind. It was hard for me to pick the right words to broach this topic with him because I knew that Reiner was a very honest, earnest, and straightforward person. It would probably be hard for him to twist the truth, but I really needed his help and I wanted to know what he thought as well.
“Umm…thank you for taking me to the orphanage with you. It was very fun and very eye opening for me,” I broached the topic carefully.
“I already told you that it wasn’t really my idea so there’s no need to give me any credit. It was all King’s idea and he’s the one funding that place,” Reiner replied before turning to grin at me.
“I’ve always wanted to ask about it, but I wasn’t sure if it would be rude or not, so I ended up not asking while we were there. Umm…about the children that are there…how did they end up there?” I asked while trying my best to pick the right words.
How did children from such diverse backgrounds end up in one place? Where did they come from? What happened to their parents? Why did they end up on a private island in a private orphanage like that?
“Was this what you were curious about all this time?” Reiner asked, although he did not sound surprised at all.
“Yes, sorry for bringing it up now,” I admitted honestly.
“It’s alright. It’s my fault for not telling you all the details beforehand. It’s not like it’s a secret or anything but it’s not a popular topic to discuss at the orphanage, especially if the children are around,” Reiner replied casually.
“I understand…” I mumbled with a nod of my head.
“Those children lost their parents during missions. They’re children of either agents who died or children that the agents picked up from war zones. If left the way they are, then most would die…” Reiner explained while looking very sympathetic.
“Oh…” I murmured at a loss for words.
What was I supposed to say to express how unfortunate it was or them and for everyone involved?
“For children of agents, it’s naturally King’s and the company’s responsibility to take care of them. In the fortunate cases where the child still had a mother or a father, then the company would provide financial support. In cases where the child doesn’t have anyone left then…” Reiner explained before trailing off.
–To be continued…