The Woman In Me

Chapter 11. A Gift?

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The kids in the orphanage were not ready to let Helen go. She was already a part of their lives. And though she would always come back, the kids were not always happy whenever she wants to take her leave.

After promising them that she would come back to see them again, Helen was about leaving when she noticed a little boy of about seven years, all by himself at a corner by the door, busy scribbling something on a paper with different colours. Helen smiled and went up to him. "Hi," Helen said as she stooped down beside the boy. "What are you drawing?" The kid only looked up at her, then without a word he returned his attention to his scribbling. Helen wasn't surprised at his silence. He was always like that. The caretakers weren't so cool with him when he first arrived at the orphanage two years back. But when they found that he was naturally like that, they just let him be. Helen stayed stooped beside the boy for a while, watching his work. Then she asked; "why don't you play with the other kids?" The boy stopped scribbling but he didn't look at her. He only kept his eyes on the paper with his hand holding the colour absently tapping on the ground. "You know what?" Helen spoke as if she had said something she didn't mean to. "It's... it's fine the way you are. It's better to be alone than to be with people that might end up leaving you someday."

At this, the boy looked up at her. His tender eyes searched hers for the answer to a question he didn't ask.
Helen caught the boy's inquiring gaze and quickly checked herself. "Don't listen to anything I say." She laughed nervously. "Okay?" The boy watched her for a while before returning to his work. Helen stood up then, rubbing her hands on her clothes. Just then her phone started to ring. She put her hand in her handbag in search of the phone, and touch a candy which she immediately bent down to give to the boy. She got the phone out and picked the call while leaving the orphanage at the same time. "Hello, good afternoon. Who is speaking?" She spoke into the phone.

"Good afternoon, is this Miss Helen Ezeani speaking?" The metallic voice from the phone asked.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"I am Barrister Johnpaul. This is concerning Miss Stella Martins."

Helen's mood suddenly went from bad to worse. She have been trying to keep everything about Stella from her day to see if she would go a day without shedding tears. But here was this strange man calling and mentioning Stella's name. "Stella is dead." Helen said simply. If the man didn't know, maybe he should now.

"I know..." The voice replied. "And that is why I am calling you."

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Helen searched the strange faces in Golden Tulip Restaurant trying to find the person she had come to meet. It was not like she knew his face. She was just looking to see anyone also looking at the faces of the people entering the restaurant. She found him. A middle aged chocolate skin man sitting at a table for two at a corner close to one of the windows. He waved at her and she waved back before heading towards him.

As soon as Helen got close, the man stood up from his seat and extended his hand for her to shake it. "Miss Ezeani, I presume?"

"Yes." Helen replied, taking his hand. "And you must be Barrister Johnpaul."

"Of course. Please take a seat." They both sat down. "Would you like to order anything?" The Barrister asked, intending to make sure his guest was comfortable.

"Uhm... will this take long?" Helen asked instead.

"Oh of course not. No. It'll be brief."

"Then there is no need to order anything. What did you have to tell me about Stella?"

"Uhm... okay." The Barrister said sensing that Helen didn't want to deal on whatever it was they were to discuss about. "You see I have known Miss Martin's for a while now. I am her lawyer."