His Childhood Friend

• Chapter 18 •

"We gotta go! Betty-Mae's calling! Someone wants to meet us!"

As the next few days after the dinner  went by, it was a 50-50 good time for Alan and Simon to return to the Casa-Amorese to meet the children themselves. But after calling Benedict about going that day, the actor sadly replied that he couldn't join them because of a sudden change of his schedule. and insisted for them to go without him and the director.

It was mid-day when Betty Mae received Simon's call about their visit. Her eyes widened when she understood what he was talking about, and discussed with the rest of the staff of the orphanage that it was perhaps safer for Therese to know the news after lunch, just to avoid her from going to a quick drive-thru but secretly never come back until tomorrow as an excuse for ditching to help them.

The children of Casa-Amorese were finally told about the two's visit once one of them overheard the call, and every one of them seemed excited than they had for weeks.

It was one of the first times they were ever going to meet another celebrity! The first ones were some who were fortunate enough to catch a play they performed in, recommended to them by a friend or family, but no matter what, every meet they had was incredibly memorable and more unique. Therese always suggested them to watch movies, stories, books, or plays she had in store, to at least enhance their skills during a free day at the orphanage when not being taught. Surprisingly, none of them ever complained about the idea.

Actually, Casa-Amorese wasn't even an orphanage before. It used to be an old theater, but renovated after Uncle Jamie needed a break from business. The orphans weren't as many as about a hundred on the very first day, but they were at least at the number of 30 kids when Amorese was born. There was some that arrived and left, and after 11 years of service, the Casa-Amorese was coming to a close before it would be a theater again, with only 12 of the orphans left. Therese, herself, was beginning to consider of adopting them all if in a few months, nobody will.

"I'm in my medieval costume!"

"Yes, you look lovely, now c'mon!"

• • •

"I am not giving them a tour around Casa-Amorese!" yelled Therese as she slams her hands on her own desk and groaning louder than a zombie. The clock on the wall pointed to 1:32 in the afternoon that meant there was only less than an hour before the two men arrive. 

Betty Mae, meanwhile, began to flip through the pages in the folders between her hands, filled with headshots and information about the children. A small smirk on her face annoyed Therese even more, with her having no intention to help her over her little rage. 

"Yes, you will. This is for a movie audition. That's the best the little ones of this orphanage have gotten into so far, and possibly, ever in their entire lives! And with the Benedict Cumberbatch!" she said calmly, not looking up from reading.

"He's only producing the film." Therese crossed her arms like a small girl. 

It wasn't that she disliked being in Alan's company, nor did she accepted him back, it was just that she wanted the dinner to be the goodbye where she wouldn't handle anything about him anymore. 

"But to be fair, they're your responsibility," Betty Mae whispered, stretching the your. Therese watched her arrange more folders in her hands that Betty Mae's own face was now blocked. Therese snapped her head at her assistant in anger, not liking the idea she was using this to tease her. "None of this is fair, Betty Mae. There's a reason why you're called my assistant."