Chapter Thirty-Two
3 weeks passed, and I was finally released from the hospital.
My nurse said she would take me back to the orphan train where I would meet Julie. I was upset. This was all for nothing. No happy ending. I faced the reality. The reality of this cruel world. I was an innocent child, and this evil world engulfed me in. I was drowning under. I was in too deep, and I tried to get up. But the undertow pulled me under. I drowned, never to be seen again. My innocence was gone. The world took it from me. It stole it. It stole it faster than I could say goodbye to my dollies. I felt like a grown woman, and no longer a child. You could blame Mark, Lucas, and maybe even my parents, but the real thief of my childhood is reality. I didn't even have a choice. I was gone like the rest of the adults. I was robbed of my childhood, and I wasn't about to let Julie experience the same.
The nurse stopped at a house. "We're here!" She said. "No, no this isn't my home! I live on the orphan train." I said. She pulled out my chart. "No, 625 Walberry Street, that's you." I was confused.
Julie came running out of the house, and Lucas was with her. "Claudia! Claudia! You're okay!" She said. She hadn't seen me since I got in the hospital. Miss Patricia came out with another man. "Claudia." She said softly as if she doesn't know my name. The man grabbed my two hands and had me jump out of the carriage. I thanked the nurse, and she went about her way. "What's going on?" I said. "Where am I?" I said worriedly. "Don't you see dear? We're a family! I adopted the three of you!" Miss Patricia said. "This is my husband, Sal. Your new last name is Davis. You can keep your last name as Abel if you please, I'd understand if that's what you want to do, and you can continue to call me Miss Patricia, or Mama. It's all up to you."
She looked at me. I took a second to think. I looked back up at her, and Sal. "Claudia Davis" I smirked. "Well, Mama, Papa, what do you think? I personally love it." I said. They smiled at each other, and then hugged. Then, they motioned for me to come into the hug. I joined in.
We all went to walk inside. Julie came over to me. She tugged on my sleeve. "Claudia! Claudia! I get to show you your new room! I won the bet against Lucas!" She tugged some more. I looked up at my new Mama. "Well, go on!" She said. I went to leave, but she grabbed my arm. "Hey! Thanks for saving my life." She said softly. I smiled.
Lucas looked at me. We hugged. "I'm so happy you're okay." He said.
It was a long journey from 1922 to 1923, but it was a worthy journey. A brutal one, a scary one, but in the end I was really just on a journey to a home.