Chasing the Shrew

The Orphanage

It was a grueling five-hour drive with short stretches and restroom breaks in between. When they finally got home, the kids zoomed in for the bathrooms. Mary was with the kids while Amelia helped DS take in the luggage.

“Finally home,” DS moaned as he lugged the bags in, “I am going to boil some water. I think there are some dumplings in the freezer. Let’s have dumplings.”

Amelia nodded wearily, “Sounds great. Thanks DS. Bring out laundry, I’ll start a load now.”

They all went to their respective chores. Soon dinner was ready and they had a simple East meets West style dinner with dumplings, a caprese salad, and some cut fruits. They ate quickly, cleaned up, showered, and went to bed. Amelia waited for the laundry to throw in the dryer before she retired.

That night Amelia dreamt of a lonely child in a field of flowers. His blonde fluffy hair reminded her of Peter. Something about the child made her sad so she walked closer. She stepped on a twig and the crunching sound echoed in the space. The child turned and smiled, “Mama?”

Amelia immediately started tearing up. Was this her first child that she lost? She rushed over to hug him.

“Baby? Is that you?”

“Mama!! I missed you. Thank you for helping me move on.”

Amelia frowned, “What do you mean, baby?”

The child laughed and kissed her cheek, “Mama, I have to go. Take care of yourself. I love you.”

She watched as a formless shadow swooped in and swept the child out of her arms. She screamed and chased the shadow.

“BABY!! BABY NO!!!! COME BACK!! MY BABY!!!”

She woke up with a start; her pillows were soaked in tears. She covered her mouth to muffle her sobs. She mourned the death of her child every year but this was the first time she ever dreamt of him.

“My baby… my poor baby,” she whispered. She whimpered and buried her head in her pillow.

The nightmares of her past were like wounds that never healed, festering in her mind. Her children kept her strong. When they went to preschool she spent her free time volunteering at a local orphanage meeting some amazing people from all walks of life. One of them was a young man who started pursuing her two years ago. She hadn’t thought of him much as she was preoccupied with her children and DS’s company but now that DS’s company was taking off she would have time to date. She needed someone to ground her or her past would forever haunt her.

***

A young man with blonde hair sat at the head of a meeting. His impassive face betrayed nothing on his mind. When the manager of the acquisition team finished his presentation, the young man spoke quietly, “How much are they paying you under the table?”

Everyone froze and looked at him in shock. The man scoffed and continued, “Look at these financials, the PPE section is grossly overstated. I had my assistant do due diligence and visit their campus to check the equipment but what did we find? An empty warehouse. That’s just to name one fault and here you are, voting to pass a measure to acquire this company? Either you are being paid off or you are incompetent, neither have a place in my company.”

He stood up and left the room. His assistant hurried after him, “Mr. Farley, there is another meeting with the head of R&D in 30 minutes, can I get you something to eat?”

A small chime was heard and Chris Farley looked down at his phone. He smiled, “Reschedule all of my meetings for the rest of the day. I am heading out.”

He left his assistant and walked into the elevator. Hitting the button for the ground floor the elevator door closed on his grinning face.

He looked down at the text again.

Hi! I got back early so I will be volunteering at the orphanage all day today with my kids. If you are available want to stop by after work to grab dinner?

Chris thought Amelia wouldn’t be back till next week and had been moody. Who knew she would be back so soon? He rushed to his local apartment to get a change of clothes. Taking off his suit he changed into a plain t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

He smiled as he reminisced about how he met Amelia. He was forced to do some volunteer work at an orphanage and was carrying a box of supplies when he smelled a soft floral note mixed with sweat. Normally he would have been disgusted with the smell of sweat but he turned and saw the most beautiful woman he ever laid eyes on. Her face was shining in the sun; her laughter was loud but not obnoxious. The children ran around her like she was the center of their world and she made them hers. At that moment, Chris envied the children wishing that he was the one running around her. Amelia turned to look at him and she gave him a warm smile that thawed his frozen heart.

Since then he volunteered often just to talk to her. He learned that she was a single mother of two who was helping a friend with his newly developed company. He just told her he worked at a large company in finance. What she didn’t know was that he was a multi-billionaire and the owner of said company. He built up the courage to ask her out after a few months but she had told him she wasn’t looking for a relationship right now. He respected her decision and just remained close by as a friend. His silent guardianship drove away all her other suitors.

The best decision he made was to be an angel investor for DS’s invention. It was not only an excellent investment, but also, more importantly, a load off Amelia’s chest. He would be more than happy to take over and be the sole partner for JG Enterprise but he didn’t want to stifle their entrepreneurial spirit. As much as he loved Amelia, he wanted her to grow and expand her capabilities to the fullest. He was her safety net below, ready to lend a hand whenever she needed him.

He drove an old Honda CRV and parked near the orphanage. As he was getting out he saw a Bently parked at the front gate. Scowling he walked up.

***

Dustin looked up at the homely-looking orphanage as he got out of his car. So Amelia just returned to her roots. He scoffed. He walked to the front and saw a bunch of children playing. He saw his two children laughing as they ran around; he scowled. They should be playing more sophisticated sports not running around with these street urchins.

He noticed Amelia standing on the side setting a table with a bowl of cut fruits.

“Kids!! Come eat some snacks!”, her voice was full of warmth and vitality.

She turned and saw him and her smile froze. Dustin felt his chest squeeze in disappointment. He walked up to her with confident steps, “Amelia, I need to speak to you in private.”

Amelia glared at him, “Mr. Roger, I believe I have nothing to do with you. I need to feed the children so please step aside.”

She looked behind him and smiled at the children, “Make a line and grab a bowl.”

Dustin’s mouth pursed to a thin line. He had never been slighted before until the last couple of days. Untamed women are truly a blight on mankind. He stepped aside as the dirty sweaty children piled around him. His eyes landed on the two beautiful blonde twins, they saw him and smiled sweetly. His face softened and he smiled back.

Amelia watched Dustin out of the corner of her eyes. The shithead is looking at her children. Crap! Did he already figure it out? How much does he know?