February 14, 3055
In the past 4 years, the new provincial government brought various plans into motion. Most of them were helpful while others were not-so-helpful.
One of those not-so-helpful plans was the child adoption program.
The government had no choice but to initiate this program because as the children grew, the resources at the orphanages were no longer sufficient in supporting their growth.
According to this program, if someone adopts a child, they will get money for raising the child. And on top of that, they will also get paid - though not very much - for parenting. And because of this, hundreds of children got adopted within a week after the plan came into motion.
If proper requirements for being a parent were brought forward, this program would have been successful. But the requirements that were set weren't able to filter out the people unfit to be parents. As a result, many among those hundreds had to go through various problems.
Vinton, whose day started and ended with alcohol, applied for child adoption as soon as he heard about the new plan. He hadn't changed his profile picture from the one that he used when he was trying to get a job a few years ago. And in his bio, he wrote something like: "In my youth, I never considered having a family even though I had plenty of chances, but at this age, I regret only one thing. I wish I had a child."
When he received a notification that his application had been processed as successful and was offered a form to fill with his details, he celebrated the night with cheap wine that was a little more expensive than his usual one.
While filling the form, there was a section that said "Preference (if any)" in which he wrote, "It would be great if the child isn't very noisy". Normally that would filter out most of the children, but he was lucky there too. He found a 4 years old boy who rarely spoke.
"Razak is a good kid, he listens to the things we say and always stays organized. It's just that he rarely speaks. But doctors have said that there are no problems in his physical or mental growth."
A young lady dressed in formal staff uniform was introducing the child he was about to adopt, but his eyes were fixed on the lady instead of the boy. Every time she looked away; his eyes fell to her cleavage that was exposed between the neckline of the white shirt that she was wearing under her black coat.
The lady had already noticed it and her discomfort was visible in the form of an awkward smile, but she wasn't saying anything directly.
"Are you alright sir?"
He was startled when he heard her say that, but he quickly composed himself and covered up the fact that his concentration was somewhere else the whole time by saying, "O-oh yeah ha-ha. He somewhat even looks like me, we will be a good father and son."
'He is my golden goose after all,' he thought when he looked towards the boy. A wry smile reflexively appeared in his face.
The lady just responded with an awkward smile.
Anyone could tell that there wasn't even a hint of similarity between them. Vinton was short and bald with a half-cracked front tooth. Even though he always tried hiding his pot belly, it somehow always found a way to show itself out, even today when he was wearing a suit.
While on the other side, Razak looked a little bigger for his age and had a cute-looking face. Even though he was just wearing orphanage pajamas, he looked far more well-dressed than Vinton.
"So, can I take him now?"
Vinton wanted to hurry because he hadn't drunk a single drop of alcohol today. He wanted to finish the appointment before noon, but it took a little longer than he expected. Firstly, because there was a long line of people who were here to adopt a child. And secondly, because his profile picture was so different from his current appearance that it took a while for the lady at the reception to confirm his identity.
"Y-yes about that, give me a minute."
She went outside, but through the transparent glass, it could be seen that she was talking to a man who appeared to be a senior employee. It looked like their talk was turning into an argument and when it did, the lady was no longer able to hold her side. In the end, she sighed in disappointment and walked back in.
Vinton smiled when he saw her come back in. Though he was trying to do it to appear polite, because of his appearance, it looked like he was mocking her.
"Sir, please authenticate the documents I send you."
The softness that she had in her voice a while ago was gone. Even though her words sounded polite, her voice was harsh.
He authenticated the document using his watch. Obviously, he didn't read the document otherwise he would have known what's legal or illegal to do while raising a child.
While all this was happening, Razak just stood there looking down the whole time without uttering a single word. It was as if he had given himself up to whatever was happening around him.
"Are we done now?"
"Yes, I have added the surname 'Varrs' to the boy's name."
"Thank you, we will be going now. See ya!"
Vinton caught Razak's hand and pulled him along, but the boy did not resist; he just walked towards where Vinton was pulling him with an emotionless face. It was as if Vinton was taking a thing home, not a person.
When they reached the spot where his car was parked, he unlocked it.
Even though it was an advanced automatic car, it was an old model that was rarely seen outside.
Vinton got it for free from one of his drinking buddies, but it was in the state where it could barely be called usable.
When he learned that it met the Authorized Vehicles Minimum Standard, he repaired the car and brought it to the state where it was now.
"There you go."
He lifted the boy and put him into the child car seat that he had borrowed from one of his friends for the day. He then slammed the car door harder than usual in excitement.
From now on, he no longer needed to look for odd jobs and could enjoy his life to the fullest without worrying about anything.
'To the fullest' because all he ever wanted to do in his life was to eat, drink, and sleep.