Then we heard the front door slam, then the master's bedroom next.
"Mr. and Mrs. Bumi are home..."
Margie was surprised, she jumped a little in her seat, while my arms still wrapped around her. She hugged me tighter that time, and I just kissed her forehead because I could feel that she will start to cry again.
Then we heard a knock on the door. Mr. Bumi is on the other side of the door.
"Guys, can you get out for a minute, we got something to discuss"
We both stood, I stepped out of the room and went to the living room where Mr. Bumi was already waiting. I took the long sofa, leaving 1 seat away from Mr. Bumi for Margie. Margie stayed in the study room a little longer because she was fixing herself up.
"Grei, I want to know, are you happy in this family?" Mr. Bumi broke the silence.
"I don't know what is the best word to answer that question I just said..."
"Yes Mr. Bumi, very much so... You gave me a family, a real permanent family..."
Mr. Bumi's eyes started to get red and he was about to cry. Then Margie entered the room and sat beside me.
"Honey, there will be changes around here. Your mom and I have made to a decision that you will be staying with Barbie for the time being" Mr. Bumi started to say.
Margie started to cry again, this time a lot louder. I looked at her and could not get myself to stroke her hair and back like what I had done not too long earlier. Then I turned to Mr. Bumi to catch his look and waited for what is next to me.
"Grei, my boy. I know you can understand this. You are a very clever kid. This is hard for us tremendously; I don't think your mom can handle this conversation but we got no choice. We are going to lose this house starting a couple of months from now and we got to find places where you and the girls could stay. We thought Margie could stay with Barbie for the meantime and I talked to the orphanage that they could take you for some time..."
"My head is feeling heavy and I think I am getting dizzy. I could hardly hear Mr. Bumi and I could feel the sofa from Margie's body action from sobbing"
"...We promise, we will take you back Grei. We just have to take care and focus on the business for the time being and we can't leave you alone. Barbie cannot take both of you. We cannot let you live alone until you are at your legal age. But you are still forever going to be a Bumi. We will take you back when the time is right. About the school, we decided to start all the moving after you finish this term..."
That turn of events in my life made me think deeply about a lot
"Why do things like this happen to me? It has not been that long since I got this family and now it gets taken away again"
Next thing I knew I am getting out of the car stepping through the door of the orphanage again. I just tried to put my head in getting into high school. The orphanage got me in the public high school in expense that I do a little bit of work for them on the side.
I got into the student council and got 4 – 6 hours of work in the library, they gave me extra allowance in there. It is not that hard since my only work is to pile the used books at the side and put them back when it is time to go. I can also do my homework at the same time and I get peace from the strict silence posted in every corner.
But I never heard from Mr. and Mrs. Bumi, the news does not help either. They did stop by sometime about a year ago but still did not take me back, it was very brief and it was just Mr. Bumi, it seems Mrs. Bumi cannot see me, Mr. Bumi said she is still feeling guilty for not taking care of us especially me when they just got me. He also told me about the situation of Barbie and Margie that they are still together. Mr. Bumi even gave me a phone to contact them anytime. But I never did that. I saw their phone numbers but they did not contact me either. Mr. Bumi also said that my sisters could not visit me either for they don't have a car anymore and getting busier as time goes by. It has been 2 years already and I am almost 18 in a couple of months from now. The orphanage already gave me small discussion that I am allowed to get my own place once I turn to legal age.
I still have a year to graduate senior high and I'm already preparing for it because I will take myself through college, I still have more than a month before the next school year starts, and I have to earn as much as possible before I turn legal age and I will take the opportunity to find my own place maybe on the 4th quarter of school year before I start college. But once I turned 18, I will apply for a driver's license, I didn't get the chance to get a student's license before as it was not part of my plan but I remembered Barbie already got one when she turned 16 with Mr. and Mrs. Bumi's initiative.
"But now I am on my own, I will do all the initiative myself" and hopefully it opens some kind of opportunity in the future, it is still a valid identification for use. Before the day ended while I was on duty in the library. I got a call from an unregistered number; it took me a minute to decide if I was going to answer as I was hoping it would stop immediately because I just felt a bad itch looking at it, my phone was on silent anyway, there is no rush to answer it for it didn't disturb the silence in the library. The ring stopped and I was about to forget about it but it rang again and this time I stood up from the lobby and took it outside.
"Hello?" the caller from the other end was kind of in high spirits and we said hello at the same time. Before I could even think of a response, she had already blown the phone against my ears by shouting
"Grei!!! It's me, Margie! Your favorite sister!"