“You might want to say a few things, Alex,” she replied gently, as the children grew more restless, staring at the striking house before them. “After all, this is quite important to them.”
“It is important for me, too,” he admitted.
“Then say something,” she smiled.
“But… I’m not ready for a speech,” he hesitated.
He had never been the one for public speaking. As a child, he remembered his father’s eloquence and a perpetually perfect choice of words. Every time he was asked to say a few words, he knew exactly what to say. Alexander did not feel he possessed that gift. He was too awkward or too inelegant when improvising. For him, the safest bet was to prepare exactly what to say, so it would sound passable.
Now, she was asking him to do the unthinkable, to speak without having prepared for it. He dreaded the thought of ruining tis special moment by saying something silly or perhaps something wrong. The last thing he wished to do now was ruin all the hard work they had put into this endeavor.
“Alex,” she cupped his chin, turning his face to hers. He could feel the heat of her touch even through the soft fabric of the gloves. “Look at these children. You know them. You know every one of them. You know they are not looking for any big speeches. Leave those for the House of Lords. Right now, speak from the heart. Tell them what made you do this, and how it made you feel.Thenopen the doors.”
He mouthed the wordsthank youas he released her hand and headed for the first few steps that led to the still closed doors of the orphanage.
“Ahm…” he cleared his throat a little, which served as a hint to everyone to look in his direction. All the curious glances fell upon them, even the ones belonging to the people across the street, who had no idea that a monumental occasion was taking place right before their eyes. “It brings me much joy to see you all gathered here, in front of a place that once used to be a ruin. A sore eye to everyone, yet no one seemed to want to do anything about it. I feel there are so many things wrong with this world, but at the same time, there are so many solutions. There just needs to be a will to change the way things are. I admit that at first, I did not have this will. Or perhaps, I did not know how to put it to good use.”
He paused, glancing at Marjorie. She beamed at him, pride etched on that beautiful face. She was proud of him. And for that, he was proud of himself.
“When Marjorie came into my life, I… I was not the man you see standing before you.” He was honest. With children, that was all one could be. “I was a poor version of myself. But her belief in me changed me. And that has made all the difference. In a way, you could say I feel like this place. The old Miller residence. I was a ruin, just surviving each day as it came to me. I did not live. Marjorie changed all that. Now, I am like this house, the best version of myself, ready to be of use to others, especially those who have believed in me all this time. So, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to announce that our new orphanage, named The Trowbridge Home after my dear father who left us too soon, is officially open!”
With those words, he pushed the door open, standing to the side. The children did not need to be told twice. They rushed inside like a flood, barging in through the open door, shouting which room or which bed they were about to occupy. He waited until the very last footsteps entered, leaving him alone with Marjorie on the threshold.
“That was beautiful,” she smiled. “The best speeches are the ones you don’t prepare for, the ones that come straight from the heart.”
“In that case, I have another speech which I haven’t really prepared for,” he admitted, extracting a small velvet box out of his trouser pocket. He extended his hand towards her, his eyes eager and expectant. There was so much boyish charm in those eyes, she almost felt like pinching his cheek, the way old ladies pinched impish boys.
“What have you got there?” she asked instead.
“You have to open it to see,” he grinned.
She did as she was told. Her fingers trembled. They had been married for two weeks already. Yet he came to realize that every new day came with a new discovery about his. He kept unearthing new things about her which dazzled him, left him breathless and yearning for more of her. This instance was no exception. He believed that the day was already special enough with the opening of the orphanage, something they had both been waiting for so long, but he could not allow this day to pass without him showing her how much she meant to him.
She opened the box slowly, tenderly even. Inside, there was a dainty golden chain. She took it out of the box, and from it hung a golden, diamond clustered heart-shaped pendant. It was simple yet elegant, exactly the sort of jewelry she preferred.
“Alex…” she whispered his name, running her finger softly over the sparkling pendant. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Do you like it?” he asked, feeling the softest flutter of butterfly wings inside his stomach.
“How could I not?” she smiled.
“I thought of getting you something with more diamonds, more engravings, perhaps roses, or some other flower but– “
“You could gift me a simple pebble and I would treasure it because it is from you.”
Those words meant more to him than any thank you ever could.
“May I?” He took it from her hands. She nodded, turning around. He placed the thin chain around her neck, clasping it right at the base of her neck. When she turned around to face him once more, the heart pendant nestled right where it should be, right next to her own heart. “You are breath-taking.”
He could not take his eyes off her. He felt as if she were shimmering with moonlight, sparkling with diamond dust, a creature that did not belong in this world, yet he had been fortunate enough to find her. In fact, he had his father to thank for finding her.
“Do you think my father knew this would happen when he wrote us that letter?” he suddenly remembered.
“Perhaps,” she smiled coyly. “Your father was a wise man. A man who always knew more than he was willing to share.”
“That is true,” he nodded. “Do you think he would like what we’ve done with the place?”
“What you have done, you mean?” she corrected him.
