A Foggy Sunrise

They had not children, although they were not very young. Their home was in the courtyard behind the store and during the lunch break, they locked the entrance door and we would go to eat in the dinning room where the oval table was already set. Soon I was treated like a family member. Even from the start, in my first day I was invited to eat with them and they talked with me, especially Mrs. Goldştein, who told me stories about themselves and their friends. They let me read stories from the fairytales books they had in shelving and play with the toys displayed for sale, over the glass counters. 

On a Sunday when they had invited some of their friends for dinner, I was invited too. Mother dressed me with the blue suit and lacquer shoes, combed my hair as she always liked with sideway parting and let me go. Goldştein family house was full of people, the entrance door was wide opened, the oval table in the middle was extended filling almost the entire length of the room and we have been seated around the table. I was presented to everyone, my place at the table was next to Mrs. Goldştein and across the table was a girl about the same age as me, which came with her parents. She was tall, good-looking, hair falling over her shoulders, tided with a white ribbon such as not to fall into her eyes. She seemed to ignore me totally.

Every one had a good time enjoying the food, de discussions around the table, especially the jokes thrown across the table from one end to the other. At a certain moment after the second meal was served, I don’t know how I moved over my chair as it came from there lose, a long nasty and mortifying sound “păăărrttzz” that interrupted all discussions around the table. Mr. Goldştein started to laugh and humiliate me with his jokes and all the other people including the girl in front of me laughed with tears in their eyes. I rose from my chair and ran to their bedroom.  Never had I felt the pain and the terror of shame like that time. Mrs. Goldştein came to calm me and with her warm smile, the expression of love in her eyes, kissing and talking to me, she brought me back in the dinning room where the dessert was served. After that no one mentioned again about my unlucky accident, but it remained deep engraved in my memory.

In an afternoon in the store, when we’ve been alone, Mrs. Goldştein asked me if I would like to be their child. Both of them, especially her, were very friendly to me, they spoiled me with candies, chocolates and things they knew I like, and let me play with the toys from the shelving. I was let even to serve the clients in the store, receive money and return the change from the cash machine. By now I was no more withdrawn like at the beginning and felt happy and safe around them. In that evening after we closed the store, they came to my parent’s home, with me.

After a small introduction, Mr. Goldştein told father that they would like to adopt me. Father refused them politely with a smile at the corner of his mouth, but Mr. Goldştein, was prepared to be welcomed with a refusal, and had a list of arguments to his advantage. He told father how much they love me, how they plan to take care of myself as I already made them feel I was their own, and what kind of education I would receive, what kind of schools and teachers they would provide for me, and so on. Mother listened without a word how the discussion evolved, but her mute eyes were fixed on father. Mr. Goldştein warmed up with his eloquence, continued to tell that in the light of actual situation when is so hard to stay afloat and earn a piece of bread, for father would much easier to manage having only one child. After all, considering that we live so close to each other, parents could see me anytime, they won’t even feel my absence. Father remained un-persuaded in his decision and finally, seeing that no argument could change my father mind, Mr. and Mrs, Goldştein, expressing their regret, returned to their home