Addy Tales: Faith's Journey (Part One)

The Addys are a group of teenage girls who were all orphaned and living in Bronston House. Destiny, Faith, Esperanza, Grace, Charity and Valarie all decided to become their own family and change their last names to Addy which means Noble.

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Charity, Grace, Faith, Esperanza, Destiny and Valarie gathered in the upper attic of Bronston House sitting in a circle on various pillows.

“Girls, The higher ups are moving me,” Dark haired, brown eyed Faith dropped a bombshell. None of the others could say a word.

Fiery-haired Destiny was the first to regain her voice.

“NO!” she shouted, running over to hug Faith, “They can’t.”

“They already did. I move tomorrow.” The others gathered around them.

“Who? Where?” The questions bombarded her from all sides.

“The Harpers up on 25th.” Faith said.

“They can’t separate us! We’re the Addys, we are a family,” Esperanza protested, her black eyes sparkling with fire. She flicked her head, her black hair flying. Charity wrapped her in a firm hug, the difference between her pale skin and Espe’s olive complexion startling.

“Why?” Grace asked.

“They decided to share some of their fortune with a poor orphaned girl. I don’t know why they chose me,” Tears were streaming down Faith’s face.

“Guys,” Valarie spoke up, breaking into the conversation, “This is an opportunity to test our bond. It’s easy to be Addys when we’re all together, now we get to be sisters far apart.”

“Val, this is not the time for you to get all analytical,” Destiny yelled, “Faith is leaving!”

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The next day Faith sat in the office, waiting. Around her wrist was the friendship charm bracelet Destiny had given her for their birthday when they turned seven. Her watch was plain, standard issue, but the girls had decorated it with fabric paint. The Addys had stayed up all night as a farewell for Faith. Her nails, now a bright shade of red, confirmed it.

A tall, very pregnant woman breezed into the office, her husband close behind her. Five minutes later the paperwork was done and Faith’s new foster parents hustled her into the waiting limousine.

“Welcome to the family, Faith,” the man said, extending his hand. The woman just ignored her. Mr. Harper smiled and talked the whole way back to the house, but Mrs. Harper never said a word.

The house was a mansion. Faith could do nothing but stare at the opulence around her. She was led to a gigantic bedroom suite with a canopy bed and a separate room for use as a study/sitting room.

“Wow, thanks Mr. Harper!” she enthused, hugging the man. He smiled down at her.

“Call me Uncle Jack, and you’re welcome.”

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Faith spent the next month getting a feel for her new home. Uncle Jack spent it on a business trip to Taiwan. Then one day she was summoned by the butler and informed that she was needed at the hospital because Mrs. Harper was in labor.

The next hours were some of the longest in Faith’s life. She paced the floor outside the delivery room.

“Miss Howard?” a nurse came out. Faith almost didn’t answer, having gone by her chosen last name Addy for so long made her forget who the rest of the world thought she was. Slowly Faith walked toward the room.

Mrs. Harper was in the final stages of labor. The nurse thrust a gown at Faith. Three pushes later they had a baby girl. The doctor moved to lay the infant on her mother’s chest, but Mrs. Harper flatly refused. Instead she insisted that the child be placed in Faith’s arms. Stunned, Faith accepted the wailing infant.

“Oh, make it stop,” Mrs. Harper whined petulantly. The nurses took the child to get her cleaned up.

“She’s beautiful,” Faith said, taking a seat beside the bed.

“I don’t care, my head,” the woman was such a child.

“What are you going to name her?” Faith asked. Mrs. Harper just waved her off.

“You name it. And find a doctor to give me a sedative.”

Faith found a payphone and out in a collect long distance call to Uncle Jack.

“It’s a girl, Uncle Jack, she’s doing really well. Mrs. Harper told me to name her. She doesn’t seem happy about the baby.”

“Maggie never was excited. Go ahead and name her though, You deserve it.”

“Thank you, Uncle Jack. See you soon, right?”

“I may have to stay another month. We’ll see. Give the baby a kiss for me.” the phone line clicked off. Faith made one more call.

“Girls, I need help,” she said, as soon as Destiny put her phone on speaker.

“You know we’re here for you,” Valarie said. Her words were met with a chorus of agreements.

“I have to name a little baby girl. I was thinking Allison Adele.”

“Girl, what did you call us for?” Espe asked, “That is so perfect. Ali Addy.” the others agreed.

“I guess I just wanted to talk to you too. You are my sisters after all.”

“And we always will be.” Charity said. Faith talked for a little while, until a nurse came over to her with a bundle of cloth.

“Mrs. Harper requested that you get all the instructions for the child’s care,” she said, extending the newborn to Faith.

“Girls, I gotta go,” she said, hanging up the phone and cradling little Allison. Faith listened attentively to the nurse. When she had finished explaining everything she led Faith to a completely different room from the one Mrs. Harper was in.

“Mrs. Harper has arranged for you and the baby to have this room. The nurse handed Faith a bottle.

“She will be hungry soon if she isn’t already. Does she have a name?”

“Allison. Allison Adele.”

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Little Ali had Faith wrapped around her pinkie finger by the end of half an hour. Because she was a healthy baby and faith wasn’t recovering from hours of labor, they were allowed to go to the gift shop, where Faith bought Allison a little pink sleeper and a teddy bear. She paid using the credit card Uncle Jack had given her.

The nurses were charmed by the sixteen year-old who was showing such responsibility and level-headedness even though the situation had clearly been a surprise for her. The two were inseparable, while the infant’s mother was insufferable. She was constantly demanding this thing or that and never asked to see her baby. The junior nurse, Carly, expressed doubts she even knew the baby’s name.

Three days after Allison was born it was time to take her home. Stewart, the family butler came in the mini van. Mrs. Harper took the front seat while Faith carefully buckled Allison into her car seat. Mrs. Harper still claimed to have a headache and requested that everyone be quiet, but little Ali was hungry and didn’t like the feeling of the car moving so she was fussy. Faith finally got her settled down and she was quiet for the rest of the journey.

Immediately upon arriving at home, Mrs. Harper was surrounded by her personal staff all saying how glad they were to see her and helping her to her room. Faith stayed behind, fidling with Ali’s car seat, trying to pull it from the stand so she could carry the little girl in.

“What is her name, Miss Faith?” Stewart’s question surprised her.

“Allison Adele. Would you like to hold her?” Faith asked.

“Yes, please.” Allison took to Stewart in a moment and he was equally captivated.

"If you ever need anything Miss Faith, my Hazel and i will be happy to help."

For the first time since Ali's birth, Faith felt like everything would work out just fine.