Sachiko's plan is to start on Monday?? Wait, it is Friday afternoon; so it's already too late to earn the Golden Star this week. Starting on Monday would give us enough time to rack her up some stars before next weekend. Okay, another smart move Sachiko; I'll give you that! Still, what's killing me is:
"Our plan can not begin, until you read and agree to the contract. But no looking at the contract, until after classes end, Thomas!"
The more I talk to her, the more demanding she seems. Remembering the girl's words makes me grit my teeth. "She's only six, man! Why's this gal so complicated?"
Luckily for my sanity, I catch up to Clarence; who appears more silent than usual. "Sup, mate; you look a tad bit, off."
"I-I'm, I'm….IMPRESSED d-d-dude! Lit-little E-E-Email kept up w-with me f-f-for thirty eight r-r-rounds!"
"WOW! I was worried that you lost there, for a second."
"Ex-exact opposite my du-dude; I've got t-t-to tr-try harder n-n-now!"
"Oh no," Clarence has revealed something almost as dangerous as if he lost; "that means no more holding back, doesn't it?"
"Hahahaha!!!!" His laughter echoes the same amount of joy as when he stepped onto OGO's playground during his first day at the orphanage.
"That happy, huh?"
"B-b-b-bliss, my f-f-friend. I g-get to b-be more of my-my-myself!"
I'm more than excited for him. Being able to have fun 'without punishment' is what makes this boy tick. But his choice of words causes me alarm. "Hah! Bliss, Clarence? That sounds like a word Sachiko would use."
"Sa-Sachiko! Y-y-yeah, she uses all th-the big words, because sh-she's the,"
"Smartest girl at OGO." We both say, in unison, before Clarence continues. "D-did ya'll f-f-finally finish t-t-talkin' about the p-p-plan?"
"HAH! The plan, Clarence? The Plan?!!"
"Y-yes dude."
"Here's the PLAN!" I show Clarence the scroll, "I'm forbidden from looking at it til school ends today." My friend's face lights up as he responds: "But, th-th-that's only another th-three hours. A-a-asides, we've g-g-got lunch c-c-coming up, and f-f-fr-fries are in-included in our lunch today! Time will p-p-pass by, no pr-problem!" That's simple Clarence for ya; his black and white way of looking at things is the exact antidote I needed in order to comply with miss priss' new demands.
Recess ended, class continued, and Mr. Layne granted us Free art Fridays; as usual. Of course lunch, too, was smashing! All of these Friday comforts made it easier for me to resist looking at Sachiko's secret scroll. Yet, as the final school bell rang; the eagerness that was inside of me was beginning to erupt, like a teapot with water ready to boil.
"Mate, let's go back to our room, and",
"D-d-discover what's w-within the sc-sc-scroll!"
All orphans dash outside of their respective classrooms, like a collection of horses competing in a race. Unfortunately, for Clarence and I, a mysterious voice calls out to us; trapping us in a deep-water mud, that prevents us from moving forward.
"Salutations, children!"
"It's obviously an adult." I admit to myself, as we look around the playground, to figure out who's calling us. Upon locating the gate that separates our orphanage from the outside world, we see a passionate older man, with facial hair on his chin as bushy as a tree. He's dressed in a suit darker than our playground's blacktop, yet his smile is bright and sincere enough to keep our attention.
"The name's —; the current mayor of Sebrid, and I'm currently looking to extend my domain to Grinow. Please accept my flyers, and share them with your orphanage's Dean; to help me make THIS borough a better place to live in as well!"
At the time, I couldn't remember the man's name; my focus was still on Sachiko's scroll. His intentions seem evident, he's not concerned with us; rather, he wants us to give these flyers to Lady Ortiz. Furthermore, this man can't harm us, since the Orphanage's gates have no large openings.
"He's no threat," I conclude, as Clarence and I accept the flyers from the man. "Much appreciated, children," the suited man leaves our presence; twirling around as if he finished a dance move.
"H-hah, w-what a f-f-funny man! H-h-hurry up Th-Thomas, let's g-give the-these to La-lady Ortiz!" Clarence runs towards the Dean's office, in the blink of an eye. I was ready to follow suit, but curiosity stopped me in my tracks.
"Life's pretty rough in these boroughs, especially for orphans; maybe this man will help our current mayor make things better?" Despite my positive outlook, in a matter of seconds, it was as if that hairy suited man had threw my optimism to ground, and shattered it like a broken lightbulb.
"The only way to make the world of Michi a better place is if each borough does what's necessary to: ACCEPT REALITY!" My body heated up instantly, and before I knew it; every single flyer that man handed me was now nothing but shreds around me. "Rubbish, what a stupid message!" I say to myself, as I retreat to my room.
"This is what truly matters…the scroll!" Unwrapping Sachiko's contract was both exciting and rather stupid; considering the fact that I had little expectation for this piece of paper to contain any information outside of what the gal shared with me previously. Boy, was I mistaken!
"Golden Star Sachiko.
A young maiden's brilliant, fool proof journey to adoption!
Participants: Thomas and Sachiko.
Rules of conduct: Thomas must help Sachiko achieve Golden Stars until she's adopted. This includes the retrieval of normal stars.
Sachiko, in return must help Thomas stay at Ortiz Golden Orphanage; which includes assisting him in not having to participate in Adoption Day Ceremonies.
Benefits: Dreams come true, as both participants certainly learn and grow in the process.
Reason for Dismissal: Betrayal.
Plan initiates: Monday, March 18, 1996.
Addendum: Sachiko has full right to add new ideas to the contract, in order to guarantee success; as she grows. Thomas may bring new ideas to the table, as well. New ideas must be fully understood by both participants before implemented.
Agreement: If Thomas has read and is full agreement with this plan, he must sign and present the contract to Sachiko; who will ensure he has his own copy to refer to, for future reference.
P.S.: Any changes to the contract do not nullify the agreement that we've made to that point; as a separate form will be provided that contains only the added changes.
Sign here: ...….."
After reading the contract that this six year old girl gave me, I had to lie down. "As if! She's almost too smart to need anybody's help, how can I hope to help her out!?"
Before I knew it, I could hear loud footsteps outside of the bedroom that remind me of my lively friend.
"Th-th-there you are, I w-was looking for, oh, y-y-you o-opened the sc-sc-scroll didn't ya?!"
"Correct, mate. You won't believe how fancy it is," I tell Clarence, as I hand him the contract. He takes a minute or two to read it through; not a lick of confusion on his face, before he replies. "Y-y-you've gotta d-d-d-do it, I d-d-don't see why n-not!"
"It's not a matter of whether or not to agree to Sachiko's scroll, Clarence; it's more of a question as to why a gal as smart as her even needs anyone's help? I'm more in awe; curious, even to find that out." Being able to voice my curiosity to my friend was easy, because he's the only other boy present in our bedroom.
"N-no pr-pr-problem dude, y-you love h-helping others a-a-around OGO ou-out; sp-speaking of; you g-g-gotta go help c-c-clean the playground."
"Wait, that's weird, I know I didn't get a golden star, this week, but I thought chores started tomorrow morning?" My questioning Clarence is met with shocking news.
"Lady Or-Ortiz needs th-the boys to c-clean up the p-p-paper mess, outside." It was then that I remembered who caused that mess…