Cherryfield Orphanage Part 4: The Day the Orphans Made Everyone Cry
The Hopez Fashion Runway hall was big. Lights were everywhere, the music was loud, and models walked around in beautiful clothes.
Backstage, the children from Cherryfield Orphanage stood holding hands. They were not wearing their old uniforms that day.
I had sewn special outfits for them myself. They wore white tops and black jeans trousers, with their special uniform pieces hanging around their necks. They looked like real stars.
Joy stood in front, with the others behind her. She was still shaking. The stage fright was too much.
"Aunty, will they laugh at us?" Joy whispered.
Then Hopez came over and knelt down in front of them.
"You are not orphans today. You are my special guest singers," she told them.
The show started. Models walked onto the stage, and the audience clapped.
Then the MC came to the centre of the stage with his microphone and announced their arrival.
He said loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our very special guests, all the way from Cherryfield Orphanage!"
The crowd clapped. The lights went soft.
Then the announcer said, "They will sing Heal the World for us."
Silence filled the hall.
My children walked towards the centre of the stage. Joy was in front, with the others behind her. They were still shaking.
They had all forgotten their lines because of fear. That was why I had typed out the song for them as a document, so they could hold the papers and sing from them.
Joy held the paper in her shaking hands. I played the first note on the piano.
Joy began singing, looking at the paper.
"Heal the world... make it a better place..."
Her voice was soft and true. The other seven children joined her, also looking at their papers.
Then Something Happened That Nobody Planned
Behind us, sitting on the chairs at the back, were the other little orphan children who had come with us. They were between two and three years old. They were too small to perform on stage.
But when they heard the song, they all started singing along loudly from their seats!
"HEAL THE WORLD! MAKE IT A BETTER PLACE!"
Their little voices, loud and off-key, filled the whole hall. They were waving their hands and singing with all their hearts.
That was what made everyone cry.
A rich woman in the front row started crying. A model backstage covered her face. Hopez herself, standing at the side, had tears running down her makeup.
After some time, the audience joined in the singing, clapping their hands gently.
The whole hall — rich people, models, and judges — was now singing Heal the World with the orphans. They were clapping gently, crying, and singing together.
When the song ended, there were three seconds of complete silence.
Then the whole hall stood up.
A standing ovation! Clapping, crying, and shouting filled the room.
"Aunty, Did We Heal the World Today?"
After the show, Joy came to me and asked, "Aunty, did we heal the world today?"
I hugged her and replied, "You started, Joy. Even the small ones helped you start."
Then something else happened.
A white diplomat who had attended the event stood up from her seat. She did not speak. She did not bring money. She simply walked slowly towards the stage.
One after another, she hugged the children who had sung.
First one, then the second, then the third, until she had hugged all of them.
When she reached Joy, she held her a little longer.
Joy looked up at me, her eyes full of tears. She did not know what to say.
The whole hall went quiet again as everyone watched the diplomat embrace her.
To Be Continued in Part 5...
What do you think the diplomat wanted to tell Joy? And what do you think will happen next at Cherryfield Orphanage?
Stay tuned for Part 5.
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