Jacob was known for volunteering at an orphanage in his town. One day, a little girl asked him if he had come for her, but he had no idea what to say. Then he discovered why she said that, and Jacob cried for the first time in a while. Afterward, he made an important decision. “It’s been a normal day, Mr. Murphy. But we got a new little girl, and she’s adorable. I’m sure she’ll be adopted soon,” one of the employees at the orphanage, Kara, told him. Jacob had been a volunteer at this orphanage in Mesa, Arizona for many years. He was adopted as a baby and went on to have a successful life.
Now he wanted to give back as much as possible, although he was not ready to be a father. In fact, Jacob didn’t know if he would ever be a father, especially with his girlfriend, Miriam. She had been nagging him about getting married soon but sneered whenever he talked about his volunteer work. “I don’t know. If we have children, I don’t think I could ever adopt. I guess I want my own. Ugh…but I don’t want to be pregnant either,” Miriam stated with a disgusted look one night when Jacob invited her to the open house at the orphanage and asked about the future.
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m not ready to be a father, but I was adopted, Miriam. I have to give back,” Jacob replied, looking at his girlfriend in evident confusion as they ate dinner.
“I know you were adopted, Jacob. But that doesn’t mean you have to do it too. In any case, why are we talking about this? We have so much time still, and I would like to travel the world before thinking about that,” Miriam dismissed Jacob with a wave of her fork. “You’re the one talking about marriage all the time,” Jacob countered, putting his cutlery on his plate and placing his hands on the table. He was even more confused now.
“Marriage doesn’t mean kids nowadays, Jacob. We can be a child-free couple and travel the world. We can do anything. I’m tired of this conversation. Talk to me about the charity gala,” Miriam deflected once again, and Jacob sighed, picking up his cutlery to resume eating while chatting about the event. Miriam didn’t like charity work. She just loved going to the galas and the parties.“Mr. Murphy, are you listening to me?” Kara asked, waving her hands in front of his head and bringing Jacob back to the present.
“Yes, of course. Excuse me. I was thinking about something. What were you saying?” he wondered, fixing his tie in embarrassment. “I was talking about the new girl here. Would you like to see her?” Kara asked again, but Jacob didn’t have time to reply. Just then, a little girl rushed towards them and grabbed Jacob’s leg unexpectedly. He looked down at her, not knowing how to act, while Kara laughed beside them. “Dad! Did you come for me?” the girl uttered, raising her head to look at Jacob’s face and smiling. Jacob’s mouth dropped open in shock. No, Mia. He’s not your father,” Kara interjected, seeing how awkward Jacob was acting. But Mia didn’t listen to Kara at all.