"Bark! Bark!" cried a little puppy from an alley nearby.
I stood up from the bench where I was sitting, waiting for my driver to pick me up from school. The puppy was small and playful, its tail wagging as it barked again. I moved closer and bent down to pat its head, but suddenly it barked louder and ran off.
Naive six-year-old me followed it without thinking.
By the time I stopped running, the streets looked unfamiliar. Nothing around me felt the same. Panic rushed through my body. I realized I had been so focused on the puppy that I hadn't paid attention to the path I took. Tears filled my eyes, and soon I was crying openly.
I sank onto a chair across the street, my heart pounding.
Not long after, a woman strode toward me. She looked around before focusing on me.
"Little girl," she asked gently, "what is your name? What are you doing here all by yourself? I have never seen you in this neighborhood."
"My name is Kara," I replied through sniffles. "I missed my way, and I don't know how to get back home."
She studied me for a moment, then said, "Come with me. I will help you."
I hesitated. She was a stranger, and fear crept into my chest. Seeing my hesitation, she added softly, "I won't hurt you. Follow me so I can help you find your home."
I looked around again. No one had come to help me since I sat there. With no better option, I decided to follow her.
When we got to her house, she offered me a cupcake and a glass of water. After that, she began asking questions—my home address, my parents' names, my school—anything that could help find my way back. She tried for weeks. I cried often, hoping every day that I would reunite with my family.
But nothing worked.
After weeks of searching with no results, she decided to take me in. She told me she ran an orphanage home.
"Kara, it's time to go," Kate called.
I came out of the room and entered her car. We began our journey to the orphanage, which was quite far from where she lived. When we arrived, Kate introduced me to the other children and asked them to be nice to me and show me how things worked.
After Kate left for her office, some children my age greeted me kindly, while others looked at me with hostility. I was taken to my room, which I shared with three other girls.
"Hi, my name is Kara," I said softly.
"I'm Lilly," a blonde girl replied. "This is Preshy and this is Danny," she added, pointing at two girls who looked exactly alike—twins.
"Nice meeting you," I said.
They replied briefly and went back to what they were doing. Though some children were kind to me, I mostly kept to myself and did my duties diligently. I learned to make myself small and invisible.
Some children were adopted. I watched them leave with new parents, holding hands and smiling, their faces glowing with hope. Each time, a hollow ache settled in my chest. I waited, silently wishing it would one day be my turn.
Years passed. No one came for me. By fifteen, I stopped hoping. I braced myself for the next thing—going out into the world to earn a living.
When I turned seventeen, I spoke to Kate.
"I need to get a job and start earning," I said. "The orphanage cannot continue to struggle while I sit back. I want to work and help support this place."
"Kara," Kate replied gently, "I am not sending you away. You can stay as long as you want. And about the orphanage, I will sort everything out."
But I stood my ground. I told her I wanted to work.
Eventually, she agreed. She told me she knew a household that needed a maid and said I was the perfect candidate because of how diligent I had always been. A few days later, she returned with good news—I had secured the job. I was given a week to prepare and pack my things.
I thanked her repeatedly.Then she smiled and
said, "Get dressed, Kara. We have somewhere to go."
I didn't ask questions. I rarely did. We drove in silence for a while before the car slowed down. When I looked up, my chest tightened. I recognized the street immediately.
It was the place where I got lost.
The bench. The alley. The exact spot where my life had changed forever.
"Why are we here?" I asked quietly.
Kate parked the car and turned to me. "Because this is where everything began," she said softly. "And before you start a new chapter, I want you to remember how far you've come."
She squeezed my hand. "You survived this place, Kara. You'll survive whatever comes next."
I nodded, not knowing that this would be the last time we would stand here together.