The Sebana Heir

Chapter 11

"Okay, so you say that you were left outside Masylon orphanage at the age of four?" Lynn asked. Ria sat across her office desk, while she took notes on a lecture pad. "And you've been there until you were ten?"

"Yea," Ria replied.

"When it, shut down? I heard about that," Lynn looked up with slight sympathy in her eyes, "You must have been one of those-"

"Uh-yea, it's ahm.....I don't wanna dwell too much on what happened," Ria replied.

"Right, sorry," Lynn apologised, "Okay, so um.......do you know when you arrived to the orphanage? The exact date."

"Uhm......I don't know,"

"How 'bout, month?" Lynn asked again, but Ria continued to shake her head. "Okay. This is going to be harder than I expected. Um, is there anyone you remember from the orphanage? Maybe one of the guardians?"

"Matron Mal," Ria mentioned, "Matron Mal was the one who found me and took me in that night. She's the only person who can answer all these questions about me. She left the orphanage while I was still six. I need to find her," Ria replied.

"Matron Mal," Lynn also noted down, "So she was a matron at that orphanage?"

"Yes," Ria nodded.

"Okay, I'll track her down and find out where she is," Lynn replied.

••••

Mr. Harber drove Ria back home that evening. Sophie greeted her with a big hug, the moment she stepped in through the front door and she was quite happy to see Ria back there.

"I hoped you wouldn't go forever, mom and I just made lasagna and it's not totally ruined like the last time!" she exclaimed.

"Okay Sophie, no need to mention our last imperfect lasagna," Mrs. Harber said when she came up behind her.

"You mean the overcooked one, with broccoli?" Mr. Harber began to tease.

"It's important to add a few veggies in our meals every now and then," Mrs. Harber rolled her eyes, "Do you know the amount of people that suffer from anaemia nowadays?"

"Okay I get your point, but who puts broccoli in lasagna? And gets it overcooked?"

"You wanna starve tonight?" Mrs. Harber snapped.

"No ma'am," her husband replied obediently.

"Then I suggest you set the table for our new and improved meal, that just might leave you begging for more," she teased.

"Now, why do I like the sound of that?" Mr. Harber smiled while stepping up closer to his wife and taking her by the hips. Ria saw them happy, she saw that real kind of love that they shared between them. It made her suddenly wish she could have that one day with a special someone.

"Mom! Dad!" Sophie said aloud, "Can I have some pasta with my lasagna?"

"You do love pasta, don't you?" Mrs. Harber looked away from her husband and smiled at her daughter. "Okay, let's see what we can do."

••••••

Ria had to wait five more days before she could go back again to meet Lynn. Mr. Harber had managed to convince her to stay with them, just until they could help find her biological relatives. So during those days, she enjoyed her time at home with Sophie and Sheela. Sheela was originally their housekeeper, then during the holidays she was made Sophie's babysitter and cook. She usually started early at six and left the house for her home when the Harber's came back from work.

"Ms. Ria! Are you trying to snatch my job away from me?" Sheela told Ria one day, when she caught her cleaning and clearing out the dishes. "I've told you before, I can do this on my own! Are you judging me, because I'm growing old? Hah?"