Page 22 of Risk It All
I shake my head. “I don't have a family.”
I feel Madeleine's stare on me and wonder if I'm sharing too much. Too bad if she does. I remember what it was like to be a kid people pitied. I hated it. All I wanted was to be treated as a regular kid. So that's how I treat the kids I meet in my philanthropic work.
Chisara frowns. “Not a mom or dad?”
“I don't know my mom and dad.”
Chisara looks horrified. “Who took care of you?”
“I was raised by several families.” I try to be nonchalant about growing up in foster care, but there's always a dull pain from the rejection that hides in the background. There was a time I thought it would go away, but now I accept it as part of who I am. Not that I wallow in the fact that no one wanted me as a child or that the constant kernel of unworthiness is part of my DNA. It is what it is.
“Like me. My mom and dad are gone. But now my family is here.” She looked at Dr. Knowles with a wide grin.
“We've sort of adopted Chisara,” Dr. Knowles says. I know there's a story there, but the doctor doesn't elaborate.
“Plus, she has all this family around the world.” Madeleine points to the map.
“You can be my family too, Mr. Max.”
How strange that I'm here to help her, but her generous heart is reaching out to accept me because I have no family. Feeling humbled, I say, “I'd like that.”
“Well, you two are probably hungry. I've arranged for a meal back in the staff room. After all your travel, you'll probably want to turn in early. You've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow,” Dr. Knowles says to us.
I would have liked to have visited with Chisara more, but I have to admit I'm hungry and tired. Chisara looks like she could use the rest as well.
A few minutes later, Madeliene and I are eating a rice and vegetable dish in another medium-sized room with a single round table in the middle of it.
“What's her story?” I scoop up the food, too hungry to care if it’s tasty or not, but am pleasantly surprised by the fullness of the flavors.
“She was probably sold by her family to work.”
“Sold?” I stop mid-bite.
Madeleine looks up from her dinner at me. “It's not clear how she got here, but she was working as a laborer in the mines. She had some trouble because she's strong-willed, so she was punished. That's how she ended up here.”
“Jesus. She's just a kid. How old is she, anyway?”
“She's nearly eleven, but she looks so tiny, doesn't she?”
“I think she'd fit in my bag.”
Madeleine laughs, but it's no joke. I've already considered putting her there to smuggle her home.
“What's going to happen to her?” I ask.
“Although he hated to do it, Dr. Knowles tracked down her family. Her mother died and her father didn't want her back. Technically, she should be at the mines or on the street, but…” She doesn’t finish the sentence but she doesn’t have too. I know Chisara’s future is bleak.
I try to stay objective, but my heart is aching for her and the other children. It's not as though I didn't know about all this. I've read it. Madeleine has explained it. But now that I'm here, seeing the pain and hopelessness in these children, it's vividly real. “Does that happen to a lot of kids?”
“It's impossible to prevent most times. But you can't meet Chisara and not love her. So, she stays. All the volunteers who come and go mail trinkets and money to Dr. Knowles to help her and the other children. It's not enough, but so far they're making it work.”
My mind is a whirl as I work to figure out what I can do to fix things for these kids.
“How's the food?” Dr. Knowles asks as he enters the staff room.
“Very good,” I say, and I’m not lying.
“I've got the best cook.” Dr. Knowles barely gets his backside in the chair before I bombard him with questions. They range from the needs of the hospital to the social and economic issues that are driving the child labor problem in Nigeria. I'm determined to find a solution.
“He's nearly as bad as you,” Dr. Knowles says to Madeleine when I finally take a breath. “But I don't mind if it means helping these kids. Of course, if you get yourself killed by poachers tomorrow, that won't be much help.”
“We just want to see the mine,” Madeleine says. “Hopefully we'll be able to stay out of the poachers' way.”
“We decided that it would be best if Henri drove you out of town and Bastu will meet you. I've had volunteer badges made for you, so if you do get caught, maybe you can convince them you're lost hikers.”
“Dr. Knowles, this is wonderful.” Madeleine takes the badges. “Thank you for helping us. I know it's putting you and the village at risk.”
Dr. Knowles reaches out to take Madeleine's hand. “I'm the one that needs to thank you. Both of you. This risk is worth taking if it helps the children.”
