June 16th 2011.

Aunt Donna arrived at the orphanage to pick me up, four days after she and uncle Bob had agreed to adopt me. Uncle Bob nor my cousin, Tony, were able to come with her to get me, because uncle Bob absolutely could not miss work and Tony had just started school, so aunt Donna did not want him missing any days.

I sat on one of the large window seats, in the upstairs hallway of the orphanage, with Victoria. We always sat there in the evenings, after supper, to read and talk.

"I do not think I can possibly live here without you, Marianne." Victoria said. I smiled and nodded,

"I feel the same way. It will be so boring in Scotland with no friends. I wish you could come live with me." I replied, as I closed my book and put it down.

"Yes, I wish the same." We sat in silence for a few minutes, until I had this brilliant idea.

"What if you can come live with me in Scotland, would you?" I asked. Victoria looked up from her book and gave me a strange look.

"Is that trick question?" She asked. We both laughed.

"Of course I would." She said, with a smile. Just as I was about to reply, I heard the social worker, from the bottom of the stairs, call out...

"Miss. Marianne Ellis, your aunt has arrived!" I jumped up from the window seat and said to Victoria.

"Wait here, I will be right back." I said to her, then I went downstairs to see my aunt.

She stood up from her chair when I came in the room, and she smiled. I smiled back and embraced her.

"Oh sweetheart, how you have grown since I last saw you. How old are you now?" Aunt Donna asked.

"I will be fifteen on the tenth day of August."

"Well then, we will have to have a birthday party for you." She replied with a wide smile.

I nodded and then sighed. She turned back to me and said,

"What's the matter Marianne?"

"I cannot leave the orphanage." I said simply. Aunt Donna gave a curious look to the social worker.

"Miss. Ellis does not wish to leave the orphanage because since she got here, she has formed a very strong bond with another one our orphans here." The social worker explained. Aunt Donna sighed as she sat beside me, and put her hand on my shoulder. I looked at her, with sad eyes.

"Aunt Donna, I cannot leave Victoria, we are best friends. We are kindred spirits in everything. I must stay with her, as best friends are never far from each other... it is a promise you make to each other, when you become best friends with someone."

She nodded, and looked as though she was thinking.

"Well, Marianne, how about we go back to the hotel I have rented, until we fly to Scotland, and I will think of something, so that you and Victoria can still stay best friends, after we get to Scotland...?" I figured that was a good answer, and it calmed me, but I just hoped that her idea was to also adopt Victoria.

I went back upstairs and told Victoria what aunt Donna had told me. I told her not give up hope and that I would find a way for us to stay best friends. I told her that I would do my absolute best to convince aunt Donna to let her come to Scotland and live with us.

* When Aunt Donna and I got to her hotel, she sat down with me, and I wondered if she had already made up her mind. "Marianne, I cannot promise you that Victoria will be able to come to Scotland and live with us, because I know that is what you want, but I will ask uncle Bob if he would be alright with it. I, personally, do not mind having two daughters, I have always wanted a daughter and having two would be exciting for me. But, if uncle Bob says no, then we will make sure that she can come and visit you and that you have a computer and plenty of stamps and a large stationary, so that you can email and write to her as many times as you want." I thought all of this a good idea, so I nodded and agreed.

"Thank you aunt Donna." I said with a smile.

"No problem, my dear. I want you to be very happy living with us in Scotland, so your uncle Bob and I will do everything we can to make it happy for you." I appreciated her saying this to me, it was nice to hear her say that.

* Success! Aunt Donna called uncle Bob the day before we were going to Scotland, and he agreed to adopt Victoria, as well. I was overjoyed at this, and I thanked uncle Bob many times, over the phone, before aunt Donna hung up.

After lunch, aunt Donna and I went back to the orphanage, where the owner already knew that aunt Donna and uncle Bob had agreed to adopt Victoria, but she did not know yet, I wanted to tell her myself.

When we got there, I rushed upstairs to the window seat where Victoria and I usually sat together, and sure enough she was sitting there, writing in her diary.

"Hello Victoria." I said with a wide smile, as I sat down next to her.

"Marianne, what are you doing here... I thought you had left for Scotland already?"

She asked. I shook my head and replied,

"Oh Victoria, I cannot possibly leave for my new home, and leave my sister behind, now can I?" I hoped that she would understand what I meant. Right away, she smiled widely, and quickly closed her book.

"Has your aunt agreed to..." She paused, wanting me to finish.

"To adopt you... yes, she has, and so has my uncle." I said, my tone of voice full of excitement. Victoria smiled so widely, that her dimples could not go any higher. She embraced me, and we started to laugh, we were both happy.