One evening after she got home from school, Venka’s parents told her that they had something important to tell her. She was sure she’d done something wrong and was going to be punished.
She sat down on the couch and braced herself for harsh words.
“Venka, your father and I have decided to adopt a little boy from the orphanage. Because there is no other room, he’ll have to stay in your room. Is that okay with you honey? We know you don’t much room as it is.”
Venka couldn’t believe the wonderful news! She had wanted a baby sister or brother for so long it seemed like a dream to learn it was happening.
“When is he coming? I can’t wait. He can share my room.”
“It’ll take a couple months but we’ve got a lot to do to get ready.
A few days before Pavel was due to leave the orphanage, Violetka was assigned a new baby. One little girl was nine months old and had just been brought to the orphanage a few weeks earlier. She cried so much, Violetka was sure she must have a bad headache. Violetka was eager to start holding her more, rocking her, and then seeing her become happy.
The day Venka’s parents brought Pavel home, Violetka stayed with them as much as she could. He was so scared that first day, even though the family had go to see him many times at the orphanage. After they brought him to their apartment, almost everything made him cry. Violetka had agreed to come over as soon as she finished working. When Pavel saw her, he reached out for her and soon stopped crying.
That evening, Violetka stayed with Pavel, rocking him, holding him and rubbing his back, and telling him stories and telling him he would be okay. Every evening for a couple weeks, Violetka would do that. Finally, Pavel started to talk with Venka and her parents and grandmother. He especially liked it when Venka read stories to him.
As the weeks passed, Pavel did well. So did the new baby Violetka was helping.
Violetka liked to tell the new little girl about Pavel and his new family. She also told her stories about the animals painted on the walls and windows of the orphanage. That gave her an idea. She knew an artist that lived in her apartment building. One evening, she asked the artist to make a coloring book with all the characters. They could give those coloring books to the children that were adopted. The artist did that and Pavel was the first child to color those pictures. Venka helped him, of course. She also told him stories about the characters in the pictures.
Pavel still woke up very early and Venka would then wake up, bring him into her bed, and tell him stories. When he got older, one story he really liked to hear was about the little girl who lived across the Danube River in Romania. He also liked it when his new mother put flowers in her hair, just like his Baba Violetka.
“I’m not named after a flower like your Baba, little man, but I can put a flower in my hair if it’ll help you feel at home.
But what Pavel liked best of all was the set of finger paints that Venka gave him for Christmas that year. It was the first time Venka’s family had ever celebrated Christmas and the decided that his artwork was the best Christmas present anyone in the world had ever been given (besides that gift of Jesus, of course).