by Michelle N. Broughton

Created on: March 08, 2010

Excitement ran high as all the children hurried to make their beds and clean their rooms.  Today, they decorated Easter eggs for the Easter baskets!

The orphanage brought in donations of dozens of eggs and baskets every year in an effort to let the children become a part of the giving spirit of the spring holiday.

Mrs. Halliday normally ran the kitchen with an iron fist, daring anyone who was not assigned to duty to be underfoot.  But the Saturday before Easter everything changed.

"Madelaine, put water in that large pan.  Alice, help her carry it back to the stove.  Julie, you and Misty take this other pan.  We've a lot to do today, ladies.  So very much to do."

Grins split childish faces, as each girl hurried to the tasks at hand.

"Will we be going to the same place this year, Mrs. Halliday?  I so hope we will.  I can't wait to see Georgie again!  I wonder how many new ones will be there?  Can you believe how Midget gets around on those crutches?  Oh, I can't wait until tomorrow, can you?"  Madelaine  spoke so quickly and aimed her barrage at several people.  Eventually, Mrs. Halliday was forced to slow her down.

"My lands, child!  How you rattle along.  No one can answer your questions.  You never stop long enough to get an answer.  Yes, we'll be visiting Welltown tomorrow.  I believe there are several new arrivals since last year.  There always are.  Why would this year be any different?  Listen to me, will you?  I'm getting as bad as Maddy."

Mrs. Halliday's chubby, rough hands guided the large pots of water onto each eye of the massive, six-burner stove.  Several girls gently placed three dozen eggs while Mrs. Halliday added in a small amount of vinegar before turning the gas burners to high.

"Why do you put the vinegar in the water?" asked Alice.

"For the same reason I did last year, young lady.  It keeps the eggs from breaking.  Every year, it's the same answers to the same questions,"  Mrs. Halliday put on a great show of being terribly harassed by her charges, but each one could recite a time when she had been there for them.

When Misty came back to the orphanage, broken hearted because her new family didn't think she fit in, it was Mrs. Halliday who held her until both their tears dried.  The people simply could not handle being stared at when they presented a child of Asian ethnicity

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