Rebirth Into My Second Chance

My mind was a mess, not knowing where to go.

I hailed a cab and told the driver, "Take me to the old foster home in the suburbs."

The driver hesitated before responding, "Isn't that place torn down and turned into an amusement park?"

His words left me speechless. I was totally choked up, like someone had just grabbed my throat.

The foster home was gone, too? Well, it made sense. One company owned it, and it had been over a decade since I last saw it. Its demolition was inevitable. It was as though I no longer had a hometown or the feeling of having a home. My soul felt as if it were drifting away.

As we arrived at the site of the foster home, the driver was still talking, "The Hilton Group always owned this place. They took in many kids back in the day. The Hilton Group made it one of the best foster homes and poured much money into it. Even the education resources were top-notch. But after the head matron passed away, the place went through several hands and never quite recovered. This year, the Hilton Group decided to reclaim it and turn it into an amusement park. They've expanded it quite a bit." From the car window, I could no longer recognize the place. Cranes and bulldozers were at work, and the Hilton Group's logo was everywhere. So, the Hilton Group was shaping many destinies, including, indirectly, mine. "What happened to the kids from the foster home?" I asked.

The driver shook his head. "Who knows?"

I got out of the car, standing there with nowhere to belong. It was no wonder that even in death, my spirit wouldn't find rest.

a security gate that required facial recognition for entry, which

guard looked out at me. "What

home. I just wanted to have a

there to see now? The foundation's already laid

still want to go in," I insisted, even if I could

my hometown, the

said, somewhat apologetically, as he started to shoo me away. I knew I was putting him in a

site. It was the same one I had seen at my

everything. Yet, I was even unable to take a handful of dirt... I wanted to keep my

feeling utterly desolate. When I got back to my apartment, it

was getting to his apartment door, about to use the fingerprint scanner. That

Max's. But I couldn't afford to pay him for it. Still,

approached him with eyes downcast. "Thanks for the door lock. But I don't have much money