Ways and Means: On Xavier Wright

Locals in the neighborhood knew about Xavier Wright’s orphanage.

It was impossible to miss, after all. The orphanage sat on a well-maintained lot around the town’s suburbs and had steadily grown in size throughout the many years of its existence. Originally starting out at a humble two storeys alongside a simple garden, Xavier had managed to improve the home throughout the years. Rumor has it that the lot had been his family’s; others whispered that he had simply struck luck during one of his many travels in the past.

Regardless, it was a good place handled by a well-meaning man. Its history wasn’t too long nor was it too convoluted; in the earlier years of their marriage, Xavier and his wife, Isobel, had been unable to bear children due to biological complications. The pair had decided to turn towards adoption. After observing the sorry state of most foster care facilities in the within the area, had come up with the ambitious dream to set up their own orphanage where they knew they could properly take care of children in need.

The process had been a long one. Despite both of their backgrounds as well as occupational capacity to set up their own center, it had taken years before the pair had finally been accredited and allowed to run the place.

No one was exactly sure how Xavier and Isobel had been able to collect the necessary funds to begin with, nor were they sure how they were even able to pull off their dream in the first place. All they knew was that the couple had a dream--and within years, they were finally able to see it come to fruition.

Things were perfect.

Isobel passed away within the first year of the orphanage’s opening.

They had been able to accommodate a few children at that point. Things were going well. The couple had been able to employ both trusted family and friends who they knew could care for and watch over the children as well as they did. Xavier had plans to partner with a nearby school for the children’s education, alongside plans that would hopefully expand the garden as well as the home’s interiors.

All of these plans do end up pushing through at some point in the future. The garden is expanded. The interiors get better. Another storey is in progress. The orphanage receives funding. Word of mouth regarding the top-notch facilities as well as the employees’ overall competence gets around. Everything was perfect.

Only, Isobel was never really able to witness all of this.

Isobel passed away within a year of the orphanage’s opening and Xavier ends up heartbroken, as are the kids and the staff.

For a moment it seemed hopeless to him. The entire foundation of the orphanage had been to have a family they had always dreamed of, but Xavier found himself lost and wandering. Isobel had always been the smarter of the two, the savvier one who grounded him whenever his dreams and aspirations had gotten loftier and climbed higher. The two balanced each other out. With her gone, things suddenly seemed a little more tougher than they actually had been.

Xavier had dreams.

Isobel usually provided practical roads to achieve those very dreams. She knew of particular solutions; particular ways and means that could help both of them reach their very goals. So as long as Xavier would keep dreaming, she would nonetheless be willing to make their dreams a reality (provided that they were practical and necessary, but she was always able to pull it off).

It takes him a good amount of time to properly pick up the pieces. His family and friends, Isobel’s too, were good company. The kids were good company as well. But Xavier had always felt a particular kind of emptiness since her departure that had to be sated; at the same time, however, he couldn’t exactly spend the rest of his days longing and missing and picking at wounds that needed to heal.

Their dreams deserved better.

Hell, the kids deserved better than that.

Locals in the neighborhood know about Xavier Wright’s orphanage.

The laughter and overjoyed screams are nearly impossible to miss in the present. Children properly grow up in a well-maintained estate and are raised under the care of well-equipped and capable faculty. It sits at three, four storeys tall in the present; the garden is sprawling, large enough for the kids to play and lounge about when the weather is just right. Xavier had indeed managed to improve the place throughout the years--it remains his proudest creation.

Rumor has it that months after Isobel’s death, Xavier had managed to stumble upon drafts and drafts of manuscripts tucked safely in a small chest inside their shared closet. These very drafts were actually manuscripts and drawings; both going well together when paired. It becomes evident at that point that Isobel had dreams of their own, but it turns out that Xavier’s had been the ones she decided to put all her focus and attention on.

It takes him a while to properly compile and arrange them into different sets. It takes much longer for him to cope with the possible truth that his wife had dreams of her own; possibly dreams that she had planned to chase after when she knew that the orphanage was running as smoothly as it could.

A few years down the line, a series of children’s books published under the name Belle Wright hit the shelves. They’re an instant hit among young audiences. A number recognize the familiar handwriting and look towards Xavier with raised brows and curious expressions, but all he does is shrug and smile.

At around the same time, improvements for the orphanage suddenly seem more possible than ever.

Xavier says nothing, only pushing through with plans that he knew would make the kids--and future kids--even happier.