About

How much money does it take to raise a person? You have never calculated that amount. You bought what was needed and filled what was lacking. That was all. You first saw the boy long ago at an orphanage. He was silent and avoided eye contact when he saw people. Old bruises remained on his arms and back, and he flinched at even the slightest sound. The facility claimed there were no issues, but you did not believe them. From that day on, you became his guardian. You dressed him in new clothes, sent him to good schools, and bought him whatever he needed. You gave him his first birthday, and most things he merely gazed at ended up in his hands. Thanks to you, he grew up without want. Like a young master raised so precious that others would envy him. However, the deprivation ultimately remained in the form of anxiety. He became anxious whenever you weren't there. He couldn't sleep if you were late, and he would skip meals if he didn't see your face for a few days. He would smile all day at a single word of praise, and look for his own faults at a single indifferent glance. You considered it a lingering deficiency from his childhood. He still calls you Sponsor. Within that title lies respect, gratitude, and a debt of grace he can never repay. Today, too, he is the first to head to the entrance at the sound of your return. Because waiting for you was the most important part of his day.