However, Daniel was rich. Very rich. But none of this had come easily to him. He had lost his parents at a young age, and without their support, he faced many challenges in his quest to reach the top.
But when fate became a little more considerate to him financially, it took away his ability to lead a happy family life.
Daniel had always wished for a large family, a lovely wife, and a comfortable home, but his disability had taken all of that away from him. So every year since his health took a terrible turn, he has visited various orphanages across the country, making charitable donations for poor children.
One fateful morning, Daniel arrived at the Bright Horizons Orphanage Home to make a donation, as he did every year, and he met a boy there. The young boy was only six years old and was playing in the garden when his ball collided with Daniel’s wheelchair.
“Oh no, I’m sorry,” the boy mumbled as he stood in his place, terrified that Daniel would scold him.
But Daniel rolled his wheelchair up to the boy and handed him the ball. “Are you sure you don’t want your ball back?” he inquired. When the boy did not respond, Daniel spoke to him in a more friendly tone. “What’s your name, young man? Would you like to be friends with me?”
“My name is Dan – Daniel,” the scared boy said, looking down.
“Oh, is your name, Daniel? My name is Daniel too!” Daniel laughed.
Suddenly, little Daniel looked up. “Really?”
“Yes, my name is Daniel Smith. Would you like to play with me?”
“I would love to!” Little Daniel’s eyes lit up.
“But if I win, you’ll have to give me a chocolate. Deal?”
The little boy giggled, ran away from Daniel, and stood holding the ball. They began playing a game of throw and catch when the orphanage director, Adam Turner, came out to see what they were up to.
“Oh, Mr. Smith. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have let the boy trouble you,” he said as he dashed to his benefactor.
“Nothing like that, Mr. Turner,” Daniel replied. “This boy is quite adorable, and to be honest, he reminds me of a younger version of myself. When I was younger, I was exactly like him.”
“But, sir, he’s bothering you unnecessarily. I’ll tell him not to…” Mr. Turner had just begun talking when little Daniel dashed up to them.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Turner. I wasn’t troubling him. He asked me if he could play with me.”
“It’s all right, Daniel. You can now go play with your other friends,” Daniel said, smiling. “We’ll finish the game another day, and don’t forget about my chocolate.”
“Okay,” the boy smiled at him then hurried away with the ball.
Daniel felt an odd connection to the boy as he watched him leave. He felt as if there was a reason why God had made him meet Daniel. And before he knew it, he’d fallen in love with his childlike innocence and decided to adopt him. But there was a catch.
“Four other kids?” Daniel gasped.
“Yes, Mr. Smith. If you want to adopt Daniel, you’ll have to adopt four other children. They’re his siblings,” the orphanage director informed him.
“But why do you have such a clause?” Daniel was perplexed.
“Daniel’s parents were very poor, so they left their five children to us. But they’d made us sign a contract saying that whoever adopted their children had to adopt all five of them so that the siblings were never separated. That’s why none of the adoptive families agreed to take them in. I would suggest that you think about it once more.”
Daniel thought about what Mr. Turner said. Adopting five children is certainly no joke, Daniel. Don’t be in a rush! But then there was his heart, which had melted for little Daniel like nothing else.
“All right, Mr. Turner. I’d also like to meet his brothers,” Daniel stated. “In fact, I’m willing to adopt all five children.”
“Fine, Mr. Smith. If you’ve made up your mind, let’s meet the other boys. Please follow me.”
When Daniel first met little Daniel’s siblings, he couldn’t take his gaze away from them. As Mr. Smith had informed him, they were all super young and looked really adorable. Daniel and Max were twins, and the other three, Harry, Timothy, and Nolan, were 3,4, and 5 years old, respectively. Nolan and Harry had brown hair like their mother, as Daniel observed from the file photos, while Daniel, Max, and Timothy looked more like their father.
Daniel was more than sure that he wanted to adopt the children after meeting them. The next day, he started the procedures for adoption, and two months later, Daniel was officially their father. However, things were not so easy for him.
Timothy didn’t like him at first. And Daniel had to put in a lot of effort to earn his love and trust. But things between the two improved from the moment the boy walked into Daniel’s room and thanked him a few months after Daniel adopted them. “Thank you for helping us,” he said. “Nolan says you are our new daddy and you are very nice. He also told me that I should thank you because you care about all of us.”
Daniel’s eyes welled up at the boy’s remark, and he wrapped his arms around him tightly. “You are all my children, Timothy. I love all of you, so never feel that you’re alone.”
Since that day, Daniel had been happier than ever looking after his children. He says he loves being their father and that parenting them is easier than he ever imagined! His life is full of love, laughter, and noise, and he can’t stop talking about how adorable the children are.
