The only wish, that a 7-year-old Ryan had, was to have a loving family. When he was 2 years old, he ended up in an orphanage. The boy was abandoned by his parents, and neighbors had to take care of him for some time. After they placed him in a local orphanage, which became both his home, and his family from that time on.
But it wasn’t the place the boy dreamed of. He lacked the love, attention and warmth found in ordinary families. At the orphanage, he stayed a little on the sidelines. Ryan was always quiet and that made him stand out from the rest of the children. To the staff he was a weird child who did not speak. None of the kids interacted with him, so Ryan was always alone.
“I can’t understand that boy,” one staff member once said to another. “He’s always quiet and keeps to himself.”
“I think he’s mute,” a colleague answered him. “The strange thing is that he doesn’t even play with the other children.”
One day, the residents of the orphanage were taken to a candy store. Ryan was among them, too. At the store, the children met its owner, Charles, who greeted the children warmly and gave them a short tour. Ryan was fascinated by the chocolate making process. He willingly participated in it. As he enthusiastically made chocolates, Charles watched him with interest and noted something to himself.
“You have an aptitude for candy making,” Charles remarked, turning to Ryan. The boy only smiled in response.
The next day was Saturday. It was a special day for all the residents of the orphanage because guests were arriving. They were people who wanted to adopt some of the children.
After all the standard morning procedures, Ryan went out into the yard. By that time the adults, the prospective parents, and the children from the orphanage had already gathered there. Ryan began to watch what was going on.
He thought to himself: “I know no one will take me in. Who needs a mute boy.”
Looking at the adults and children, Ryan cried. He kept sobbing as he suddenly saw a box of chocolates handed to him. The gift really surprised the boy, he didn’t understand who could have done it. In the box Ryan saw a note.
It was Charles, the owner of the candy store. Ryan read, “Hi, Ryan! I was watching you at the candy store yesterday. I liked you immediately. Would you mind becoming a member of my family?”
Ryan’s face lit up with a smile. He looked around and saw Charles standing nearby. After a long hug, Ryan left the orphanage with Charles.
As the years went by. Charles treated Ryan like his own son. He taught him his craft. However, Ryan still did not speak. He could communicate with Charles through gestures and writing. But this was no obstacle for Charles. He truly loved Ryan. Besides doing business together in the candy shop, Charles and Ryan took many walks and shared details of their lives. Then Ryan learned about what had happened in Charles’s life.
Charles said that he once had a beloved wife, they dreamed of having children. But disaster struck in their house, a gas explosion killed Charles’ wife. He hasn’t been married since. “I couldn’t imagine having anyone but her by my side,” Charles admitted.
According to Charles, Ryan reminded him of the son he and his wife had once dreamed of. That’s why he chose Ryan and made sure they were together. Hearing the words brought tears to Ryan’s eyes and he hugged Charles tightly.
“I love you, Ryan. I’m so glad to have you in my life,” Charles confessed.
There was a strong bond between them. Ryan’s knowledge of the art of baking was so great that by the age of 15, he had been named the youngest pastry chef in history.
Neither Ryan nor Charles had any idea that it wasn’t long before a huge cloud was looming over them. Ryan’s biological mother, who had abandoned the boy and had shown no interest in him for so many years, showed up.
According to the woman, she really wanted to be together with her son again. She didn’t want to leave her son, it wasn’t her own decision. The reason was a disagreement with the boy’s father, who insisted on leaving the child. Now, however, she had left her husband and there was nothing holding her back.
Ryan was distraught. He wrote in a note that he did not want to leave Charles, but the mother was adamant.
She initiated legal proceedings, wanting to challenge the right to her son. The legal battle lasted a very long time, with society watching the process with interest. During the proceedings, Charles spoke many times about his love and affection for Ryan. He admitted that he did not want to part with the boy, for him he became like his real son, who he had always dreamed of.
But Ryan’s mother wasn’t backing down either. She claimed that she missed her son very much and made every effort to find him. Of course, there were inconsistencies in some of what she said, but the woman insisted that no one else could properly take care of the special boy. She expressed doubt about Charles’ reasons for deciding to adopt a mute child.
“You took a child who couldn’t talk!” the woman said. “That’s guaranteed trouble.”
“I’ll answer that it was guaranteed. I was guaranteed the love of my son,” Charles replied.
The controversy surrounding Ryan continued for a long time. But here came the day of the judgment. As the judge stated, the decision would be made with Ryan’s wishes in mind. The judge handed the boy a sheet and pen to write with whom he wanted to stay. After all due process was followed, Ryan was given the floor.
“Daddy,” Ryan said and pointed to Charles.
He immediately rushed over to Charles and clung to him with all his might. Everyone in the courtroom at that moment cried. It was very emotional.
The judge’s ruling was that the boy stayed with Charles. Since then, Ryan and Charles have lived happily ever after. Father and son enjoyed joyful moments, and bravely went on adventures.
