The Child Left Behind

Wearing ill-fitting casual clothes, the girl Henry brought back sat at the dining table with a wronged expression. She stuffed herself with all sorts of food while glaring at the only man present with resentful eyes.

After being washed clean by BB, her skin was fair with a rosy glow. It wasn't the white of a Caucasian, but rather a white closer to that of Asia, with yellow undertones.

The reason it's so red is entirely BB's fault; it was brushed red. I even felt a stinging sensation. You can't clean the thick layer of dirt off this girl's body without scrubbing so hard.

Her hair was dark brown. It took BB a lot of effort to wash away the oil and dirt from her hair. Since Kitty doesn't have that much hair, this part of the shampoo wasn't quite up to par, so BB had to apply shampoo and rinse it over and over again.

Then, to prepare lunch for himself and the little girl, Henry went back into the kitchen. He and the girl were eating their own food, their eyes locked.

The Tabby Cat lying at Catherine Hepburn's feet undoubtedly played a significant role in making this girl so well-behaved.

When they're causing trouble outside, this kid... this girl, even when provoking Kitty, only dares to throw things from a distance. If Tiger roars, neither she nor any of the brats she brings will dare to run away.

Compared to her lack of self-control when it comes to eating, this girl, used to living hand to mouth and never knowing where her next meal would come from, keeps stuffing food into her mouth even when she's already full.

Henry ate several times more than her and at several times the speed, finishing his meal much faster. He was now picking his teeth and letting out a rather unladylike burp.

Henry had just finished cleaning up after the baby in the bathroom and cleared away the empty plates when he was immediately confronted by Catherine Hepburn's questioning. "Child, tell me. What happened?"

Henry was also having a headache. He had initially thought he had brought back a little devil, but it turned out to be a little girl, and he didn't know what to do with her. When the old lady asked him a question, he answered.

"Kate, do you know what the New York Sewer World?"

"Sewer World!"

Although not born in New York, Catherine Hepburn had lived there for over half a century and could be considered a long-time New York. Upon hearing the term, she immediately realized that it didn't simply refer to the sewer environment, but rather to a world governed by different rules.

All I know is that it's a place even street kids from Hell's Kitchen think are awful.

Henry nodded and said, "Yes, that's not entirely wrong. It is indeed much worse than the slums in Los Angeles that I've seen. I haven't been to Hell's Kitchen in detail, but I imagine it's not much different."

"This child lives in that kind of place, with one of her friends. Her previous behavior was just because someone paid her to do things, like everyone else."

"But today her friend had an accident and tragically died. So I brought her back, hoping to at least take care of her until she reaches adulthood and can live a normal life."

At this point, Henry brought up his original idea again. "Since it was my decision to bring him back, I originally wanted to rent or buy a house outside so we could live together."

"At first, I thought she was a boy. Living with a grown man like me shouldn't be a big problem. Now that I know she's a girl, maybe I should help her find a suitable foster family?"

Ignoring her mouth full of food, the girl shouted excitedly, "No! I won't go to a foster family! If you don't want to take care of me, just throw me back on the streets. I know how to survive."

"So you're willing to stay?" Henry looked at the child strangely. Did this mean that, given the worst option, the second worst became acceptable?

The girl realized her statement was problematic and changed her tune, saying, "No! I don't want to either. Just give me any clothes and let me go. Even if it's impossible, I'll accept going out naked."

The old woman clapped her hands twice and said reproachfully, "Polite language! How can you let a girl walk out like that?"

At the same time, Catherine Hepburn said to Henry, "Son, you don't need to think about moving out. There are still rooms in the house, and having another girl is no big deal. I'd worry if you were to live alone with her."

Given the girl's strong resistance to her foster family, how could Catherine Hepburn not have guessed something?

One of my good friends did a lot for children's welfare around the world in the last few years of his life, and even became a United Nations Children's Fund Goodwill Ambassador.

Why is child welfare still an issue that needs attention? Because vulnerable children are powerless to mount any effective resistance against adults.

Despite the tireless efforts of countless social welfare volunteers, it is impossible to prevent children from suffering unfair treatment in their families of origin or in foster care.

Like the girl in front of us, very few children dare to run away from home and live in the sewers. The vast majority of children silently endure violence, just like the cruel social experiments conducted by psychologist Harry Harlow with the Ganges River.

Catherine Hepburn certainly supported Henry's decision to take the child away from the Sewer World. Rather than having the two of them live separately, it was better to keep the child under her nose. At least the house would be more lively, and she would be happier.

So the girl's fate was decided arbitrarily by two unrelated adults.

Neither of them felt there was anything wrong with it. After all, the other person was a minor, and if she was unwilling to cooperate, she would have to go into the government's social welfare system. In any case, they couldn't send her back to the streets or a place like the Sewer World.

"Child, what's your name?" Catherine Hepburn asked. "You must have a name or a way of addressing you. Otherwise, what will your friends call you?"

Perhaps it was the old lady's approachable nature, a quality that set her apart from a grown man like Henry. So, after a moment's hesitation, the girl finally answered, "Putz."

Putz, derived from Irish, means "stern." Catherine Hepburn then asked, "That doesn't sound like a name, it's a surname. And what's your full name, child?"

The girl, in a fit of despair, said, "Mary Sue Putz."

"Mary Sue!" Henry, who knew the girl's full name, couldn't help but chuckle.

The term originates from a spin-off novel of Star Trek published in 1973. It describes an omnipotent, overly idealized character type, embodying the author's and reader's perfect ideal projection, tolerating no flaws whatsoever.

There's no doubt that the term "Mary Sue" carries a derogatory connotation these days. It represents a character so perfect that she can only have superficial moments, which is why Henry scoffed at it.

This laughter, of course, displeased the girl. She angrily said, "That's exactly why I don't like this name. Besides, it was the orphanage that gave me this name, not my biological parents."

Towards the end, the girl seemed a little dejected. She added, "Don't call me that, I don't like it."

The old lady readily agreed. "Okay, okay, so how would you like us to call you?"

"Just call me Skye, Skye is fine," the girl said firmly.

To remember her deceased friend, she decided to live by that name. Doing so also meant that the friend would live on with her.

Of course, not necessarily here. If she could run away from home for the nth time, she would still live under the name "Skye".

Henry, upon hearing the girl's words, was speechless. Could it be... he'd really picked up Quake?

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