The Royal Contract

Overall, in her observation, the place might have been great when first built. But now, it might need a grand makeover to get it back into shape. However, she knew that renovation was never in the budget since the nuns could hardly keep up with the expenses of the orphaned kids.

“Hey! I know I will find you here.” A familiar voice spoke behind her as she sat on a vacant bench by the rose garden.

She had just finished cleaning up the dining area after a messy breakfast. Now, the cooks are already preparing for the next meal. She would help in the kitchen too, but they booted her out.

They said she was better off watching the little ones by the play area, guaranteeing no one got hurt. She guessed she could not blame them. She had made a mess the last time she was there.

“Hey, Sebastian, what are you doing here?” She asked since she was not aware that a kid was sick. “Would you like to sit down?” She offered the space beside her.

Although the bench looked old and the wood seemed like it was about ready to crack, she believed it was still sturdy. It could still accommodate a six-foot-something man.

Crackkkk!

Blagggg!

.....

A loud cracking sound, like two twigs snapping in half, followed by a thud, had left them tumbling down to the rocky cement ground. It happened so fast that they barely had time to react.

All they could do was hold onto each other as they felt the impact on their butt on the solid surface. “Ouch!” They simultaneously cried out, feeling the pain in the fleshy areas of their behinds.

“Are you ok?” The doctor asked as he recovered first and stood up from the floor. Then, he stretched his hand to her, offering his help. “Come on, take my hand.”

“I am good, just a bit shocked.” She admitted, not expecting the bench would give in to their combined weight.

She gradually took his hand and allowed him to assist her back on her footing, helping her remove the debris that clung to her clothes. Then, she watched him inspect her for any injuries.

“I hope you did not sustain any broken bones, or I will need to bring you to the hospital.” He must not have seen anything wrong with her.

“Fortunately, it is just my butt cheeks that are sore.” She confided in him as her hands automatically moved to the painful area at her back. “It must have hit the edge of the seat.” She concluded.

Then, she found herself laughing when she saw the kids gathered around them, probably curious to see what the commotion was all about. Now, they were smiling at their expense.

How could she get mad at their adorable faces? On the other hand, she felt glad to see them smile and even laugh. She had gained so much strength in watching how these kids had defied the odds against them, and they still were happy amidst their circumstances.

“I guessed we find ourselves an audience.” Sebastian also laughed with her at their misfortune. “The show is over, kids. You can go back to having fun elsewhere.”

Then, the little one came closer to them and stood before her while the others returned to their previous activities before the mishap happened. The little girl tagged on her dress, and she automatically bent to her to see what she needed.

She could see how beautiful she was despite the lack of a beautiful dress and slightly messy hair. She guessed she was around six years old. How could a mother or a father abandon their child like that? As if they were just a dog or a kitten that they could throw in a trash can.

“Yes, little angel. Do you need anything?” Serena asked the girl, who smiled at her with her two missing front teeth.

Suddenly, she remembered the boy she had met in the street who lived in the dirty alley. He had run away from an orphanage like this and foster homes because the system was not sufficient and efficient in caring for a child’s needs.

But, of course, she could never blame the nuns or the other organizers of such facilities for their lack of capabilities. She could see they were trying very hard, but the circumstances were insurmountable. They needed more help, but the aid was not coming or, most of the time, never enough.

“Can I give this to you?” The little girl pulled out a flower that she hid behind her back with her other tiny hand. “You are so beautiful even if your butt hurts.” The child said innocently, which made her burst into a wide smile.

“But you are also beautiful.” She said as she stared into the child’s eyes. She pulled one rose from the bunch and asked the doctor to cut the stem. Then she plucked the thorns with her fingernails, careful not to hurt herself.

Once done, she pushed the girl’s long hair behind her ears and inserted the flower between them. She looked more radiant than before as her face lit up with her compliment.

“I do?” She asked, still with a slight hesitancy. “But Leo said I looked like a monkey when I cry or hurt or sad. But you still look like Barbie.”

She had never looked at herself as the figure doll. But maybe she had become one when she had allowed other people to dress her, dictate her actions, and control her life.

She had become a puppet trapped in her body while someone else held the strings that told her when to act and dance and what to say. But now, she was taking her life back.

“But I am not one. And you are more beautiful than all the Barbies in the world. So, you don’t forget that.” She lowered herself until she could kiss her on the cheeks. “Thanks for this.” Showing her the flowers. “Now, go and play with your friends.”

She watched the little girl run along until she was laughing with the other girls on the seesaw, having the time of their lives. Somehow, she envied them. She never experienced enjoying a life of freedom when she was a child. And not when she had grown up.

“You already check on me. Who is checking your condition?” Serena turned her attention to the doctor. “Do you feel pain in any part of your body?” She asked, acting like a doctor with a medical chart in her hands.

“I think my back hurts, doctor.” Sebastian played along with her. “Would you mind checking me out?” It sounded more like an invitation rather than a complaint.

“Which part of your back?” She asked as she moved to his behind, looking at the outline of his muscles that showed in his white shirt.

Were doctors usually looked like this in real life? Or was he an exception? She thought doctors were older men with saggy faces and a slight belly protruding from their middle section.

But he was perfect, a man that seemed to have come out of a hot men’s magazine. She could not help how many female patients had faked illnesses to see him. She might as well assume it was more than she could count.

“If you give me your hand, I can show you.” He suggested with a wink.

“I don’t think it will be necessary since I have an X-ray vision, and I can see that you only have flesh wounds. Don’t worry. You will live.”

She pretended to prescribe him medication using her imaginary pad and handed it to him. “All you need is some hot compress and a few massages, and it will all be better sooner than you think.”

“You look like a natural. You almost made me believe. I felt naked underneath your scrutiny.” He covered his body with his arms as if hiding them from her watchful eyes.

“I played this role in one of my movies,” Serena explained to him as they finally walked and searched for a new place to sit. Then they found a stone bench that was probably more reliable this time.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” Sebastian looked down at his fingers as he mulled over his next question.

“As long as it did not involve math or science, I guess you can ask me one or two.” She smiled at him as she monitored the kids assigned to her, especially the little ones.

“Do you think when you are ready? You would want to go out with a man like me.” He finally turned to face her as he waited for an answer.

She contemplated his question. It was not whether she would go out with him. She believed any girl would be lucky to date or even be in a relationship with a man like him. He seemed to be a great guy, a successful doctor, and single.

Still, that was not the reason she turned him down the first time. Or the second. She questioned whether she would ever be ready to fall in love again after all her heartaches.

And whether she would ever forget the man that she left behind.

Should she try again and risk her heart for another painful heartache?

Or was she better off single for the rest of her life?