The Royal Contract

He hardly slept last night, thinking of the unexpected incident. He did not expect to run into her through the lost child he tried to help. But as expected, she was with that man again.

Despite his troubled thoughts, he managed a short nap in the early dawn. He could only attribute that to fatigue, if not to anything else. At least his body had regained strength to catch his next flight home.

"Ok. Thanks." He answered his phone when someone from the airline informed him that they were resuming their flights.

But why was he hesitating to book his flight? "Can I call you back in a few minutes?" He ended the call without confirming that he would take the first flight out of that place.

But why? What was stopping him from leaving?

He looked at the mirror in his room and quickly saw the answer to his question. It was all over his expression. It reflected in his eyes.

There was a reason he could not stop thinking of her. She was the reason he was still here, hoping. He knew why he could not leave.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked the man that looked unsure in front of him.

Of course, he was afraid. But that was why he had lost the woman he loved to another man. But was it too late? Or should he try to fight for her?

He believed he saw it last night. That was why he could not sleep. His mind kept picturing her face. It repeated the glimmered in her eyes when she saw him.

Did he imagine the heart-stopping stare she gave him last night when their eyes first met? He hoped not because it gave him hope. It made him believe he still had a chance with her.

"But you can also be making a mistake." He mumbled to himself, cautioning him to tread lightly and prepare for another heartbreak.

He wished he could guarantee to win her back, but he would not be in this situation if she felt the same as him. Therefore, what could have changed between them?

Was he ready to risk his heart again on that split-second moment their eyes met? That tiny-itsy feeling that he had a chance. But what else did he have to lose?

"I have to cancel my flight at this time. Leave my ticket open until further notice." He called the airline again, informing them that he had no intention of leaving today.

Then, he also informed the front desk that he would be extending his stay. After making all the arrangements, he knew there was no more turning back.

He hailed a taxi and gave the direction to the orphanage. Fortunately, it was not far from where he was staying. In a few minutes, he stood again outside the gates where she recently lived.

"It is you again." The woman who greeted her yesterday found him lurking again on the pavement. She quickly moved toward his direction and smiled. "Welcome back, Adam."

"It is nice to be back, Sister Margaret. You seem to be busy yesterday." He explained, hoping that would be good enough. "I don't want to be in the way."

"I hope you are staying with us longer. I promise you. We are not busy today." Sister Margaret ushered her inside, introducing him to some new faces.

"It is quite noble what you are doing here." He stated, feeling in awe with the sacrifices these women had to go through to save these kids from the street.

"We are mere servants of the Lord. We do only his will." Sister Margaret told him. "But we appreciate that you came back to hopefully aid us in helping these kids."

"I intend to help in my best capacity." That was the truth. "But give me some time to arrange it. In the meantime, I hope you don't mind if I observe the place."

He would like to help this orphanage with whatever it needed. He had supported other charitable institutions before. He believed this was no different.

However, he also had another reason for returning to this place. So far, his eyes had not seen the person he sought. He wondered where she could be. Was she out with that man? Or somewhere inside with him?

Damn! He shouted in his mind. He hated that he sounded like a jealous prick when he never had any right to be in the first place.

"Why don't you join us for lunch this time?" The woman in her white cloth offered. "And I don't take no for an answer."

The woman sounded determined, but her face maintained a friendly smile. Therefore, how could he even say no to that?

"Sure. I will be happy to join you. But I hope I am not a burden. I can earn my keep." He offered, telling the kind elderly lady he could wash dishes or sweep the floor.

"Well..." The woman stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. It seemed she was sizing him up for the work around the place. "Are you sure you are up for it?" The woman challenged him.

He could not help but laugh at the silly face the religious lady gave him. "I assure you that I can do a lot of things. I can even fix your broken chair." Pointing to the wooden stool that they passed by.

"Hmmm..." The woman seemed to be thinking before she finally responded. "Well, we can use a man in the house who could do some fixing around here."

Suddenly, he was surprised at what he had gotten himself into. Was he planning to stay in this place for a long time? What was he thinking? What about his job back home?

And what would Serena think if she saw him working around here? Would she be happy? Or would she think he was invading her space?

"But, of course, we don't want to impose. I think you are a busy man. By the way, if you don't mind me asking. You don't look like a carpenter, but what do you do?" Sister Margaret asked as her eyes once again studied him.

"Yeah, I am not a carpenter. And truthfully, I don't build anything in my work." He rubbed his neck as if suddenly feeling awkward.

"I am sure. Whatever you do. It must be a noble profession." Sister Margaret assured her that there was nothing wrong with what he did.

He did not know why he felt small about his profession. "I am a lawyer." But despite what people thought of lawyers, he tried to do good by using his skills.

"Wow. I was not expecting that." The woman said. "I am not saying you don't look like you can be one. I am just saying that you look a bit nicer than a lawyer."

Judging from that statement, he would deduce that the Sister had a bad experience with one. Now, he wondered what it could be.

"I assure you there are much nicer lawyers than I am." He suddenly remembered Dani. If there could be a lawyer saint, it would be her.

"I also met a few, but..." She was saying, but she quickly stopped. "Never mind. Come on. I want you to meet the rest of the people inside before they serve lunch."

Now, he wondered what could have happened in this orphanage for the Sister to have a bad experience with a lawyer.

He could already picture several scenarios in his head. Maybe some lawyers mishandled the children's cases in the justice system.

Or maybe some lawyers were pressuring the Sisters to sell the land to some greedy developer. That was not unusual. He had seen many cases of that.

But he guessed he still needed to earn their trust before they would trust him with their secrets. In the meantime, it was better for him to concentrate on his task.

"I want you to meet Sister Nenita." Sister Margaret introduced another nun to him. "This is Adam."

The other woman immediately greeted him with a pleasant smile, making him more at home in this place. Then, suddenly behind her, another woman appeared in his line of sight. It was her.

"Serena, come over here. I want you to meet someone." Sister Nenita called her.

Finally, the other woman looked up and saw him. But instead of surprised, her face registered gladness to see him. She quickly let go of whatever she held in her gentle hands and moved toward them.

"You came." She said before anyone could introduce them. "I am so glad to see you."

He could see the genuine happiness that spread on her face. But he did not want to put any meaning to that, except for two reunited friends.

"You know him, Serena." Sister Margaret was the first to show her surprise at the unexpected event.

"Yes, he is my friend back home, Adam." Serena quickly told the Sisters. "He is the one that I was telling you about last night. He found Favio and took care of him."

Sister Nenita nodded in understanding. "Oh! That was you. Thank you, Adam." The other woman quickly hugged him to show her appreciation. "I am glad that you decided to drop by."

"I invited him to join us today. And I am glad you made it." Serena said, looking thrilled to see him.

He could not stop his heart from hoping from what he was seeing and feeling. He knew he should be careful, but his heart did not mind being wreckless for a change. What was wrong with that?