The Royal Contract

It was like it was a serious matter from her vantage point. It looked like there was a familiarity in their movement. But then again, she might be putting colors to something that might not have any meaning.

“Did Marcus and Haley know each other?” She finally decided to turn to her husband, who was walking alongside her.

From the look on his face, he might be as clueless as she was, shrugging his shoulders at her. She figured she would find out for herself as they neared the two, who were still unaware of their presence.

She turned at her back and could not see any sign of Jacky. She might know something that she did not know. Anyway, she continued to walk until they were just a couple of meters away.

“I don’t know what you mean.” She heard Marcus with slight annoyance in his voice while his face was mildly irritated.

But he quickly smiled and stopped whatever he was saying when he realized they had company, immediately turning around to greet them.

.....

However, he had this look that reminded her of the saying about a hand caught in a cookie jar. He looked guilty for something. What it was, she had no idea.

“Hi, Dani. Happy birthday!” Greeting her with a kiss before he turned to her husband.

“Happy birthday, Dani!” Haley also did the same, giving her a hug and a kiss.

“Do you two know each other?” She finally asked, unable to control her curiosity as her eyes shifted from one to the other.

She noticed the two glanced at each other before they answered almost simultaneously.

“We do,” Haley said first.

“We do,” Marcus answered next. “But we have not seen each other for a while.” Marcus again continued as if explaining their connection.

Her eyes continued to study them but lost her focus when a loud shouting at her back caught her attention. Some kids were fighting over a ball.

“Will excuse me for a minute?” Dani moved away from the group as her interest shifted to the commotion on her back.

Now, one young girl started crying then a young boy also followed suit. She walked closer, kneeling before the girl who had her doll in one hand while the other was busy wiping the tears on her face.

“What is going on? Why are you crying?” She asked, gently pulling the girl near her.

The young girl did not respond right away but continued to cry, pointing to the young boy, who was also sobbing on her other side.

“Are you fighting because of the ball?” She concluded. Then, she moved to the other boy, asking him the same thing. The boy had the ball securely in his hands while he had cried his heart out.

“Now, now. Stop crying.” She whispered soothing words to the two, running her hands on the young girl’s hair, hoping to calm her down. She inspected both children for injuries. Thankfully, there were none.

“What is your name?” She asked the boy who was the first to stop crying. She offered him a tissue that she took out of her purse and allowed him to wipe it on his face.

She took out another one and wiped the girl’s face as she also tried to calm down. She could now see that the young one was pretty, removing the hairs sticking on her wet, teary face.

“Aira.” The young girl answered in between her sobs.

Then, she turned to the boy, asking the same question. “Aries.” He answered her, his voice almost back to normal.

She finally could see the resemblance between the two. She concluded that they might be twins or siblings at the most. Now, she found them adorable as she stood in between them.

“Who wants to tell me what happened?” She asked the two, then the boy raised his hand first, followed by her sister. “Ok. You first.” She pointed to the boy. “Were you fighting?”

“No, it was an accident.” The boy said in his tiny voice, explaining to her the incident. “I was running when she accidentally stood in front of me. Then we bumped into each other.”

“Was anyone hurt?” She asked the two, shifting her attention from one to the other. The two nodded. They started pointing at their heads, but she did not see any bruises.

She concluded that it might be the shock of the experience more than the pain that made them cry. But from her point of view, the two kids seemed to be ok.

“I think I might have a good remedy for that.” She pointed to both of their heads. “Will you stop crying and wait for me here while I get it?” She asked the twins.

“I don’t want any injections. That hurt.” The boy quickly replied, afraid that she might give him the shots.

“I don’t want to drink that disgusting medicine.” The girl also chorused her brother.

She could not blame them because she also did not like those things. Fortunately, it was not the medicine she had in mind. “I think you will like this one.” She assured them before moving away from them to make a quick run.

By the time she got back, she had found her husband sitting with the twins. They had moved closer to the fountain, sitting on the bench. With Aira sitting on his lap with her doll and Aries listening to him attentively.

She could not help but admire the scene, imagining her husband with their two kids while she bought them some delicious treat. The kids looked so entranced with him as they listened to him attentively.

“Hey! I am back.” She greeted the kids and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. It certainly felt like they were one big happy family as she handed a lollipop to each one, thanking her with a hug.

Their smiles were enough to light up their faces. All traces of their cries disappeared as they quickly removed the cover of the sweet treat.

But what caught her eyes more was how they looked at her husband with adoration in their young eyes. She believed that her husband was right. They were ready to be a parent.