The Royal Contract

Her fingers tightened at the stroller as she pushed it up the street. It was a short, mild uphill climb to their destination.

But first, she had to make some stops. So far, she had one more. "We are here," Sarah whispered to her daughter as she pushed her inside the shop.

They were in a shop, buying some sweet treats for Grandmama Angela. She always loved cakes, pies, and tarts. She could not live without them.

The shop was between her house and the park. Usually, she would order before bringing Luisa to the playground. Then, she would pick it up on their way back home.

"Hi, Leslie. What is your special today?" She asked the young lady who assisted the customers.

She checked the freshly baked goodies on the display glass counter while smelling the delicious scents. She could already see a few she would like to try.

"We have several to choose from." Leslie showed her their new bread and cakes on display.

"Hey, Luisa. I think I have something for you." The sales lady moved behind the counter and pulled something from under it.

Then when she returned, she had a gorgeous pink tiara for her. "This is for you." She placed it on top of her daughter's head.

"Now, you look like a real princess," Leslie said, giggling when Luisa reacted with a beautiful smile.

She could not help but think of what the young woman said. If only they knew the truth. But Leslie had no idea.

"Thanks, Leslie, but you did not have to do that." She said, grateful for the friendly people she had met.

"That is ok, Ms. Richmond. We made several baby cakes. That was the extra that we don't need anymore." She explained.

Their interaction was interrupted when new customers entered the store. She listed the items she would buy and gave the list to Leslie.

"She is so beautiful." The couple beside them commented as they stooped down and stared at her child inside her stroller.

She could not help but be proud of her little bundle of joy. Indeed, she was a gorgeous child, taking up most of the attractive features of her father.

Damn! Why did she have to think of him? But how could she not when she saw him every time she looked at their daughter?

Of course, her daughter also inherited some of her features, but the attributes of her father were more prominent. Sometimes, she could see telltale signs of his mannerism too.

"Thanks." She responded to the young couple. "Do you have kids?" She asked, trying to be polite to her new neighbors.

She had noticed them before. She saw them move into the house not far from her place.

"No, we don't have yet. But we are already expecting one." The younger woman excitedly declared as she held on to her flat tummy.

"We are just newlywed." The husband stated, both excited and nervous. "Is it hard to care for a child?" He suddenly asked.

"Oh, that is wonderful. Congratulations!" She always thought that babies were gifts that they should be thankful for.

Despite what happened to her, she knew she was still lucky. Many had dreamt of having a child but sadly failed to produce one. She might not have a husband, but she did not mind as long as she had a healthy and beautiful baby girl.

"And I won't lie to you. It is not easy to raise a child, but if you work together, it would be a piece of cake." She told them.

At least they had each other to get through the hard times. But she was not alone. She had Angela, Bea, and Goliath to keep her company.

They discussed a few more things before they eventually exchanged numbers. She paid for her orders and went on her way.

"Here we are." She said to her daughter, who already had a bright smile on her tiny adorable face.

One of the factors she took into consideration when she chose this place was the community. It is a small one that would seem to know almost everybody.

Most of what she needed was closed by, accessible by walking, including this park, a grocery, the pastry shop, and a couple more small specialty shops.

Moreover, she liked that the hospital and other government facilities were just a few minutes from her place. In addition, her work was also nearby.

"Sarah, come over here." Although she never liked making friends. Since she had Luisa, she felt obligated to be friendly.

But somehow, she learned to like chatting with them as they talked about their kids. "What is going on?" She asked, picking up something unusual in their group.

She was slightly late due to the couple. So she might have missed something. She parked Luisa's stroller on the side and took her child into the big playpen where she could crawl with the other kids.

"You were late, but not that late." One of the mothers she bonded with pointed to someone on the other side of the play area.

"He is new around here. A widower." Another mother giggled dreamily.

"Stop staring because he might notice." Sarah looked mortified when the man suddenly looked in her direction just when she glanced his way.

"I can't. Don't you see? Those eyes and that body?" Her new friend said as she continued to ogle at the man.

"Hey, you are already happily married." Her friend argued, pointing out his great husband.

"Have you seen the guy and my hubby? Just for one day, I wish he would look like that." Her friend said in wishful thinking.

She had never met her husband or any of their husbands. But from their conversations, they seemed to be happily married.

"Why don't you let Sarah have him?" Her other friend said. "Besides, they are perfect. Both of them lost their partners early in life."

She was not expecting she would end up in a matchmaking session. "You know, girls. I don't think that is such a good idea."

She agreed with the girls, he looked attractive, but sadly, she was not searching for a partner. Besides, she did not come here to hook up with the first available man.

"No. That is not necessary." She quickly shook her head, telling them to stop fixing her to the guy. "I am sure that guy is not over the death of his wife. So, we should not bother him."

She tried to convince her friends that she did not need to go on a date with a widower. But it seemed her new friends would not stop until they had set her up.

"Don't be ridiculous. I heard it had been over a year ago. And the guy had been on his first date, but it did not work out." Her friend informed them of what she gathered from the grapevine.

"Seriously, girls, you need another hobby." Sarah interrupted, both amused and scared of the abilities of these ladies. "You can't snoop around another person's life."

But she knew they were just normal wives and mothers who had too much time on their hands. They could not help but gossip in their spare time.

"Say's the reporter." One of the mothers commented, making her smile and chuckle with them.

"Fine," Sarah conceded. If there was someone who loved to poke her nose on none of her business, it was her. "But please, do not set me up, guys." She pleaded with them.

Finally, she and her new friends started talking about other things. One thing she liked about this group, she learned new beneficial insights on how she could raise her daughter.

As a first-time mother, navigating into her new life, motherhood, and career was challenging without help.

Although Angela was there to guide her, she still needed new input from mothers, more or less, her similar age.

"Why not?" Her other friend questioned, still unconvinced about her lack of interest. "You are still beautiful, young, and attractive. And very talented. So, why not try to date again?"

That sounded nice, but finding another man was not in her books. "I don't think I am ready for another commitment. Besides, I wish to enjoy my single life and my daughter." And among other reasons, she could not say or even admit to herself.

"Anyway, I am telling you. You are making a mistake." One of her friends reiterated. "If I am you, I will give it a try. One date will not hurt."

She could not help but laugh at her friends' effort to hook her up with a guy. "But I don't even know him. He might not be interested in me." Not that she was.

She just wanted to show her friends their suggestions sounded ridiculous. Nevertheless, she was glad that playtime would soon be over. She could return inside her house to clean for the rest of the day.

That was her routine every weekend when she had no work. And today, she was sticking to it.

"We can fix that." Her friend suddenly waved her hand, and the man smiled and strode towards them, carrying a handsome boy in his muscular arms.

It was too late to escape when her friends put her on the spot. It appeared it was a setup.

"He had been asking about you. He might slightly know you, but you can get to know him now." Her friend said, slightly looking guilty this time.

"What did you do?" She asked, as she suddenly wanted to strangle her.

"I just said I will introduce the two of you. The rest is up to you guys." She whispered before the man stood before them, greeting everybody.

Indeed, up close, he seemed to be a charming man. But he was still a handsome stranger she had no interest in knowing.