Royals in Toledo

Chapter 8

"Come. Let's wash your hands."

Reluctantly, he pulled me towards the bathroom. He held my arm while we walked, and when we reached the bathroom, he turned on the faucet and removed my gloves. He threw them in the trash.

"Why are you even wearing gloves? The linen is not that dirty. I only slept there for a few hours."

I wanted to tell him that he just slept there with his woman, but I restrained myself, fearing that I would get fired.

"I was going to, uh, clean the bathroom." That was my lame excuse, hoping it would pass.

He looked amused. Aaron grabbed the towel from the side and dried my hands. I could have done that myself, but my heart was pounding now. His presence makes it hard for me to breathe. Why is he being kind to me?

"Okay. Start cleaning the bathroom then while I change."

He left me in the bathroom, and as the door closed, my heart slowly returned to its normal rhythm. I spent the next fifteen minutes in the bathroom and when I got out to get fresh towels from the closet, I was surprised to see that he was still in the bedroom. He was sitting on a chair while reading a magazine. Unlike earlier, he was already dressed casually with linen shorts and a white collared shirt. Aaron looked breathtaking with his hair combed neatly without the gel on.

I cleared my throat and said, "I'm done in the bathroom. I'll change the linens now."

"Okay. I will help you." He closed the magazine he was reading and placed it on the side. He stood up and walked towards me.

I suddenly panicked. "No, you don't have to. I can manage— It's my job."

He raised a brow. "We're just going to change the beddings. Why do I have a feeling you don't want to be in the same room with me? Do I scare you?"

I swallowed. "No. Of course not, Sir. I just— I just think you have better things to do than help me change the sheets."

Before he could answer, his phone rang. He took the cellphone from the side table and answered the call as he walked towards the door.

I had so many thoughts lingering in my mind that I didn't notice I had finished making his bed. I took the dirty linen and put it in the basket, then head out.

***

At the wet market...

One of the old drivers, Adolfo, took me and Carmen to the market. I eat Paella, but I don't know how to make it and that's why I am thankful that all we had to do was get the ingredients. The truth is, I've only seen pictures of the wet market. I have never been to one.

"This is as far as the car will go. I will park here and wait for both of you," said Adolfo.

There were so many people in the market, and it was very noisy. Everyone wanted to buy the goods. But what shocked me was the smell— it was very foul, as if there was rotten fish.

"What is that smell?" I asked Carmen.

She looked surprised at me. "You haven't been to the market before?" I shook my head. "That's the smell of the canal. It's where they throw the used water after they wash the fish and other things. Even if they pour clean water every day, they can't get rid of that smell. That's just how the market smells."

"I'm new to Toledo. Whenever we go shopping, we go to the supermarket, so it's clean and odorless."

"Oh, that's more expensive there. Here, you can bargain with the vendors. Anyway, since it's your first time here, just stick with me, or you might get lost. The distance between the stalls is small but they are too many of them."

We both had our own reusable bags. We brought a few in case we bought more than what was on the cook's list. Carmen was right. The market had different kinds of stores. At the front, there were mostly vegetables and fruits. As we went further inside, there were more stores selling trinkets, cheap clothes, shoes, and slippers. I knew they were fake because, first, the material was too thin, and second, the logos on those shoes were brighter than the original.

"Those are not the real thing, but for people who don't have a lot of money, they would do," said Carmen.

Next, we passed by stalls with colorful handmade bracelets and earrings. They caught my attention, so I stopped walking and touched a turquoise-colored one.

"These are beautiful," I complimented the goods.

The vendor smiled. "Thank you. I made them myself. It started as just a little hobby until someone told me I could make some money to pay for my mom's medicines."

I felt sorry for her. She looked very young, maybe sixteen? Seventeen? I wanted to ask for more details to see how I could help, but then I remembered that I didn't have any money either. All I could do was support her business.

"Which ones would you like to buy? I think the blue ones would look good on you."

"It's really pretty, but I don't have money on me right now," I said to her. I saw the sadness in her eyes. I couldn't afford to disappoint her.

"We have to go get the ingredients. Sorry, young girl," Carmen said to the vendor. "We'll just come back. We're in a hurry."

We walked away from her stall, and as we walked, I promised myself that I would come back to the market and buy her products. Other vendors were coughing. Some had children with them instead of being in school and studying. I am aware that not everyone outside the castles is comfortable, and I have heard of families struggling to make ends meet. But this is the reality. When I get the opportunity to improve their lives, I will talk to my parents and explore ways to help.