Page 10 of River
CHAPTER 3
The Bazaar
River
After a week of working with Maximum in the orphanage, I still hadn’t gotten used to the awful condition of the place. Maximum held meetings with contractors, but the mold problems were part of a bigger problem with a lack of ventilation and an old roof that leaked. We were waiting for a price on how much it would cost to paint all the walls inside and out, have new windows installed, and replace the roof.
Most of the eighteen children were adorable, but there was a seven-month-old baby that wouldn’t stop crying, and a girl around eight who was so shy that I still hadn’t connected with her. The other children, however, were happy, chatty, and eager to learn how to speak English.
Maya had routines that we helped her follow, which involved sending the school-age children off in the morning and running errands while they were gone. In the afternoons, we offered different activities. I taught dancing, helped with English homework, and played with the little ones. Maximum played ball with the children in the open courtyard, installed new software on the laptops they had available, and taught classes in math and science. Seeing him teach brought back memories from the years his father, Conor, had taught us at the Red Manor. Both Conor’s biological sons resembled him in looks and if Atlas weren’t three years older than Maximum it would have been easy to assume that they were twins. They had the same hair and eye color, but Maximum was taller and more well-muscled.
Unlike his father, my adopted brother was patient and kind. It was clear that the children adored him as much as I did.
He’d been right when he told me time passed fast and before I knew it, a full week had gone by.
“I have an idea,” I said as we sent the children off to school one morning. “How about we take them to one of the fancy resorts for a day at the pool? I looked it up, and there’s a large Marriott resort down by the beach. It has four large pools with slides and all sorts of activities. I’m happy to walk over there and pay for the kids to play for a few hours.”
“No.” Maximum shook his head.
“Why not?”
He closed the door after we’d waved the children off to school. “Because exposing them to resorts like that won’t do anything good.”
“They’ll have fun in the water.”
“River, it’s a sweet thought, but those places are for rich tourists, not local orphans, and they wouldn’t feel at ease. Trust me, I made that mistake in India, and it was a catastrophe.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s like…” Maximum walked over to pick up little Marcus, the seven-month-old boy who often cried. “Remember how shocked you were when you came here and saw how they live?”
“Yes.”
“It’s the same the other way around. These children were saved from conditions similar or worse than what they have here. They don’t have a concept of the kind of luxury that you live in back in London. The first time I volunteered in India, I thought it was a kind gesture when I booked a villa in a fine resort and gave the children a vacation, but the other guests complained about how noisy and unmannered the orphans were and we ended up being asked to leave. I’d opened their eyes to not only how other people lived but also how dirty and disgusting their living conditions were. Sometimes, ignorant bliss is just better. At least until we can offer them something better permanently.”
“All right, but what about a day at the beach, at least?”
Maximum rocked the baby in his arms, and the boy seemed content for once. “I’d be up for that, but we’re not taking all eighteen at once.”
“The babies could stay here with Maya.”
“Tell you what.” Maximum smiled. “How about we split it over two days and take a group of eight kids each day? I don’t know if they can swim and I’m more comfortable keeping an eye on eight children than sixteen.” His eyes went to the kitchen. “We can prepare some snacks and do a picnic on the beach.”
“Or we could treat them to ice cream and burgers while we’re out?”
Maximum nodded his head with a soft expression on his face. “Let’s not do it today, but this weekend instead. It will give the children something to look forward to, and then we can stay more hours on the beach.”
“All right, but Max, I’ve seen their towels, and I want to buy them real beach towels and buckets to build sandcastles.”
“You want to head down to the market now?”
I lit up. The Bazaar was one of my favorite places, with tiny shops side by side in narrow streets full of colors from all their merchandise. “Let’s ask Maya if she needs anything before we go.”
Maya loved the idea of our taking the children to the beach this weekend, and she reached out her arms for Marcus when Maximum told her we were going to the market to get supplies.
Ten minutes later, Maximum and I strolled through the marketplace. It was hard for me to focus on towels and sand gear when there were so many cute shops with jewelry, shawls, hats, and clothing.
Maximum lost his patience with me after a while and pointed ahead. “I see towels. I’ll meet you up there.”
