GRACE
“It would be amazing if you got that job!” I glared at Sam. “What?” she asked, her mouth filled with popcorn.
“The other day, you were against babysitting. You didn’t think it was so befitting for someone like me.”
She rolled her eyes as though I was lying against her.
“Of course, it does not fit you. But since you’ll be babysitting in a rich home, it is the best job you could probably have.”
“Money does change people’s minds faster than a snake bites.” As I threw some popcorn into my mouth, the movie playing on the television became distant to my ears because I recalled something. “It has been two days and I have not received a call. What if I didn’t qualify for the job?”
“You have to chill, girl. Whether you get the job or not, you will be called or texted at least.”
I agreed with her with a nod and assured myself to stay calm. I have been acting out of place because I keep worrying about not getting the job.
It seems as though I am sure that I will fall into devastation again if I don’t get the job.
Anyway... speaking of staying calm, my mind travelled to Mr. Powers, the fine man I almost tripped for at the hotel.
I recalled the beauty of his eyes and my insides softened, that is something my sober self hasn’t felt towards men in a long while. But I soon pulled myself together as I reasoned out that he is one of those fine men you see just once in your lifetime. They are the types that leave your head in chaos when you randomly recall a freaking handsome man you once saw somewhere.
So, I told my brain to stop planning my wedding to Mr. Powers. Though there is no denying that seeing his fine face would be nice, meeting him again is a very slim occurrence.
I hugged the bowl in my hands to my chest and proceeded with indulging myself in my fantasy. I know, I just told my brain to not do it, but I can’t help it.
“Uh oh... I have not seen that look on your face since Kyle.”
On hearing that name, my fantasy fell like a fragile plate and shattered into a thousand pieces.
“Sam, you know I don’t like hearing that name,” I said, my voice almost a whisper. The jelly feeling inside me was quickly replaced with intense heaviness.
“Grace...” I gave Samantha a warning glare before she could say anything more.
“I don’t want to hear his name.”
“But...”
My phone’s ringtone interrupted whatever she was about to say. I picked it up and saw that it displayed PRIVATE NUMBER boldly on its screen. Even though on a normal day, I would ignore the call, I accepted the call since I was expecting one.
“Hello?”
‘Grace Sands?’ The way the man on the other side said my name though...
“Yes, this is her.”
‘You have been selected to be Ruby’s babysitter. You are to report to the penthouse tomorrow by one pm for your training.’
“Really?” I could finally relax. “Thank you very much, sir.”
‘Do. Not. Be. Late.’ His voice. It was so... I have no idea what to term it as.
But there was a need to know who I was speaking to.
“Who am I...?” The call ended before I could complete my question. A bit annoyed, I removed the phone from my ear and stared at the blank screen for a few seconds.
He really hung up.
I don’t want to be that person that quickly judges a man so quickly, but what an attitude!
“Who was that?”
“I do not know. But I got the job.”
Sam’s face lit up. “Really? Yay! I knew it! Congrats, girl!” She was more excited than me.
“Thanks. I hope this turns out to be interesting though.”
“What if it turns out to be a boring task?”
I shrugged. “I’ll probably quit.”
“No, no. You are not quitting. You won’t have to. Rich people have the most drama, so things will be fun.” Sam was certainly in for the money and gossip. “So who are you babysitting?” she asked.
“A girl named Ruby.”
“She sounds cute. Have fun.” Her face became serious. “I hope this means no more of your night drama.”
“Yes, it does. I promise.”
She gave me a short smile and immediately threw me into her arms for a huge embrace.
********
“I am surely going to miss working here. Ruby is a great darling, so you will love babysitting her.” I smiled at Fiona, the lady who had interviewed me. It turned out she was Ruby’s nanny.
“Fiona?” The woman faced me. “Why are you quitting this job? It seems you love it a lot.”
She sat down on a stool in the kitchen and I settled beside her.
We had just finished my training. I was introduced to the whole house and was given a list of Ruby’s likes and dislikes and a calendar highlighting her daily activities.
“Well, my husband has finally retired from the military and I would love to spend some time with him. It has been so long since we had a proper life together.”
“You must miss him so much.” Fiona’s smile agreed with me. “For how many years have you been Ruby’s nanny?”
“Ever since she has been born. So, five, almost six years, if my Maths is right.”
“Whoa. Ever since she has been born? Why? Isn’t her mother around or something?”
Fiona immediately jolted as though something sparked inside her. “Grace! You are a nice lady and I want you to babysit Ruby for as long as possible. But if you want to keep this job, you must mind your business. Their family is no issue of yours. Just do your job and get paid. Okay?”
“Uh... yes. Alright. Mind my business.” Maybe Sam was right. They are probably one of those rich families with secrets.
Instantly Fiona switched from her concerned mother-giving advice mode to a cheerful youth mode. “Speaking of getting paid, your monthly salary is five thousand dollars. And it is likely to increase if you do a great job after three months.”
If I were drinking water right at that moment, I would have choked.
Uh? Five thousand dollars for babysitting?
Fiona chuckled at my bulged eyes.
“You have no idea how much I am being paid,” she said. “Just enjoy your job and the pay. As I said earlier, Ruby is an angel, so you will have no issue with her.”
I accepted everything Fiona told me and believed it. But after some seconds of silence, I voiced my concern. “I have a question. Why does Ruby have to go to another floor to get schooled? It is called homeschooling for a reason.”
“That is how her teacher wants it. He says it is more convenient for him since he is in a wheelchair. I had my worries too since the teacher is a grown male, so I usually sit with them throughout the lesson. But as you know, I had to put you through your duties today, so I sent the housekeeper instead.”
I reserved the rest of my comment. “If that is the case, I am more than ready to start working.”
GRACEFiona got off the stool and walked towards the exit. “It is almost three o’clock, Ruby should be on her way now.” I stood up and followed her. And when she stopped walking and raised a finger in mid-air, I stopped as well. But I didn’t raise my finger.“Ruby’s father will be back around seven pm so you have to stay till then. But make sure that you resume early tomorrow. You need to be here by seven AM. If you can come earlier, that would be nice.”“Thank you, Fiona.”Our walking resumed and as we reached the grand living room, the front door opened and a little girl appeared.She fully walked into the room, and my entire face lit up with a huge smile.The little girl was very pretty. Donned in a black gown top that carried a pink flower in its centre and blue leggings, the girl made noise with her flip-flops as she ran towards Fiona.“There is my baby.” Fiona hugged her to her bosom, almost burying the girl with her love and... her chest. When she dropped her, Ruby faced me. He
GRACE“Huh?” Samantha did not hide her surprise.Okay, right now, I might be shooting myself in the leg. I need to resume by seven am and I’m yet to be in bed even though it is a few minutes to midnight.I am currently chatting with Samantha and David, empty boxes of pizza sprawled on the table in front of us.The two of them surprisingly showed up at my door a few minutes before eight. Though it took them a few minutes to get used to each other, they were soon bonding over small talk and pizza. And I quickly forgot about my desire to fall asleep.In the midst of all that was happening, I told them about my boss. It was that information that Samantha was reacting to.“The very Dominic Powers?” Samantha was close to jumping off the couch.“Dom, Dom, what now?” I sounded uninterested but my insides were desperate for some information. It seemed Samantha knew something huge about my new boss. But Sam didn’t appreciate my tone and smacked my arm in a flash. “Ouch.”“That is what you get f
GRACEA short laugh and I gave in to her pulls. I hurried after her little figure and as we approached the elevator after closing the door, I wondered what could be so exciting about the pool.And when we arrived at the pool site, I saw what the rave was about.The swimming pool, while having a bit of gold in its features, was accompanied by a freaking huge slide that was positioned at a height I would not dare to reach without the assistance of the attached ladder.As my widened eyes scanned the grandeur of the indoor pool, I began to wish that I brought my swimsuit. The peaceful water was tempting enough to pull me. But so was the largeness.Gosh... This is what I’d like to call a proper display of money.“I don’t think you will shwim,” Ruby commented as she put down her juice box.“I wish I could right now,” I mumbled to myself. And when I realised Ruby was still waiting for an answer, I looked down at her. “I wish I could. But, don’t worry, I’ll roll up the legs of my trousers and
GRACE“I feel like I should prank Daddy.”Swiftly, I faced Ruby who sat still, nibbling on what was left of her cookie as if she just didn’t say something about pranking her father.We were at her ballet academy, waiting for her session to begin.“Ruby, why do you want to prank your Dad?”She clapped her hands to shake off the cookie crumbs, swinging her legs which barely touched the ground.“He doesn’t play with me at all. And I want him to. So, I’ll prank him to get his attention.”Aww. That’s weirdly... cute.“But, do you have to prank him?”She frowned and looked up at me. “Uh?”“Why don’t you try talking to him first? Tell him how you feel.”After looking up thoughtfully for some seconds, she faintly groaned, “I don’t know. Daddy doesn’t talk to me after he comes back from work.” Her gloomy expression saddened me but when it briefly wore some brightness, I became intrigued. “When Fiona was here, I talked to her about many, many things. But my Daddy doesn’t talk to me.”I reached
GRACEI faced Bethany who stomped her foot on the ground because others in the room agreed with the voice that replied to me.“Listen to me, Bethany. If Ruby tells me that you pushed her again, I will do the same to you and you will not like a bit of it.”I don’t like that I am speaking to a child this way, but this Bethany girl was able to get on my nerves with her annoying attitude.“Miss Sands! How dare you threaten my student?”“Well, freaking tell your students to stop pushing people their size.”I spat at the woman beside me, snatched the box in her hand, and walked back to Ruby.But before I made it to Ruby, a force pressed against my back, and before I knew it, my forehead was kissing the tiled floor. My entire body felt intense pain for some seconds but I was able to get rid of the feeling after seconds.While I swore at the person who pushed me within my soul, I managed to get up.I maintained my grip on the nod and turned to see a huge smirk on both the teacher’s and Bethan
GRACESince rushing up the stairs with an injured child was not advisable, I left Ruby on the couch and found my way to the upper floor to find out what could have warranted my name being shouted the way it was.“Miss Sands! Fucking come up here this minute!”Uh...okay? Now I am more than curious.And that made me hurry my steps. I skipped some of the stairs to that effect.“Miss Sands...” The man in front of me was very, very angry and... covered in flour and egg yolk!It took every inch of self-control in me to not burst into laughter at the sight of my employer.From the top of his head to his face, he was covered in the whiteness of flour and some drippings of yellow decorated him here and there. The gooey part of the egg trickled down his chest which he had somehow managed to make bare in barely a minute after walking out on me and his daughter.The strange thing was that he looked sexier.How on earth does one still manage to have such sexiness even after being furiously attacke
GRACE“I finally have your time.”I narrowed my eyes at Mr. Powers’s sturdy figure which was dressed casually, the fact that he went out dressed that way making it more surprising.As he settled on the couch opposite us, I felt like a little girl that was about to be scolded, especially with the way he was staring hard at both Ruby and me.It has been two days since Ruby’s little prank- which she has refused to tell how she did it- and since Mr. Powers’s accusation of me.And it has been almost two nights since the... encounter.I was about leaving after my job for the day when Mr. Powers called me, saying that we needed to talk.And now... he has not even said a word.His eyes kept darting between me and Ruby who had her back leaned into the couch, with her elbow resting on the arm as she waited patiently for what was about to go down.But on my side, impatience was growing and I checked my phone to that effect.Mr. Powers must have noticed my little action, so he cleared his throat
GRACEMy hand came in contact with my throat which was feeling extra dry. I tried moistening my mouth with some saliva but that didn’t do any good. I needed water.And I needed to get off this seat before my buttocks became flatter.“Mr. Roberto.” The fairly young man who looked way older than his age because of his grumpiness and mostly because of his receding hairline, sneered at me, and I got an answer before I could ask my question. But I asked anyway. “Can I get a bottle of water, please?”“How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t...”“... like strangers touching your stuff. I got it, sir.” Oh if only the two hours spent could just be the end of this torture. I got up and received a deeper frown from Mr. Roberto. But I successfully ignored him and walked to where they were seated. “Ruby, I need to get water upstairs.” She nodded, her mind more focused on the book in front of her. “Do you need anything?”I finally caught her full attention. “A juice box please.” Her grand smi