CHAPTER 2: GOOD FAITH PAYMENT

CLARA'S POV

I stood speechless, staring at the doctor straight in the eyes. My brain was trying hard to process all I just heard.

“She’s fading, Clara.” He continued. "Every hour we wait is an hour we don’t get back. If we delay much longer, she might not make it.” He turned and walked away.

"I’ll get the money, sir. I’ll try," I whispered as tears trailed down my cheeks.

My phone buzzed in my hand. I looked down, hoping for a miracle, but it was just another nightmare. It was a text I had ignored three times this week.

-Mr. Chase: Miss Adene, the rent on your apartment is 60 days past due. An eviction notice has been filed. Pay $2,000 by 6 PM, or the locks are changed.

I felt the air leave my lungs. I don’t remember sliding down the wall, but suddenly my knees were at my chest. I was seventeen; I was just a student,  and I was completely alone.

How am I going to come out of this? I thought to myself, and then I heard a voice, “Clara? Is that you?” I looked up with teary eyes; an older woman in a neat gray blouse stood there. It was Mrs. Eleanor Gabe, my mother’s only friend from the old days.

“Mrs. Gabe,” I choked out, wiping my eyes with my sleeve.

She lowered herself onto the floor beside me without hesitation. "I heard about your mother," she said quietly. "I came as soon as I could."

I sobbed slowly as I wiped my face. I didn't trust my voice; I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing.

She was quiet for a moment, then she continued, "Clara, I need to tell you something. I think it might help. I was a nanny for a family, the Kings, very wealthy and very private. I worked for them for six years and looked after their youngest, Lily. The family has just moved; they bought a new home in the other part of town, at Blackwood Estate. I found a better position closer to their old address, so I cannot follow them. But they need someone for Lily immediately, and I told them I would find someone suitable."

I stared at her. "You want me—"

"I want to recommend you. There is a difference." Her voice was gentle but direct. "It would be on a trial basis first. If they like you, the position continues. If not, well…"

"How much can I earn?"

"Four thousand a month, part-time. You would work six in the evening until nine in the morning on weekdays so you can go to school. Wednesdays off, Full weekends when the family has events or her parents are out of town."

I did the math fast; it was a good deal, but I needed money now, not in four weeks. "If I choose not to take the day off, will I be paid for it? And what's the girl like?" I asked.

"Oh yes, I moved in fully when I worked, so I got full benefits. As for little Lily, well, she's capable of most things herself,” Mrs. Gabe continued. “But she needs structure and supervision. She is a handful, but she is a good kid underneath." 

She paused and gave me a serious look. “Their son is older. I will warn you now, he is not the easiest person. But your job is Lily; you focus on Lily."

‘Their son? The Kings? Blackwood Estate?’ Could it be—.’ I quizzed myself calmly, yet quickly erased the thoughts, and told myself the truth: New York was enormous; there were definitely other Kings; it was a common enough name. It had to be a different family; it had to be.

"Mrs. Gabe," I said slowly. "They're asking for over a  thousand to begin treatment. We already owe money, and the landlord is threatening to lock us out tomorrow. I don't know how to get them to help her until I can pay."

She looked at me for a long moment. Then she opened her bag, took out her checkbook, and clicked her pen.

"I will loan you two thousand dollars, Clara. Not a gift, a loan. You pay me back slowly from your salary, small amounts, whatever you can manage."

My heart sprang with joy. "Oh my! You would do that for us? Why?"

"Because your mother is my friend," she said. "And because you need a reason to show up and do this properly. Consider it motivation." The corner of her mouth lifted in a small, sad smile. "Don't make me regret it, Clara."

I took the check with trembling fingers, gave her a long hug, and ran straight to the billing office. The woman at the desk looked at the paper like it might dissolve as I handed it over.

"This covers just over half," she said.

"I know," I replied. "It's a good-faith payment. I'll have the rest within the month."

She printed a form and slid it across the counter. "Sign here. You have thirty days before the account is sent to collections. Your mother will receive treatment for now. But if you don't make another payment in thirty days..."

I signed without reading the fine print; I didn't have the stomach for it. I was still short on the rent and would soon be stepping into a world I didn't understand, but my mother was getting her medicine, and that was more important.

I went back to the ICU corridor and stood at the window for a moment. My mother looked smaller every time I saw her; tubes, monitors, and the soft beep of the machines were doing the work her body couldn't.

"I'm handling it," I told her through the glass, even though she couldn't hear me. "I promise I'm handling it," I whispered again, tearing up.

Mrs. Gabe tapped me on the shoulder; I picked up my bag, and she led me to her car.

---

We arrived at the Blackwood Estate at 7 PM. Drove down through the massive gates, passing through different mansions till we got to the Kings’. It was enormous. It looked exactly like a place that had just been bought, clean and beautiful. The Kings had to be its first residents.

Security let us in, and we walked through the gates to the front steps. Mrs. Gabe rang the bell, and footsteps approached shortly after. The woman who opened the door was not what I expected. She was small and immaculate, wearing a dark uniform. Her eyes moved over Mrs. Gabe first, warm enough, then slid to me and stopped on my face.

"Maria," Mrs. Gabe said pleasantly. "This is Clara Adene. She's the young woman I mentioned. She's a sharp, reliable girl, and good with children. Clara, this is Maria Hunter, the housekeeper and manager of the King's mansion."

Maria said nothing for ten full seconds. She looked at me so hard she forgot to blink. It was the same look Sloane gave me in the cafeteria; like I was dirt, like I didn't belong there.

"Mrs. Gabe," she finally spoke, her voice clipped and precise. "I appreciate you coming personally. However, I'm afraid your trip has been wasted."

"How so?" Mrs. Gabe asked.

"Well," Maria replied. "The position you seek has already been filled."