CROISSANTS

SERGIO

Imagine when you are the whole man of the house, you have a girlfriend who is unemployed and all you do is love them, support them mentally and financially, and the least you can expect them to do is to give you at least the same determination, help you wherever they can, but to me, it looks like I am accommodating someone in my life who needs refugee in someone else’s life, and I am that someone.

Here I am, in the laundry room as I stuff my laundry in the washing machine, hoping that when I am gone, Cassey will take care of the rest. It is 6 AM and I am already dressed up in my black suit and a black shirt for work. It is my first day as Paula’s bodyguard and I am already feeling exhausted. That girl is just something else, and that comment she made about my car, she really crossed the line there but to be honest, it was something that I laughed about during the drive to her house. It was really nice to laugh with her about it since all we were doing was biting off each other’s heads. It was a good ride home, not sure how this day is going to end.

The intercom buzzes, taking me out of the room and I make my way to the foyer to see who is outside. Looking at the screen on the tablet on the wall, I select the ‘open gate’ option to what I was expecting before I make my way outside, waiting for the car to arrive. It stops right in front of my house and the man gets off, handing me the key.

“Man, I am sure she won’t need new tires soon. We installed,” He says; no greeting, nothing. Apollo is my closest friend that I can rely so much on him with so many things.

“When I said scare her, I did not mean smash her tires like that. It really hurt my wallet, you know?” I beckon him to follow me into the house.

I sent Apollo yesterday to try and make Paula feel threatened, and he seemed to have done a good job with that because Paula was very uneasy when I took her home. For what I know, I am not the first person to make her feel threatened. People have seen her parents as a threat when it comes to business, and they have certainly upset a lot of people, so princess Paula gets hurt in the process. She did not want to talk about it when I asked her, but I am going to give her time to trust me.

“Well, you have a lot in your wallet to make up for that, señor. So, where is the Señorita?”

I glare at him, unimpressed with his question.

“Off-limits, Apollo,” I sneer, he chuckles.

“Hey, man, chill out, okay. Just give me what is mine, and I am out of here,” We stop in the dining area and grab the brown envelope I left on the dining table.

“It’s all in there, Apollo. Do something productive with it… get a wife,”

“A wife? Oh, that is not going to happen. I enjoy waking up next to a different face every day. How do you even survive with just one person every day?”

Oh, Apollo. He will never stop being a philanderer. He is never one to stay long in a relationship. His parents’ divorce really fucked up his mind that he is terrified of commitment or being devoted to only one person.

My dogs come running towards us and they jump around Apollo’s feet.

“Peril, Menace… what’s up!” Yep, those are my dogs’ names. They are basically two different words with the same meaning, but they are unique.

An idea pops up in my head, knowing how much Apollo loves dogs.

“Apollo, since I will not be here most of the time to watch my dogs, can you look after them and I will get them later at your house?”

Without hassle, he happily carries the dogs into his arms and kisses their heads.

“Of course, Serg, these are my favourite,”

“Awesome. I am going to get something quickly before I get going. Take my car, you’ll see yourself out, yeah?”

“Yeah, but I am taking the Ferrari,” Because he was seeing the key on the table, he grabbed it rushing out. “See you later!”

I shook my head, went to the bedroom and I find Casey still sleeping. How is she able to sleep so peacefully knowing how pissed I am at her? She did not even try to apologise, on top of that she is angry at me for making her clean the house, kicking her friends out making her wash the dishes. Her ignorance is really annoying.

“Babe, wake up. I am going to leave now, and Apollo took the Ferrari in case you wonder about it. I am not taking any of the cars today, okay?”

She moans, opening her eyes as she sits up on the bed, pouting her lips.

“What’s the time?” She asks.

I glance at my wristwatch and look back at her.

“6:18 AM. Time for me to leave. I left the laundry in the washing machine; please take care of it,”

She frowns.

“You made me clean the whole freaking house alone and you still expect me to do the laundry,”

“What do you want to do all day, Cassey? N*****x and eat all day; take pictures and videos for I*******m with my cars in my house?”

She gasps, widening her eyes.

“I didn’t know that was a problem, but thanks for letting me know,” She gets off the bed, walking to the bathroom.

“Cassey, wait. I did not mean it that way, I am sorry,”

Before I could follow her, she shut the door on me.

Sigh.

“Okay, then. I am just going to leave… see you later,” I say. “I love you.” Realising that she is never going to reply, I decided to take my leave.

***

I arrive at Paula’s home and go through the security before I drive into their driveway. I can’t say how much pleasure I felt driving this car. Speaking of cars, Cassey’s birthday is coming soon, so I think I should get her a car that is similar to this one, or maybe a Jeep Wrangler.

After stopping the car, I get out and make my way to the front door of the house and I ring the bell. I wait three minutes before the door opened and Paula appeared, still in her purple robe and a purple towel wrapped around her head. Looks like she just got out of the shower.

“Good morning, Paula. I know I said you should act tipsy last night, but your eyes look like you are suffering from a hangover. Did you have a party last night?” I grin.

“For your information, I told my parents that I had a terrible headache, so I could not drive the car which is why I called you to take me home. And please, just because you and I shared a good laugh last night, it does not make us any friends. I am going upstairs to get dressed; I will be down in a second. There is breakfast in the dining room if you want. My parents have already left for work,”

Her voice sounds hoarse, like one of someone who has been crying. I guess she was not drinking; I wonder what happened.

I follow her inside the house, and it was so easy to find the dining room without her help. This is a very big house and I need to get myself familiar with every room.

Mmhh, Croissants; my favourite.

There is adequate food on the table that I could put on my plate, but right now I would like my tea black and croissants on my plate.

I savour my first bite in my mouth and enjoy every minute of it. Fresh and very tasty, I need to ask the name of the bakery they ordered this from; I hardly have breakfast because my girlfriend promises to wake up early and make us breakfast, but it never happens, and I eat street food.

Story of my life.

Finishing the last bits of my first pastry, an idea kicks into my mind and I get up, looking around not suspiciously, and I spot something at the corner of the ceiling, and I record it in my head.

360 degrees IP.

I start walking around and I found myself in the kitchen, going straight to the sink to pretend to wash my hands and I see the same thing. That is two now. After wiping my hands with a dry cloth, I walk down the long corridor, and at the end of it, I saw the same thing in the middle of the ceiling, just a different version of it in the smoke detector. These are all surveillance cameras and I know there is more, but I don’t want to get busted, so I will cut my tour shot.

I open the first door on my right as I return to the dining room and peep my head in, it’s just a bedroom. I continue to check other rooms and I come across a bathroom, a separate toilet, and finally, a very classic office. This must be Paula’s father’s office, looking at the cabinet of whiskeys and cigars. I think I found what I did not even know I was looking for.

Task one, complete.

“Sergio,” Paula calls me, and without panic, I quietly close the door and make my way back to the dining room.

I sat down and started eating my second croissant with my now cold tea. She walked into the room and stood right in front of me. She is wearing grey a tracksuit and black Nike sneakers. Her hair is tied backwards in a low ponytail; no makeup, just a red lipstick on.

“Sergio, I have been calling you, did you not hear me?” She snarls. I can’t believe I almost pitied her for crying. She is still rude even when she is sad.

“No, sorry,” I said, nonchalantly.

“Then, how are you even my bodyguard if you can’t hear me calling for you?”

“Well, next time call louder, Paula,” I sneer.

“Fuck, I hate you,” She groans in irritation.

“I am not here to be like either, Ms; I am here to do my work. If I may ask, why were you calling me?”

“Listen, Sergio, my previous guards were never narcissistic like you. They always respected me and were always polite and knew how to protect me,”

“Respect is earned, young lady,” I get up, throwing my last piece of croissant into my mouth, and look at her. “These were really nice; thank you. Can I have the name of the bakery so that I can order for myself next time?” This time, I am really asking nice.

“We did not order them… I baked them,” She said, making me laugh so hard.

“Yeah, right,” Not believing her.

She remained calm, not moved.

“Uhm, I need to tidy the room quickly and we can leave,”

I gasp in shock.

“I thought you have a helper here,”

“She comes only on weekends,”

“Oh, so you did bake these, and you clean too?” I am really shocked, to be honest. She looks like a girl that calls for her made to come and wipe her ass after she releases a load in the toilet. I really underestimated her.

“What? Do you think because I come from a rich family, I can’t do simple things like cooking and cleaning? How do you take me, huh? You don’t know me, yet you have already concluded your judgement towards me,”

“Uhm…” Not knowing what to say, I ask. “Won’t you be late for work?”

“I am late already. Just take my fabrics to the car so long,” She starts clearing the dining table.

I take the fabrics, walking away. I need a smoke too.

I put all the fabric in the car and wait outside for her as I lit my cigarette. She walks out a few minutes later, still in her grey tracksuit and sunglasses. She puts in the code, locking the door before she walks toward me, inspecting her car.

“Uhm, the tires look expensive, Sergio. How were you able to afford them?”

There is a lot you don’t know about me, baby girl. But I don’t say that out loud.

“I know people… ready to go?”

“Tell me how much it cost, and I will have the money transferred to your account end of this week,”

“How about you pay me by being nice towards me?”

“Oh, God. I have no time for this. Get me to work,”

She walks to the backseat and climbs in, closing the door. I think she is on her period this one.

I get in the driver’s seat and request the address of her workplace before I put it in the GPS coordinates.

As I drive, I hear her sniffing all the way. It is kind of irritating, but she does not seem well today. She is silently crying, and I hate to think that I could be the reason.

“Are you okay, Paula?” I ask, looking at her through the rear-view mirror.

“You know, my previous bodyguards would open the door for me,” She starts, causing me to chuckle.

“Is that why you went to the backseat, to cry about it,” I chuckle.

She goes quiet, takes off her sunglasses and she wipe her tears with the soft tissue before she puts her glasses back on.

“Did something happen, Paula?”

“Nothing to concern yourself about.”

Here goes my day.

***