The Old woman

"Why is Nanny Maria holding onto my car key?" She couldn't help but let her curiosity eat her as it was a personal belonging of her. 

“Jenna wanted to use it earlier but Maria didn’t let her take a hold of it. Arnold just wanted to test it every time it needed to be under maintenance or to change oil,” her father explained, which brought a smile across her lips. She couldn’t help but smile due to the action of her nanny.

She was obviously a loyal and trustworthy person. 

“Alright, see you, Dad,” she finally said and then turned away to continue walking. Before exiting the main door, she made sure to visit the servants quarters outside of the mansion, only to see her Nanny Maria, sitting outside. 

“Jenna wants to use it and Maria doesn't want her to use your car, it's just to be tested by Arnold every time it needs maintenance or to change oil.”

“Goodmorning, Nanny,” she greeted with a beaming smile flashing through her lips. She couldn’t help but feel happy at the sight of the old woman in front of her.

“Goodmorning, child,” the old woman said, lifting her head to look at her with the same narrow smile. She happens to have some wrinkles forming at the corner of her eyes as it reflects brown colors. “Did you sleep well?” the old woman added , nodded her head in response.

“Yes, I did. I’m doing fine,” she replied.

“Did you come here to get your car key?” Again, she nodded her head.

“Yes, my father told me to get my car keys from you.”

The old woman smiled mischievously and quoted, “ Yes my dear because of that ambitious woman, she wanted to use your car without your permission. And I know how precious it is to you, it is the gift of your late mother when you turned eighteen.”

“Oh Nanny…” she said and hugged the old woman. It is true that it was an important gift from her mother and it was too precious for other people to just hold it. She feels happy knowing that her nanny shares the same sentiment with her vehicle. 

“Child, please don’t cry. You might ruin your makeup,” the old woman said in a cracked voice. It seems like she was also on the verge of crying due to their emotions crowding them. She slowly distanced herself. 

“It’s you who is crying,” she replied with a sheepish laugh. She then started wiping off the small tears that wanted to drip down her cheeks. 

“Anyway, wait for me. I’ll just go grab your car keys real quick.” 

Once she took a hold of her accessory, she finally took her way towards the garage and went straight to the expressway, heading towards the company. 

Cars were moving side by side in two different directions. Since it was early in the morning, there was no heavy traffic and only the gust of fresh wind engulfed her window. She takes notice of her cellphone on the side and suddenly decides to stop at a vacant lot. She then dials Nimfa’s number, anticipating an immediate answer from the other side of the line. 

When the call finally connected, she felt her heart skip a beat as she put her phone close to her ear. “Hello, Nimfa,” she quickly greeted afterwards.

“Hello, Ms. Erciak. Goodmorning,” the woman on the other line said. 

“Yes, good morning as well. Is Rica awake?” she quickly asked.

“Yes, she’s been waiting for you to call.” As soon as she heard those words, she couldn’t help but feel excited. Her tone was gentle but you could easily tell that she had been waiting to hear her daughter’s voice all along. 

“Can you please give her the phone?” Ericka replied and immediately enough, the woman gave the phone to a child who replied with a sweet tone. 

“Mom,” a soft voice called. Just hearing her speak makes her want to hug her tightly into her arms. It makes her feel sad, her heart shattering at the thought of not being able to see her more often. However, she has to be strong and endure the pain since she’s doing everything for her sake. 

“Yes, baby?” she answered her call. “How are you feeling? You have to be strong, alright?” she said one after the other. 

“Mom, I feel weak. I’m missing you so much.” Those words were like needles piercing her heart. Her voice sounded sad and cracking as though she was about to cry.

“I miss you too, baby, but mommy needs to go work away so she could pay for your doctor. The doctor will need to take care of you so that you can recover and go back to school. Don’t you want to be friends with people the same age as you?” she explained

“Yes, Mommy. Take care of your work,” the child replied on the other line. She knew that her baby was nodding her head despite not seeing her directly. “I will be a good girl and wait for you.” 

Tears started to well up from her eyes as she heard those words from her daughter. She even bit her lip to avoid stuttering and making small sobs. 

If her child manages to hear her crying, she might think that she’s not doing well and it might stress her more. She really has to endure everything. 

“Alright, baby, Mommy still needs to go back to work. I love you,” she said, every word coming out of her mouth with emphasis on her emotion. 

“I love you too, Mommy,” her sweet child replied, a tear finally falling down her cheek as she felt a narrow smile forming onto her lips.

“Can you please give the phone back to Auntie Nimfa?” she said once she finally recovered. “I just need to talk to her, will that be alright?” she asked.

“Yes, Mommy.” And with that, their conversation ended and it was now her turn to speak with Nimfa again.