A slave to love

Chelle Marie: Modern Cinderella

It was a warm morning in May, just a few short days until her eighteenth birthday and incidentally the day she was to get “kicked out”. How does one really get kicked out if they were never really wanted there in the first place, she wondered, but moved on about her chores. Chelle Marie was begrudgingly taken in by her aunt and uncle at the tender age of five after her parents died in a car crash. Her father and her uncle were brothers, but that was where the family ties ended, so when Chelle was given to her aunt and uncle, they put her to work as the non-paid live in maid and gave her until her eighteenth birthday to live with them. After her birthday, it was understood that she had to move to a place of her own as she had never been wanted or welcomed in her aunt and uncles home to begin with.

“Where is my coffee, you slave?” She rolled her eyes as her cousin Declan entered the kitchen of their upscale Wales home. Declan was a few months older than Chelle, but looking at them both, Declan was a spoiled rich kid where as Chelle looked like a Modern day Cinderella with hand me downs that didn’t fit, living in a broom closet on a cot that was directly under the staircase so anytime anyone walked up or down the stairs, sawdust fell on her bed and shoddy blankets. Poor Chelle’s life was anything but glamorous, but she kept smiling.

She poured Declan’s coffee and prepared eggs, bacon, and toast for her Uncle and Aunt and Declan. Her uncle grumbled at the fact the bacon was taking so long and her aunt shrieked for her to hurry up and not to burn anything. She poured her aunt and uncles coffee and served their coffee as the toast popped up out of the toaster. She plated the toast then put the eggs on the plate and finally draped the bacon on the plates. She whisked the plates in front of her family and then proceeded to make some oatmeal for herself. She was used to not getting to eat the same thing as her family after thirteen years with them. She was allowed to have coffee, though so she poured herself a nice cup while her oatmeal was cooking. Her aunt and uncle never bought her any food so she did chores for neighbors a lot and they paid her. She used the money she earned to keep food and snacks in her broom cupboard and in the kitchen with her name on them. *beep* *beep* *beep* the microwave signaled that her oatmeal was done so she grabbed it and her empty coffee cup, poured herself more coffee, and sat down to eat.

Aunt Katie kissed uncle Raymond and cousin Declan as they headed out the door for work. “Be safe dears”, she said as they went out to their cars to drive to work. Then when they were gone, she gathered her hat and gloves and her purse and went to bingo at the recreation center like she always did, leaving Chelle all alone. Not a word had been spoken to Chelle since Declan had asked for his coffee and that was just fine with Chelle. They made no attempt to hide their real feelings about her being in their home so she came to expect no conversation from them and if there was conversation, it was out of the blue, they were having friends over and wanted her to give the impression that they were excellent caretakers, or she was doing something wrong (always) and they were yelling or questioning her every move.

She finished her breakfast and coffee and then went to work gathering the family’s clothes to wash. She started the wash and then went down the street to do the chores for her neighbors and get paid. She had to save fourteen hundred dollars towards an apartment or home for herself when she turned eighteen in a mere matter of days, but she had only managed to save up about seven hundred of that, so she needed another seven hundred and she could put down the deposit and first months rent on her birthday. Every little bit helped her out and the only think that aunt Katie, uncle Raymond, and Declan helped with was bringing home the daily essentials with odd jobs circled. She was looking forward to seeing all of the jobs that they had circled for her today. She had arrived at Mrs. James’ home and pulled out the lawn mower that was kept in the shed and set to work mowing the lawn. That was forty dollars right there and she used the mower at all of her neighbors’ yards to make 40 from each of them. They all knew she was being kicked out in a matter of days and they had enough chores to help her get the rest of the money to secure her apartment on her birthday. They left the payment for the chores in their paper boxes so she wouldn’t need to knock on their doors. Laundry day for each home got her ninety dollars as did mowing lawns. She would put the hundred and eighty dollars with the rest of her “move in” money which she kept in an empty coffee can in her broom closet room.

She got done mowing the lawns after two and a half hours. She collected all the payments out of the paper boxes and went home to finish the laundry and add the money to her coffee can of hopes.

Mr. Johnson was one of her other neighbors and he ran a grocery store. In the envelope with his payment was a note for her. It read:

Dear Chelle,

I run a grocery store and I know you are turning eighteen in a few days. Please come see me at the store. I had a cashier quit and I want to hire you full time. I will advance you whatever you need one time to get your apartment on your birthday. See you soon!

Mr. Johnson

She blinked in disbelief and read his letter again. She had switched the clothes and started another load so she was waiting and adding the money from today to her coffee can when she stumbled upon Mr. Johnson’s note. She started to cry as she realized that not everyone in the world was as cruel as her aunt and uncle and cousin.