The Man On The Road
1398 Words
Sally woke up to the sound of her phone vibrating beneath her pillow. She reached for it unquestioningly—6:12 am.
For one disoriented second, she forgot where she was. Then the unfamiliar ceiling came into focus. The mansion. The enormous bedroom. The billionaire. The job. And then she remembered the pictures. She closed her eyes.
She had promised herself she would try to forget about what happened in the east wing. But she still couldn’t understand how the same man who had looked at her yesterday as if she were an inconvenience had once looked at another woman as if she was his entire world. Funny how situations make people change. Or maybe, money gave people enough privacy to hide what they had become. She jolted out of her thoughts when her phone vibrated again and picked it up. Her chest softened immediately when she saw who was calling. Adrian ❤️
She answered. “Hey.”
“Finally.” His voice sounded rough with exhaustion.
Sally smiled. “You called twice.”
“Three times.”
“Why?”
“Because my girlfriend got a new job and forgot about me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You should be.”
Sally could hear the hum of an engine behind him. “Are you driving?”
“No, I’m parked.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere in Pennsylvania.”
She laughed softly. “You sound tired.”
“I am tired.”
There was a pause. Then Adrian added, “But I feel better after hearing your voice.”
Sally leaned back against the headboard. “How long until you get home?”
“Two days.”
“Two?”
“I took another job.”
“Adrian.”
“I know.”
“You said you would be home this weekend.”
“I know, but the extra salary would help out.”
Sally looked towards the window. The flowers outside were already being watered. Everything in this house seemed to be happening on schedule.
“How’s Maya?” Adrian asked.
The smile disappeared from Sally’s face. “Not good. The doctor said she needs a bone marrow transplant.”
“What?”
“Yes, and we are yet to find a possible donor”
Silence came immediately from the other end. “Possible?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
Sally hesitated. “Adrian…”
“How much, Sally?”
She told him. He didn’t speak for several seconds. Then she heard him exhale.
“Okay, I’ll figure it out.”
“You don’t have to, babe. You already send money whenever you can.”
“I can send more.”
Sally smiled sadly. This was Adrian. He always said yes before he knew how. He had loved her for three years, not with extravagant gifts or expensive dinner dates, but with little things. He didn’t have much. But he always gave her what he had.
“You’ll get in trouble with your company if you keep taking extra jobs.”
“I’ll manage.”
“I’m serious.”
“I’m not letting your sister die because we don’t have enough money.”
Her eyes burned. “Don’t say that.”
“Why?”
“Because Maya is not dying.”
“You’re right, she’s not.”
Sally wiped her cheeks.
“Tell me about the job.”
“It’s… big”
“How big?”
“I don’t know… the house is ridiculous.”
“Ridiculous?”
“There are a lot of rooms; I haven’t even seen most of them”
“How many bathrooms?”
“I don’t know.”
“More than five?”
“Probably.”
Adrian laughed.
“How much are they paying you?”
She told him.
Silence. Then he said… “You’re kidding, right?”
“No.”
“That’s more than I make in a month.” Adrian laughed.
“Yeah, I know.”
“Who owns it?”
“Colten Kaplan.”
Adrian’s laughter stopped. “The billionaire?”
“Yes.”
“Sally, what exactly did you apply for?”
“A housekeeping job.”
“At his house?”
“Yes.”
“Are you alone there?”
She frowned. “There’s security… Staff.”
“That’s not what I asked, babe.”
“I’m fine; you don’t need to worry.”
“Why shouldn’t I? Do you know anything about this guy?”
“Only what everyone knows.”
Adrian was quiet. Then he said, “I don’t like it.”
“Why?”
“Because men with that much money don’t live normal lives.”
“Neither do truck drivers.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
Another pause. “Just be careful, babe.”
“I will.”
“And if anything feels wrong, please leave.”
“I know.”
“Promise me.”
Sally smiled. “You’re jealous of a billionaire you’ve never met.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“You are.”
“I’m concerned. It’s two different things.”
She laughed. “Same thing.”
“Not even close.”
She could hear a smile in his voice now. Then the truck engine started again.
“I have to go, babe. I’ll call you tonight.”
“Okay, drive safely.”
“You too.”
Sally laughed. “I’m not driving.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I do.”
“I love you.”
Sally’s heart warmed. “I love you too.”
The call ended. For a few seconds, she stared at the screen. Then she pressed it against her chest. She loved Adrian. So much. She knew that.
~
At 7:05 am, Sally went downstairs.
Colten was already in the kitchen. He stood by the window with a cup of black coffee and looked at her. “You missed breakfast.”
“I didn’t know breakfast was mandatory.”
“It isn’t.”
“Okay.” She reached for a cup and poured herself water.
Colten placed his cup on the counter. “Your first task is in the hallway.”
“Okay.”
“Good.”
He walked away. Sally watched him go.
There is something strange about that man. She thought to herself.
~
By noon, Sally had finished the west hallway.
She was carrying a basket of laundry downstairs when she heard a loud crash. She dropped the basket. The sound had come from the direction of the east wing. Sally froze. Another crash. Then silence. She looked towards the hallway and remembered Colten’s warning. But what if he was hurt and needed help?
So she took one step towards the east wing. Then another. She noticed the east wing door was closed, but something was under it: a thin line of smoke. Sally’s heart slammed against her ribs.
“Mr. Kaplan?” She called; no answer.
Then she knocked… nothing.
Smoke began slipping through the door faster. Sally grabbed the handle. It was locked. Then she remembered the emergency panel on the wall. She smashed the glass with the heels of her shoes. The alarm began screaming through the mansion. The door unlocked automatically. Sally pushed it open. Immediately, smoke filled the hallway. She ran inside and called out again, “Mr. Kaplan?” No answer. The room was empty.
A candle had fallen beside a stack of papers, starting the fire. It was beginning to climb the curtains. Sally grabbed the nearest fire extinguisher and hit the lever. Foam covered the flames. She coughed. Then she heard footsteps behind her.
“What the hell are you doing?” His expression was pure fury.
“There was a fire.”
“You were supposed to stay out. You could have been hurt.” His jaw tightened.
Sally stared at him.
“Get out.”
“But…”
“Now.”
She walked into the hallway. Behind her, Colten remained inside. She glanced back once. His gaze had fallen on the pictures. One of them had been damaged by the smoke. It was a picture of the woman. Colten stared at it as though he’d just watched someone die all over again.
She didn’t know what happened in this house before she arrived. But whatever it was… it wasn’t over. And somehow, she had just stepped into the middle of it.
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