Chapter.4.A.New.Beginning
1167 Words
The sun had leaked between the weak curtains and woke me even before the alarm could. My heart was racing with anticipation,a mixture of excitement and nerves churning in my belly. This could be it, the day when everything would change.
I slipped out of bed as quietly as possible, not to wake Chris, and quickly started dressing. The house was dead silent, my mind wasn't. Clara must have heard me rustling about because soon she appeared in the doorway rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Where are you going this early?" she asked in that voice that's all thick with grogginess.
I paused in tying my hair back. "I'm going to look for a job," I said, trying to keep my voice casual, but recalling last night, the excitement wouldn't stay out of it. "Clara, I think I found something. After I took that walk last night, I ended up in front of a mansion-the Sanchez Mansion. They are seeking a maid, and I'm going to see if I can get the job."
The round-awake eyes of Clara now stared into mine. "The Sanchez Mansion? That is the biggest place around! You sure about this?
I nodded sure. "I have to attempt it, Clara. For Chris and myself. Please, take care of him until I return."
Clara smiled softly at me, but a shadow of concern was deep in her eyes. "Of course I will. Still, take care, Luisa. That's another world you are getting into."
"I know," I replied, snatching up my bag. "But I have to do this."
I leaned over and softly kissed Chris's forehead, then headed out the door. He stirred in his sleep,some mumbling noise came from him and it made me smile because, really, everything I was doing, was for him. I had to make this work.
Clara took Chris with her to work that day because she works as a receptionist in a hotel, and they do have a babysitting centre for the children of the workers. I knew he would be safe and entertained while I was at the mansion.
I went to the Sanchez Mansion. My stomach was filled with nervousness with the close proximity of the mansion. Tall and at my front, much more magnificent in daylight, with a grand entrance and imposing gates, a deep breath taken through my nose steadied me as I walked up the entrance.
By the time I arrived, the Sanchez twins had already left for work. Through hearsay, I knew the first was the CEO of some hotel, while his brother ran a very successful technology company. Today, however, my interest lay in the madam of the house, Mrs. Sanchez, whom I heard was in charge of the personnel within the household staff.
It was as if I had been conducted to another world as I entered the drawing room. Its furniture was immensely filled with elegance, surrounded most likely by pieces one only reads about in magazines, and all faintly scented with fresh flowers. I tried not to fidget while waiting, my mind racing with what to say.
Finally, the door opened, and in came Mrs. Sanchez. Older, elegant, poised, commanding, and with no time for nonsense was my first impression of her as she looked me over, eyed me up and down, seeming to size me up and try to determine if I was suitable or not.
"You're here about the position of a maid?" she asked cool but not unkindly.
"Yes, ma'am," I said a little stronger now. "I am ready to put in the work. I really need this job."
She raised an eyebrow, intrigued by my past. "Tell me, do you have a husband? Do you have a family?
I stammered and answered candidly, "I don't have a husband but I do have a son. As a matter of fact, he is the reason why I am job hunting so I could try and attend to his needs."
Something in her expression relaxed, and she nodded, as if my answer was a relief. "A mother with responsibilities," she muttered to herself. "That's good. You will be less likely to cause trouble.
I didn't know what she meant by that, but I wasn't about to ask. Instead, I kept my head down and listened as she explained the job. It was clear from her tone that discretion and hard work were things she highly valued, and to both of those I pledged myself. Finally, when she told me that I had been hired, I could hardly believe it. Relief and joy overwhelmed me.
I came out of the mansion, walking on cloud nine, but just before turning into the driveway, there it was. A sleek car. The windows were tinted, and I couldn't glimpse inside to see who was inside, but some kind of instinct told me this must be one of the Sanchez brothers. The sleek automobile passed by me, and I felt the shadow of some onlooker, but I did not hang back to find out who that could be.
By the time I got to Clara's apartment, I couldn't hold my excitement anymore. At the instance of the door opening and Clara and Chris coming through it, I received them with a run, having a grin all over my face.
"What's going on?" Clara asked immediately, as by the look of it, I was glowing. "I got the job!" I bubbled out in exuberance. "At Sanchez Mansion! Tomorrow I start, and they want me to move in with Chris.
Clara's eyes went wide with astonishment. "That's amazing, Luisa! But… you're moving in? What about Chris?"
I knelt down beside Chris, who was on the floor playing with a toy. "He'll come with me," I said softly, running my hand through his hair. "They hired me because they knew I have him. It's like finally everything is falling into place."
Chris looked up and smiled at me, bright, innocent eyes shining back all my happiness. But when I turned to Clara, I knew that in the glass of her eyes, there was a different story. She forced a smile, but deep inside, I knew this was tough on her.
"I'm going to miss you," she whispered, tugging me into a tight hug. "But I'm happy for you, Luisa. You deserve this chance."
"We'll still see each other," I promised, my throat husky with emotion. "Even if it's just once in a while. We'll make it work."
As I packed up our things that night, my mind wandered back to the mansion, to the mystery man who'd arrived as I had left. There was something tugging at my thoughts, a feeling that somehow, somewhere, I'd seen him before. But where? I had gone to sleep with that thought, and somehow it always made my dreams no less shadowy. Little did I know, it was a start of the secrets pulling me deep inside the world of Sanchez Mansion, of which I knew only its outside.
- Writer
