Interpreting a millionaire

Unfamiliar job, familiar anxiety

She woke up to a ray of sunshine tickling her face, completely rested and full of energy. Or at least that’s what she hoped for. An advertisement like morning. What she got was a dim unfamiliar room. She tried to sit up, but her left hand had been handcuffed to the bed post, so it was a difficult task. Especially so when she tried to move her fingers and discovered that she couldn’t feel them. A line of swear words streamed through her mind. She looked at herself to see her body covered by a duvet. With her right hand she uncovered herself to take a look as she had a strange feeling of not having her clothes on anymore. Sure enough there weren’t her jeans nor a hoodie anymore, but a satin nightgown that rolled up almost to her waist. With horror she realized that was also the only thing on her, no underwear, just a very revealing gown. She was horrified as she tried to readjust it with one hand. It was rather unsuccessful, so when she heard a noise outside the door, she just quickly grabbed the duvet and covered herself up.

The door opened inwards and light from the hall lit up a line in the room. Then the light flooded the room as somebody flicked a switch. She squinted, rising her hand up to her eyes, from the sudden change. Once her eyes got adjusted, she saw the man that drove with her in her car. He had a shadow of a beard growing.

“You awake?” He said in that deep raspy voice and she shrunk into herself a bit more. She nodded in response.

“Seems like we’ll be seeing each other a lot more now. Name’s Thomas.” His ever-present frown disappearing for a millisecond, or so she thought, as he introduced himself. He set a pile of clothes on the end of the bed, his gaze purposefully avoiding her at all costs. Even as he uncuffed her hand, he was looking at his fingers with such intensity, she was surprised they didn’t tremble.

As he was about to leave, she called after him. His name sounded strange on her lips, but she didn’t pay attention to it. She was focused on getting on his good side. He turned around and looked at her face, immediately looking away.

“My name’s Maie.”

“I know.” Right, of course he would know. He turned his back to her and left, closing the door behind him. She sighed in a relief, looking down on herself, noticing more than her shoulders are visible. And due to the slippery nature of the nightgown, it had slipped off from one side as she moved around. She was mortified as it dawned on her, just why did Thomas avoid looking at her at all costs. She was unintentionally exposed, almost all of her chest visible. She instinctively pulled the cloth over her shoulder, hugging herself, while also rubbing her left wrist to return some feeling into her hand.

At first she hoped he brought her own clothes for her, but upon closer inspection it was obvious these were not even from her wardrobe. She would not dare wear those clothes unless she was absolutely confident in her body, alas her body image was very insecure and so she tried to wrap herself in the duvet. The gears in her head turned as she tried to think of a way to make the clothes wearable for her.

There was a pair of matching lacey underwear in black colour. A dark red short pencil skirt and even without putting it on she could tell it was going to be barely covering anything while also scooting up with every move. And the blouse, if it even could be considered a blouse and not just a piece of fabric acting as an article of clothing. It was beige and very close to being see through. Practically the whole back would be exposed with a few thin golden chains holding the fabric together at the back of the shoulders, creating a somewhat elegant curtain. The front had a V shaped cleavage, which she was hoping would at least cover her bra underneath, but that was up to the gods of fashion to decide once she actually put it on. She glanced skin toned nylons in the pile too.

She contemplated just staying wrapped up in the blanket, which was very soft and nice on her skin, and wait for Thomas to return then maybe ask him to bring different clothes.

Maie didn’t have to wait long because just as she was about to reach out for the clothes, the door opened again, and she retracted into her blanket cocoon like a startled turtle.

It was Thomas, who upon seeing her wrapped in the blanket froze.

“You’re not ready yet?” She could almost sense a hint of panic in his voice.

“I- I am not exactly comfortable with the clothes picked, so I wondered if I could get something different?” Maie burrowed even deeper into her blanket nest, if that was even possible at that moment as her voice pitch went up. But to tell the truth, the end second half of her sentence was almost inaudible. Beggars can’t be choosers after all. Thomas watched her intently for a while before sighing exasperatedly.

“He chose something extra revealing, didn’t he?” He looked at the pile of clothes that’s been separated into the blouse and skirt by Maie already.

“Okay, just put the clothes on. Don’t forget to tuck the blouse in. And I’ll check for some coat.” His facial expression hardened after that and she barely managed to utter a quiet thank you before the lock clicked.

Maie stood up, leaving her blanket dome behind. The nightgown fell from her waist, the bottom hem reaching mid-thigh and lightly tickling her exposed skin. The straps could be considered as thin as a single thread and the cleavage resembled a boat neckline with a few fabric folds creating waves cascading down her chest. Somewhere she saw it was called jewel neckline? Or something similar to that. She would not choose such a sleeping attire in her life if it were up to her, it was almost like sleeping naked.

She slipped into the clothes quickly, hoping they would be more comfortable than they looked. Surprisingly enough, the fabric was nice on her skin, although the skirt seemed a little too tight around her waist creating a little bulge above the waistline. She tucked the blouse into the skirt as instructed by Thomas and looked around for a mirror to inspect herself. Before she could spot a mirror though, she found a pair of shoes sitting on the floor next to bed. She found it by stumbling over them to be exact. It had a high heel and small delicate golden chains similar to those on her blouse that reached her ankle. She hesitantly put them on, checking for stability before fully standing up. With her height being above average for a girl, she wasn’t exactly used to high heels and so it took her a few strides around the room to get used to the shoes at least a bit.

Then she finally saw a mirror hanging on the wall to the right of the bed. It was partially hidden by a closet, so she didn’t notice it at first. She stood in front of it, scrutinizing her looks. It didn’t look exceptionally bad, but it wasn’t something she would choose on her own. The blouse’s V neck fit perfectly with the bra, covering everything necessary. Maie decided to consider that a miracle. The skirt accentuated her hips, but was way too short and tight for her. The skirt would probably be a better if it were a size larger. Even the few steps from bed to mirror caused the skirt to ride up her thighs and she nervously pulled at it. The chains on her back were cold and tickled lightly as she moved.

Her scratched cheek was cleaned and covered by a band aid. She stepped closer to the mirror to inspect the cheek better, but the band aid was quite neutral and almost invisible on her skin, so she stepped away again. Her hair needed a brush through before it could be considered presentable, so Maie used her fingers to untangle the worst mess. The ends were broken and lighter than the rest from previous bleaching and dyeing. She had a few colours on her hair before, including purple, blue and red. What she saw in the mirror at that moment were mere remnants of washed out hair colour on the lower half. Last few months her hair was left alone to grow in the natural brown colour, she just cut the ends from time to time. Maybe a month ago, she decided to cut herself some bangs and after some deliberation, settled on long fringe, parted almost in the middle, framing her face. Other than that, her hair reached her lower back and got in the way when sleeping.

Soon enough, Thomas returned with another layer of clothing for Maie. It was a sweater of sorts. Kimono inspired overcoat that felt like satin to her touch, reaching to her calves, with embroidered sleeves covering her elbows. If she pulled it in the front, it would cover all of her.

“You don’t look bad, but the clothes don’t fit you.”

“Thanks?” Her thoughts again wandered into the ‘why me, what am I doing here’ territory.

“The hair…” Thomas frowned, looking up at her.

“Sit down here.” He motioned to the end of the bed and she obeyed, not wanting to cause trouble for the moment. She still couldn’t understand why all of that was happening and she was too afraid to ask.

He tucked at her hair, brushing through with his fingers.

“So damaged.” He muttered. Maie barely heard him, but she did and she had to agree with him. Her hair used to be a lot fuller and smoother.

“Is there no brush?” She asked timidly as Thomas kept on pulling her hair.

“There is. Not here. Not enough time to get one from elsewhere.”

He let her long bangs hang in the front while taking the other hair from the top and braiding it into a loose braid. The rest of her hair was left alone, ears still covered, face framed, just a partial braid hanging loosely on the top. Maie thanked Thomas for the help, with the hair and also with the coat. But Thomas didn’t react in any way, frowning deeper than before, while looking at her face.

“Make up.” He tsked as he scrunched up his nose.

‘Gee, thanks.’ She thought to herself.

“Is there no time for that either?” Maie asked. She was pretty sure she had some eyeliner and lipstick in her bag, and if somebody had the bag, it would be Thomas. So if he was so desperate to cover her up, she could provide the bare minimum and also maybe get her bag back.

“Stay here.” And the door shut leaving her alone again.

“As if I have a choice.” She pouted, folding her arms in front of her chest.

She felt like she should be scared for her life, but somehow she was calm, only knots in her stomach hinted at her immense and ever-present nervousness. Maie stood up, pacing around, not even in the mind to be offended by the need of covering her face with makeup. She bit her lips, picking at the skin. Maie went to the window, seeking escape routes. Even though so far nothing happened to her and it didn’t seem life threatening up until then, her feeling was bad.

Thomas returned just as she was attempting to open the window. Not that it would help in anything except better view of the side of the building, because she was on an upper floor. She got startled by the sudden noise of lock clicking and spun around to face Thomas. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw her.

“Please don’t jump.” His dry tone surprised her the most.

“I wasn’t—” She started, but Thomas motioned for her to sit down on the end of the bed and so she did.

He pulled out a bag full of makeup.

“Do we have time for all of that, but not for a brush?”

Thomas just provided a death stare in her direction, before applying the base layer on her face. He covered the band aid too. Thomas worked quickly and skilfully. Maie felt he applied an eyeliner and mascara, but couldn’t see the final product as immediately after finishing, Thomas ushered her out of the door. She did wonder for a while just why was he able to do make up and hoped the end result of her face stayed presentable.

She pulled the sides of the coat close and folded her arms in front it, shielding herself from the outside world. Thomas locked the door and turned towards her. He looked up at her scared face, rolling his eyes. He motioned for her to start walking and he followed closely behind her. As far as she could tell, no gun was involved.

They reached the middle of the floor where a large staircase lead downstairs. Thomas stopped her at the top, so they stood in silence. She assumed they were waiting for something to happen, but by the rush Thomas was in just now, it was a bit strange. Just as she worked up some courage to ask her purpose once more, a man in a casual suit came up the stairs.

Maie recognised the man as the same from the day before. Tall, dark hair, with an arrogant aura. His hair was brushed behind his ears and it seemed to Maie that he was wearing make up, a very subtle one.  His lips were uneven, resembling an eternal smirk stuck on his face. They were quite full, although they would probably not seem that way if the man smiled. His nose was narrow and average in every other way. He looked quite well built in that suit, but clothes can deceive sometimes. He had a very basic dark blue suit with a white shirt underneath, the top buttons open so his collarbones were on full display.

“Master.” Thomas bowed his head. Maie frowned at the term used. It didn’t signal much good if the man wanted to be called master.

Maie didn’t know what to do so she just stood there awkwardly, looking around.

“Because of the necessity of our cooperation, my name is Alexander Vilaner.”

‘Necessity?’ she almost spat it out loud.

“I’m M-“

“Yeah, I know who you are.” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Right.” She sighed, wanting to shrink into herself. This is not how she imagined her week would go. In the slightest.

“Follow me.” Alexander waved his hand and turned around to walk back down. Maie followed after him, Thomas behind them. They were in an open space and yet she felt enclosed.

“Can I please know why am I here?” She asked quietly, barely audible voice gave the impression she was afraid of being heard.

“Yes.” Thomas spoke up from behind her but even though he took another breath as if to continue, he halted. She noticed a small movement of Alexander’s face shut Thomas up quite effectively.

“You are here to interpret for me.”

“Interpret? I -  I can’t do that.” Maie almost stopped midstep, but Thomas nudged her from behind so she continued walking, although she wobbled for a second.

“You can speak languages, right? So what’s the problem.” Alexander did not look back at her the whole time they walked down the stairs and corridor.

“I can speak several languages, but interpreting live takes more training than me just knowing languages. You could have hired a professional, so why am I here?” Realising a bit late how bold that statement was, she held her breath as they arrived in silence at the front door.

Alexander turned around, eyebrows furrowed, lips pursed in anger.

“Are you questioning me?”

“No,” she shook her head quickly. “I am questioning my skillset.”

“Your mother tongue is one of the languages I need, so tell me, who is a better option?” He looked down at her. The size difference wasn’t that big with her heels, but it still felt as if he were a giant and she a puny dwarf next to him.

“A trained professional.” He stepped uncomfortably close to her, intimidating with his posture and confidence.

“Get. In. The. Car.” She was frozen, glued to the spot.

“Now.” It sounded more like a bark than anything. A command to a disobeying soldier.

Maie ducked her head and walked around him, towards the open front door. How the door was open was beyond her.

She saw a black limousine waiting right outside the house, door open with the driver standing next to it. Not looking him in the eyes, she sat in. The inside was that kind of luxurious she would never be able to afford. Nor would she want it. Alexander got in right after her, so she scooted to the other side, But Thomas entered from that side so she was stuck in the middle.

“Let’s go.” Alexander said.

The driver closed the door, letting complete silence settle inside.