The Bearer

Episode three

"I heard my father talk about it, but I thought it was already settled. After all, everyone has financial problems from time to time, but it always goes away very quickly, usually within a few days, a week at the most, before the late withdrawals run out." Klára spoke up, who had obviously woken up already. After her words, however, there was an uncomfortable silence in the room.

"I ordered breakfast." Chloe breaks the heavy silence in the parlor for which the girls except Emily are grateful, and eagerly take up the subject while Emily wonders how she's going to pay for it when she's spent all her savings preparing for this birthday party. "I still haven't used the points for my purchases so far," Chloe continues, as if to solve Emily's internal dilemma by the way. "How is your sister Esmeralda?" Chloe starts a polite conversation.

"Oh, Derek and Kate keep arguing. Of course, Kate would like a daughter and Derek would like a son. They can't even agree on the child's age. Derek would like a school-age child, already with basic habits. Kate would like a fresh new baby. I have to say that our mother is partly to blame for this. She keeps telling her how beautiful babies smell, how delicate, innocent creatures they are. I don't think that changing the diapers of a baby who cries most of the day would be a good way to arouse maternal love in Kate," replies Esmeralda, and together with Klára they move to the girls in the parlor.

"It's great that your parents are so supportive. My mother cries every night and blames my father for what kind of world they brought their children into." comments Emily.

"Do you think your dad has a plan to fix this, Em?" Klára returns to the unpleasant topic and looks at Emily.

"I think he is counting on Lujza marrying Louis. Although today it is not so easy to get a man to the altar when there is no threat of unplanned pregnancies. But I'm glad that this responsibility is not on my shoulders. I can't imagine the pressure that Lujza has to endure at the moment."

A tense silence settled more and more in the room with each sentence uttered. As if there wasn't a topic that didn't allude to family dramas or secrets.

"So, Em, do you already know where you're going to study after we finish elementary school?" Chloe tried to save the situation again, but this time she ran into a lack of funds without which it is impossible to study.

"Please, Chloe, in the whole class you and Klára are the only ones who are clear about this, so what was this question good for? And besides, there is still almost a year until July. We can change our decision countless times," Esmeralda uttered, and all the girls laughed.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Come in," Emily called.

The elderly butler Karol entered the room, who spoke respectfully - his years of work at the Stevens family didn't allow him to do otherwise - but at the same time slightly contemptuously - being a messenger is not part of his job description: "Miss, a courier is waiting at the door and he is ask... "

"That's for me," Chloe almost exclaims, and runs to the door. "Our breakfast," she explains, smiling at her friends, taking her purse and walking behind the butler. As if nothing was happening and she met the couriers daily.

"Do you think she noticed she was wearing a negligee or was so stressed about having to pick up the package from the courier herself that she won't realize until it will be too late?" asks Klára, who is still looking in a trance at the door behind which Chloe and the butler disappeared.