by Irene Bolton
She turned her head. "No, it's not about the pony, it's about you. Swear that you will never have surgery on your face.”
Her voice sounded sad. Of course, I could not say no to her. Moreover, my plans included nothing of the sort.
"Never in my life," I assured her.
I decided not to ask further questions. It was clear that this topic was painful for the girl, and she did not want to discuss it. She nodded seriously at my answer and fell silent. I retrieved a book and went back to her room, but Stan stopped me on the way.
"You may go." He took the book from my hands. "You are tired, and I, too, can read."
"I'm not at all tired..." I tried to protest, but Stan was not going to concede.
“It so happens that right now I don’t have more important things to do.”
He disappeared behind the door of the room. I paused for a moment, listening to what was happening inside.
"Once upon a time there lived a very nice girl..." came Stan’s voice from inside the room, once Karina had settled down. Stan's voice sounded unusually soft and lulling.
I supposed that's where I really ought to give Stan and his daughter some privacy.
Chapter 14
I quickly took a shower and even though I felt a rare kind of pacification, I decided to drink some calming tea. My nervous system definitely deserved some kind of treat, because tomorrow would be back to normal: Stan would go to work, and I would be left with my own personal energizer, Karina.
Retrieving the tea from the cupboard in my room, I threw a quick glance at the mirror: it might be a marvelous reflection if I had tidied myself up. The bathrobe I was in seemed an alien outfit in this mansion. I quickly changed clothes and combed my hair a little. I looked in the mirror again, trying to decide whether to apply makeup or not.
How stupid. Why would I need to wear makeup just to go and drink some tea? What for? No one would see me – if not Stan, of course.
"Foolish girl!" I mentally scolded myself. Such efforts were not for the purpose of fitting in to my new environment – it was all just to please my boss. And what for? When the three months were over, Karina would return home. And so would I.
I placed my makeup purse with all the brushes back in the cupboard and went down to the kitchen. It wasn’t a date anyway, and I did not have to impress anybody. Yes, we’d had an excellent day, but it didn’t change a thing: I was a nanny, hired for a temporary job.
I entered to the sound of the microwave signaling the end of the reheat. Stan stood next to it, his back to the door. And yet he noticed me.
"I forgot to ask yesterday," he said, without even turning, "what you were drinking? It smelled nice.”
This time he hadn’t forgotten to put on a T-shirt, but it did not help much. The light fabric covered his torso; completely concealing the body that was more suited to young Gods of Olympus than to a successful businessman.
"Herbal tea," I answered, sitting at the table and continuing to examine him. "It's good for soothing your nerves."
"I could guess." Stan turned to the table and smiled, showing a series of snow-white teeth. “It suits your work too much.”
Spreading a few appetizing plates on the table, he settled directly in front of me.
"Ice cream is, of course, good," he said, nodding at them. "But if I do not eat something more significant, I cannot fall asleep."
"Yes, we spent a lot of energy today," I smiled.
"Exactly," he nodded. “I haven’t been this tired for a long time. Honestly, it's much easier to beat out favorable contract terms than to go around on roundabouts all day. And how are you coping with my girl? Although, she is completely delighted with you.”
His words produced the effect of a healing balm. To realize that the girl was imbued with sympathy was very pleasant. Perhaps, keeping calm through her tricks had been worth it.
"Do you think she's too spoiled?" His voice became quiet and alert.
As if he really cared about my opinion. Of course, I could reassure him, claiming that Karina was the most wonderful child on the planet. Any parent expected those words. But I decided to be honest. And, after a moment's hesitation, I answered,
"I think that… she doesn’t get enough of your attention and she is trying to attract it by any means. When you’re around, she’s calm.”
Stan focused on the contents of one of the plates, starting to fiddle too desperately with his fork. But it was clear that he was listening attentively to me; he just did not want to look me in the eyes at that moment.
"Karina is a wonderful child," I continued. “She is a kind girl, able to empathize and sympathize. And smart…”
"She's also very stubborn," Stan said, still not looking up from the plate. “Today, falling asleep, she asked me again about the pony. It seems that she’s not going to give up on the idea.”
We laughed together. If the girl were up to something, any obstacles would be swept away. Stan had better be prepared for the possibility that he really would have to build stables in the backyard.
"The ability to achieve one's goals is not a bad thing," I said. “Yes, parents and nannies have a hard time with such children, this is a fact. But as an adult, this quality is indispensable…”
I realized I had gone too far, I had to lighten the mood.
“But you know what they say: You don’t find oranges on apple trees,” I smiled. "It would be strange if your daughter was a gentle and flexible person."
I hesitated, trying to decide whether it was worth it, to say what I wanted to say. Would I still have my job?
"I also think," I said cautiously, “that you should not demonstrate your pride, when Karina arranges something like that scuffle at the airport.”
He suddenly became embarrassed, “It was so noticeable?”
I nodded.
“Got it. I will pretend that I’m mad at her next time.”
This conversation seemed to be destroying the invisible boundaries that had existed between us. I had the feeling that I had known Stan and his daughter for a long time. And it felt much too good. And I did not want to sleep anymore. I thought I could sit like that all night.
Our fun was interrupted by a phone call. The device, lying on the table between the plates, demanded attention. The screen displayed the beautiful face of ‘darling’. Stan instantly became serious and, taking the phone in his hands, rose:
"I beg your pardon, I must answer."
He left the kitchen, closing the door tightly behind him. I was left alone with a cup of tea. The magical atmosphere was destroyed. I took a sip. Oh, no. The tea had already cooled down and so was impossible to drink. I poured the tea into the sink and went back to my room. I had to get up early tomorrow. Still, it was useful sometimes to remind myself that I was not an honorable guest here, nor a family friend. I was the nanny, a servant. And the beautiful ‘darling’ had the right to sit with Stan in the kitchen, chatting gaily. And that’s how things would be.
Chapter 15
The next morning, at exactly 8.30am, I entered Karina's room. I thought it would take a long time to get her to wake up. After yesterday's adventures, she would surely want to sleep longer. But it was not possible; I had to follow her dad’s instructions.
Imagine my surprise when it turned out that the girl's bed was empty and Karina herself was ready for classes.
If Karina wanted to learn, teaching her was very easy. Her capacity for languages was amazing. It seemed she did not make any effort to master the difficult material.
“Do you like to study?” I asked.
"Not always," the girl admitted. “I like the Russian, French, English and Chinese classes.”
"Even Chinese?" I was sincerely surprised. In my view, this language was impossible to learn, far more different from everything I’d ever studied.
“Yes!” Karina said, brightening up. “Here, listen."
She stood in the middle of the room, raised her head and began to speak fast in an unknown language. It so
unded rather beautiful.
“You like it?” She asked.
“Yes!” I admitted.
The girl looked at me with an appraising look and apparently decided that I was worthy of her secrets. She confessed, "I think fairies speak in this language. It sounds like music, doesn’t it?”
Where did she get those ideas? But it was true, the melodic language was so well suited to fairytale creatures.
"I think you're right," I said seriously. "If you learn it well, you can talk with fairies about anything you want."
Karina jumped up, ran over to me and hugged me tightly. I, touched by the gesture, stroked her head. Perhaps I shouldn’t but I could not resist.
"Now I'll show you something!" She said, leaning back from me and opening her eyes wide. “I haven’t told anyone about it yet. But it’s a secret. Okay?”
I nodded. Karina smiled, satisfied. She took out her purse. She looked through its contents and extracted a large seashell.
"Look what John gave to me," the girl whispered, as if she was afraid we could be overheard.
“It is very beautiful!” I also whispered.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she admitted, “He said that I'm the coolest kid."
She looked at me from under her eyelashes cunningly, waiting for my reaction.
"I think John's right," I said.
"He's... so... smart...” the girl said quietly. “And he is very nice."
"Seems like he is a good boy," I agreed, and turned away to hide the smile that had appeared on my face. At that moment the girl’s sentiments and expression were very endearing. Even the tip of her nose had blushed a bit.
"He even loves physics," she continued to praise her friend.
"Physics?" I was surprised. "How old is he?"
"He’s already seven," she seemed to be proud that her chevalier was already so grown up. “We study physics and mathematics together. But I hate them.”
It seemed that the girl's curriculum was more intense than I had expected. But why would you make a small child learn something she hated?
“Does your mother know that you don’t like physics?” I asked.
"Uhuh," the girl nodded. "But she thinks that I just have to work harder. Like Cinderella.”
Hardworking. Aha. That was very important, of course. But why bring everything to the point where it was absurd? I thought I should speak with Stan about this.
“Well, while you do not have to do physics and mathematics, we can go for a walk and play on the playground. You can play with girls there. What do you think?”
“Yoho!” exclaimed Karina as she began dressing as fast as possible. I guessed that meant ‘yes’
After frantically trying on several dresses, she finally found the one that looked the most magical. Before going outside though, the girl needed to have some food. She was therefore temporarily at the disposal of the good-natured chef.
I was going to use that time to change, but no, that was not going to happen. The door flew open and a familiar figure appeared there. It was Stan’s ‘honey’.
The girl served me an icy look and curled her lips.
"So, you're the new babysitter?" The girl asked, gazing intently at me.
"Governess," I corrected.
"Ah, that changes everything,” she said with a grin. “They wouldn’t take a babysitter to the adventure park, would they?”
“What do you want?” I asked, trying to speak calmly although deep inside I was enraged. I was annoyed by everything about this woman: the tone of her voice, her noble face, her bold appearance – I did not like her. Dressed in simple jeans and a T-shirt, I looked like a servant next to her. Although in fact, it was the truth. This woman also appeared to be the girlfriend of my boss. And that made me hate her even more.
"Stan asked me to bring him some documents," she said, handing me a heavy folder. "He wants to work from home. Don’t lose them.”
I took the folder, but she grasped my hand firmly. For a second, we looked at each other, holding the folder from both sides, as if we could not decide how to share it.
"And I want to warn you," Her eyes were angry, although she spoke calmly. "Do not get a big head. Stan is crazy about his daughter, that's all; he is ready to do everything for her. And you're just an addition to her. A temporary addition. You will leave the house as soon as the girl returns to her mother. And I'll stay. And everything will be as before. Do you understand?”
I did not answer, and she pushed the folder towards me so that I almost lost my balance.
"Stay away from my man," she hissed at last, and walked out the door, not giving me a chance to answer.
Well, what could I have said? Should I have told her that I don’t need Stan? Sworn that I would not approach him in any way?
"Alex, who's that?" asked Karina, looking out from behind my back.
It seemed that the dinner had ended.
"That was your dad's acquaintance,” I answered, trying not to show my disappointment to the girl. “So, it's better that you ask him about it. In the meantime, let's go to the playground!”
I tried to be cheerful, probably trying to convince Karina, or myself, that nothing terrible had happened. Yes, Stan was worth fighting for, so I understood her. But why had she decided that I was a threat?
“An evil, cynical bitch,” I cursed under my breath, while Karina and I walked towards the playground. “Do not pay attention to her, that's all."
But it was still painful, and tears began to fill my eyes. On top of that, one stupid nudging idea would not let me calm down. Whatever this bitchy woman had said before, she was completely right. I didn’t stand a chance.
Chapter 16
"Well, my ladies," said Stan from the threshold, addressing both Karina and myself. "We have big plans for tonight!"
He waved three colored papers that appeared very much like tickets. Possibly cinema tickets... The mood of the owner of the house clearly contrasted with mine: he smiled, moved swiftly and noisily – in general, looking quite pleased with life.
Karina immediately broke away from me, rushed to him and happily hung around his neck. Her mood was also in contrast to mine... Fortunately, my mood was of little consequence.
"We have to be very fast," Stan commanded, “because we still have to drive to the cinema. We have plans for a full-length cartoon in 3D, and then a café and walk around the city. I hope you’re both in.”
His hopes were far from reality. One of us was exactly the opposite of being in... Unless of course I was mistaken, and the third ticket was not meant for me.
“Great!” exclaimed Karina. "I'm quite ready, but I need to get my bag!"
And with these words she ran after the accessory. Here was the appropriate moment.
"Stan, I'm sorry," I said quietly, but surely. "A second day of stormy entertainment is just too much for me. I'm a little tired. Also, we agreed that I would have free time in the evenings. And I really need it…”
I smiled, trying not to make the smile look sad.
“Yes, of course,” Stan’s mood immediately dimmed. I was not sure what it was connected with. Most likely the fact that not everything was going according to his plan.
Certainly, it was hardly the notion that having fun without me was not as fun as with me. He was Karina’s father, somehow, they could manage without me.
"It's fine, of course, rest, excuse me if..." He did not finish, so I did not understand why he had made up his mind to apologize. From the depths of the rooms appeared Karina with her pink shoulder bag. Stan turned all his attention toward her. “Well, little devil, are you able to watch cartoons and walk around the city with me?”
“Me?” It seemed that Karina was offended by such a question. "Of course I am. And, by the way, concerning a pony. I really wanted to discuss something with you…”
I shook my head: this girl was definitely a difficult one; I would not be surprised if a pony would be here very soon.
They left, and I allowed myself
a sigh of relief. It was really the first time in many days I was able to spend time quietly, just with myself.
I took a nice long bath, not a quick shower as usual, turned on the TV, which happened to be in my room, and watched some stupid show. I then answered emails so that my friends, acquaintances and relatives would not think that I had disappeared and it was time to put out Missing Persons flyers... But all these chores ended very quickly, then my mind was taken over by the sad thought that somewhere on the other side of the city right now was some absolutely hilarious full-length cartoon showing in 3D, which meant that all sorts of things, sometimes even heroes, were flying out of the screen, causing one little girl and her father to think it necessary to duck their heads. The fact that Karina laughed so joyfully, and her father... no, stop! I certainly wouldn’t think about her father now, nor ever.
Later that evening Karina came to me, happily retelling the story and waving her hands about, describing in detail how beautiful the dragons were.
"Well, that’s it." She kissed my cheek and got ready to leave. "I’d like to wait for you to fall asleep, but now it's time for me to go, I have business. Dad will read me a tale.”
I laughed: an excellent plan. I closed the door and lay down on the bed. Going to the kitchen with a bag of tea was canceled today. No, not only today, but completely abolished.
Chapter 17
The days went by, and we settled into a routine. We entered the usual loop of classes, playing in the garden, eating, and having fun. Everything was alright and the house was not destroyed.
Stan spent a lot of time at work but still managed to dedicate time to Karina: he arranged short-term ‘weekends’ for me which lasted several hours, and small holidays for her, which she later could not stop talking about.
He did not ask me to come with them. Not anymore. I didn’t know the reason: either my earlier refusal and story of fatigue, or perhaps reprimands from his ‘darling’... Or maybe he just realized that being alone with his daughter was much more interesting than having her nanny around all the time.
