by Brandy Blake
Chapter2
Imani woke up and started getting ready immediately, realizing she was already much later than the time that the people were expecting her at the mansion. She saw that Stavros had snuck off in the night; never getting his name or number, Imani wondered if she would ever see him again. She didn’t change out of the dress at all, sleeping with everything on but her underwear. She didn’t mean for it to be that way, but it certainly helped her pack up again. She frantically pulled out her outfit for the day, slipping the dress off and shoving it back into the suitcase without any care for it being folded neatly.
She had drunk plenty from the night before, and with little rest after the flight, she was feeling as though she had gotten hit by a bus. It was only Sunday, so it was more a day to get to know the child instead of having to do any real work. Still, Imani was not in the mood to act professional. If there was a day to sit around in pajamas and binge watch a TV show, today was the day to do it. She was certainly feeling everything she had put her body through in the last couple of days, and she hoped that it wouldn’t work against her in these final moments before starting her next job.
Not showering wasn’t an option at this point, and if it meant being late, that was something Imani had to risk. She hopped into the shower, turning the water on right away, not scared how cold it might be once it burst out of the pipes. It was like an electric shock on her body, the cold helping to wake her up a bit, at the same time making her realize how good she had it moments ago when she was sound asleep and under the covers. The water pressure was terrible, and the stream hardly covered half of Imani’s body, being one of the worst showers of her life but simultaneously the thing that she needed to bring her back to life. Once she was done in the shower, she changed as quickly as possible, her hair still tied up from the night before. She didn’t even do a sweep before leaving, figuring that she hadn’t left anything in the room.
She hailed a cab quickly, relieved that there was one readily available at this point. She still hadn’t had time to look up where she was going to be living on maps, the night before being a little too hectic for her to do some research. She certainly had a memorable night with the guy at the bar, but she was also wishing she would have just stayed in the night before and spent some time doing research on what she was going to be doing and who she was going to be working for in the next few months. She frantically searched her purse and pulled out the address she had scribbled on the piece of paper, handing it over to the driver that spoke little English.
The driver asked her twice if she had the address right, Imani knowing that it was probably a strange destination at which to get dropped off. She knew it was right, because her father had repeated it to her over and over before he left. She realized she was supposed to send him a goodnight text, doing it frantically as the cab approached the destination. He was a slow driver, but Imani wasn’t about to change that, as the driver was already a little confused about where exactly he was supposed to be going.
The cab stopped in front of a house that sat right on the coast, at least a mile in between any other house. She quickly realized that she certainly wouldn’t be living in a small apartment above a store. Imani walked up the massive stairs, the house as big as a resort. She wasn’t even sure where to go in, because the house had several entrances clearly visible from the front. Imani looked at the biggest door at the top of the stairs that led off the street. She had seen a few large houses on the boat ride and during her cab ride, but this was certainly the biggest that she had seen so far on the island.
“You must be Imani,” Petra told Imani. Imani hadn’t even knocked, but Petra opened the front door as Imani approached. “I’m Petra.”
“Nice to meet you. You must be the…” Imani trailed off, not sure who this might be.
“Chef or maid, or anything else he needs me to be for the day,” Petra laughed. “Come on in. Let me show you around!”
Imani was nervous, but at least distracted enough to not think about how her stomach was currently trying to take revenge against her for staying out too late the night before. Imani followed Petra inside; the interior of the house looked larger than it had from the outside. There was a clear view straight out through the back of the house towards the water, and Imani realized that they were likely built into a cliff on the edge of the island. She could see a few hills but not much other than the blue water.
There was a massive split staircase in front of them that went off in two different directions. There was also a staircase on the right, the formal living room on the left, a dining area on the right, and a long hallway that went past another living area straight back. Imani was instantly overwhelmed, feeling like she had just gotten hired to work at a large vacation resort. She quietly followed Petra down a long hallway.
She looked to be in her 60s, and her English was better than anyone else Imani had met so far. She was tall and thin, black hair dotted with gray. She didn’t look too old, but Imani could tell from her eyes and the way that she talked that Petra was older than her.
“How was your flight? You must be exhausted,” Petra told her.
“I am, but I did get some sleep at least. I never minded flying,” Imani told her honestly.
“Haven’t flown in decades. I like to stay on the island,” Petra told her with a smile. She could tell from her tanned and leathered skin that Petra spent plenty of time on the beach.
They walked down a long hallway, Imani not knowing where they were going.
“So, this is the main kitchen,” Petra told her as they made their way to the back of the house. The house was done in a traditional Greek style, with lots of clay, stone, brick, and other hard materials. This one was also dotted with modern appliances and contemporary art pieces that made it feel fresh and inviting. There were also other floral elements, making it feel like a warm vacation home. The place was filled with green flowers, and the air smelled clean.
“You’ll be allowed to eat out of the main kitchen as you’ll be taking care of Darius, but most of the staff eat out of the kitchen in the basement, which I’ll show you a little later,” Petra told her. She was starting to feel overwhelmed with all of the information she was taking in. “You’re welcome to eat with the other staff, but most don’t speak English and like to keep to themselves. I’m assuming you don’t speak much Greek?”
What was Imani supposed to take from that comment? Was it because of the color of her skin or was Petra just assuming since she was form the states? Either way, Imani felt a little thrown off by the comment.
“How many staff members does he have, exactly?” Imani asked. Petra just laughed.
“There are people in and out of here constantly, but you don’t need to worry about anyone but me, Darius, and yourself. You can always ask me questions, but you wouldn’t be able to keep up with the staff if I listed them off to you. It’s best to just get to know people as you meet them,” Petra explained.
“Got it,” Imani said, visibly frightened.
“Just be polite and do what you’re told,” Petra told her. “If you can manage that, you’ll do just fine. Don’t look so scared!”
“Sorry, it’s just a lot, as you can imagine,” Imani told her, still following her down the stairs that were off to the side in the front of the house, now to a long hallway that led out to a small balcony with a few doors dotting the long hall, clearly bedrooms.
“Your only responsibility will be Darius, who we can meet once he wakes up for the day,” Petra told her. Imani thought to herself that it was a little strange that a seven-year-old boy would be sleeping still this late on a Sunday. She liked sleeping in as much as the next guy, but with lunch approaching, she just assumed that he would be awake by now.
“The only employees you need to know are me, the chef, head housekeeper, and basically just the one in charge, of course,” Petra explained. “Mateo is his most personal assistant and lives in the house, so he can be available 24/7. He has a whole team of assistants
of course, but at 22, Mateo has managed to become his favorite, a pretty big accomplishment for someone like that.”
“Hello,” a young man said as he opened one of the bedroom doors in the hallway.
“Oh, Mateo, here he is now,” Petra told Imani.
“Hi, nice to meet you,” Imani said sweetly. She was relieved to see that there was yet another person that spoke English with whom she would be working closely at the house. It was nice to know that she wouldn’t feel like a total outsider during her time there.
“My room is at the end there. I am unavailable after 10 P.M. and until 6:00 A.M. unless of course there is an emergency,” Petra winked. Imani could tell that she would be tough on her, but she didn’t mind. Sometimes, tough love was what Imani needed. She was also a bit relieved that someone else would be in charge, less nervous now to meet the unruly child that she hadn’t heard many good things about.
“Is there like a rule book?” Imani joked, trying to break up a bit of the tension. Petra just smiled, clearly only humoring her attempt at a joke.
“Breakfast will be served every morning at 7:00 on the dot,” Petra explained. “If you miss breakfast, that’s fine; you’ll just have to make it yourself. I’ll leave it up to you to create a schedule that you think would work best for Darius. He hasn’t had an easy year, but he could certainly use some… discipline,” Petra said with tight lips.
Imani tried to keep up with what Petra was saying, but as they walked through the mansion, Imani couldn’t help but admire every piece of art she saw on the wall. Imani had never been inside a place that was decorated so nicely. There was clearly plenty of attention and detail hiding in every single corner of the mansion. Being built into the side of a cliff, it must have been at least four different stories, though there could be a basement and attic she hadn’t seen yet.
It was clear that her new boss knew what he was doing when it came to decorations. He had either really good taste on his own, or he had plenty to hire the best designer in town. Imani was excited to see her own room as they approached the end of the hallway downstairs, right past Petra’s room.
“So, here’s your room,” Petra explained to Imani. She gave her a look up and down before opening the door to let Imani in. “I’ll give you a minute to relax, so you can meet me back at the main kitchen whenever you’re ready. I’m just preparing brunch.”
“Thanks,” Imani said as Petra shut the door. She looked around her room, overwhelmed at what she was seeing in front of her. It was on the front of the house, giving her a view of the woods across the street. They were really tucked away on this small and quiet island. She had a bright ray of sun pouring in over the room, easily twice the size of the hotel room she had been staying in. There was a mini fridge built into some cabinets next to a sink on the far side of the wall, a couch across as well as a desk with a computer sitting right on top.
Imani was thrilled to see she had her own massive room. If she had to work there until the kid was 18, she was starting to realize that was O.K. She had known very little when she first signed up to work for this man and his family, but she would have signed her life away if it meant staying in that room forever. Imani set her suitcase down and leaped onto the bed, feeling the comfort and warmth surround her.
She had her very own bathroom, something she couldn’t always say. Too often in her life did she have to share a small bathroom with messy roommates, or worse, her father. She lifted herself off her bed and pranced into her very own bathroom, seeing that it was stocked with plenty of nice toiletries, all with Greek writing, of course. Nothing a little research on her private computer couldn’t fix. She looked in the mirror, realizing her eyes were a lot redder than she’d thought.
She quickly splashed her face, wishing she could’ve gotten more sleep so she didn’t look so swollen. Although she was missing her bed right now, she was still happy that she had shared that night with Stavros.
She opened her bag, seeing what she could unpack quickly but deciding that it would be better to do that later. She wasn’t sure how long she was supposed to stay in her room, deciding that if she waited too long, she’d eventually be too tempted to fall asleep. Making her way back to the kitchen seemed like the best option at that point.
Imani walked out of her room, already forgetting how to get back to the kitchen. She knew that if she just followed stairs, she’d find her way, but she didn’t manage on the first try. She walked up some stairs that trailed diagonally to the right, thinking she had found the kitchen, only to realize that she had actually wandered into an indoor pool area with a jacuzzi right next to it and indoor plants dotted around. She turned around and walked back up a different set of stairs, still not sure if she was going the right way.
She passed a library, the door now open, though she didn’t remember seeing that on the way to her bedroom. She was thrilled to get the chance to explore the library, hoping that it was filled with plenty of books written in English. If not, that would be fine, but it would just take her a little longer to get through them. She figured trying to read and translate Greek was better than not reading at all. She kept wandering down the hallways, hoping she’d stumble into the kitchen as easily as she had made her way into the private pool.
She heard a loud thud, and she followed the noise to at least get her to another human that could tell her where to go. “Darius, do not throw things,” she heard Petra say, and Imani realized that the little boy was awake already.
“There you are. Your room OK?” Petra asked with a smile. Imani saw that she was frantic, her attention then going to the little boy glaring at her from the kitchen counter. He had blonde dotted hair, rich caramel skin, and eyes that looked oddly familiar.
“My room is like a dream. I did get a little lost on my way back though,” Imani laughed. She felt like she had made her way back, but she could have been lost for over an hour, and it all would have felt the same to her.
“It’s easy to get lost in a house with over 30 rooms,” Petra told Imani as she set out a plate at the counter next to Damien, pouring a few glasses of orange juice as well. “I’m always losing count of how many there are. Darius, this is Imani. Can you say hi?” Petra asked. Darius just screamed and ran away while holding a pancake. “He just takes a little warming up.”
Imani knew exactly what that meant when people started talking about kids. “It’s fine; we have all the time we need.” Imani didn’t want to show that she was scared right away, although she didn’t like that she was off to a bit of a rocky start.
“Darius, come back and sit at the table,” Petra yelled. Darius was out of sight, Imani getting stressed thinking about losing him in the mansion.
“Does he speak English?” Imani asked, frightened, realizing that she had just assumed that he did. Of course, they wouldn’t have hired her if he only spoke Greek, right?
“He does; he just doesn’t like to do it often, as his mother was the one who taught him English,” Petra explained. Imani thought about his mother, realizing that had more effect on his behavior than she had realized. “Get back here now, Darius!”
“No, it’s fine; he’ll be OK,” Imani explained. She didn’t like how aggressive Petra was being with Darius. He was clearly a sensitive boy, and screaming wasn’t what it was going to take to get him to sit at the table again. Rebellion was an act of confusion, and Imani knew she played a part in his stand-offish behavior that morning. She walked in the direction that Darius had run, of course into another sitting room, this one filled with toys and looking a little more comforting than the stark white kitchen. She saw him sitting in the corner, only holding his pancake.
“You can sit here if you need some time,” Imani said. It was clear that he was acting out to get some attention from Imani. He was already seeing how far he could go with her, so it was important for Imani to show right away that she wasn’t going to be playing his games. She had seen plenty of kids like Darius before, something he didn’t know that would end up working in
Imani’s advantage.
“I’m going to get to know Petra in the kitchen. If you’d like to join us, I’d love to hear about all your favorite things, Darius,” Imani told him. She walked back into the kitchen, and Darius followed just a minute later.
*****
Imani spent the day playing with Darius, just wanting to get to see how much he knew. She asked him about animals, numbers, letters, history, and everything else she could think of, just so she knew how much he knew. She tried to phrase things in ways that didn’t sound like test questions, hoping that Darius would cooperate more. He was certainly mostly interested in playing with his toy planes, and Imani had to talk more about aircraft than she admittedly knew.
They walked around outside, and Imani realized they had a stunning view. They overlooked the ocean, and a stony path led them to a private beach. They looked at shells and at dead fish. Darius was pretty smart for his age, very aware of his surroundings and understanding easily how the world worked. At 28, Imani still struggled with that herself, so she was obviously impressed.
Darius was a sweet child; he just needed a lot of attention and time to warm up. Imani was ready for the challenge. He would get moody with her quickly, wondering why she had so many questions to ask. She just had to turn the conversation back to Darius, realizing that he liked talking about himself enough for there to be plenty of things for them to discuss. After a long day of exploring the mansion, Darius mostly showing her all his favorite spots to play or find bugs, they finally settled onto the couch after dinner.
“Daddy will be home soon,” Petra told Darius as she cleaned up from dinner. Imani was nervous to finally meet Stavros, knowing that he was a tough guy and not the friendliest person that got along with everyone right away. She stared at the TV as she heard a door slam in the distance.
“Daddy!” Darius said, running up to his father, Stavros. As soon as Imani saw those deep brown eyes, she realized the man she had spent the night with before was, in fact, also her new employer. They looked into each other’s eyes, Stavros realizing right away that the woman he had walked out on the night before was also his new nanny.
