“What I tell you, you have to promise that you will keep it between us. You have to promise that you won’t mention anything in front of Eva, okay?”
“I promise. I won’t say anything to anyone. Whatever you tell me I will keep to myself.”
“Okay.” His Aunt sits down and takes a sip of her wine. This must be serious, he thinks to himself. “Well, five years ago, Eva was attacked on the street. She was raped and nearly beaten to death by some maniac. He nearly killed her.”
“Holy shit.”
“Mi hijo!”
“Sorry. Go on.”
“A guy passing by the alley saved her life. He beat the guy up and the guy was arrested. He was sentenced to five years in jail.”
“Okay, it’s starting to make sense now.”
“Now, she can’t leave the house.”
“She can’t leave the house? You mean she hasn’t left the house in five years?”
“The only time that she’s been out of the house in the past five years is was when she was forced to testify against the guy that attacked her. Other than that, she stays in her apartment all the time.”
“Wow.”
“She doesn’t like people touching her now, and she has other little things that bother her. I worry about her, you know. She’s so young. Too young to be hurt so badly.”
“Auntie, I can’t imagine how I would deal, if I were in her shoes.”
“That’s why she hired me – to pick up groceries and stuff like that. I see her everyday and it breaks my heart. I think of her like my very own daughter.”
“Does she see anyone about what happened, like a Doctor?”
“She used to, but she feels like it stopped helping, so she quit.”
“Well, I hope that one day she will be able to heal and hopefully get back to living a normal life.”
“Me too, Mi hijo. Me too.”
Chapter 4
Gabriel is woken from a deep sleep. He’s trying to figure out why he woke up so suddenly, when he hears his name being called. He recognizes his Aunt’s voice immediately and jumps out of bed. She sounds like she’s calling him from outside and something in her voice doesn’t sound right.
He runs to the front door and opens it. He finds his Aunt lying on the ground, grimacing. “Rosa, what the hell happened?”
“I slipped on the ice. I don’t think that I can get up.”
He tries to pick her up, but the pain is too unbearable for her. He kicks himself inside. He meant to ice the sidewalk before he went to bed, but he was so tired, so he just went to bed. He’s mad at himself. He knows better than to put things off. His Aunt lying on the ground in excruciating pain is more evidence that procrastination is never a good idea.
“Aunt Rosa, I’m so sorry. I meant to ice the sidewalk.”
“Gabriel, it’s not your fault. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s Mother Nature’s fault.”
“I’m going to call an ambulance.”
“Yes, Mi hijo. Do that please.”
It takes the ambulance ten minutes to get to the house. He has never been so happy to see someone in his life. Seeing his Aunt lying on the ground, shivering from the cold, is more than he can bear. He winces when they put her on the stretcher and she calls out in pain.
“Auntie, I will meet you at the hospital, okay?”
“Okay. Don’t worry Gabriel, I’m fine.”
His concern must be written on his face. He watches the paramedics load his Aunt into the back of the truck and he makes his way back to the house. He gets dressed, grabs his coat, and jumps into his vehicle. He drives as fast as he can without speeding too much to get to the hospital. He doesn’t want his Aunt to have to go through anything alone. He wants to be by her side. Why she fell is his fault after all.
He pays for parking and makes his way into the Emergency Department. He hates hospitals. They smell crappy and they’re full of doom and gloom in his opinion. In his experience, nothing good has ever come from a visit to the hospital. Today is no different. He doesn’t have to be a doctor to know that something seriously wrong happened to his Aunt. The symptoms of pain that she was exhibiting were very real.
The clerk at the desk points him in the direction of his Aunt. He makes his way to find her, trying not to look at the faces of the other patients. He doesn’t want the looks of their pain and agony imprinted on his mind. He finally finds his Aunt.
“Hi, Auntie. How are you doing?”
“I’ve had better days.”
“No kidding. Have you seen the Doctor yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Hopefully, it won’t be long, but you know how hospitals can be. You have to wait forever.”
“Gabriel, you don’t have to stay with me. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m going to stay as long as it takes.”
“You’re a sweet boy.”
After an hour and half, a doctor finally comes to see them. “Hello, I’m Doctor Higgins.” He shakes their hands. “What has brought you in today?”
“I slipped on the ice on my way to work. Whenever I move my right leg, it hurts,” Rosa says, turning red.
Gabriel can tell that his Aunt is embarrassed. She’s always been the type of person, who doesn’t like being looked after. She hates people fussing over her and paying her too much attention.
“Well, let’s check you out and see what we find,” Dr. Higgins says, pulling back the sheet. He lifts Rosa’s leg up and down, moves it around, and touches it in different spots. His Aunt groans in pain during the examination. “Well Rosa, I think that you have broken your leg, but I have to order an x-ray to be sure.”
“Okay, Doctor.”
“Someone will come and take you to x-ray shortly. When I get the results, I will come back and let you know what I have found.”
Rosa nods her head in understanding. When the Doctor has left, Rosa turns to him and says, “Mi hijo, I need you to call Eva and tell her that I won’t be able to come into work today.”
The look on her face as she is speaking worries him. “What’s wrong Auntie?”
“I don’t know what Eva is going to do without me. She needs me.”
“Eva is going to understand.”
“I don’t know what she’s going to do on such short notice.”
“Auntie, let me handle it. I’ll think of something.”
* * * * *
Eva keeps checking the clock. Rosa is three hours late. She is never late, and if she’s late, she always calls. Eva is getting very worried. She’s tried calling Rosa’s cell phone and house phone, but there has been no answer. She starts to pace because there is nothing else she can do. She decides that if she doesn’t hear from Rosa in the next half and hour, she is going to start calling hospitals and police stations. She wishes she knew Gabriel’s phone number. Surely, he would know where Rosa is.
Her pacing is interrupted by the telephone ringing. “Please be Rosa,” she says to herself as she runs to answer the phone. “Rosa?” she says, breathless into the phone when she answers.
“Eva, hi. It’s Gabriel.”
“Oh my gosh, hi. I’m glad you called. Rosa is late and I haven’t been able to get a hold of her. You wouldn’t know where she is by chance?”
“I do, actually. That is why I’m calling. Rosa had an accident this morning.”
“An accident? Is she okay? What happened?”
“She was on her way to work and she slipped on a patch of ice in front of the house.”
“Was she hurt?”
“Yeah, she hurt her leg. I had to call an ambulance. We’re in the Emergency Room at the hospital right now. She had an x-ray and it’s definitely broken. They’re going to put her in a cast.”
“Oh, really?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Obviously, she isn’t going to be able to come to work today and she won’t be able to work for about six weeks.”
“Oh my goodness. This was completely unexpected, to say the least.”
“My Aunt is very worried about what you’re going to do without her. It’s all she’s been talking about the whole time we’ve been at the hospital.”
“Please don’t tell Rosa and upset her, but she’s right. I have no idea how I’m going to be able to replace her on such short notice,” Eva replies, nervously. Panic is starting to set it.
“Well, my Aunt and I have come up with a solution for you.”
“And what would that be?”
“While my Aunt is off her feet, we were thinking that I could replace her.”
Eva starts to laugh. “You? Replace her?”
“Yes. Why is that so funny?”
“Sorry, it’s not funny. I apologize for laughing, but I don’t think that you replacing Eva is a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“There are many reasons.”
“Such as?”
“Well, can you cook?”
“I can absolutely cook. I can clean. I can do all the things that Rosa does for you and probably more.”
Eva thinks about it. How would she feel having male energy around her all day? Would she be comfortable with that? She can’t be sure. It’s too risky.
“I absolutely appreciate your offer, but I have to decline. I’m sure that you would do a good job, but for personal reasons, I can’t allow you to replace Rosa.”
Gabriel doesn’t push. “Okay, Eva. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
“I do. Thank you for your offer. It was very sweet. Give Rosa my best wishes and tell her to hurry back.”
“I will. I hope you find someone. Bye, Eva.”
“Bye.”
Eva hangs up the phone and slowly places it on her kitchen table. The thought that she would ever have to replace Rosa for an extended period of time has never crossed her mind. She is totally unprepared for the situation that she finds herself in. She always plans ahead. These situations never happen to her. She kicks herself for being so lackadaisical in her planning. She makes a mental note to permanently fix the situation. She will never be without a backup Rosa again.
She goes into her office and sits at her desk. She picks up her phone book and starts to look through it. When she was searching for Rosa in the beginning, she had written down a phone number for a housekeeping agency in her phone book. She decides that they are the first place she will start looking for a short-term replacement.
“Gratitude House Cleaning. How may I help you?” A perky secretary answers on the second ring. Eva rolls her eyes. How can this person be so perky, when her life is completely falling apart?
“Hello. My name is Eva Taylor. My regular assistant had fallen ill and I need to replace her for about six weeks. I was wondering if you have anyone available.”
“Let me transfer you to our Scheduling Coordinator,” the secretary says, putting her on hold. She listens impatiently to elevator music, wishing that the phone conversation could be hurried along.
“Hello, this is Stacey Brooks. I was told that you are looking for someone to come into your home for cleaning?”
“That is correct, but I would also need some errands to be done, as well as preparing meals.”
“That definitely can be arranged. I have a young lady available that I think that you might like. Her name is Gillian and she is one of our best. She’s just returned from a leave of absence is and looking for full time work again. I think that she will be a perfect fit.”
“Sounds good and she can start tomorrow?”
“I’m pretty sure that she will be able to start tomorrow, but let me put you on hold for a few minutes and call her to be sure.”
“Okay, sure,” Eva says, putting her head in her hands.
She is dreading all of this. She dreads having a complete stranger coming into her home. She dreads having to show this stranger the in and outs of the work she expects to be done. Then, what if she doesn’t like the person that they’re sending to her? Then what? She’ll be back to square one. She shakes her head. She can’t believe that she’s landed in this nightmare.
“Eva?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“I was able to get a hold of Gillian and she will be at your home tomorrow morning at nine o’ clock sharp. She is prepared to stay until five. That’s correct, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Okay, Eva. Everything is set up. Please call if there are any problems tomorrow. If there are, we’ll surely remedy them.”
“Okay, thanks. Bye,” Eva says, hanging up.
She wonders what this Gillian person is going to be like. She hopes that she is capable of doing her job. The last thing she needs is to be cleaning up after someone that is supposed to be cleaning up after her.
She feels a little sense of relief. At least, there is someone going to show up tomorrow. She isn’t completely left in the lurch with no alternatives. If something were to come up, she’ll have someone she can turn to, to help her out. She has a few deliveries that absolutely need to be delivered tomorrow, so Gillian will have to do that.
She looks around her apartment. It’s so quiet. It feels strange not hearing Rosa puttering around, dusting and humming, or hearing the television playing Rosa’s favorite daytime soap, while she is making lunch. She misses Rosa already. She can’t wait until Rosa is back on the job and filling up her life with noise.
* * * * *
Eva is startled awake. Her alarm clock is going off. It is nine o’ clock. She rolls out of bed. She doesn’t want to get up, but Gillian will arrive any second. She walks slowly to the bathroom with her eyes closed. She brushes her hair, so she doesn’t look like a complete slob, and brushes her teeth.
When she is finished brushing her teeth, she beelines it for the coffee maker. She is in desperate need of a jolt of caffeine. She went to bed early, so that she would be fresh and ready to go when Gillian started. She wanted to have a full battery, so she would have patience and understanding when dealing with her new employee. She gets cranky when she is tired. Usually Rosa can tell when she isn’t quite herself and stays away from her. Gillian doesn’t know her well enough to be able to judge her moods, so she won’t be smart enough to stay out of the line of fire.
She sets up the coffee maker and glances at the clock on the wall. It’s now nine-twenty a.m. Gillian is late. Eva’s blood starts to boil. What kind of person is late on their first day of work? It leaves a bad taste in Eva’s mouth. She decides that she is not going to hold it against Gillian. Maybe she got lost or is stuck in traffic because of an accident. She is not going to jump to the conclusion that her new employee is lazy. She is going to give her the benefit of the doubt.
The security guard calls up from downstairs. Gillian has finally arrived and she is forty-five minutes late. Eva makes a mental note to check her attitude. It’s going to be hard for her to hide her annoyance, but she will make her best effort to try. When there is a knock on the door, she plasters a smile on her face and sets her happy personality into place.
“Hello. You must be Gillian. Come in,” she says, after opening the door.
“Yep, that’s me,” Gillian says, brushing past Eva, knocking her shoulder.
Eva could swear that Gillian rolled around in an ashtray before she came to work. She can’t be sure, but she swears that she got a whiff of booze when Gillian spoke. Gillian looks like she just rolled out of bed. She has definite bed head and is dressed in what appears to be last night’s party dress. She carries a pair of stiletto heels in her left hand and her purse with a broken strap in the other.
“Late night, last night?” she asks in shock.
She can’t believe that Gillian has shown up to work in the state she’s in. She’s got to be hung-over and feeling like crap. She wonders if she should offer her some aspirin. Eva feels like sending her home, but she remembers when she was young. There was a couple of times she showed up to work in probably a worse state then Gillian.
“You would not believe the night I had. Things didn’t tu
rn out quite the way I planned them to. I’m sorry I’m late. Where do you want me to start?” Gillian says, looking around the apartment as she speaks.
“Well, you can put your things in the closet. I have some clothes you can change into, if you like. I can’t imagine that wearing that dress all day is going to be comfortable.”
“Oh, thanks. That would be great.”
“Okay, just give me a second and I will pull something together.”
Eva grabs a t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants from her closet and gives them to Gillian. She waits while Gillian goes to the bathroom and puts them on.
“They fit perfectly,” she says when she comes out of the bathroom.
“Okay, well, the first thing I’ll have you do is cook breakfast.”
“Sure. What would you like to have?”
“I would like scrambled eggs and toast.”
“That’s pretty simple. I can do that,” Gillian says, pulling open different cupboards looking for pans. Eva shows her where the pans are and sits down to read the newspaper.
When Gillian is finished, she presents Eva with her breakfast plate. “Thank you,” Eva says, folding up the newspaper and placing it beside her plate. She picks up her fork and she is about to dig in, when she takes a hard look at her eggs. They’re runny and her toast is burnt. She groans inside and thinks of Rosa. Rosa would never present her with a plate of food that looked like this. Rosa would be completely embarrassed and ashamed. Gillian obviously doesn’t feel the same.
Eva, again, decides to let it slide. The food is edible at least. It isn’t the greatest breakfast that she’s ever had, but she eats it and keeps her mouth shut. She is really trying to give Gillian a chance, but things aren’t going as well as she would have liked. She would have a much better feeling about things if Gillian had shown up wearing the prescribed uniform, clean, and was able to cook a decent egg and toast a piece of bread.
Eva decides not to write her off completely just yet. She will see how Gillian cleans and how well she does with the deliveries that she wants delivered. When she is finished eating breakfast, she gives the dishes to Gillian to load into the dishwasher. Eva watches her and Gillian has no problem completing the task. Thank God, she can at least do that, Eva thinks, pouring herself another cup of coffee.
Lead the Way Page 3