by Krista Lakes
Thump-thump, thump-thump-thump.
She beat the screen door on the neighbor's trailer with the same rhythmic knock she’d been using since her childhood. It was a pattern that hadn’t changed in almost twenty years.
The door hinges squeaked as it opened and Aunt Faye stood in the trailer, smiling wide. She was a stout woman whose weight gave way to a particularly jolly laugh. Like most days, she was wearing a cotton dress and shoes that hugged her tiny feet.
She was clearly happy that her goddaughter had paid a visit. It was written all over her face.
“Hey, Bean,” Faye said, her English accent formal and friendly at the same time.
“Hey, Aunty,” Sabrina said, pulling the older woman in for a hug. The two embraced each other as if it’d been years since they had spoken, even though it had been less than a day.
“I bet you have some news for me,” Faye said as they broke from their hug, her eyebrows arching into her gray wispy bangs.
Sabrina grinned.
“Come inside, love,” Faye said, stepping back into her trailer. “What are you waiting for?”
Faye’s mobile home was just two down from Sabrina's parent's trailer. It was larger in comparison and significantly newer. Because of that, it was also more elaborate and in much better condition. But the contrast wasn't something Sabrina had ever paid much attention too, especially because the place served as her second home. It was a spot where she’d spent countless days, and even nights, as a child, while her parents were away at work.
All of this time brought the two very close and eventually led to the woman earning the title of 'Aunty Faye.' In fact, the only technical relation between them was that Aunt Faye was Sabrina's godmother.
“Well, I suppose you didn’t get all dressed up just to see me,” Faye said. “Tell me how the interview went.”
“It went really well,” Sabrina said, taking a seat on a small couch across from the miniature chair where her aunt Faye often sat.
“I knew it would.” Faye's eyes sparkled with excitement. They were a unique shade of lavender that Sabrina had never seen anyone else have. “Tell me everything.”
“I got the job. I’ll be doing assistant duties similar to what I told you about,” Sabrina explained. “I'm kind of a trip assistant.”
“Trip?” Faye asked, shifting in her seat and frowning slightly.
“It's a travel position,” Sabrina said. “I didn't know all of the details when I applied, but I figured there would be a catch. Traveling will be fun, though, I think.”
“That sounds like a ball,” Faye said, her tone alive with excitement.
“Yeah, it really does,” Sabrina said.
“And so who will you assist?” Faye asked “What’s this person like?”
Suddenly the image of Marco in his soft linen shirt and glowing skin filled her head.
“He’s incredible.” The words spilled out before Sabrina could filter a more appropriate response.
Aunt Faye laughed and leaned forward. “Do tell.”
“I mean he seems great, at least from what I can tell so far.” Sabrina tried again, this time with a little more control. “His name his Marco and he's from some island in the Mediterranean. He’s a very wealthy person, which I guess is why he needs an assistant. But he’s also super genuine. I could tell after only a few minutes of us talking. He's definitely someone I think I’ll absolutely love working for.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Faye said. “And the pay is what you expected? There’s no catch besides having to travel?”
“No catch at all. Nothing so far anyway,” Sabrina said. “They outlined everything one last time right before I left, including going over the pay one more time. I’ll easily make enough to save for tuition.”
“Oh, Bean,” Faye said, her face melting into a smile of pure happiness. “Look at you.”
Sabrina couldn’t help but break into a smile of her own.
“I’m so proud of you,” Faye said.
“Thanks, Aunty. That really means a lot,” Sabrina said, and for the first time she felt her anxious emotions mellow into something controllable. She took a breath and appreciated the momentary peace.
“When do you start on this grand adventure?” Faye asked, settling into a comfortable chair.
“The day after tomorrow is when we leave,” Sabrina told her. “But, I'm meeting with his usual assistant to find out how everything is going to work tomorrow. She's going to teach me how to set up what he needs and exactly what my job requirements are. I think for the most part, I'll be the face on the accounts. I'm fairly sure he's some kind of famous, so they don't want his name on anything or for people to be able to discover he's there.”
“I'd say this calls for a celebration.” Faye reached for the counter beside her and pushed herself up from her chair. “I have just the thing.”
Sabrina had a few decent guesses for what could have meant, one of which was confirmed when her aunt returned from her bedroom. She carried a tray with an antique ornate tea set, which she placed gently onto the coffee table between them.
The porcelain tea cups were painted with delicate blue patterns that danced and twisted around each piece. The tea pot itself had a similar pattern, but not exact. It was clear that these designs were hand painted, not just applied in a factory somewhere. The set was beautiful work of art. Sabrina admired it, thinking that it should have been sitting in a museum somewhere instead of on the fiberboard table in front of her.
“I know you've shown me this before,” Sabrina said, as she gently lifted one of the cups to get a closer look. “It's been years since I've seen it, though.”
“Yes, I only bring it out for special occasions, which don't happen as nearly as often as I'd like,” Faye said.
“Tell me more about this tea set, Aunty,” Sabrina said. “I don't really know anything about it.”
“This set was once one of my favorite possessions,” she said. “It's still special to me, but in a different way. It's hard to explain. The one thing that you should know, though, is that it will get passed down to you one day.”
It wasn't exactly the explanation Sabrina was hoping for. It was vague and explained nothing about the actual set. Still, Faye was just too sweet to argue with.
“Aw, Aunt Faye,” Sabrina hummed, bowing her head to look closely at the intricate designs. “That’s really nice of you. I'll be sure to take care of it, just like you have.”
“Just give me one moment and then we can share a nice cup of tea,” said Faye, moving to light a burner in the kitchen.
“You drink out of this?” Sabrina asked. It felt wrong to use the beautiful cups for anything other than looking at.
“Only on special occasions, like I said. It’s not for the everyday.” Faye filled a kettle and placed it on the stove.
“Yeah, definitely not,” Sabrina said. “I’d be too scared to break it. Where'd you even get this thing?”
“Oh, long ago,” Faye said but trailed off. There was a pause that seemed oddly out of place for the current conversation. She returned to her chair in silence with a gaze that looked distant. “Long ago and far away. A life long before this one.”
“It's beautiful,” Sabrina told her. “I've never seen another tea set like it.”
“There was a time when I thought about donating the set,” Faye said. “Many times, actually. But there has always been something of me that told me to me keep it. And at this point I’d rather pass it on to my goddaughter.”
“I hope it's a long, long time before it gets passed onto me,” Sabrina said. “I don’t want to be going over your will anytime soon.”
“Oh Bean, stop that,” she said. “Your Aunty Faye is still kicking just fine. I’m sixty-five years old and haven't even had my mid-life crisis yet. It'll be decades before you'll be able to get rid of me.”
“Thanks for bringing it out, Aunty. It really is beautiful.”
Just then the kettle screamed and steam pooled into the air abov
e the stove.
“Oh.” Faye jumped and prepared to stand up.
“I got it,” Sabrina said and stood to retrieve the kettle. She poured the hot water into the tea pot and tossed a couple of tea bags in with it. After a few minutes of letting it steep, Sabrina distributed the tea into two of the cups and carefully handed one to her godmother.
“Thank you, Bean.” Faye nodded her head as she accepted the cup and saucer. “And congratulations about the job.”
She held her glass up, as if to “Cheers” the occasion. Sabrina did the same.
“Thank you, Faye,” Sabrina said. She blew carefully on her tea before taking a sip. “Without your support and advice, I wouldn't have gotten the position.”
“Nonsense,” Faye said, after taking a small sip of tea. “You did it on your own.”
Sabrina didn't say anything. There was no arguing with Faye about subjects like this.
“So I'll bet your parents were happy for you,” Faye said, after a few seconds of pause.
“Yeah,” Sabrina said blankly. “I mean, I think they were. ”
“Oh love, don’t kid yourself now,” Faye scolded. “I know they are.”
“You know how it is, though,” Sabrina said. “I told them, but we were only able to talk for about twenty minutes before they both had to leave for work.”
“Yes. I know how it is.” Faye blew gently at the top of her tea. “But you can’t ever think that it’s because they don’t love and support you.”
“I know. I would never think that. But it’s just…” Sabrina paused to collect herself. “I don’t know. I would have loved to have been able to spend some time with them before I leave tomorrow. Something I can think back to while I’m gone for the next few months. I've never been away and I'm honestly afraid I'm going to get homesick.”
Sabrina directed her gaze to the cup and saucer in her hand, not wanting to meet Faye’s eyes.
“How about this?” Faye said. “How about in all those upcoming moments when you need something to think back to, think about why it is that you wanted the job in the first place. Think about where it's going to lead you. I know you'll miss home and we'll all miss you too. But now is the time when you should focus on where you're going and not where you're from. What you're doing now might just be the thing that gets you and your parents out of this place, which I know is something you've always wanted. Don't let your emotions get in the way of that.”
“You're right,” said Sabrina. “There’s no bigger motivation in the world than how badly I want to get my parents out of here. Out of their trailer, out of this park, out of this life..”
“And that’s what makes you so special,” Faye said. “There’s not a lot of people around here with the gumption to actually do it.”
“But I can’t do any of that without college.”
“One step at a time, love.” Faye’s voice was gentle but affirmative. “One step at a time.”
“I know,” Sabrina said. “And this is the first step.”
“Yes, it is.” Faye nodded and took another sip of tea. She exhaled and brought the cup back down to the saucer in her lap before speaking again. “Listen to me, Bean. You’re a special girl. You were made for bigger and better things that you just can’t find around here. Your parents have worked hard to raise you as best they could, and they instilled a lot of great qualities in you. And you yourself have many tremendous qualities. I saw it from day one. For people like you, the position you started from is not a handicap, but a tool for motivation. You will move on from this place and you will go on to succeed, but don’t forget, it takes time.”
Sabrina nodded as she took it all in. Her godmother had a hypnotic quality, the ability to place everything into its proper perspective. It’d always been that way, so much so that Sabrina now associated Faye’s London-style accent with feelings of familiar comfort. When Faye spoke from her heart, Sabrina heard words laced with the melody of a well-known song.
Faye’s lips smoothed into a warm smile. “You know I’m going to miss you.”
“Oh Aunty, don’t start that.” Sabrina glared at her over her teacup. “I don’t know if I can handle many more goodbyes right now.”
“You can handle a lot. More than you think,” Faye said. “Especially one more goodbye for your Aunty. Besides, you are my goddaughter. And sometimes you feel like my real daughter.”
“Sometimes?” Sabrina said, knowing she’d caught Faye on a slip. They both laughed.
“Not a day has passed where I haven’t thought of you as one of my own,” Faye said. “How about that?”
“Yeah, that’s better.” Sabrina grinned and took another sip of tea.
It was after nine and completely dark when they finally got around to bidding their final farewell. The time had been spent talking about anything and everything besides her new job and the fact that she’d be leaving town in a matter of hours. And they hadn’t talked about Marco either, although Sabrina had bit her tongue several times in order to keep herself from bringing him up.
Sabrina departed and made her way back to her parent's trailer. It was a stroll she had made more times than she could count.
I’ve got to get home and get packed, she thought.
Then out of nowhere, her father’s words flashed into her mind.
We’ll be here when you get back, he’d said to her, during their conversation that morning.
Sure you will, Sabrina thought. But you won’t be stuck here forever. Not if I can help it.
Chapter 4
Marco
Marco sat in the back of the rented Lincoln Town-car. He was quickly realizing that he was far too tall to be sitting in the back seat.
“Valetta, I thought we rented the biggest car we could find,” he said, attempting to stretch his long legs. “I’m cramped back here.”
“This is the biggest car they had,” Valetta said, as she looked up into the rear view mirror and smirked. She brought her gaze back to the road as she pulled the car off of the highway and into a suburb near downtown Memphis. “Unless we wanted to rent a limousine, but then that would have defeated our efforts of trying to remain inconspicuous.”
“Good point,” Marco said. “I’m starting to wonder if that would have been a better option, though. I'm not sure how we're all going to fit.”
“Now, now,” Valetta said. “Neither of us needs the headache of someone realizing that the Prince of Orsino is in the States. Besides, you were the one who wanted to come with me to pick Sabrina up. I was going to send a car so she could meet us at the airport, but you insisted upon this.” He grumbled a response but she continued. “Neither of us needs the headache of someone realizing that the Prince of Orsino is in the States,” Valetta reminded him. “You don’t want that kind of attention and neither do I. Plus isn’t that part of the fun? To have a secret trip here?”
“Yes, definitely,” he said, as he rolled down the rear window and hung his arm out of it. “I’m just happy I only have to ride in this car for a little while longer.”
“An hour at most,” she said. “Once we pick up Sabrina, we’ll go straight to the airport. You’ll never have to set foot in one of these cars again, I promise.”
Marco breathed in the air. It was only mid-morning, but it was already hot and humid. As they rode along the highway, his thoughts were focused on the new maid who would be escorting him throughout the United States over the course of the next three months. He felt more nervous with each passing minute, and with each mile, that they got closer to her home.
“We’re just about there,” Valetta said, glancing up into the rear view mirror once again.
Marco sat up straight and ran his fingers through his shoulder-length black hair. Then he glanced down, making sure his white dress shirt was spotless and without wrinkles. When he looked back out the window, he was shocked by what he saw.
“Where are we?” he asked.
“Sabrina’s neighborhood,” Valetta said.
Marco was surp
rised to find himself being driven through a trailer park. Old trailer homes were scattered along both sides of the road, with hardly twenty feet of open space between each of them. Most had at least two cars parked in front, all of which looked just as dilapidated as the homes they were near.
It reminded Marco of an area on Orsino Island called Devil’s Elbow, sometimes referred to simply as 'The Slums'. It was a small peninsula where the lower class population lived. It also housed the highest crime rate on the island and likely the most hatred for the royal family, or at least that was what Magdalena had often told him as a child.
This is where Sabrina lives? he thought.
Marco couldn't believe that the beautiful woman he had interviewed the day before lived in a place as rough-looking as the trailer park. He had imagined her living in a nice high-rise downtown or at least a large house in a suburban cul-de-sac.
A woman of her beauty can't live here, he thought. It just doesn't make any sense.
“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” he asked.
“Yes,” Valetta said, now focused as she maneuvered the car down the dilapidated road. “This is the address Sabrina gave us.”
She drove all the way to the end of the road and pulled the car up to a small brown trailer on the right. Outside of the home was a beat up old Honda parked out front. The vehicle looked like it used to be white, but now it was more rust-colored than anything else.
Marco frowned as he took in the view.
This isn't where a girl like Sabrina belongs. She should be soaking up the sun on a beach somewhere. She should be shopping in nice stores, buying fancy purses and shoes, getting her hair done any way she wants. No girl could feel beautiful in a place like this. This doesn't seem fair.
“Well, this is it,” Valetta said.
Marco nodded and reached for the door handle to step outside.
“Hold on.” Valetta stopped him. “Let me go get her. We’re already conspicuous enough being in this neighborhood in this nice of a vehicle. Someone will surely recognize you if you get out. God knows the neighbors are peeking out of the windows as we speak. Let me run up and get Sabrina. You wait right here.”