The Cat and Mouse

"Goes to show you can't judge a fish by the hook in it's mouth."
― Erin R. Bedford

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I have two kids in my charge, Carl and Judith. I work for a rich family, Rick and Lori Grimes. It's been a year now. I have only met the husband twice in that time frame as the nanny and both times was vacation time. Three months in Australia and two months in South Africa. Such an odd family dynamics. If you let me tell it I am the fulltime mother to their kids while they seem to be unsorting things out.

Lori and Rick don't even share the same bedroom. For some reason he has taken up shop in the second masterbedroom that is down the hall from my bedroom. It took him a year to come home but my gut knows the real reason and it was not his children and it was not his wife that got him under the roof. Me. It was me.

I graduated Harvard University but some how I lost my way. I met a married man and fell in love with him. I fell hard but things went awry constantly and we were on again off again but everytime was electrifying. We curse each other and then fuck each other and swear off each other just to do it all over again.

I stopped answering his calls and knew I would get back on track eventually but for a while I wanted to experience something different. I wanted to know what it was like to have a family. Children. I joined a nanny group and was picked by Lori Grimes to take charge of her children while she did absolutely nothing but talk on the phone, shop, lunch dates and tea parties with other mothers who did absolutely nothing. The pay was good. 5k a month. Free room and board. Travel Expense paid and first class flights.

Carl is 8 years old. He loves baseball and comics. Judith is 5 years old and she loves baseball and comics. They have a travelling tutor name Jessie Bishop. If these were my children they would be in school with other children. Socialized with children their own age. I have to remind myself that they aren't my children.

I was already four months in to the job when he, Mr. Grimes arrived on the flight that was about to take off with out him. I had Carl on my left and Judith on my right both engrossed in their comic book selection. Lori sat by the window with a vacant seat next to her.

"Hi, kids."

"Hi, Dad."

"Hi. Um, I am Rick Grimes their father and you are the nanny?" I watched all kinds of emotions reveal themselves in his eyes and the two obvious ones were fear and anger and in no particular order.

"Yes, My name is Michonne. But I also go by Mimi." It was happening the cursing each other with our eyes. Pretending that we just fucking met at that very moment.

"Sir. Could you please have a seat. We are ready to begin departing." The male steward took Mr. Grimes carry own and placed it in the overhead compartment for him while he sat next to his wife who not once looked up to greet him as she thumbed through a magazine. It took the steward to break what ever was going on between the father and I. I was feeling like the Chesire cat.

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I had to fire the other nannies for taking a special interest in my husband Rick. I like my nannies young but it was getting tiring to see them flaunt themselves at my husband, when they were hired to focus on the children. I even went so far as hiring a lesbian name Tara but she ended up taking an interest in me. It is really hard to find just plain good help these days.

Rick never took an interest in the attention he would get from the various nannies that came in out of our lives. When ever I told him I hired a new one he eventually started staying away for longer periods. He eventually came home with the last one. Now it all makes sense.

I was glad when I found Michonne. She was different. She wasn't too old but she wasn't the usual fare that I had around my family. She had a great resume and she was physically fit. She had a passport. Her organizational skills were impeccable and the kids liked her. They thought she was mysterious at first and then just plain fun. Carl and Judith adored her. We called her MiMi.

With Michonne in our lives I didn't have to worry about the safety of my children. I didn't have to worry about their needs not being met. It was a relief to have had her almost a year now and not have to even think about finding another nanny.

I had Jessie their Tutor and my personal assistant, confidante, best friend for 10 years and I just could not imagine a life without her. She has made comments here and there that she thought more was going on between Rick and Michonne but I just didn't see it. Not at the time. Not in the beginning.

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Michonne...

I don't even know where to begin. She was going to be the death of me that was for sure. She was going to have me in the mother effing poor house. She was my kids fucking nanny. She was also my on again off again mistress. Fuck. When I boarded the plane and saw her sitting there with my children in the middle row in first class... Fuck. The cat and mouse game began and I wasn't the fucking cat.

I have no idea why Lori could not raise our kids. Why did we need a nanny? Why did she select Michonne? Michonne was way over qualified for the job. Sometimes I wonder about Lori. I wonder if she is playing with me. Testing me around the various nannies she would hire then fire. I never took the bait. Never ever. But when she hired Michonne I knew I would need to seek a divorce attorney sooner than later.

Australia...

South Africa...

Let's rewind a bit. I met Michonne who was an intern at that Go Stop Insurance agency. She was majoring in Corporate law and was shadowing under Glen Yu who also was a Harvard Grad. All the executives took to Michonne and had nothing but wonderful things to say about her and how she would be such an asset to the company if we could be so lucky to have her when she did take the bar and pass.

Glen and I were going to go to the nearby lounge when he said Michonne was coming along. It started from there. Glen was called a way and Michonne and I stayed behind. We would meet there just us two.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like that?" I began to blush. I have never had heat brought to my cheeks in a long time. Not since I was younger man.

"You seem mysterious to me. Like there are so many pages to you but I wonder how many are just blank, chapters waiting to be written by..."

"I am married. I have two kids. Carl 6 going on 7 and Judith 3. I own GO Stop Insurance. I started the company with Shane Walsh and Daryl Dixon who I eventually bought out. I am in Forbes listed as..."

"Very wealthy. Tell me something that a random person wouldn't be able to read about you? They wouldn't know?"

"What are we doing Michonne?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been toying with me."

"I heard that you are suddenly spending a lot of time at the office-why?"

"How else am I going to see you?"

I put it out there. Not really sure how it was going to be received.

"Well you could take a picture."

"Then I would never get anything done."

"Oh you will get things done. I would make sure of that." Michonne smiled that smile that always had me taken aback by it's beauty as she held her glass to her lips.

We were officially flirting with each other. Harmless. Until she became all I thought about. If I went to the office and found out that she wasn't going to be in I would leave early and go back to my penthouse where I would text her. If she was in the building I would try not to seek her out but would be totally relieved if she sought me out first. Trying to think of a plausible excuse to be alone with her was becoming very daunting even if I was the owner of the company.

"I've got my boat. I got my fishing line caste out in this river. I am not ruled by the 9 to 5 or endlessly meetings about blah blah blah. I am happy. Why are you here Mr. Grimes?"

"Because I can't talk to Shane."

"Yea, if advice you are seeking avoid his ass."

"Reason why I am here. I know it won't get out. I know that it would stay between us."

"Is it something Illegal?" Daryl questioned the severity of what could be the issue.

"Nah, nothing like that."

"Didn't know how much to brace myself. Didn't think it would be something illegal just needed to get it out of the way."

"I am finding myself in a situation that is increasing intensity." I had to admit.

"You in a situation? Intense situation. Not illegal? The fuck I would know what to make out of that vagueness."

"I never cheated on Lori. Ever. Had plenty of opportunities to do it but I just never did."

"Are y'all still sleeping in seperate bedrooms?

"Yeah."

"Shit is crazy to me and I don't need a history fucking lesson about how it was done in such a such time. Shit is just crazy."

"I met someone. She is all under my skin and we haven't even..."

"Those are the worse one's, the one's that make you rethink your whole fucking life. I don't know if I am the one you should seek answers from. My life is plenty shitty right now. Carol and I are finally divorced over the same shit you about to get your ass into if you don't be careful. I met Sasha the same fucking way...out of no fucking where. We became friendly, then we began fucking. Carol and I have history but one night with Sasha would dim all that shit and the next day you look at your partner differently. You treat them differently. You speak to them differently. Nothing is ever the same again and both you and Lori will feel it and the shit ain't a good feeling either."

"She's at the Go Stop Insurance."

"Get rid of her. Get rid of her for your own damn sanity and everyone in the office who probably wondering if you two are fucking yet or not. People aren't blind. No matter how slick you think you are being. Word already got to me that you've been showing up there a great deal lately."

"Glenn?"

"Yeah. He said for me to tell you that it is obvious that you have taken a liking to his intern and if it is obvious to him just imagine everyone else. "

"Shit."

"Yep. Smells like it."

"We haven't...I haven't even kissed her or anything."

"But you want too and the longer she's around making herself accessible to you, you will and it will be the best motherfucking kiss of your life."