A young man with a small sandy mustache and sandy hair, and brown eyes, wearing faded jeans and a short sleeve tee shirt knocked on the door of the Moody home later that afternoon. "Yes?" greeted the butler, peering down at the young man.
"My name is Brett Benjamin," he introduced himself. "The employment agency sent me over. I'm the new garderner's assistant."
"Ah, we have been expecting you. Won't you please come inside?" asked the butler.
Frank, aka Brett, followed the butler into a spacious living room. "Sir, this is Brett Benjamin from the employment agency," the butler said.
"Thank you, Charles, that will be all," Austin said. He waited until Charles had left then asked Frank to have a seat. "Would you care for a drink?" Austin asked Frank.
"No, thank you, Sir," Frank responded, glancing at Mrs. Moody who seemed to be preoccupied with a magazine. Too snobbish to chat with the help, I guess, thought Frank.
"The job requires you live in the field house and are on call six days a week. You will receive five hundred dollars a week, less taxes, and paid vacation for the months of November through February. Is this acceptable?" Austin inquired with a charming smile Frank recognized.
"You are too generous," Frank forced himself to say, loathing the man. He seemed so friendly, but Frank knew it was a sham.
"Come along," ordered Austin standing up. "I'll take you to the field house and introduce you to Gary, your immediate supervisor."
Frank stood and follwed the man from the room. As he passed through the dining room and into the kitchen, Frank wondered exactly how Austin Moody did get all of his money. The entire place seemed to be directly from a Better Homes and Gardens magazine.
"You have a lovely home," Frank said as they exited through the kitchen door.
"Thank you," Austin replied. "My wife prides herself on her decorating capabilities."
Austin introduced Frank to Gary Lang and left the two to get acquainted. Frank looked at Gary, a man in his late thirties with long, frizzy brown hair put up in a pony tail. His brown eyes bored into Frank, waiting for him to say something. But Frank had played this game before and had no intention of the being the first to break the silence.
Frank walked over to a door on the far right side of the field house. "That's my bedroom," Gary informed Frank. "You get the one on the other side of the room. Each has it's own bathroom," he added.
"Thanks," Frank said. "Mr. Moody seems real nice."
"Okay," Gary said, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with him. "We'll start first thing in the morning. Mrs. Moody purchased some flowers she wants planted near the kitchen."
"Okay," Frank agreed. "Mrs. Moody didn't talk much," Frank added, trying to get Gary to say something.
"Look, kid," Gary finally said. "The Moodys pay real well, but if you go asking questions and the like, you will not only get fired, you'll never work, anywhere, again."
"Why?" Frank asked. "What could they have to hide?"
"What indeed?" Gary said, shaking his head and going into his own room and closing the door behind him.
Frank waited to see if Gary was coming back out. Five minutes later and still no Gary, he decided to look around. Frank left the field house and walked up to the house. He peered in the window and saw Joe busy sterilizing bottles in the kitchen.
He was about to go in when he saw Austin enter the kitchen. "Hello, Joesph," he heard him say in a smooth voice. Joe spun around, dropping the bottle in his hand.
"Tsk, tsk," Austin said, coming closer to Joe. Joe backed up against the counter.
"I...I"m fixing P..Paul's formula," Joe said, trying hard to be brave.
"That can wait," Austin said, staring into Joe's eyes. "We have some business to attend too."
"L..let me feed him first?" Joe begged.
"Now, now, Joesph," Austin said. "You ran away from home. You have to be punished."
Tears sprang unbidden to Joe's eyes but he did not attempt to argue again. "To your room," Austin ordered. "Now," he added, his eyes hard as steel.
Frank could see the quick movements of Joe's chest and knew his brother was terrified. He watched as the two left he kitchen. He had to do something.
Joe preceeded Austin upstairs and into his old bedroom. "Care to try out your chair?" Austin asked, a smirk on his face. Joe didn't respond. He didn't even raise his eyes. "Take off your shirt and sit down," Austin ordered.
Joe did as he was ordered not looking as Austin picked up a whip and made it crack in the air. "I even bought a new whip for you," he said. "See, I do like to buy my children gifts."
Austin walked around behind Joe and ran a hand down Joe's smooth, tanned back. "A blank page to work on," he said. "How nice."
"My name is Brett Benjamin," he introduced himself. "The employment agency sent me over. I'm the new garderner's assistant."
"Ah, we have been expecting you. Won't you please come inside?" asked the butler.
Frank, aka Brett, followed the butler into a spacious living room. "Sir, this is Brett Benjamin from the employment agency," the butler said.
"Thank you, Charles, that will be all," Austin said. He waited until Charles had left then asked Frank to have a seat. "Would you care for a drink?" Austin asked Frank.
"No, thank you, Sir," Frank responded, glancing at Mrs. Moody who seemed to be preoccupied with a magazine. Too snobbish to chat with the help, I guess, thought Frank.
"The job requires you live in the field house and are on call six days a week. You will receive five hundred dollars a week, less taxes, and paid vacation for the months of November through February. Is this acceptable?" Austin inquired with a charming smile Frank recognized.
"You are too generous," Frank forced himself to say, loathing the man. He seemed so friendly, but Frank knew it was a sham.
"Come along," ordered Austin standing up. "I'll take you to the field house and introduce you to Gary, your immediate supervisor."
Frank stood and follwed the man from the room. As he passed through the dining room and into the kitchen, Frank wondered exactly how Austin Moody did get all of his money. The entire place seemed to be directly from a Better Homes and Gardens magazine.
"You have a lovely home," Frank said as they exited through the kitchen door.
"Thank you," Austin replied. "My wife prides herself on her decorating capabilities."
Austin introduced Frank to Gary Lang and left the two to get acquainted. Frank looked at Gary, a man in his late thirties with long, frizzy brown hair put up in a pony tail. His brown eyes bored into Frank, waiting for him to say something. But Frank had played this game before and had no intention of the being the first to break the silence.
Frank walked over to a door on the far right side of the field house. "That's my bedroom," Gary informed Frank. "You get the one on the other side of the room. Each has it's own bathroom," he added.
"Thanks," Frank said. "Mr. Moody seems real nice."
"Okay," Gary said, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with him. "We'll start first thing in the morning. Mrs. Moody purchased some flowers she wants planted near the kitchen."
"Okay," Frank agreed. "Mrs. Moody didn't talk much," Frank added, trying to get Gary to say something.
"Look, kid," Gary finally said. "The Moodys pay real well, but if you go asking questions and the like, you will not only get fired, you'll never work, anywhere, again."
"Why?" Frank asked. "What could they have to hide?"
"What indeed?" Gary said, shaking his head and going into his own room and closing the door behind him.
Frank waited to see if Gary was coming back out. Five minutes later and still no Gary, he decided to look around. Frank left the field house and walked up to the house. He peered in the window and saw Joe busy sterilizing bottles in the kitchen.
He was about to go in when he saw Austin enter the kitchen. "Hello, Joesph," he heard him say in a smooth voice. Joe spun around, dropping the bottle in his hand.
"Tsk, tsk," Austin said, coming closer to Joe. Joe backed up against the counter.
"I...I"m fixing P..Paul's formula," Joe said, trying hard to be brave.
"That can wait," Austin said, staring into Joe's eyes. "We have some business to attend too."
"L..let me feed him first?" Joe begged.
"Now, now, Joesph," Austin said. "You ran away from home. You have to be punished."
Tears sprang unbidden to Joe's eyes but he did not attempt to argue again. "To your room," Austin ordered. "Now," he added, his eyes hard as steel.
Frank could see the quick movements of Joe's chest and knew his brother was terrified. He watched as the two left he kitchen. He had to do something.
Joe preceeded Austin upstairs and into his old bedroom. "Care to try out your chair?" Austin asked, a smirk on his face. Joe didn't respond. He didn't even raise his eyes. "Take off your shirt and sit down," Austin ordered.
Joe did as he was ordered not looking as Austin picked up a whip and made it crack in the air. "I even bought a new whip for you," he said. "See, I do like to buy my children gifts."
Austin walked around behind Joe and ran a hand down Joe's smooth, tanned back. "A blank page to work on," he said. "How nice."