Chapter 3
"I'm here about the maid job. My names Tris." I tell the guy who answers the door. I dressed up in a nice white dress that has blue flowers on it. It was my mothers when she was younger, she gave it to me.
"Ah yes, please come in." He opens the big doors to me. I smile and walk in. "Have you had any experience?" He asks.
"Yes, I worked in a mansion just like this one when I lived in California." I lie. How else am I going to get the job?
"Great! By the way, my name is Uriah. I'm one of master Fours butlers. You'll be seeing a lot more of me if you get the job." We shake hands and I smile again. He seems nice. "Ok so, why do you want the job?"
"I need the money for my brother. He needs it for college." I lie again. Well, it's not a complete lie.
"Ok. I really don't see any reason why you shouldn't get the job. So you're hired." That was easy.
"Fantastic!" He smiles at me.
"Christina!" He yells. A tan girl with long black hair comes running towards.
"Yah Uri?" She asks. She's way taller than me, though that's expected. I'm fairly short.
"This here is Tris, the new maid. Could you show her the ropes?" She nods and pulls me away. Since I'm wearing a dress, it makes it harder to walk fast.
"Ok, so you'll be cleaning the masters room and the guest rooms if needed. There's five guest rooms, so those might take a while. Not all day long, but a good part of the day. You also may do some things to serve Four. I'll show you around." She leads me through halls, up stairs, and into rooms. She shows me every room I have to clean, and finally Master Fours room. It's pretty big. "So you start work tomorrow. Do you think you'll need anything else?" I shake my head. "Ok, I guess you can go home now. I'll see you tomorrow!" I smile and head out. This place is huge! I barely find my way out. I get in my pickup truck and drive home. I get to our apartment and go inside.
"Im home Caleb!" I call out. In response, I get a loud cough. I go to his room to find him working on his laptop.
"Hey. Where were you?" He asks, not looking up from his screen.
"I went to apply for a job." At this, he looks up with a raised eyebrow.
"Another?" He coughs. I nod and he turns back to his work.
"It pays really well. I need the extra money." I reply. More money means I can pay for his medical bills."By the way, you have an appointment tomorrow at 3." I remind him. He nods, clicking a few buttons on his computer. Now I have to go find his wheel chair. He doesn't like going out, says he's too embarrassed. I think it's a bunch of crap, but I just want him happy. He's happy with staying here, doing college classes on his laptop, so I'm happy too. I leave him to his work, and go into a closet in the small living room. I pull out his collapsible wheel chair and put it against the wall. It should probably get some sleep for tomorrow. I'm gonna go early so I can get out in time for his appointment.
Next Day...
I wake early, around 5. I stumble to the bathroom so I can take a shower. The hot water feels good against my tired bones. Let's just say my sleep wasn't that good. I had a few nightmares, resulting in me waking up around every hour. I get out of the shower and throw a dress out. It goes a bit past my knees, the top half above the belt is white, the bottom half is a light grey with white flowers, and the belt is a strip of grey silk. I got it a while ago, but it still fits. I brush my hair out, brush my teeth, and put on a tiny bit of make up. When I'm done, I go out to eat breakfast. Just some cereal and a cup of coffee. I throw my dishes in the sink and go to check on Caleb. He's still asleep. I leave a bowl of cereal on his night stand with a glass of orange juice, also leaving a note about being back by the time we need to leave.
I grab my keys and go out to my old pickup truck. It looks a little weird, a nice girl in a dress getting into an old, rusted truck. I have to say, I love the thing. It's reliable, and it reminds me of my father. I drive to the mansion which is a fifteen minute drive. When I get there, I jump out and go to knock on the big doors. Uriah opens them, smiling at me brightly.
"Hello Tris. Nice to see ya today." I nod and walk inside. "Ok, so you need to clean the guest rooms, and Fours room today." He tells me.
"K. Do you guys have a maid cart?" He nods and brings one over.
"Christina will be here soon to help you. Now get to work." He says with mock authority.
"Ok captain." I say back. He chuckles and I go to the first guest room. This cart has everything I'll need, a broom, rags, a duster, and a lot more. I push it through the door and get to work. I fluff the pillows, replace the sheets, dust the shelves, all the while I'm whistling a toon my father taught me. I open the blinds so the sun can filter in, filling the room with natural light. It's a really nice day out. I finish that room after a while and move to the next. When about halfway done with that one, Christina comes in.
"Hey. You did really good with the other room. It was really nice." She comments. I smile while I flatten the sheets.
"Thanks. Now let's get to work." I hand a duster and she starts. She talks while we work, not even caring if I respond. She tells me about herself, her family, all that stuff. We finish all the guest rooms after a few hours and she leaves me to do Fours room alone. I crack open the door and peak in. A man stands inside, looking outside the window. I walk in quietly, closing the door behind me. "Excuse me sir, but I need to clean this room." I say quietly. He turn around and I'm struck by how blue his eyes are. They're a bright ocean blue. He has short brown hair and a muscular build. He eyes me curiously, reminding me he's never seen me. "I'm Tris, the new maid."
"Oh, well nice to meet you then. I'm Four." Oh, he's the master of the mansion. I smile at him and grab a duster.
"Nice to meet you too." I start to dust his shelves of books. He watches me with narrowed eyes, making me a little subconscious.
"How did such a pretty girl become a maid." He wonders aloud. I pause temporarily, but then continue.
"I uh...need the money." I reply curtly. He nods.
"Most people do." He states. I snort disbelievingly. Is he serious? He can't say that considering he's loaded. It makes me a bit angry and I have to hold back some choice words. I stay silent as I start to do his bed. I can feel his stare burning a hole in the back of my head. I fluff his pillow, finishing his bed.
"Stop staring at me." I mutter. I turns round to see a raised eyebrow. "Are you trying to burn a hole in my head?" I ask, partially joking, partially serious. He shrugs and goes to his bookshelf to grab a book. He sits on his bed while I clean the room. I start to hum while I'm cleaning the big window in his room. When I look out, I get a clear view of a field of flowers. It must be nice to wake up to that every morning. I swipe it once more with my rag then throw the rag into a bucket on my cart. My eyes scan the room, surveying my work. I nod with approval then go back to my cart.
"Thank you." He says before I exit. I turn back to see him smiling brightly.
"No Problem, it's my job." I reply before leaving. I literally have to throw all my weight into pushing this cart. It's heavy! I put it in the maids closet and look at my watch. 2:20. I groan and run out to my truck. As I pull out, I feel like someone's watching me. I look out the window to see a pair of blue eyes watching my truck pull away. I'm not sure if that was just my eyes playing tricks or something, but I don't have the time. I fly home, my car going as fast as it can at the speed limit. When I get there, I run upstairs, bursting into our apartment.
I instantly grab Caleb's wheel chair and go into his room. He's sitting on the side of his bed, waiting.
"Hey. How was *cough* your new job?" He asks, his voice scratchy.
"It was ok. A lot of dusting and sweeping and all that." I roll the chair over to him, helping him get in. He nods and lets me push him out the door. I'm glad we live on the bottom floor, it makes it so much easier. I get him settled in the truck and throw his chair in the back. We zoom to the hospital and get there just in time for his appointment. I slump into a chair out in the hall. I usually just wait out here for him. I decide to make a call and pull out my phone. I dial the number and wait for my friend to pick up. "Hey Shelby. How's the new dog?" I ask.
"She's doing great Tris! She's gotten settled in very quickly. By the way, her name is Lovely." That's an interesting name.
"Lovely is a lovely name." I joke. She laughs quietly on the other end.
"So where were ya this mornin?" She asks.
"I got a second job. Now I'm at the hospital for Caleb's check up." I tell her.
"Cool. Are you gonna come in tomorrow?"
"Probably." I reply. "If I finish at a decent time then yes."
"Great! I'll tell Haley. Well have a good day Tris."
"You too Shelby. Bye." I hang up the phone. I check my watch again and see it's been a while. The door opens and the doctor tells me to come in.
"Ok, so I'm putting Caleb on some new meds. You can pick them up at the front desk on your way out. They should help with his sickness. If not, come back and I'll give you new ones." He tells me.
"Ok, thanks Dr. Telson. We'll see ya some other time." I wheel Caleb out and to the front desk. They have the small package all ready for us. He carries it in his lap while I push him out the door.
We get home quickly and I push him to his room. He climbs out of the chair and into his bed. I feel bad for him as I see him adjust his legs under the blankets. I tell him I'm going to go make dinner and head to the kitchen. I look the the pantry and find a package of mac n cheese. I smile, remembering how much we both loved it when we were young. I guess I'll make this. I set a pot on the stove and fill it with water. It soon comes to a boil and I pour the noodles in. Then drain it, add some milk, butter, and the cheese. Soon it's a creamy gooey bowl of delicious! I take a huge spoon and put it into two separate bowls. Taking one to Caleb, we hunker down and watch some Drake and Josh. I don't know why, but it's sorta like our thing. Eating dinner in his bed while watching this hilarious show. It's great since I can spend it with my brother. We've always been close, especially after the incident. He falls asleep with me not far behind. I barely make it to my bed before collapsing. I fall asleep instantly, wiped out by the hard day of work.