Confessions of an Innocent House Maid
Ch.4- Brain Storm?
The next day I went for my daily run, in the afternoon. This time obeying my mom and staying close to the house. I couldn’t concentrate on my pace or anything because the only thing that was on my mind was the fifteen hundred dollars I had to come up with. Suddenly my phone rang. Without even checking to see who it was, I answered.
“Hello?”
“Hey! Where are you right now?” It was Nicole.
“I’m right outside my house. Why?”
“I’m coming to pick you up. Stay there.” And then she hung up.
I closed my phone and looked at the time. It was 1:15p.m., which meant I still had at least an hour before I was expected back home. I waited around for Nicole and when she finally came, I got in the car and we drove to the corner deli. Nicole ordered a soda for me and a salad and coke for herself. Then we both sat at a table and waited for our orders to arrive. When I didn’t say anything she decided to speak up.
“So! Nice weather, huh?”
“Huh? Yeah.” I replied looking down at my hands.
“Yeah, real sunny.” She looked out the window for a moment then said, “So, I caught Mike cheating on me last night.”
“uh-huh.” I said not really paying attention.
“Yeah. With a guy.” She said, watching for my reaction.
“Hmm.” I said totally zoning out.
“JESS!”
“What!” I said looking up in confusion.
“I basically just said that Mike was gay and you didn’t have the slightest shock on your face.”
“I’m sorry” I said looking down at my hands again then shooting my gaze back to her face when I realized what she just said. “Wait. Mike’s gay?!”
“No, but I had to say something to see if you were paying attention.” She said making room for our food when it arrived. “Now, what’s wrong?”
"Nothing" I said playing with the straw in my soda. "I’ve just had a lot on my mind. I'm tired."
"Jess, look at me" she leaned over the table. "I've knows you since we were little kids; so I can tell when you’re lying to me & I can tell when something’s wrong. Now are you gonna tell me what’s up or not?”
I took a deep breath and then told her everything. “So now I have to come up with fifteen hundred dollars somehow or I’m screwed.
“Wow! Well, have you thought of anything yet?”
“That’s all I’ve been doing. I think I should get a job or something and come up with the money. I figure if he comes for it then I’ll just give him the money to shut him up, and if he doesn’t come, then I’ll have fifteen hundred dollars on my hands. It’s I win-win situation. What do you think?”
Nicole swallowed the food in her mouth then after taking a sip of her coke, looked up at me with a weird look on her face. “Funny you should mention needing a job.” She said.
I leaned back in my chair, crossed my arms, and stared straight at her. “Nicole? What are you hiding from me?”
“I’m not hiding anything” she said in an innocent voice. “Ok, look. I know this place but before I tell you about it, you have to promise to keep an open mind.”
“Ok” I said nodding once.
“It’s a maid service.”
“Hell no.”
“You promised to keep an open mind!” she whined.
“Nicole, there’s nothing to keep an open mind to. I am not going to some stranger’s house and cleaning for them. I hardly clean my own house!”
“This is different though!” she whined again. “For starters, you get paid. A lot!”
“No amount of money can make me clean some weird dude’s house.” I said folding my arms again.
“Really? Even if I told you you get paid fifty dollars a day plus tips?” When she saw me considering it, she went on. “Plus I’m gonna be there. You wont even have to do anything. I’ll do most of the work. Come on! It’ll be fun! Didn’t you say you really needed the money?”
“I do but…”
“But what? Admit it Jess, there is no reason to not take advantage of this awesome opportunity.” She took a deep breath and watched me very carefully. “Come on, what do ya say?”
I looked straight at her thinking it over in my head. “What about my parents? You know just as well as I do that there is no way on earth that they would let me get a job; and there is no way in hell that I am telling them about the fifteen hundred dollars.”
“You leave the ‘rents’ to me. I’ll take care of that.” She said finishing up her soda. “You just worry about looking nice tomorrow morning when I come to pick you up.”
I gathered all my things and followed Nicole out the door. “What’s tomorrow morning?”
“The interview, duh! We gotta apply for the job first, don’t we?”
“What do I tell my parents?” I said getting in the car.
“Tell them we’re going to a movie or something.” She said reversing the car out of the parking lot. “Who knows we might just catch one anyway.”
“Hello?”
“Hey! Where are you right now?” It was Nicole.
“I’m right outside my house. Why?”
“I’m coming to pick you up. Stay there.” And then she hung up.
I closed my phone and looked at the time. It was 1:15p.m., which meant I still had at least an hour before I was expected back home. I waited around for Nicole and when she finally came, I got in the car and we drove to the corner deli. Nicole ordered a soda for me and a salad and coke for herself. Then we both sat at a table and waited for our orders to arrive. When I didn’t say anything she decided to speak up.
“So! Nice weather, huh?”
“Huh? Yeah.” I replied looking down at my hands.
“Yeah, real sunny.” She looked out the window for a moment then said, “So, I caught Mike cheating on me last night.”
“uh-huh.” I said not really paying attention.
“Yeah. With a guy.” She said, watching for my reaction.
“Hmm.” I said totally zoning out.
“JESS!”
“What!” I said looking up in confusion.
“I basically just said that Mike was gay and you didn’t have the slightest shock on your face.”
“I’m sorry” I said looking down at my hands again then shooting my gaze back to her face when I realized what she just said. “Wait. Mike’s gay?!”
“No, but I had to say something to see if you were paying attention.” She said making room for our food when it arrived. “Now, what’s wrong?”
"Nothing" I said playing with the straw in my soda. "I’ve just had a lot on my mind. I'm tired."
"Jess, look at me" she leaned over the table. "I've knows you since we were little kids; so I can tell when you’re lying to me & I can tell when something’s wrong. Now are you gonna tell me what’s up or not?”
I took a deep breath and then told her everything. “So now I have to come up with fifteen hundred dollars somehow or I’m screwed.
“Wow! Well, have you thought of anything yet?”
“That’s all I’ve been doing. I think I should get a job or something and come up with the money. I figure if he comes for it then I’ll just give him the money to shut him up, and if he doesn’t come, then I’ll have fifteen hundred dollars on my hands. It’s I win-win situation. What do you think?”
Nicole swallowed the food in her mouth then after taking a sip of her coke, looked up at me with a weird look on her face. “Funny you should mention needing a job.” She said.
I leaned back in my chair, crossed my arms, and stared straight at her. “Nicole? What are you hiding from me?”
“I’m not hiding anything” she said in an innocent voice. “Ok, look. I know this place but before I tell you about it, you have to promise to keep an open mind.”
“Ok” I said nodding once.
“It’s a maid service.”
“Hell no.”
“You promised to keep an open mind!” she whined.
“Nicole, there’s nothing to keep an open mind to. I am not going to some stranger’s house and cleaning for them. I hardly clean my own house!”
“This is different though!” she whined again. “For starters, you get paid. A lot!”
“No amount of money can make me clean some weird dude’s house.” I said folding my arms again.
“Really? Even if I told you you get paid fifty dollars a day plus tips?” When she saw me considering it, she went on. “Plus I’m gonna be there. You wont even have to do anything. I’ll do most of the work. Come on! It’ll be fun! Didn’t you say you really needed the money?”
“I do but…”
“But what? Admit it Jess, there is no reason to not take advantage of this awesome opportunity.” She took a deep breath and watched me very carefully. “Come on, what do ya say?”
I looked straight at her thinking it over in my head. “What about my parents? You know just as well as I do that there is no way on earth that they would let me get a job; and there is no way in hell that I am telling them about the fifteen hundred dollars.”
“You leave the ‘rents’ to me. I’ll take care of that.” She said finishing up her soda. “You just worry about looking nice tomorrow morning when I come to pick you up.”
I gathered all my things and followed Nicole out the door. “What’s tomorrow morning?”
“The interview, duh! We gotta apply for the job first, don’t we?”
“What do I tell my parents?” I said getting in the car.
“Tell them we’re going to a movie or something.” She said reversing the car out of the parking lot. “Who knows we might just catch one anyway.”
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sorry it took so long to get another chapter up, you guys. I've just had a lot to deal with these days. lets just say i got a lot to tell you guys in my journals. anyways, hope you guys aren't angry at me. please enjoy and give plenty of feed back. thx.