The Reality

Charlotte

Eloá was a calm child. I had helped her at the orphanage, and taking care of her now was easier since she was just a child. I had been working as her nanny for six months. In the orphanage, we also had strict schedules. Martina treated Eloá with contempt, which bothered me because I, too, grew up without a mother's love.

Eloá had a loving father, and Nicole loved her as if she were her own mother. I was shy, and the oppressive environment made me feel like very little had changed in my life. Nicole asked if I enjoyed staying in the house all the time since I never went out. We were by the pool, watching Eloá in her swimming lesson. Nicole was friendly, but the other staff members were distant and rude. I tried to be invisible because that's what Martina expected of me. She didn't seem to like being bothered and even less when she felt pressured to pay attention to her own daughter.

This was especially true when Mr. Mackenzie was home. I noticed that Martina acted differently in front of him, showing fake affection towards Eloá to please him. Unlike her husband, who dedicated his free time to their daughter and even went out for outings with her, taking me along only when necessary.

Nicole often invited me to spend my days off with her family, but I declined because I didn't know them. She insisted, mentioning her sister Emily and her nephews, saying she had already talked about me to them. Still, I declined once again.

Nicole tried to bring me closer to her family since I had no one. However, we couldn't coordinate our days off to do something together. At that moment, Mr. Mackenzie arrived on the terrace and greeted us. He looked directly at Nicole in a way that didn't seem appropriate.

"Good afternoon, ladies," he greeted us.

He approached where we were, but he was looking directly at Nicole, as he always did. Even I, who had no experience with relationships between men and women, had noticed that they always looked at each other in a way that couldn't be considered appropriate.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Mackenzie," we both responded simultaneously.

"Look, Daddy! I'm swimming!" Eloá shouted from where she was, diverting our attention to her.

"You look beautiful, Daddy's little girl!" He responded to the little one's joy, displaying an infectious smile. When Eloá returned her attention to her teacher's instructions, he turned back towards us.

"Is everything okay with you?" Mr. Mackenzie always cared to know what was happening when he wasn't around, and his questions didn't seem merely polite but also genuinely interested in how Nicole and I were doing. Nicole confirmed that we were fine, looking at me for confirmation. I simply nodded and said everything was okay.

"And how is Eloá? Is there anything I need to know?"

"She never gives us any trouble," Nicole spoke what I had thought. "She's always an obedient and calm child. My two nephews are much more challenging than Eloá."

"And how is everyone? Your sister and your nephews?" he asked, quite interested.

"We're all excited because my brother-in-law is returning from his trip next week."

"He's been away for quite some time, hasn't he, Nicole?" Mr. Mackenzie seemed to know a lot about Nicole's family.

It was evident that they had frequent conversations, and when it was necessary to go out with Eloá, Nicole was always the chosen one to accompany them.

We were all watching the child's movements as she was being instructed by the swimming teacher in the indoor pool located on the upper terrace of the residence.

"He's been in Italy for six months now," Nicole confirmed.

"Look, I'm swimming!" Eloá called our attention again, delighted to be swimming back and forth in the huge pool.

"There is no need to make such a fuss, Eloá!" Martina reprimanded her, appearing unexpectedly, and I believe even Mr. Mackenzie was startled by her sudden arrival. "You need to behave like a lady.”

"Sorry, Martina," Eloá apologized, leaning against the pool's edge, and I thought I saw tears in her eyes, but since she was all wet, I couldn't be sure.

Martina didn't accept being called "mommy" by her daughter, and Eloá had to address her by her name.

"I hope you'll pay more attention next time," she said to her daughter, then turning towards her husband, she continued, "What are you doing with the staff?"

"I don't understand what's going on, Martina," he pretended not to comprehend, as the question had been quite clear. "This is not how you treat Eloá."

"Why were you standing side by side with the babysitters of your daughter? Were you having a little chat with the staff?"

She didn't bother answering her husband's question, focusing only on the fact that he was talking to me and Nicole, something completely normal given that we were his daughter's babysitters. But not for his wife, it seemed.

One thing he didn't know, and I had already noticed some time ago, was that Martina was quite arrogant and, in addition to not showing any affection for her own daughter and not accepting it from the babysitters either, she always pretended in her husband's presence.

The fact that she acted that way now was out of the ordinary.

"I was just watching our daughter's swimming lesson, Martina," he justified, his tone appeasing.

Eloá's father is always an attentive and kind person to everyone, and it wouldn't be any different with his wife.

"It's not necessary. She has two babysitters to do that job."

"Can we talk at home?"

"You can go ahead," she gestured towards the door that led to the staircase leading to the lower floor.

"I'll wait for you in our room."

The way he spoke was calm, but you could tell he was quite upset with his wife's unusual behavior. He just didn't know that was actually her normal behavior.

After her husband left, Martina looked at us in a way that seemed to reduce us to dust, with just her gaze.

"Both of you are forbidden from speaking to my husband," her words managed to surprise me.

"But we..." Nicole tried to defend herself.

"I'm not asking you anything, you flirtatious girl!" Martina interrupted the young girl's speech. "If you don't follow my orders, you'll be fired without a second thought."

Martina stormed out angrily, stomping her feet, which left me worried. It was difficult to work as a babysitter for someone and not have a good relationship with that person. However, I couldn't risk losing that job because I hadn't had enough time to save up money and support myself.

"Don't worry, Charlotte," Nicole said, gently touching my arm. "Mr. Mackenzie would never let Mrs. Martina fire us."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked, feeling insecure.

"I just feel it," Nicole sounded so confident in her words that I almost believed I was mistaken.

Although Nicole had been working for the family longer than I had, she didn't seem to realize that Mr. Oliver was influenced by his wife's words and that she could indeed fire us if she wanted to. Nicole expressed confidence in her words, almost making me doubt myself.

However, I feared that she might be mistaken. Now that I had left the orphanage, there was no turning back, and as I had no one but myself, how could I survive without a home, a job, and alone? The idea of living on the streets scared me because government assistance was not granted quickly, and it wouldn't be enough to sustain a life in an expensive city like New York.

I was saving all of my salary at Mackenzie's house, but I knew it wouldn't be enough to cover rent, food, and other expenses when living alone.

I needed to find another job quickly.