•The Fight•

Natasha stands in front of the wooden table, examining the clothes that was spread out on it. One is a strapless black corporate gown with a jacket while the other is a jean trouser and a crop top. She is clad in her white towel, her hair is wrapped up in an equally white towel and water is slightly dripping on her neck. She bites down on her lips as she tries to pick out what cloth to wear.

There is a knock on the door. “Come in,” Natasha says, without looking up, her eyes still strained on the clothes.

The door opens and Mina comes in, closing the door behind her. “Hey, Natasha, you asked for me,” she says. Mina is one of the maids but she is treated like family by Natasha and her elder sister, Diane.

“Yes. I’m going for an interview and I need to pick what to wear,” she says, looking up at Mina desperately. “Please help me. I'm running late and I’m so damn confused on what cloth to pick!”

“Okay,” Mina steps closer to her. “What do we have?”

“I narrowed down all my outfits to these two and now, I’m so confused.”

“I’m seeing one formal dress and one casual outfit,” Mina observes, running her hands through the black dress. “What kind of job are you being interviewed for?”

Natasha hesitates. “A..…a.... nanny?”

Mina whirls around to face her. “A what?!” she screeches, her eyes wide in shock.

“Sssh,” Natasha hurriedly clamps a hand over her mouth. “Don’t shout,” she hushed her.

“Sorry,” Mina's voice comes out muffled under Natasha’s palm. When Natasha removes her hand, she asks, quietly, “Does Diane know this?”

“She knows I’m going for an interview but she doesn’t know the kind of job I applied for.”

“Why 'nanny'?!”

Natasha glares at her. “Are you here to question me about the job I decide to do or you are here to help me decide on my outfit?”

Mina raises her hand in surrender. “Sorry,” she says, turning back to the clothes. “You should definitely wear the dress.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s an interview. You need to be formal.”

“But it’s for the job of a nanny. A black dress with jacket seems to uptight for that kind of job. The jeans and crop top looks more casual and laid-back, you know, more homey.”

“You have a good point,” Mina said. “But isn’t it better to be on a safer side. The black dress shows professionalism, I think.”

“So, the back dress then?”

Mina tilts her head. “Although, I think you are right. Go with the jeans.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. And top it up with those white pair of sneakers you have.”

“You think that’s good?”

“Yes, definitely.”

“Thanks. You are such a life saver,” Natasha gushed.

She waits for Mina to leave the room before hurrying to dress in the jeans and crop top. She rushes to her shoe rack, pick the white sneakers Mina mentioned and quickly slipped it on. She hurries towards her drawer to pick a pair of earrings and a necklace.

After quickly fixing her accessories, she combs her hair and picks up her bag. She stands in front of the large mirror, twisting and turning her body. Satisfied with her look, she walks out of the room and locks the door.

She heads down the stairs, ready to have breakfast and set off. Downstairs, Cam, Nicole and Mirabella are having breakfast and watching television while Diane and Nicholas are at the table.

Diane is Natasha’s first sister and Nicholas is Diane’s husband. Cam and Nicole are their children. Cam is seven years old and Nicole is five. Mirabella is Natasha's child. The child she had for her high school sweetheart and now, ex-boyfriend, Paul. She is four years old.

“Mum!” Mirabella squeals as she sees Natasha coming down the stairs.

Natasha walks towards her, lifting her in her hands and giving her a kiss on the forehead. “Hello, sweetie. How are you this morning?”

“Fine,” Mirabella beams, clutching a chunk of Natasha’s hair.

“I can see that. Someone is all bright and happy. Ready to go to school?”

“Yes!” Mirabella squeals.

“Wow, excited?” Natasha said, forcefully removing her hair from Mirabella’s tight fist and setting her down. “I was definitely not that happy to go to school when I was your age.”

“Good morning, Aunt Natasha,” Cam greets.

Natasha moves close to him and ruffles his back curly hair a little. “Hello, handsome,” she says. She turns to Nicole who stares at her, a scowl on her face. She raises a brow, shrugs her shoulders and move to the dining table, where Nicholas and Diane are seated.

“Hey, what’s wrong with Nicole this morning?” she asks, pulling out a seat and settling down.

“Good morning to you too,” Diane replies.

“Good morning, Diane. Good morning, Nicholas,” Natasha greets. “What’s wrong with Nicole?”

Diane shrugs. “She’s just being, you know, Nicole.”

Natasha stares at her. “Shouldn’t you be a more worried?”

“About?”

About Nicole! She isn’t acting like a normal four year old kid. She is always acting like a depressed teenager! She never talks or plays or asks for help with anything. She rarely smiles.”

Diane and Nicholas stare at me wordlessly. Natasha stares back at them.

Nicholas clears his throat. “So, ahem, big interview today? Nervous?”

Natasha rolls her eyes at his pathetic attempt to change the subject but she goes along with it anyway. “Yeah. Very nervous.”

“Don’t be. I’m sure you will do great,” Nicholas says and she nods her head.

“Err, Natasha, I don’t know if you know this,” Diane says, “but for a job you are supposed to dress corporately not dress like you are going to visit your friend.”

“Yeah, about that,” Natasha drawls. “I did not apply for a corporate job.”

“What? What job did you apply for?” Diane asks.

Natasha clears her throat. “I’ll tell you but don’t panic, okay?” Diane raises a brow at her and she continues. “I….I….I applied for a nanny's job.”

Nicholas looks at her, a stunned expression on his face while Diane is unable to contain her surprise and she shouts, “a nanny's job?!”

“Quiet,” Natasha snaps.

“What do you mean by you applied for a nanny's job? How can you apply for a nanny’s job? Why? Why will you apply for a nanny’s job?” Diane bombards her with questions.

“Because all the other companies I hired to did not hire me!”

“Why?” she demands. “Why won’t they hire you?”

“Maybe because I only have a high school certificate? Maybe because I’m not qualified for any job?”

“I offered you a job in my company!” Diane exclaims. “You refused, saying you had an important interview and now I’m finding out that this “important” interview of yours is for a nanny job!”

“I don’t want a job in your company, Diane!”

“It was our father's company. So, you have every right to get a job there!”

“But I don’t want it. I never wanted it and I will never want it.”

“But a nanny job?” Diane asks, her voice laced with disgust.

“The pay is huge!” Natasha says. “It can help me start a life afresh with Mirabella. It can send me to college. Besides, why are you so averse to me being a nanny?”

Nicholas clears his throat, attracting out attention. He reaches out to touch Diane’s arm lightly. He turns to Natasha. “Natasha, this may sound conceited, but we don’t mean to. Look, you can’t work as a nanny. Your sister and I are quite famous. Imagine what it would look like when people hear that Diane Langston’s sister is a nanny.”

Natasha stares at him. “What?”

“All I’m saying is that we are not in that class and you shouldn’t stoop low to such,” he says gently.

“Stoop low? This is ridiculous!”

“Natasha, it took a lot of effort to hide the news of your pregnancy from the press,” Diane says, staring at me with a hard look on her face. “I won’t just watch you to try to drag my father’s name into the mud again.”

Natasha stares at Diane in shocked silence. Diane who seems to have realized what she had just said, squeezes her eyes close in regret, whispering, “shit.”

Natasha continues to stare at Diane in disbelief. Those words had pierced painfully into her heart but the last thing she wants to do is give Diane the satisfaction of seeing her hurt. “That’s what you think of me? That I’m the one who drags the family into the mud?

She sighs. “Natasha……”

“Well, guess what? I didn’t apply with our father’s name, so hopefully, no one will know I’m related to you. I hope you are happy,” Natasha says, angrily rising from her seat and picking her bag. “Don’t have a nice day,” she snaps at Diane and turn away. Petty? Yeah, she knows.

“Mummy,” Mirabella calls in her tiny voice.

Natasha halts and turns to her. Giving her a quick kiss on her cheek, she says, “Bye darling. Mummy will see you later.” Then, she walks out of the house, making sure to slam the door loudly as she leaves.