Sealing the Deal

O n e a n d h a l f  m o n t h  l a t e r

"Mum?" I stood by the window and gazed at my mum. She was standing on the street as she waved at me, her figure was blurry yet looked so real. I climbed over the window, ready to jump at her since I just wanted to hug and hold her. I positioned myself on the roof and at that very moment the bell rang of my house, bringing me back to reality.

My feet slipped but I quickly held on the nearby pipe to keep me stable and sighed loudly. I could have potentially broken some bones if I had jumped. Damn! I was imagining stuff again. I didn't tell this to anybody or people might send me to the asylum assuming that I had lost my leftover sanity.

I cautiously crawled on the roof and hopped in my room. I went to the bathroom and opened the shelf. I popped the round colourful pill for headache and swallowed a glass full of water. Cold sweat trickled down my forehead and I heard the bell ring again. I quickly splashed some more water over my face and hurried out of the bathroom.

I couldn't find a towel to wipe, so being my lazy self, I used the curtains and ran downstairs. "Coming," I shouted and opened the door.

A lady in her mid-thirties stood in front of me. She wore a thin pencil skirt and polka dotted shirt. Her gorgeous red hair was tied into a ponytail which curled from down. She removed her sunglasses and dug her fingers into her small designer handbag. Smiled brightly, she took out a small card.

She handed it to me and introduced herself, "I'm Greta. I moved here a couple of days ago and I live down the street, but erm . . . if you don't mind, can you tell me if George Brooks lives here?" Greta asked and bit her bottom lip nervously.

I scanned the card and saw her details written on it. She was being too formal. She tried to peep inside the house and I blocked her way. I didn't mean to be nasty, but what she didn't know was that my nickname was George. The entire town knew who I was and everybody called me George because of my tomboyish personality.

"Well Greta, I'm George."

"Oh, I thought George was a young man---"

"I'm no less than a man," I cut her off and flashed a tight smile.

Normally, I wouldn't act harsh on a lady who seemed kind, but she was being quite dramatic. Her skin turned pale and her eyebrows rose high up. Her eyes were wide and it figuratively popped out as I prepared myself to catch it, before they rolled away on the floor.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that you're George. Nobody informed me that, I mean you are a girl," she pointed almost accusingly and cleared her throat. I could see evident fear in her eyes. Why was she so scared after knowing that I was a girl? I was dressed just fine, jeans and a light blue linen shirt stolen from my brother's wardrobe.

"Why did you come here anyway?" I asked, tapping my feet impatiently. She fiddled with her handbag and still she couldn't recover from the shock of discovering that I was a girl. Really? That annoyed me even more. I just wanted to get rid of her.

She removed a tissue and wiped the imaginary sweat formed on her forehead. She then questioned in a low voice,"Can you be the caretaker of Clark? He lives with me. You just have to look after him and he's an easy child. He wouldn't trouble you, I assure you."

How on earth could she think I would help her after she being so dramatic and fake? That was completely rude. I was bubbly and happy always, but I strongly disliked dramatic bitches. I threw her a disgusted look and snapped at her, "Why me---"

"I'll pay you a good amount."

"Sweet Greta, come in and make yourself at home. Would you like tea or coffee? I prefer coffee since we ran out of tea leaves," I said quickly, flashing her an innocent, wide smile.

I needed money. Hell! I needed money badly and this was a great opportunity to earn some dollars. Three weeks after my mum's death and dad already put me into jail for my crime in helping the gay couple elope. My brother who was now in UK, somehow convinced dad to bail me and I had to pay the money back.

This was one of my numerous trips to jail and I had to even pay back my earlier debts. Jail was like my second home. All the cops were extremely friendly with me only because of my dad being a cop.

Whenever I was put into jail for my notorious deeds, they all created a homely atmosphere for me. Pillows and comfy blankets were specially arranged. Dad would get mad knowing his assistants helped me so they smuggled delicious eatables and other such goods.

Nobody employed me since I was a troublemaker and would create a chaos wherever I trod on. Greta didn't really know who I was or else she wouldn't even knock over my door for a cup of sugar.

But now I was extremely grateful of her for this job and I would never in my right mind miss this golden opportunity. Moreover, I just had to babysit a little boy. I could handover some toys and rest peacefully.

I held the door for Greta. She laughed lightly, her hand over her mouth. Her red hair bounced and she shook her hand in denial. Good she didn't accept my offer for a coffee and my secret prayers were fulfilled. Honestly, I didn't even know how to make coffee. True, I was that useless.

"No, I don't have time for coffee or anything. In fact, I have to leave the town for some work. So can you begin your job today itself?"

"Of course. Anything that fetches good money, I'm ready to do it!"