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Chapter 5

I got home to find my best friend on the couch just dallying around.

"I'm home," I say locking the door behind me.

"How did it go?" Dylan asks looking at me from the couch. I put my bag and keys on the kitchen counter and walked over to the couch and sit next to my best friend and start to fill her in on today's events.

"It was okay. When I walked in, Ms Warlock and Tracey were arguing" I say smiling as I remember Tracey's comeback.

"I'm guessing Tracey is the kid you have to babysit?" Dylan asks.

"yes, she's got a great sense of humour. When I walked in, she and Ms Warlock were squabbling over a pair of shades. So Ms Warlock was like 'I won't ask again Tracey, did you take my shades?' and Tracey replied with a 'great, I was tired of hearing you ask' it took divine grace not to burst out laughing" by the time I finished explaining the story Dylan was in tears from laughing so hard.

"That kid is brilliant, I love her already," she said in between laughs."And Ms Warlock, how did she react to that?" Dylan asks again.

"shocked obviously," I say "and the best part, when Tracey she asked who I was, Ms Warlock replied saying 'Tracey dear, this is the mean lady who hit mummy yesterday' and Tracey replied saying 'you're not my mummy'. Then she looked at me and said, 'I like you' and left. I wasn't certain if she said she liked me because Ms Warlock said I hit her" Dylan was laughing so hard now she was wheezing.

"She sounds like you, but in a smaller body, I love it," Dylan said.

"But unto serious things now, how did the interview with the hot stuff go?" Dylan added.

"hot stuff? I thought his name was what's-his-face? I asked with a smirk.

"hey he's an ass, but a hot stuff ass" my best friend replied with a shrug.

"It went great, he apologised. Then he explained what my consisted of, which isn't much by the way," I say.

"he what?" Dylan asks with a baffled expression on her face

"Right? I was shocked as well. These are his words 'I am sorry for what happened yesterday, I should have listened to your side of the story'. I was so shocked I didn't know how to take it all in, so all I could mutter was a 'thanks'" I tell my best friend.

"Miracles does indeed happen" she says. Miracles does indeed happen. I repeat Dylan's words in my head.

"And then pay"? Dylan asks again.

"one million five hundred thousand francs CFA" I reply looking at my best friend

"I'm sorry I thought I heard you said one million five hundred thousand" she says so casually.

"that is exactly what I said" I reply.

"you're fucking lying" Dylan exclaimed. "one million five hundred thousand per month? Wait is it per month?" she pauses midway through her drama to ask.

"yes per month" I answered.

Dylan screamed so loud you would think she just won the fucking lottery. She jumped up and down the couch doing some silly dance moves which made me laugh.

"That is so great. I am happy for you AC" she says as she meets me on the floor and hugs me. I smile but my smile slowly fades away as I dread telling her that I have to move in with Mr Estevan and his family.

"Okay what is with your face, you should be excited. This is an upgrade from your previous job, be happy. You get to save more, you get to reduce your student loan and all" Dylan says all excitedly

"I won't save much for this first month since I have to repay the loan and all. Plus I don't know what my fate will be after that's been sorted out, I don't know if I will still work there as a nanny or I start job hunting after that" I say even though I know that's not what got me worried.

"don't worry about that, you can start saving the following month. And don't sweat it by wondering if you still have a job after the loan is fully paid out, I know you'll do a kick ass job and they'll hire you for good" my best friend says cheering me up.

It's now or never.

"I gotta move in with them Dylan," I say

"you gotta what now?" my best friend yelled.

I looked at her not saying anything.

"tell me you are lying," she said.

"I'm lying" I respond casually.

"oh Thank Jesus," she says dramatically lifting her hands and looking up to the sky. Well in this case our ceiling but yeah.

"Shut up Dylan I'm serious," I say as I leave the floor and sit on the couch. Dylan however leaves the couch and walks up to the kitchen area. I watch her every moment. She opens the fridge and takes out the last caprisun and sips on it.

"like you're moving out?" she asks

"no, not really. I'll be there Monday to Friday. And then Friday afternoon I come back home, Then I go back Sunday evening. I think it's a great idea because we live an hour from Alvi Residence. I check in a 6 am, and check out at 9 pm" I explained walking to the kitchen counter, really hoping that Dylan understands where I'm coming from.

"I am not mad at you if that's what you worried about. On the contrary, I understand the situation" she says in an attempt to reassure me, which she fails terribly by the way. The sadness in her eyes is evident.

She finishes her caprisun and dives into something else. I figured she wants to be alone for a bit because there is nothing to do in the kitchen. I decided to give her the space she indirectly asked for, I went sat on our couch, staring up the ceiling. The conversation I had Jamie replaying in my head

~Flashback~

you will be living here starting Monday

I kept replaying that phrase in my head like a mantra.

"why?" I had asked because I couldn't, for the life of me comprehend why I had to live with his family for me to carry out my job as his daughter's nanny. Can't I just come in early and leave whatever time I am supposed to?

"you start work at 6 am and your closing time is 9 pm," he said. "plus you live like an hour drive from here. Meaning you have to be awake one hour thirty minutes earlier, when you leave work at 9 pm, you spend another hour on the road, so that means you will be getting home at 10 pm. Now I may be a workaholic, but even that seems tiring for me" he added.

Excellent analysis. I had not thought about that. And it's kind of him to consider the distance from my house to his, and suggest that I live with him. And his family.

Talking of family, "how do you tell Tracey that I will be her nanny"? I was curious.

"don't worry about that," he said.

"and the most important aspect, what do you tell your fiancee when she sees me here tomorrow evening with my luggage?" I asked.

"I'll have a talk with Tracey and my fiancee the moment you leave," he says with a smile.

That's fine by me.

Whilst we're at it, it's best I clear all my worries.

"Do I get to go home every weekend?"

"yes, Friday evening I'll have the chauffeur that will pick you up tomorrow evening, drive you home every Friday evening and drive you back here Sunday afternoon" he replied.

I am happy with his reply because I get to be with my best friend every weekend. It doesn't change much but I am grateful for that.

"and this is the last question I'll ask I promise," I said quickly and he just smiled at me.

"go ahead I don't mind"

okay great.

"how do you know I leave an hour from here?" this question has been on the tip of my tongue the moment he said it.

"I had my Assistant do some research about you," he said on queue.

"Are you a mind reader?" I asked

"no" he answered with furrowed brows, wondering where that question came from.

"it's just you answered on queue like you knew what I wanted to ask," I say.

he chuckled "no I'm not, I just had a feeling you were going to ask how I knew that about you which is normal," he said.

Oh. That makes sense.

So that's how he got my cell number.

Stalker much.

"okay well see you Sunday evening. Thank you very much, Mr Estevan"

I smile and walked past him, reaching the door, I am standing by the threshold when I hear him say "call me Jamie". I didn't look back. Just opened the door and left.

~end of Flashback ~

"so you leave tomorrow evening," my best friend asks as she fell next to me on the couch, this time around snacking on a Zbar. I frown at the fact that she got one just for herself. I try to take hers but she holds it far from my reach. I decided to give up on that silly battle and answer her.

"yes" I reply looking at her and giving her a sly smile that doesn't reach my face.

Honestly, since Dylan and I crossed paths, it's been us against the world. So the fact that I won't see her at the beginning and the end of each day breaks my heart.

And I feel guilty leaving her all on her own to take charge of the Groceries, chores, laundry. Well, she took care of the chores and laundry but I keep her company so that accounts for something. But grocery shopping was our thing. We would go shopping every Wednesday because Wednesday night is movie night. So we stock up as much as we can and get snacks. We'll get home and have a mini-concert whilst we sort out groceries. I'll miss that.

"who will cuddle you at night when you have nightmares?" it was a simple question, but that was all it took to have me crying.

Others might think I am being overly dramatic and all. But they don't understand what Dylan and I have been through. We helped each other fight our demons. She did more. And over the years I have been dependent on her for literally everything. So the thought of yanking myself away from her, for five days every week, is physically and mentally hurting.

I look at her but I don't respond to her question, so she understands that is something I hadn't thought of. And now that she mentioned it, I genuinely don't know the answer to that.

"come here" she puts her legs on the couch, opens her arms, and calls me in for a hug. I willingly let myself be cuddled by my best friend.

She kisses my hair and gently strokes it whilst I lay there comfortably.

This is something my mama always did when I was a kid and I woke up screaming in the middle of the night. Or when I was just unhappy in general and it calmed me down instantly.

One night, when I had my first sleepover with Dylan back in college, I woke up in the middle of the night screaming, due to some nightmares about the past. She got me some water to drink, and soothed me the same way my mama did. She didn't ask why I woke up screaming, she just held me until I fell asleep with her holding me. The following day, she didn't ask anything because she understood I didn't want to talk about it. All she said was "whatever it was, it's in the past. But I'm here when you're ready to talk. There's no pressure" accompanied by the most sincere smile I'd seen in forever.

There is this saying that goes "the darkness is temporary, there's always a light the end of the tunnel" and for the longest of time I thought that light was when you successfully overcome of a dark or shitty situation. Dylan came into my life when I was going through the worst, and she never once left my side.

That exact moment I knew I had found my light at the end of the tunnel.

And that was my best friend Dylan.

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