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“Emma, sir,” I corrected gently.
Mr. Broadstreet paused for a moment, then wrote a note on my sheet. I couldn’t read what it was, but I hoped it was just a simple correction.
“Of course. Emma,” he agreed. He folded his hands in front of him and leaned in subtly. “Have you ever done this before?” he asked.
Done what? I wondered. Interviewed? Cleaned a house? Or was Mr. Broadstreet expecting some sort of favor in exchange for the job? It seemed like an odd sort of test, and I was certain Mr. Broadstreet was being intentionally vague. It seemed like a lot of unnecessary effort just to hire a maid. But I had to get the job, so I’d play his game.
I quickly ran through the options. It wasn’t likely to be the first one, because didn’t seem to be a man that asked such benign questions. I didn’t think it was the first one, either. He seemed fiercely loyal to Lucius Miller, so I doubt he’d try to screw the new maid on his dime. That left the second option; worth a shot.
“Yes, sir,” I replied. I briefly ran through my experience and references: two private homes, one service. A total of six years between all three. Hardly impressive, but I hoped it was good enough for such a low-level position within the Miller estate. One of his estates, at least. There were plenty of others.
He nodded slowly, then he leaned in even further. “Can you keep a secret, Emma?” he said in little more than a whisper.
I leaned in also. “Yes, of course.”
“Good.”
It took me a few moments to realize that he had made his decision. I had gotten the job. Now it was time to do what I was actually here to do.
...
There was a time when I hadn’t even heard of Lucius Miller. Back then, I had only a vague awareness of his company, Miller National Holdings, and didn’t even know what a “Fortune 500” company was. It was hard to care about someone else’s finances when your own were in such a bad state.
The day I found my mother crying was the day everything changed. My mother was a proud, strong woman. Unshakable and unsinkable. She never cried, not even when dad died. I was just a little girl when he had the accident, and it was my mother’s strength that saw me through. She wasn’t just my hero. She was my superhero.
Seeing her cry then, alone at the kitchen table, was shocking.
“Mom?” I kept my voice soft and gentle, even though I wanted to panic. What could be so wrong that it would break the unbreakable woman?
Mom sniffled and sat upright; she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to face me. Her smile was forced and insincere. “Oh! Hi, Em. You startled me. Did you want something to eat? I was just about to make... something.”
She stood quickly and scooped up the papers that had been in front of her. I caught a glimpse of bold, red writing. Past Due. Final Notice.
“Mom... what’s going on?”
“Nothing, why?” she lied.
“You were crying.”
“Don’t be silly. Everything’s fine.”
I thought about all the times she had told me that. Everything’s fine. It was like her mantra. For the first time, I realized that everything wasn’t always fine. I wondered how many times she had cried in private, while telling me that there was nothing wrong. It was a harsh and sudden lesson, but I couldn’t focus on it then. Reflection would have to wait.
“Everything’s not fine,” I countered.
“Mom, you were crying.”
I could see the conflict in her eyes. She wanted to spare me from whatever was worrying her, but she didn’t want to lie to me again.
“I’m an adult now, Mom. I can handle it. I can help.”
She grinned- it was the mischievous grin that I loved. “You’ve been eighteen for two weeks, now you think you know everything,” she teased. As quickly as it had come, the brief moment of happiness and the grin left her face. “Sit down, honey.”
I sat opposite her at the table. She didn’t say a word as she slid the bills and notices towards me. They were bad. They were very bad.
“Jesus, mom,” I sighed. “How long has this been going on?”
“Long enough that they’re tired of waiting. They’re going to take the home, Em. I just can’t stop it this time.”
