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They rode the elevator in silence, even though Gwen could feel Claudia wanted to say more. They both stepped out of the elevator in the underground garage, where Claudia led Gwen to a black BMW Sedan.
Claudia turned to Gwen and gave her an envious smile. “This one is yours, and this will be your reserved spot. All company cars are registered for the toll roads. If anything is wrong with it let me know and I’ll make an appointment for it to be checked.”
“Thank you.”
Gwen still couldn’t believe all of this was real. Claudia turned to leave, but Gwen had one last question.
“I know you told me I could use it for whatever, but…” Gwen paused and felt her cheeks blush in embarrassment again. “I can drive anywhere with it?”
Claudia gave her an encouraging smile. “Mr. Seavey insists you do.”
“What if I crash or it gets stolen?” Gwen had never driven a car this expensive and was afraid of all the things that could go wrong.
“They are very well insured. I have noticed if you are honest with Mr. Seavey, he doesn’t seem to be mad. The one thing he hates is dishonesty.”
Gwen nodded and watched Claudia walk back to the elevators. With shaking hands, Gwen unlocked the car and opened the door. The distinctive smell of fresh leather hit her. She nervously sat on the driver’s seat and placed her papers and bag on the passenger seat.
She looked around and tried to orient herself. It had been quite some time since she’d driven a car and never such a luxurious one. The last car she’d owned was a Kia, old and needing a lot of work, with a stick shift. After adjusting the seat and entering her address in the navigation system, she slowly rolled out of the garage and onto the street.
After nearly an hour of driving through Houston’s hell traffic, she parked the car in the back of her apartment complex. She was a nervous wreck and was glad to be able to get out. The whole drive she’d been praying not to crash the car, no matter if it was her fault or someone else’s. Mr. Seavey had been clear, and she didn’t want to be a disappointment. She was sure wrecking his car that cost more than a down payment for a house would clearly be considered a failure.
She hoped the car wouldn’t attract too much attention and would still be there in the morning. Her neighborhood was known for theft and violence. Gwen quickly made her way to her apartment, where she sat down on her bed still trying to process her day. Her shoulders felt as if a thousand pounds had been lifted off of them. She just couldn’t believe how lucky she was. Leaning against the wall, she started reading the work contract.
Looking at his signature, she was able to determine him to be Amon Seavey. She liked that name, and it suited him well. It wasn’t a name she’d heard before, but it was a name that indicated a strong personality. Even though he was distant and serious, his demeanor was strong and intimidating.
Mr. Seavey liked to start his days at 7 a.m., with a schedule of his day that included due dates for projects, phone calls that needed to be made, meetings, emails that needed to be addressed, and any other events that occurred. His brothers’ schedules were also part of her tasks, although they didn’t seem to have a specific time they wanted them to be ready. She was to take their phone calls, schedule meetings, and to return emails, for all three of them.
She also needed to be part of all meetings–no matter how big or small–that they couldn’t attend. The list went on and on, which excited but also terrified her. She loved to work. Any kind of work had always been her safe place, the place and time where she could shut out all her worries and sadness about her past.
After studying the contract, she signed it and carefully laid it aside. That stack of papers was now the most important and valuable possession she owned. She walked to her kitchen and opened the mainly empty fridge and grabbed a yogurt. She sat at her tiny table and started scrolling through her phone. Curious what the other Seavey brothers looked like she tried to find pictures of them on Google. She tried for at least thirty minutes without any success. It seemed that they took their privacy even more seriously than she’d first thought.
Just as she gave up her search and started to Google her new home address, a notification from her bank popped up and her stomach dropped to the floor. These kinds of notifications only meant bad things like overdrafts and fees. She clicked on it and unlocked the app. She choked on her own saliva as she saw the numbers on her screen. Her balance was now $505.84. When she clicked on the last deposit, it showed that it had come from Seavey Realty. She hadn’t even started her job yet, so she hadn’t expected anything for at least three weeks.
She quickly went back to the contract and read the page that stated her salary. Very small, in the last line of the page was an additional $500, titled “moving expenses”, that was to be paid to her before her move. For most people, this amount wasn’t much but for her this meant the world. Another wave of tears hit her, and this time she couldn’t do anything to stop them from running down her cheeks. They were tears of gratitude and relief.
With the money she’d received, she went to the corner store and bought a few things she needed. She didn’t spend much money or buy a lot of food; she knew how precious the money was and how it never lasted long with her. She bought bread, marmalade, milk, and cereal; enough to get her to Sunday. She didn’t want to buy too much and then have to take it with her.
The thought of the move reminded her that she hadn’t Googled the address yet. She quickly walked home and packed away the groceries before cuddling up in her bed and pulling out the living arrangement agreement with her new address. By the zip code, she could already tell it wasn’t located within Houston city limits.
The house was far out, past Rosenberg and about a forty-mile ride. She opened StreetView and tried to see what it looked like, but the house was blurred out. What she could see, was that it seemed to be a large property in the midst of nowhere. The drive all the way out there made her anxious. If she were to drive in the middle of rush hour, this ride could take up to an hour and a half. Alone the thought of driving that luxurious car that long, and that far out, every day, terrified her.
She was grateful for Mr. Seavey’s generosity, but the not-so-simple thought of failing him and the trust he’d put in her was making her nervous. It wasn’t the work that scared her, but rather her not being able to live up to his standards.
***
Three
Gwen woke up late the next morning, which was very unlike her. Most nights she had trouble sleeping–her worries and money problems making it impossible for her to have a good night’s rest. Last night though she’d slept like a baby. She turned towards her nightstand and reached for her little treasure. The work contract was still there, and with it in her hands she knew she hadn’t dreamt the whole thing.
She got out of bed and quickly got dressed before eating some cereal for breakfast. She only had two more days before she moved and wanted to spend her last free day with Evangeline. Gwen didn’t know if or when she would have time to see her again, but with the car, it would be much easier to visit her.
After Evangeline’s accident and hospital stay, Gwen and her mother had found a care home for her south of Houston in League City. While her mother had still been alive, visiting hadn’t been hard. But after losing her car and not having enough money to get there every week, Gwen had only seen her sister irregularly.
At first, it had been hard seeing her, but with time Gwen had gotten somewhat used to the idea of Evangeline not being the same anymore. But still seeing her in her bed, unable to respond, and not even knowing if Evangeline knew what was happening around her broke Gwen’s heart every time. The heartbreak had become more bearable over the past eight years, but it never disappeared.
The drive down to League City was a breeze. Rush hour had passed, and Gwen had an easy drive. She was still quite nervous driving the car, but this time a little less than the day before. Nevertheless, she was glad to park the car and get out after about forty-five minutes. She walked into the Sunrise Care Home and up to the front desk.
An older lady with a motherly smile greeted her, “Are you here to visit someone, love?”
