Ms Wilson's Replacement

6: negotiating with the devil

"Note to the wise: whenever someone insists that he wants to buy something from you, but tells you there's no real value in it yet, two things are happening: he's lying, and you're being taken."

~Michael A. Stackpole

The doorbell rings and I groan and get up from the couch where I'd fallen asleep in last night after Luke left. My head is pounding just like it did last night when Luke came to visit. After falling asleep last night, I woke up to remind myself that Ade was dead and I was responsible for it. I wanted Ade to die, for what he did to me, but that was just because of the anger I felt in that moment and really didn't want that. But as much as I tried to push it off, I couldn't, I was guilty and yet unable to do anything, but wallow in my pain and grief of my reality and that kept me up for another four hours before I finally slept.

I need painkillers more than ever.

The doorbell rings again and this time I drag myself up to my feet and walk towards the door, wrapping my left hand over my head as a way of holding it together so it doesn't explode.

I open the door and there is Anna, holding a cigar to her red lips. She takes a long drag of it and puffs the air out in a unique style that creates a trail of circles in the air. She has to be smoking for long to be able to master that act, I wonder to myself. But also wishes she can just smoke outside.

"And you're hungover, great." She says entering into the room even without me inviting her in. Not like she needs me to, she was in my room yesterday without permission, we are way past that.

She's wearing a red designer gown reaching her knee that hugs her body perfectly and brings out her curves, a black veil over her shoulder, red heels that showcases her nice legs. Pity such a pretty woman is a monster on the inside.

Nevertheless, "Well, come inside," I beckon dramatically, gesturing with my hand. "And I am not hungover, this," I point to my head and then to the parlour a little upside down, "is as a result of the messy life you're dragging me into." as well as the guilt of having killed someone.

"Messy is all of this," she points to the ground and giving the whole room a disgusted look.

I cross my arms, "Did you come here to through insults around, Ms Wilson?"

"I came here to talk and reach an agreement, I hope you were able to go through the sample contract," she says walking into the kitchen where she was yesterday like she owned the place.

Well, she owns the owner of the place so that means she also owns the place.

I step towards the table where I last kept the document, my pen and jotter, "I decided to take your advice and read through and make adjustments to some things I wasn't comfortable with." I see her eyes narrow immediately, but she nods for me to continue, "As for your rules and regulations, I have to ask, are they what you follow yourself or did you make them up for me."

"I didn't come here to be questioned, and certainly not by you." She states, sounding offended.

"You will have to sit down and listen because I will be Ms Wilson for three weeks and according to the section 3 of page 10, the replacement has the right to ask questions when she's confused. And that's what I'm doing, Ms Wilson."

She grits her teeth and I know if she could torch me right now, she would, "Fine! Some of the rules are my personal rules and you have to follow them if you want to replace me without getting caught. Anna ignores that question, "Any more questions before we begin?"