The drive back onto the Cherry Street estate seemed to accentuate Matthew's already unsettled stomach; the gum didn't help it, either. Lloyd's gas pedal felt especially sensitive, almost smashing through the second gate onto the private grounds. "I can't do this," he told himself, the old car trundling along the house's winding drive. "I'm no woman. I..." He groaned and threw his head back, the car slowing to a standstill before being shifted into park. "Why did he invite me back? He knows what he wants." He pondered what could've changed in the last couple weeks; he came up with nothing.
Lloyd's response was to roll back slightly when Matthew took his foot off the brake.
His phone buzzed with his father's number.
Groaning, Matthew ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Fuck it, whatever," he sighed, chewing the nicotine gum fervently. "I'm already here... let's get rejected again." Shifting back into first gear, he muttered, "Maybe it only really is just because I want to see Elliot's voodoo doll."
Even downcast, the house sank comfortably into the ground, it's sweeping arched roof giving the sense of shelter against the gloomy day.
Parking the car as far from the front door as possible, Matthew cleared his throat and took his plastic folder with him. Turning back to Lloyd, he whispered, "Same deal, Lloyd. And I know you can't do this, but if I die here, please, please, please don't get cut up for scrap." Tapping the hood, Matthew departed from the little blue car. He approached the front door, quickly spitting his gum into some overgrown bushes by where he assumed the kitchen was.
Mrs. Weiss answered after he knocked. "Mr. Robinson, won't you come in?" she asked, gesturing into the dark entryway, slippers in hand. "I'm surprised to see you again."
Breathlessly chuckling, Matthew wiped his feet on the mat and entered. "I would, more so, say that it's, just, sheer luck." He kneeled down to remove his shoes.
She shut the door and gestured him into the living room once the house slippers were on. "I'm a little surprised you reapplied after everything that happened. Would you like anything to drink? Mr. Yang's finishing a conference call at the moment."
Matthew sank into a low seat under the chandelier, which groaned underneath him. Everything reeked so strongly of a cold loneliness that it made him regret spitting his gum out. "I'm all right for right now. Thank you."
"What made you reapply?" she asked.
Scratching his arm, he answered, "Elliot made a voodoo doll of me. I just wanted to see how it turned out." Never before had Matthew wanted to curl into a ball and hide.
Mrs. Weiss cocked her head to the side. "Ah," she started, as if there was more to the sentence. She flattened her shirt and sat a little straighter across from him.
Matthew turned away, glancing through the glass doors to the terrace out back; his stomach couldn't settle. "I – it was also to, to see how the children were getting on, last I saw them. How's Eli's hands?"
"They're fine," she answered quickly. The older woman breathlessly nodded. Adjusting her blouse, she added, "Your reapplying came at an opportune time, if I'm quite honest. The nanny we hired some time after your interview just quit."
'What the fuck is wrong with this guy?' he wondered, glancing around the living room. "R-really? Such a short time?" he asked.
Mrs. Weiss shrugged. "I don't think the applicants come in knowing what's fully expected of them from Mr. Yang." She paused, though Matthew felt it was deliberate. "The job is..." The woman clicked her teeth. "...well, it can be quite grueling, if I'm honest."
YOU ARE READING
It's Definitely Not All Mary Poppins
General Fiction[A Slice-Of-Life LGBTQ+ Story about Found Family] Matthew Robinson's career as a teacher seemed to have stalled, yet when the winds in the East suddenly lands him in the employ as a nanny, Matthew realizes he's probably signed up for more than he ba...
