"Get out, and don't come back!"
She did as she was told and quietly disappeared from his life.
She was left to fend for herself, but the world was cruel. She was abandoned by those she called family. She could barely get by, living off of the small...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I button the plaid coat, feeling a chill outside. As I waited for Mr. Verlice, I double-checked to make sure I had everything I needed in my bag. Phone, wallet with ID, pepper spray, mini mirror, chapstick, house keys, hair tie, and, of course, pad since I'm on my period. Check, check, checkity-check. Great.
"Do you have to go?" Caelum whispered behind me, and I looked at him to see an unsure look on his face.
"Yes, Caelum, I have to," I smiled, watching him fiddle with his fingers. "I promise Kimela won't be any trouble. Give her some apple juice and she'll shut right up. You'll be fine. You've been doing this for days since I started going to work. It's just like any other day."
"But.." he tried to find an excuse as I stepped down the stairs. "She harasses me every time you leave."
I laughed at that. "Put on Teletubbies. Wait, actually no. No Teletubbies," I cringed, remembering that one scene and the creepy face of Sun Baby. "Dora The Explorer? I don't know, some show without any innuendos."
He gave me a deadpan look. "Is there any show that doesn't have at least one innuendo?" He asked. "Besides, Kimela's smart. She'll immediately understand and repeat it. I just know it."
"Dora doesn't," I said, destroying his argument. "I hope."
I heard the beep of a car and turned to the road, seeing a beautiful red Ferrari SF90 parked in front of my house. I looked down at my silver watch, seeing that Mr. Verlice came exactly at 7. I turned to Caelum to say goodbye, but stopped myself when I saw his face hardened into a solemn expression as he stared at the car.
I put my hand on his shoulder, snapping his attention back to me. "Don't worry. I'll be back in a couple of hours. Take care of Kimela and do not let her leave the house unless she's going to the backyard."
Caelum opened his mouth to say something, but hesitated and closed his mouth. He nodded in understanding and watched as I walked to the car. I opened the passenger door and looked inside to see Mr. Verlice sat back in his seat comfortably, one hand on the wheel and the other placed on the gear. He watched me as I slipped into the car, closing the door. I buckled my seatbelt and made sure it was tight around me.
I smiled at him, "Thank you, Mr. Verlice," I said, referring to him picking me up to go shopping.
"Iason," he quickly replied. "Out of work, you may call me Iason."
"Alright.. Iason," I said, testing his name on my lips. It was strange calling him by his first name, since I felt like I was walking on eggshells every time I was around him and one slip-up would be the end of me.
I caught him staring outside the window. At Caelum, who stood in front of the door, staring back at the car. "Partner?" I suddenly heard him say. My eyebrows raised at the word. "Excuse me, but I couldn't help but feel curious."
