The Mafia Boss's Possession

Chapter 22

"You think she would fire me?" I asked quietly, trying not make noise in the empty place. It was still early, the daycare didn't open until six A.M. but we had to be here at five forty-five to open up and start up the computers and lights.

"Nah, there's no one else in this town who she could hire, but that doesn't mean you can slack off." Cassandra warned as the front door's bell rung with the announcement of a customer coming in.

"Good morning!" A small, petite woman entered, a young girl's hand in her own. "I'm here to drop off my niece." She explained as I handed her a fresh sheet on a clipboard.

"Good morning, just sign your name, your phone number, and the child you're dropping off, I will also need to see ID." I smiled politely as Cassandra walked over to the front, sweet talking the girl to take her back with the nannies in the back rooms.

"Thank you, her dad will pick her up though." She handed me back the clipboard and I nodded.

"No problem, ma'am, we'll sort it out. Have a nice day." I bid her goodbye and she nodded, but kept her stance.

"Say, are you new?" She asked, her curious eyes scouring my face. "I'm sorry, I must seem like a creep, it's just that I've never seen you before." She apologized, her green eyes twinkling with laughter.

"No, ma'am, I'm new to town, Ayva." I smiled and lifted my hand to shake hers as she took mine into hers warmly.

"Gorgeous name, Ayva." She complimented, letting go of my hand. "But call me Jasmine, we're all friends in this town, what brings you here?" She leaned against the counter, her blonde, curly hair falling down from her pony-tail.

"Oh, you know, just a new start." I smiled, her personality showed that she was a kind woman, although the crinkles in her eyes and around her mouth proved to show that she was older than me.

"Jasmine, stop gossiping and let Ayva work, don't you have your own job?" Cassandra got back, her blue eyes shone with amusement as Jasmine blushed with embarrassment.

"Gosh Cassandra, one can't have fun with you present, but I'm leaving, nice meeting you Ayva." She waved goodbye and hurried out, pushing her curled bangs off to the side of her pale face.

"That was Jasmine, she's the sweetest thing ever, just a sad thing that she's been in such an abusive relationship, yet she keeps on." Cassandra sighed, shaking her head and pushing her black-rimmed glasses up on the bridge of her defined nose.

"Really? She seems so," I paused and remembered the way her smile never seemed to leave her face in the amount of time that she was here, and she seemed so carefree too.

"Happy?" Cassandra asked and I nodded. "Yeah, she's a fighter, she's been with that low-life for ten years, it's a good thing he's behind bars now, and he'll die there too." Cassandra humphed as another young woman entered, a baby in her arms as she hurried over to sign in.

The day flew by like that, people entered and left, leaving their children to Cassandra who gladly took the kids to the back rooms to the nannies while I handled the parents. Some of them would stop and stare for a while, then leave like they hadn't just gawked at me, but I merely smiled politely and let them walk away without any remark from my part.

Others stopped and stared before baring the guts to ask me if I was new. It seemed that this town was actually so small, that people here actually knew each and ever single person around them. I didn't know if I should feel relieved that I was making friends quickly, or scared that I would have people all up in my business all the time now.

I decided not to worry too much about it, they all seemed kind enough to give me their names, which I could barely remember, but something told me that it wouldn't take long before I knew them all. So far, the only person who actually stuck to me was Jasmine, mostly because of her kind personality. She seemed so happy, aside from the fact that she had been physically abused, and I admired her for that.

Each week, I would rush in and she would always be the first to drop of her niece, then, as Cassandra left to take the young girl back, Jasmine would stay and talk a bit before scurrying off as more customers came in. I had started learning their names too, and they all seemed kind and easy-going. Little by little, I starting getting used to everyone, their kind smiles and hello's became tradition for me to repeat, and they never failed to put me in a good mood. It was no doubt that I had come to the right place to re-establish myself, their positivity was starting to rub off on me, and I found myself taking walks with Jasmine and Cassandra, or going to small dinner parties that some co-workers would throw. I could feel myself lifting off the sour mood that I had originally arrived with. I was starting to regain my tan skin and lean body, my eyes were brightening up and so was my smile, I was finally recuperating myself.