One Moment = A Lifetime

Tri

*****This is what the view of the back door is*****

Awestruck was the only word I could use to describe my reaction to seeing the ginormous mansion which stood before me. Surely I was at the wrong address, how could one man live in such a huge building all on his own. Even the thought of actually living there sent a shiver down my spine. The building stood tall in the centre of a row of modern townhouses which all looked to be of somewhat similar size. This must be where the city's elite called home I thought to myself as I stood amazed at the sheer vastness of what I was seeing. The house had red brick walls with vines curling and spiralling around them, and a largely curved doorway made of solid mahogany most likely, rows of windows marked the upper floors and from what I could tell there were four floors in all. Breaking free of my thoughts I made my way up to the front door and grasping the large door knocker in my small hands and proceeding to knock three times, the sound of the door knocker was harsh to my ears and it seemed that its only purpose was to disrupt the calming atmosphere which surrounded it. Within seconds of my hand leaving the door knocker a petite woman appeared, she reminded me of an old grandmother, the kind you would see in those old films. The ones who would bake you treats and let you stay up late.

The woman introduced herself as Madame Leblanc the housekeeper once I had explained my purpose for being there and she let me into the extraordinary house. Motioning for me to follow her she proceeded to show me my room which was on the very top floor and had a beautiful view of the garden. Once she gave me directions to the kitchen and a warm-hearted smile she left me to unpack and get settled. My room was a large one which was painted in a light blue-grey colour. The room had a large double bed in one corner and dressing table by the large window with a desk placed in the corner fitting in perfectly with the built-in bookshelf. As far as decoration went the bed linen matched the walls by having several blueish hues throughout and the dressing table and desk had matching adorned lamps which would bring a softer light to the room later in the evening. After standing in the centre of the room for several minutes admiring its beauty in a state of disbelief I set to work unpacking the two bags which contained everything I now called my own. How could one day bring with it such a severe change in course? Afterall only that morning I had been unemployed living in a homeless shelter with no hope for the future and living on adrenalin and small doses of coffee. And now only a few hours later I had my own room in a modern mansion and a job which secured me decent pay for as long as I was required and from the way Mrs Lockridge had spoken of her son, I had the feeling that I would be here for a while.

Once everything I had was in place I made my way downstairs hoping to find the kitchen as soon as possible, at first I was following the directions Madame Leblanc had told me but once I reached the second floor my nose and stomach led me. Isn't it funny how you can go so long being hungry that you forget you were hungry in the first place? That was a feeling that I had gotten far too used to in the past few weeks in particular, and so the glorious smell of freshly cooked pork was enough to make my stomach howl and my mouth water with anticipation. Making my way into the kitchen I was greeted by Madame Leblanc's petite frame who took one look at me and gave me another one of her gentle smiles, it was clear from her reaction that my stark hunger was shown clearly through my features. The next thing I knew I was being ushered into one of the island stools and a plate full of hot food was placed in front of me. I barely had time to throw out a thank you before I had begun to stuff my face. All sense of self-control had left me in that moment and all that was left was the glorious taste of heaven. I was in no position to judge food at that point, after all, I was so hungry I would have eaten anything but I can assure you that that was the best meal I had ever eaten.

Once I had finished devouring the plate full of food Madame Leblanc sat before me and once again gave me a kind smile. "When was your last meal ma chere?" the older woman asks me softly as I look up from my plate slowly. Considering whether or not to lie I turn away before realising that there was no point. What harm would it do if I told her the truth? it wasn't as though I had to tell her everything, just enough to lighten my conscience. Slowly I inhale before quietly saying "I haven't had a proper meal in over a week ", on hearing my response the older woman shakes her head..not in disapproval but in sympathy. She then replies "don't worry you won't have to worry about that here Lord knows I live to feed more mouths," she says and chuckles lightly at me while reaching and taking my hand in hers reassuringly. "why don't we go and have a chat in the living room it is much more comfortable in there and we can get to know each other over a drink?" she asks and I nod lightly welcoming the idea of any kind of home-like comfort.

"No of course not but how was I supposed to know that the old brute was lactose intolerant?" Madame Leblanc says cheerfully while taking a swig from her wine glass, finishing her story of how she nearly killed a Philippino Prince. On hearing her comment my light chuckling transforms into fully fledged uncontrollable laughter, desperately trying to regain my composure I stand up stating that I'm going to go and fetch myself another drink and the old woman simply nods and winks at me mischievously from behind her wine glass. Once I'm in the kitchen I finally take the time to notice the beautifully ornate french doors that lead out to a magnificent garden, the likes of which I had never seen before. Stepping out onto the patio I turn around and notice the balcony which sits above the kitchen perfectly. The scene before me reminds me of something from Romeo and Juliet, I can just imagine Juliet standing on the balcony waiting for her Romeo to come and serenade her. Suddenly my moment of tranquillity is interrupted by the piercing sound of the doorbell. Walking briskly back through the kitchen I call into the living room to tell Madame Leblanc "I'll get it" before then making my way to the front door.

When I open the front door I'm greeted by an unknown face who seems completely preoccupied with whatever it is going on in his head. I clear my throat which appears to gain his attention as he suddenly turns to me and simply replies with "oh". "Can I help you?" I ask waiting for the older gentleman to explain his reason for being there. "Oh, of course, I'm dreadfully sorry I was looking for my wife. " with the man's reply I notice the slight hint of a French accent and suddenly his presence makes sense. I reply with a simple "She's in the living room come on in." and with that, the man smiles and follows me through to the living room where he is greeted by his wife lovingly. I decide that that is as good a time as any to make my way to bed and so I excuse myself and say goodnight to the older couple. Once I reach my bed its as though all the pent-up exhaustion from the past couple weeks hits me like a wave and as soon as my head hits the pillow I'm dead to the world and for the first time since this nightmare began I sleep through the night uninterrupted.