I was more like an odd, red poppy. One that sticks out of the rest of the field of poppies, but next to another flower, like a peonie, or a rose, I'm almost like their leaves, or even a part of their stems. I wasn't a weed that hurt them in anyway, but I wasn't of any importance either, which probably hurted more. That's when I didn't know what to think of myself anymore. However, just one petal of a rose, it gave me hope that I wouldn't live such a plain, bland life forever.
"I need somewhere to live, unless you can give me a huge cardboard box, and some newspapers, that would be great as well."
I tapped furiously on the realtor's table, hearing there aren't any homes left near my workplace. I wanted a home where Birch could run freely in a grassy field, and maybe someday, I could have a family of my own, but I knew that there was only a slim chance. All of my friends already married, and a 30 year old woman, still single, hasn't even gone on a date yet. And waking up staring at a brick wall everyday, won't make my lonely life any better.
"Ms. Evans, please stay calm. I was about to tell you that there was one home available, but --"
"But what?"
"Let me finish please," She said, rolling her eyes.
"Sorry... I'm just tad frightened, that's all," I apologized.
She sighed heavily, her deep wrinkles forcing a smile. She didn't look like the most content person in the world, so I shut my mouth quickly.
She chuckled, "It's quite all right. If my patience was less than yours, then I would've never made it this far. Anyways, there is a very small and dainty house in the Westminister area. It's very nice, but it could be a bit small. However, you and your dog are the only ones, so it could be roomy either way. There is a family that owns that small house, so you'll have to rent it. The price isn't high, so it might be a good chance."
There was a suffocating silence in the wide room, so I swallowed and replied, "When can you contact them?"
There was a light, crisp breeze, yet it was so melancholic... I didn't know what to think of it. I would have to find another job in order to pay for this house, and for us. My plans became a bit rusty and blurry now, but the house itself was very nice. There were morning glories wrapping around the walls, and a very vintage feel to it. I liked it, but it wasn't the one I was dreaming of.
I exhaled and claimed, "Let's go in Birch! This is our new home!"
Woof!
I slowly opened the front door, and I saw nothing. There was absolutely nothing at all, just blank walls, a miniscule, modern kitchen, tables here and there, a couch, and a TV in front of it. Very plain, almost as plain as my apparel. I laughed, but then I kicked the door behind me, and I crouched down, and hid my face. There was so much bloody work to do...
I should probably go next door and thank them for letting me rent their extra place... no wait I could be interrupting family time for all I know... but it might be impolite not to do so... AGH Let's just go. I crossed my fingers, hoping they weren't snobby like what I see in movies. I've never been near a wealthy person, or family, so this wasn't something I would normally know how to do. Their front lawn had numerous roses, all of them flashing confidence, unlike me.
I rang the doorbell, and tucked in my icy fingertips into my sweater sleeve. With a pair of dark jeans, and a sweater to stay warm in the chilly fall weather, I waited for about thirty seconds when I heard footsteps. I had an envelope in my hands for the first rent money. I took a deep breath, and the grand door finally opened. There stood a man, probably around his 50's. He looked very serious, but when he smiled, he reminded me of my own father.
"Well hello there, you're the young lady that wanted to rent out our place next door, correct?"
"Y-Yes sir. I'm very grateful for allowing me to live there. I really appreciate it."
I handed him the envelope, probably worth half of my savings, but it was my only choice.
"Oh no, no, no. I heard you had some financial issues, so just give it to us when you can."
My eyes shot up. However, I was able to control my jaws from dropping. I suddenly saw an angel before me. I shook my head, to snap out of it.
"W-Wait. Are you sure... Mr....?" I asked, stuttering like an idiot.
He laughed like Santa Claus, and exclaimed, "Mr. Hall, and yes of course. Just make sure you don't run away, or else!"
I knew he was joking, but I still understood the message.
"Ahaha..haha..ha of course I wouldn't. Thank you anyways sir."
"Alrighty then, come on in! Meet my family."
He led me in, through the labyrinth of a mansion, to the living area. There, was an elegant woman, with fancy clothing, but she looked very casual. She looked up from her novel, and she aged very beautifully. She had a "hard to understand" kind of smile, so I didn't know whether she liked me or not. She stood up, and walked over to us. I stood out like a sore thumb, a very unadorned thing, in the middle of ornate furniture and fancy people. I put on my most mature smile, and we handshaked.
"Why hello there Ms. Rogers. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mrs. Hall," I smiled.
Mr. Hall bellowed, "Well, let's get to business!"
I looked around, and with confusion, I mouthed, "With me?" while pointing to myself
They nodded, with smiles in their aging eyes.
"Did you not need a second job, Madison Rogers?"
"O-Of course! Yes, I do!" I stammered.
"Well, we're one short of a maid for our son and daughter's rooms and for cooking, so it would be great if you could help out," Mrs. Hall replied, chuckling.
Son? Daughter? I didn't hear any of them, and looking at their age, their children are probably around my age, maybe younger. I made a confused face, apparently, so I looked at them for more information.
"We have a daughter, Selena, which is 27 years old, and a son, Connor, who is turning 31 tomorrow. He lives in France at the moment, while Selena is working nearby. We had another one that had your job, but she couldn't stop breaking plates, and she was a fraud, so we had to fire her. She was a nice girl-"
"Carla, please get to the point," Mr. Hall sighed.
"Oh yes, well anyway, you can cook right?"
"Yes, I have to keep myself alive in some way or another, am I right?"
There was a horrible silence for a split second, which felt like an hour, but they laughed and agreed with me. They told me that I would start in tomorrow, before their son comes to visit, and maybe I could meet their daughter in the preparations.
Right away, I unpacked everything, which took until 7 p.m. and everything seemed to be in place, well not everything. I forgot one last family photo of the three of us, about 6 years ago, before my parents died in a car accident. I was starting to feel glum again, like I did 6 years ago for about 7 months, but I sucked back my tears, and laughed.
"Mom, Dad! I finally found a new home for me and Birch here. Would've been nice if you guys were here, but I'm going to keep living my interesting, yet plain life here, with you."
I knew they didn't want that. They wanted me to have a unique, special, or even an odd life. Not a normal one, like getting married, raising children while my husband goes to work. They wanted me to travel places they never imagined, to travel and have fun even when I had kids, and do things I wanted to do. I had a sense of failure, but who could stop that. All this time, we all wanted someone special to magically change this odd, yet bland poppy into something like a bright, red rose. Someone bold and strong. That magical being hasn't come yet though, and I thought that he will never show up.
I woke up 30 minutes late, where I only had 45 minutes to get ready and eat breakfast. I just slapped on some black, skinny jeans, and another big sweater, and let my long, chestnut hair. I haven't had my hair down for months, since it was comfortable tying it into a ponytail. I gave Birch his daily belly scratch and food, blew a kiss to him, and left.
I had imagined a uniform, like a black dress, and a white apron, but it was completely different. It was just a pair of flexible pants, and a big, white T-shirt with a small rose in the corner. I was surprised, it was just like the style of clothing I wore. I almost wanted to hug them, since they didn't force me to turn into a Barbie maid.
"Mom? Dad? What time is Connor going to arriv- Who is she?"
A very tall, curvy, blonde girl walked down the stairs, with a short, glittery dress that appeared to be more expensive than all of my belongings combined. She had a scowl on her face, when she saw this short, thin, A- cup woman, standing there, gawking at her.
We introduced each other, but we didn't have a, "O.M.G. We were meant to be best friends from birth," kind of thing. We barely even talked, and I wasn't surprised, since we were complete opposites. Everyone did their part, so the preparations were finished 2 hours before this Connor, arrived. Person by person, family by family, started to enter the huge house, and to the gigantic back yard, with lights, tables, everything. Everyone woman wore such flowy gowns, even Selena changed into long, ocean blue dress, and Mrs. Hall wore a dark, maroon maxi skirt with a blouse. Two other maids and I were appointed to the outside part, but even though I wasn't alone, I felt out of place. Suddenly, I heard a loud crowd inside of the house, so I just thought another person came, but then there were a lot of Connor Hall! Welcome back! Happy Birthday! The other two maids dashed inside, so I followed them.
We lined up, and before me, a man, with messy, dirty-blonde hair, sharp jaws, and glistening, gray eyes. However, he didn't seem to be the most happiest person here. Actually, he seemed to be a bit gloomy. His smile had the most cutest dimples, which reminded me of Sam Claflin, but he was slightly cuter. He wore a sharp suit, with a small poppy inside of his pocket. I looked over, and saw a cast on his right arm, which alarmed Mrs. Hall by a million levels. He glanced over to my direction, so I quickly looked away. He probably just thought I was weird, since the other maids were in their mid forties, while my twenties recently ended. He walked past, to the outdoor part of his home. He suddenly stopped.
"You're new here?"
"Y-Yes, Mr. Hall..."
His smile faded, and a frightening expression spread over his face. I gulped, but I clenched my fists. I'll do my best to keep this job and my other job at a clothing store, and I won't be scared because of one, handsome dude.
"Don't mess up, like the other one before you," he firmly stated, with threatening eyes.
I replied, with a bit of, "class," I said, "Of course, Mr. Hall, I won't be the nearest similar to the maid last time."
He nodded, and started off to the forest of a backyard.
We were finally allowed to go over to the place we were assigned. I started to pass around blue drinks, which looked so foreign in my eyes. I've never had a alcohol in my life (Yes, I'm a very boring person), so I'm like a new born baby with these.
I was being careless once again, since I was observing people here and there, and how they acted. It was quite interesting, but then, I tripped on a chair leg, and with a oof!!! I fell onto a person, spilling all of the drinks all over the person. I spilled one in myself, kind of showing my, "cleavage," I looked up, embarrassed, and saw Connor Hall, with a perplexed expression. To my surprise, as I prayed in my head for my parents in Heaven to save me from this situation, a loud pfft left his lips, but then he quickly, and awkwardly masked his face with the assertive and serious face.
I already saw this real side of him, and this moment was the magical rose petal I had been waiting for all my plain, yet odd life, and to top it off, the breeze seemed to be a little bit warmer at that moment, like the sun was replacing the cold moon, giving me hope and maybe a bit of love.
A/N: This one is a bit long, and I apologize (?), but it was really fun writing this one! I want to keep writing this one, so if you liked it, I might continue this! Thank you for reading!
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