More surprises

I woke up with a pounding headache, this has got to be the worst hang over I had ever had, not that I drank too often. I heard a knock on the door and groaned deeply, I sincerely wish the intruder would go away, after several minutes of knocking, it didn’t look like this person was going anywhere so I sat up hesitantly, I held my head with my hand for a few seconds trying to settle my thoughts, but the knock interrupted me again prompting me to grab my robe and open the door.

Matilda brushed passed me; walked to the center of the room and turned facing me. she looked furious, I wonder what made her so angry.

“Where in the heavens name were you last night liv, I called severally and they all went to voice mail” she asked angrily. Her voice was way too high, or at least that was how the ringing in my head made it sound.

“Oh my God. Tilda, why are you screaming, jeez.” I groaned holding her head. “I had one hell of a night and honestly, I would like to rest before……...” I paused, just then all the memory of what happened last night came flooding in. I rushed to the clock on the bed stand and checked the time it was 7:46 am

“Oh shoot, Matilda I love you and I promise to explain everything once I’m back but ri …..” Matilda cut me short.

“Back from where?” she asked as she watched me rush around the room. I didn’t have time to explain so I ran into the bathroom.

She sat quietly waiting for me to dress up before she finally asked. “Olivia McGroom. Where on earth are you going to, who do you even know in New York, what happened at the concert, hell!!!!!! Talk to me woman” she stomped her foot, an angry Matilda wasn’t a good sight.

“jeez, calm down Tilda. Let’s just say I got into trouble last night and if I don’t leave now I will make matter worse” I replied. I hated keeping things away from Mathilda but right now wasn’t the time to sit and chat, I waved her goodbye and left the room.

I got to the venue at few minutes passed 8 am, looking around frantically, I sighted Hugo at the end of the row of booths.

“Hello, good morning, I’m so sorry. I know I’m late, I over slept.” I knew I was rumbling but I couldn’t help the anxiety settling at the pit of my stomach, I plastered a desperate smile on my face despite myself but my smile was met with a scowl from a very angry Hugo. He looked at his watch before gesturing for me to sit down and signaled for the waiter to come. He looked at me for almost a minute making me shift in my sit uncomfortably.

“You are twenty minutes late. Miss McGroom.” he finally spoke up in a calm tune.

“I know. And I’m truly sorry for keeping you waiting.” I apologized again.

“That’s alright. Let’s move to the order of the day” he opened a brown parcel and passed a paper to me.

“This is the totals cost of damages incurred by you last night” he leaned back into his chair and looked at me as I scanned the paper frantically. I scanned the paper wide eyed, and blinked twice at the total amount.

“Is this… how did… this is…” I couldn’t find the words.

“Well, that was compiled by the Auto repairer that is a total of $27,550. Now I know that would be too much for you to pay, so I have a preposition for you.” he finished.

“A preposition?” I queried

“Yes Olivia. A preposition, so you see; I’m the manager of a group of seven young men, I’m currently in search of a live-in baby sitter for them, they are always busy and tend to need assistance with a lot of things, so what do you say? Would you like to work for me for six months? The first 3 months of course would be unpaid as you will be paying off your debts, but the last three months you will be paid very well” he paused to sip his coffee. Is he being serious right now?

“Wait. Let me get this straight, you want me to baby sit seven grown men and also live in the same building with them for six months?” I asked.

“I’m looking at something more long term; six months is only a probation period” he said passing me another paper, why does he have so many documents?

I took the paper from him, it looked like an official document, I didn’t have time to go through it before he continued.

“This is a contract I had our lawyer draw up this morning, in any case where you don’t agree, this is the companies account number where I will be expecting the full payment in four days” he brought out yet another paper.

I looked at him in disbelief, what he was offering sounded fair but I knew anything that sounds too good to be true was actually too good to be true and always had a down side to it. Were these young men physically challenged? Why would they be needing a baby sitter.

“OK. Say I accept this offer, I just want to know, in what capacity am I expected to help these men? Are they physically challenged?”

He looked baffled and tried to suppress a laugh.

“Oh no no no, they aren’t physically challenged, let’s just say the nature of their job doesn’t give them time to do some things for themselves”

I couldn’t ignore the fact that despite what it looked like now, this was actually a chance for me to pay off my college debts by just working for him for six months, but it was the nature of the job that bothered me, If I accept I would have to move out of my apartment, move away from Jersey City which was the only life I knew, I would have to move into a house with seven strangers. I needed time to think about it, I wouldn’t want to make a rash decision.

“Can I think about this?” I asked.

“Of course, but I will be expecting a reply by tomorrow, or else I will take it that you’ve decided to pay it off.” He signaled for the bill, paid and left.

I sank back into my chair and sipped my already cold coffee. I stayed at the booth for another 20 minutes before I decided to head back to the hotel and talk to Matilda because I couldn’t make up my mind on my own.

I took a cab back to the hotel and went up to Mathilda’s room, I knew she would still be pissed from this morning but we needed to talk about this.

Few minutes later I sat on Mathilda’s bed allowing her to assimilate everything I just told her.

“Wait a minute, what you’re saying is that, you went over a wall at the concert just to get in then you were helped by one of the special seven?” Mathilda asked in surprise.

“Yes, but that’s not even the issue now”

“Right. You also went to a bar and got yourself drunk, bashed a multimillion dollar truck and have to pay for damages?” she repeated what I told her word for words.

I slowly nodded my head causing Matilda to stand up abruptly.

“Olivia!!! What are you? 15? How can you go and get yourself drunk and decide to drive? Couldn’t you have called a cab? Ok. Now you’re expected to pay almost $30000 we do not have that kind of money” she was pacing the room and stopped. She walked up to me on the bed and squatted in front of me, gently she placed her hands above mine.

“Listen, I know that working for them in inconvenient but we do not have the luxury of convenience right now.”

“I know, It’s just…. I would have to move in with them, you’d have to look for a new roommate.” She looked away immediately.

“About that, I will be moving in with harry. I’m sorry, I know I should have said something earlier but I couldn’t find the time” she apologized but I still couldn’t understand what she was saying.

“TILDA!!!!! You couldn’t find the time? Wait now I get it, that was why you got the tickets for me, was that some kind of apology or something?” I screamed

“I’m so sorry liv, but look you’re leaving too, let’s just look at the bright side of things.” she rubbed my palms

But I was too angry to give into the comfort she was trying to create. This wasn’t something that just sprung up, she must have given this a lot of thoughts.

“The bright side, really? One would think you planned all these.” I stood up from the bed.

“Well that settles it then, I’d just go to my room and call Hugo, I don’t have a choice after all.” I walked off angrily but stopped at the door. “Do me a favor please, help me pack my things and send it to me here in New York. I see no reason to go back to Jersey City and come back again” With that I walked out and shut the door on her face as she tried approaching me, maybe I was over reacting but this was betrayal in my books.

I called Hugo and accepted the proposal, he insisted on coming to pick me up that same afternoon so I was already packed waiting for him at the hotel lobby. he arrived shortly later, I looked back at Mathilda’s room window before getting into the car with Hugo.

“Now that you’ve accepted to do this, there’s one rule : Do not date anyone in the house, if you do your contract would be terminated and you’d have to pay what you owe.” He said while driving.

Dating wasn’t in the books for me right now, I haven’t had a boyfriend since I broke up with my college boyfriend a few years ago.

“That’s not a problem Hugo. So what is expected of me?”

“Basically, to organize their schedule, fix appointments and stuffs like that” he replied. we drove in silence till we got to a gate and drove in. I got down from the car and looked at the building, this house was huge, it was a fortress, I looked lost until Hugo signaled for us to go inside.

Hugo led me to what looked like the living room but I stopped in my track. I looked at what was in front of me in shock.

“I omitted that the seven people you’re working for are the special seven” Hugo’s voice brought me out of my shock, I turned to see him smiling.