Jessie & Elizabeth (abandoned)

5. That's Just Silly

Elizabeth must have been desperate: she waited for me to change out of my apron, then drove me to my brother's, where she sat in the car while he dumped all my boxes in the back. "You dykes," he said to me, obviously as high as a kite, "moving in together after one decent fuck." I decided to act like I hadn't heard him, knowing he wouldn't be reasonable in this state anyway.

In a surprisingly short time, all of my things were packed, and he drew me in for a hug. No matter how touched I was, he smelled like a teenage boy in a locker room, and I was relieved when he let go. "Love you, sis."

"Love you, Darryl. Although I would love you more if you learned how to take a shower."

He sniggered sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Oh, yeah, Jessie, could you maybe cover my rent next month? Seeing as how I helped you out, and you said you got a job now."

I looked at him, in his old blue bomber jack, and hoped to god he'd never harassed some poor girl on the street after smoking a bit too much. He'd probably spent all his money on weed again, and I knew that a proper nanny would refuse. Only, could he help it that he'd turned out like this? "Sure," I said, "just this once."

He smiled at me, both of us knowing full well this wasn't the first time I'd paid up, and that it wouldn't be the last either.

When I got into the passenger's seat, Elizabeth was eying him with one eyebrow raised. "Is that one of the brothers you said you used to look after?"

Even though miss Perfect's tone annoyed me, I couldn't blame her for thinking like that. Darryl wasn't exactly someone who seemed to be going places — in fact, the only places he was going were his dealer's meeting point and his buddies' couches, to play on their PlayStations. "Yes," I said. "He just has some problems he needs to work through. It's not his fault."

Elizabeth huffed as she pulled away from the apartment block, clearly not convinced. After informing me of a few house rules, she didn't say anything for the rest of the way, leaving a tense silence between the two of us. Didn't she know what to talk to me about, or was this just who she was? I said something about traffic or about the state of the road a couple of times — she only gave short, noncommittal answers. I could've just as well attempted to have a conversation with her BMW.

When we pulled up at her mansion, I exited the car as fast as possible, relieved to see Ari and Camille running out to greet me. Ari was jumping up and down, kicking gravel everywhere in the process, and Camille was practically screeching. Ari helped me carry my stuff up the stairs, following miss Schneider all the way to the back of the house, and only then did I realize what I'd agreed to — and, more importantly, what Elizabeth had agreed to. No matter how enthusiastic her kids were, I couldn't believe she was okay with a stranger moving in, much less if that stranger were me.

"Let me know if you need anything," miss Schneider said, while Ari ripped a box open. "I'm here every afternoon, except for Saturdays and Sundays, that is."

"Thanks," I said, and she left. In the meantime, Ari was yanking at the flap of a second box, almost tearing that one too. I dragged it out of her reach, giving her a warning look, then sat on the queen-sized bed.

As someone who had grown up in what was practically a double-wide, this was a lot to take in. The wallpaper depicted flowers in a royal blue background, matching perfectly with the carpet. Thick curtains flanked a high window, giving a view of the backyard, currently blazing in the summer sun. On the right, a door led to my very own bathroom, complete with a toilet and a shower, and on the left stood a tall closet next to a dresser. Even though I'd been here before, I just hadn't expected the nanny to get such luxury as well.