"Yes, thank you! I'll start the job tomorrow 6am." Joseph squealed, excited. It was raining, he only lived in a scruffy, old apartment and needed a new job. He had just been speaking to an employer who needed someone to keep their daughter company. She suffered from Agoraphobia. The fear of the outside world.
Joseph had a job in a near by supermarket, but it wasn't what he enjoyed so he left. He desperately needed money. This job was well paid as the parents were richer than your usual urban folk. She was almost 20 and whilst her parents were at work, she was lonely. They would pay Joseph £30.50 an hour.
-
The alarm clock sprung wildly. Joseph jumped from his comfortable bed and threw on some clothes. A cheeky grin still plastered on his face.
He grabbed his car keys. His car was only an old Ford 2002 KA. It was 5:45am.
He pulled up outside the huge building. "Woah..." He muttered under his breath.
He was stopped at two golden gates. Joseph frowned. "Name." A mans voice said down the security speaker built into the wall. "Joseph, Joseph Morgan. I'm here for the job to look after Miss Candice Accola?" Joseph said, looking at the name on the palm of his hand. He wrote it down just in-case he forgot it.
The gates opened, not an old squeak to them. Joseph pulled away in first gear and slowly parked up on the gravel next to another car.
"Hello?" Joseph said with a raised voice after knocking on the door.
The door opened. "Hi. Joseph right? Come on in." Candice's mother smiled. "Now, Kevin's at work already, but you can call me Carolyn." Carolyn said, showing Joseph around.
"Right. You ready to meet my little Candice?" Carolyn smirked. "Candice, you up love?" Carolyn quietly shouted from behind the door. "Yes, mom. Is the worker here?" Candice yelled.
Carolyn walked in, followed by Joseph. "Joseph, meet Candice. Candice, Joseph."
"Hi, Joseph. Oh, please, take a seat. I have so much to tell you about what food I like etc." Candice began. Carolyn looked at her smiling daughter. "Oh! It's almost 6:30. I have to go now, I wont be home til 8:00pm tonight love, okay. bye." Carolyn sighed.
"So, you really want to tell me about food?" Joseph smirked. "Nope. Not at all." Candice flicked her hair to the side and slouched onto the sofa. "What do you want to do today?" Joseph asked politely. "Hmm, I don't know, cinema, meal, how about a walk to the park?" Candice chirped. "You're joking right?" Joseph frowned. "Of course I am." Candice huffed.
-
A Couple of days past. Joseph kept going to work but Candice wanted nothing to do with him.
"So, if you don't mind me asking, how did you end up like this?" Joseph questioned. Finally, annoyed that she wasn't speaking to him at all.
"I was out and one day walking home from school, I was physically abused by someone okay." Candice spat, slamming her head Into her hands.
"How about we cook up a little JoMo special and forget I even asked." Joseph smiled, walking towards the kitchen.
"A JoMo special?" Candice said, looking up from the book she was silently reading. 'Romeo and Juliet.'
Joseph called Candice to the table for food. "It does smell good." Candice laughed. He pulled the chair out for her. "Thank you." Candice smiled.
"I think this is the nicest you've been to me since I started to work here." Joseph smirked. "Guess the way to your friendly side is after all a bit of food, ay." He laughed, referring to what she had said when they first met.
Candice rolled her eyes. "Sure."
"I'm kidding. I want to show you something tonight. You ever watched a thunder storm?" Joseph asked.
"No?" Candice replied, furrowing her brows.
"Well, I wanted to try and help you over come your fear of going outside. The outside world is pretty gorgeous once you get to know it." Joseph said.
-
Candice and Joseph stood waiting for the storm a couple of hours later. They were watching from her large living room window. "How on earth is thunder supposed to help me?" Candice laughed.
"I just think the lightning is beautiful." Joseph replied.
Suddenly, a crack of thunder was heard from the dark clouds hovering above them. Then, a flash of electrical lightning came striking down. Candice jumped. "You okay?" Joseph asked.
"Yes..." Candice replied. She obviously wasn't. Joseph suggested a film instead.
-
The next day Joseph brought some freshly picked flowers from the garden. Tulips, Roses, Posies.
"Wow! They are beautiful." Candice gasped as she took them lightly from his hand. She brought them over to a fresh vase of water.
"Perfect." Joseph said.
-
They spent days trying to overcome Candice's fear. Joseph brought in things from the outside each day. But one day Joseph didn't turn up.
Carolyn walked in. "Morning sweetheart."
"Mom, where's Joseph?"
"He told me to give you this."
Carolyn handed Candice a note.
-
To, dearest Candice.
It's time for you to come see the outside world. With the money your mom's been giving me as wage for looking after you I brought us a holiday to the Caribbean islands. I'm currently packing my bags. See you in an hour.
- Joseph.
-
"What the hell!" Candice screamed. She started to hyperventilate. "I had nothing to do with this." Carolyn said softly.
"Did you even tell him about what happened the last time I tried to go outside?" Candice shouted.
"No, dear. I found the note on the porch. I remember you were sweating, breathing bad, your heart beat was intense and you had a panic attack and went to hospital." Carolyn said, pacing around the room.
-
An hour later, Joseph showed up on the door step. Carolyn opened the door with an un happy expression. Joseph stepped inside. Candice was sat on the sofa, she was already sweating. "Hold my hand Candice."
Joseph led Candice outside, with every footstep he was talking to her like they would talk on their movie nights. He told her to keep her eyes closed. It was a bright, sunny day.
"You hear that?" Joseph whispered.
"All I can hear is my heart beat." Candice snapped.
"Shh. The birds, can you hear them?" Joseph said.
Candice was officially on the door step. Birds were singing from every angle in the trees. Candice felt a breeze and breathed in deep, clutching Josephs hand tight. "It's okay. You want to open your eyes?" Joseph asked. Candice shook he head viciously.
Joseph walked Candice around to the back of the house. The garden. He sat her down on a perfect bench in the middle of the flower beds and trimmed hedges. "It smells like the flowers in my room." Candice grinned.
"Open your eyes, Candice."
Candice opened one of her eyes the slightest. "Woah." She gasped.
Her fear was instantly forgot, she saw birds, a deer, flowers, trees, so many colours around her. And the best part, Joseph stood in the middle of it all. "It's... Thank you." Candice stood up and hugged Joseph.
"The outside world is a beautiful place, but everything has its negative side..." Joseph said, placing his arm around Candice's shoulder as they looked out to the house.
"Now, love. Let's say we get you on that plane."
