JEALOUSY IN DEATH

3.

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3. Desiree

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The weeks that followed became stressful for Desiree. Every single company she had applied to sent her regret mails despite her attractive résumé. When she'd removed the experience she spent at her last job from her résumé, she gotten no response at all, not even a feedback saying she wasn't suitable for the job. Her resume went from attractive to trash worthy.

Sitting at home all day staring at the walls was more than depressing. Her half-brothers were always at their jobs so she couldn't go to their house to escape her situation. They knew about her problems and they'd sympathized with her, the few companies they'd referred her to didn't want a marketer.

She took her laptop from the center table in her cozy living room and searched 'Jobs near me'. Several jobs popped up and she scrolled through the options looking for one that necessarily wouldn't care about her academic achievements and past job experiences. She saw an advert for a cook but that didn't call out to her, she wasn't an exceptional cook and only ate noodles on most days, although she switched garnishes occasionally.

She found vacancies for security men and drivers but she scrolled past all that, her eyes picked on one that said nanny and she clicked on the link. She immediately forwarded her résumé to the email address provided and hoped for something positive, that was almost her last resort.

She wouldn't let the situation slow her down, she was determined to make things work irrespective of wherever she landed. Her mind was opened to any job at this point. At first, she'd been confident that she'd get a job without a recommendation and that turned out wrong. She checked her mail and waited for a reply from the nanny advert. Desiree was good with kids, they liked to smile and play and she was good at playing. The little she didn't know, she was going to research heavily and learn the best way to take care of children.

The following day, she got a call from a number, and the person on the other end introduced herself as the housekeeper for the household that needed a nanny. Desiree listened closely as she stated the address of the residence and gave her a date for an interview. When the call ended, she dropped her phone on the sofa and jumped up and down in excitement. She was getting a new job which meant a new boss, and when she left this job, she'd get a recommendation letter.

She started looking for free courses online on Childhood Education, she knew she needed to know more. She was going to have to impress the interviewer, that was the only leverage she had since she had no experience whatsoever with kids. She found some free online courses and picked the most accessible university. She had a week to learn all about child care before the interview date. She got a notepad and pen from her room and tapped on a video to start her lessons.

Desiree spent fourteen hours watching several educational videos and taking tests. She'd started the previous night and hadn't slept a wink till the following afternoon. There was so much to learn, she searched for activities kids loved and also learnt how they spoke and acted at different ages. By the time she was done in the evening, she'd learnt enough to impress. The next thing she searched for was how to lessen one's sexual appeal, she was keen on not allowing what happened to her at her old job occur again. If it was going to take dressing in a sack to be less appealing, she was going to do it.

Desiree rushed to the shopping mall during the weekend and went to the men's departmental store. That was where she'd be shopping for work clothes starting today. If she managed to secure the nanny job, she was going to always wear some form of oversized men's clothing and she could easily go back to wearing her usual clothing when she got home. She left the store after she got several nondescript large shirts, she found a thrift store on her way out of the mall and got their ugliest clothes in both the male and female sections. The shopping had gone accordingly and she felt better as she went back home to learn more about dealing with children.

By the time the day of the interview got closer, she couldn't stop fidgeting. She was entering a whole new world and she became uncertain. She tried to convince herself that it couldn't be as stressful as her previous job. On the day of the interview, Desiree left her maroon-colored mini cooper at home and hopped into a cab. The driver didn't spare her a lingering glance as she was accustomed to from the opposite sex, she smiled and congratulated herself. She was dressed in all black, a maxi large top that concealed her bust and stopped below her butt and a large pleated skirt that made her look twice her size. She'd gone for the ugly shoes she got as an afterthought at the mall and had switched the contact lenses for her coke-bottle glasses.

Her chances of getting sexually harassed didn't totally disappear like you'd think but it reduced considerably. Her new boss was going to be appalled by her appearance and she counted on it. The cab took a turn and it glided into a quiet neighborhood where the houses all looked the same, ultramodern and very top echelon. She saw the number of the house in her note pad and told the driver to stop, she paid him and walked towards the black, horizontal, slats fence.

Desiree couldn't see much of the house from outside the fence but the upper part was obvious with its glass and flat roof. She took a deep breath and pressed on the buzzer then heard a deeply hoarse voice through the intercom asking who it was. She introduced herself as the interviewee.

The gate slid open and she walked through the granite walkway. She noted her surrounding and saw circular lawns at either sides and an L-shaped swimming pool. When she got to the main door, it opened and she saw a tall male waiting for her. His head was almost reaching the top doorframe and she wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt before extending her hand for a quick handshake.

"I'm Desiree, I applied for the position of a nanny."

"Oh, yeah. My housekeeper told me." A deep rumbling voice emanated from the man's chest when he talked. "Come in."

"Thanks." Desiree looked back at the gate before entering the house.

Once in, she tried not to let her eyes wander around the opulent styled living room with its white and gold decor. She was led to a room that seemed to be a study judging by the large desk and bookshelf in it.

"Have your seat," he directed as he himself took the seat facing where she now sat.

Desiree hurriedly dug into her handbag for a copy of her résumé and pushed it towards him.

"Never mind, I have a copy," he said and looked at the flat screen monitor on the desk.

She gave a small smile and waited then she realized he hadn't introduced himself. She smiled slightly again to cover her unease and shifted in her seat. Her palms were sweating again as he continued looking at the monitor. The silence dragged on and she got more jittery, he rolled his sleeves and moved the mouse.

Desiree noticed his right forearm had burn scars, the skin looked discolored, shiny and lumpy. She quickly looked away before he caught her staring and her eyes went back to his face, he couldn't quality for handsome or attractive. He looked neat and severe, his features were very strong and his coffee colored eyes were blank as he finally looked up from the computer. She blinked as his eyes met hers.

"You're twenty-eight," he said with uncertainty.

"Yes, but I'm good with kids. I-"

A phone rang and interrupted her speech. He answered the phone and listened without talking back, his face remained the same but he stood when he finished with the call.

"I have somewhere important to get to." He strode towards the door. "Come on," he said and she jumped out of her seat and followed him to the front door. "I'll get back to you," he said and shut the door.

"When?" she asked softly as she remained rooted to a spot, but there was no one to answer her.