Chapter 5 Distressed and eager

Distressed and eager

Camille narrates.

After the awkward meeting with the supreme boss of the company, I feel totally embarrassed. It was my first social contact with someone from this place, they were all really cretins, they judged me by the way I dressed, but my work was impeccable, the only thing that interested me was that my mother was well, even if I had to come wrapped in garbage bags to work.

The last few days that I've been working overtime I've felt haunted, there's something I feel that surrounds me, but I can't tell what it is-it must be tiredness, working too much is driving me crazy, coming back late to my aunt's house the desperate one has me in check, I need to solve my situation soon.

I'm walking in the dark, the damn bus has left, and the train station is closed, it's cold and I have no money for a cab, what I was missing after the ridiculous thing I did before my little boss, I just needed to lose the job I had worked so hard to get because of it.

My nerves are on edge, I hear the steps of someone following me, I tuck myself in even more and put my bag forward, I feel a blow in my head... I only see lights... I think I'm losing consciousness.

"Camille, are you ok? Camille wakes up please," I feel how a soft hand gives soft blows on my cheek, my eyes are hallucinating, it's the handsome of my boss.

"What are you doing here Mr. Alf?" I tell him while I touch my head, I look at my hand and I have blood on it.

"It was a coincidence, I was passing by my car, when a man hit you, I wanted to stop him, but I thought it was more important to see your state of health" Andy's face is a poem, he looked worried, he shouldn't have to, I'm just another simple and forgotten employee of his company.

"Thanks a lot, sh**, they stole my bag, all my documents are there, the money for my mother's medicines, oh no my cell phone, now how will I talk to her, I curse to myself".

"Don't worry about that, we'll figure it out, for now I'll take you to a hospital," Andy says as he helps me up.

"No, not to a hospital, tomorrow is my day off, I don't want to spend it in a doctor's office, besides I must solve my papers before Monday, or how will I get into your company with all the crazy controls you have Mr. Alf?" I look at him with sarcasm, he smiles immediately, he knew that his reality many times was funny, but not funny.

"Well, I'll take you home, for the entrance to the company don't worry, right now I leave the notification of a special permission, for the money there's no problem, I'll make you a personal loan" he takes out his checkbook and I see that he put a figure, that wasn't even equal to my salary of two months, I open my eyes like plates and I give it back to him immediately.

"No way, I shake my head in denial, wrap myself even more, and move a little away from him, you are very kind Mr. Alf, but I won't have anywhere to pay that loan, don't worry I will wait for my payday."

"It is an order, if you do not accept it, I will cancel your contract immediately, besides I must tell you, of course without disrespecting you, in your closet there are too many clothes missing, you need to change your style, come on I will take you home".

I get into him luxurious car, and I was impressed to see how many things adorned it, I felt so small there assaulted, I just went looking out the window, I was giving instructions to the driver, but I died of shame, I did not want my boss to see my humble abode, it was awful!

So, I tell the driver to stop a block before my house, I would keep walking, as it could happen, what if my boss the mafioso steals my check?

"Miss Camille, you don't live here, Orlando, please give her a ride," his "servant" orders him now.

I look at him terrified, did he know where he lived, did he do that with all the employees, ten seconds later we were in front of my house, I keep looking at him before getting off that car, Andy in spite of being that controlling, pathetic and schismatic boss, he was terribly handsome, his clothes smelled of majesty, not to mention his beard and his teeth, his dark eyes penetrated my gaze and simply inside I was lost in them... who was the silicone blonde to be the possessor of this man.

"Well Miss Camille, we have arrived, ready at your destination, she gets out of the car, puts her jacket on and holds out her hand to me..."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Alf for everything, from the bottom of my heart I thank you for what you did for me today, as soon as I receive my salary, I will start paying you, as you understand not even a single salary is enough to cover such a figure".

"Pay me when you can, well I must go, I must get up early, it's the middle of the night, and I have a strict control with my sleeping hours" excuse me, Good night Camille.

He waits for me to enter my house, from the living room I watch him get into his car, he's a weird guy, handsome, but weird, for a moment he made me dread.

I tiptoe out to my room, I didn't want my crazy aunt to realize I was coming in, or else she would come out to stalk me, she would search me and take my check, I would use that money to buy clothes and get out of there that weekend, I needed my space and my peace.

The next day I am so happy, even though I lost my documents due to the robbery and I have a terrible headache because of the blow, the only fact of leaving that burrow where I was living now comforted me, it was not that it was an ugly place physically, I just felt a bad energy that did not let me arise, my aunt lived all the time fighting with her husband, she never cleaned, I did it once a week and when I arrived again everything was out of place, actually we lived like pigs, and that did not make me feel proud.

I got dressed as I could, I didn't even take the trouble to make a decent breakfast, I just had a toast, the happiness of leaving that place made my stomach feel full, I open the door and I could feel how the fresh air invaded my nose, that weekend I would not see my mother and my little sister, but it would give a turn to my life, I was looking forward to find a new place to live.

"Where do you think you're going girl? the floors are about to be cleaned; I'll tell your mother how useless you are!" My aunt's hoarse voice chases me behind the door, as she came out I was jumping up and down, I looked like a little girl, I was carrying my check in an old suitcase, my only decent purse had been stolen, but I would take advantage of Andy's kindness of the loan, I would still have to pay it back, so why not enjoy the money?

I go to the bank to exchange the money, after a long line, I finally get to the teller, and like all advisors, she is always in a bad mood.

She receives the check and my document, without saying a word to me she gets up from her chair and asks someone else behind her who seems to be her supervisor, after a couple of grimaces she comes back to me, hands me back the papers through the window and just snorts.

"Darling, you have all the funds, but no signature, tell Mr. Alf to sign for you and we'll immediately make the disbursement" NEXT!

Damn my luck, my boss was a real son of bi***, he had made fun of me and made me believe he wanted to help me, early Monday morning I will throw the check in his blessed face.

That weekend was fatal, now I was worse than at the beginning, without a single penny thanks to the robbery, eating the crumbs that my aunt threw me for charity, and sleeping on that cold and wet sofa bed in the attic, I just wanted to go back to my humble home, to be hugging my little sister and taking care of my mother, I missed them so much, my life was so miserable, if it wasn't for my mother's illness, I would be by her side, no matter if she was still working in that dirty cafeteria, I feel without consolation, I do nothing but cry, on Sunday I don't even take a shower, I just resign myself with hunger and cold for the wonderful Monday to arrive again.

Meanwhile for Andy things continued in the same routine, this Sunday he had an important social event, where he would officially present his engagement to Keyra Jones, when sealing their relationship they would know that all the benefits would be double, two families of high society would come together to create the largest export emporium in the country, the mutual convenience only let see the false reality of people with money.

"Andy, but why are you wearing that funeral face today, dear, at least hide it?" Keyra whispers in the ear of her fiancé, who makes bad gestures when he sees how all the paparazzi cameras are chasing them.

"Was all this show necessary, couldn't we just have a normal engagement, like everyone else, a small party, few guests, a delicious family dinner, everything must be vapid and full of eccentricities" Andy claims to his fiancée, he hates public functions, he likes to be more reserved.

"Of course, it's necessary dear! How do you think we will advertise the merger of our companies?" Keyra tells him while gritting her teeth.

"I supposed with a good business management my darling, not with a bunch of yellow slugs" He smiles hypocritically in front of the camera that now captures them.

"Agh! How shitty you are dear, if it wasn't because my father chose you as my husband, I would never have noticed you."

"I didn't tell you to sign those documents, with which, full of greed, you secured a few million in the bank" Andy keeps smiling hypocritically before the cameras, now he just wants to get out of that event center, he must get to the routine with his dogs and it's getting late, it's past five o'clock... the time wasted there in that ostentatious room wasn't worth it.