UNEXPECTED PLACES

The doorbell rang so loud disturbing Luca's peaceful sleep, he reluctantly stood up from the bed;

" Oh God! Who is that ringing that doorbell? I'm not expecting anyone, even if I am expecting someone, not this early. Wait, the only person who comes to my house this early is that cleaner, but she knows the code to the door. God! Heaven will make a loss today if I find out she's the one ringing that bell; she will tell me if she has amnesia and has suddenly forgotten the code." He said angrily, and stormed out of the room thinking it was Catherine at the door.

He walked hurriedly through the stairs, and went straight to the door;

" Good morning sir." The young lady at the door greeted them immediately after he opened the door.

" Who are you, and what are you doing in my house? Who let you in the first place?" Luca asked, looking around.

" One of your guards did, my mom called him before I got here." The lady explained.

" I don't get it, young lady, what are you doing in my house? I don't welcome beggars in here, so I don't know who your mother is or how she got my guard's contact; that guy should just consider himself jobless already because I don't know why he would allow a poverty-stricken bitch like you in here. I ask for the last time before I call the cops on you, who are you?" Luca asked angrily.

" Well, my name is Pearl, I'm... ... ... ... ... ... ..."

" I didn't ask for your name because there's nothing I want to do with that piece of information. Just go straight to the point and tell me who you are because I'm losing it already, and trust me, you wouldn't want me to unleash my anger on you. First, you disrupted my sleep, and now you're acting all dumb just to answer a simple question?" Luca said furiously, interrupting Pearl.

" Well, I was about to tell you who I am before you interrupted me rudely," Pearl said firmly, sounding angry.

" Wait a minute, did you just call me rude? You walked into my house, and the next word that comes out of that poverty-stricken mouth of yours is 'rude'. Are you mentally deranged?" Luca said furiously.

" I told my mum that it was a bad idea coming here in the first place, I told her that there was no way I could tolerate the rubbish she tolerates from you. I've heard a lot about you Mr. Rich, Arrogant, Mean, and Condescending Boss. My mum was right anyway, can you imagine? Already trying to boss me around even when I haven't started working with him. Just you so know, my mum is Catherine, I'm sure that name doesn't ring a bell, I even doubt if you know the name of your workers because I learnt that you don't address your workers by their names, you address them by what they do for you, for example, you always call my mum 'cleaner'. Anyways, she had a minor accident yesterday, on her way back from work, here obviously. She has been trying to reach out to you, but you've been ignoring her calls; she sent me here to come stand in for her till she gets better or, let's say, back on her feet." Pearl said firmly, looking at Luca with contempt.

" Wow! It's your audacity for me, you know? You walked into my house to insult me telling me how you've heard so much about me from that gossip you call a mother. So she asked to come stand in for her without informing me first?." Luca said, looking so angry.

" I'm sure you're not deaf; you can hear clearly because the last time I checked, my mum never included that in your personality traits to me. Why did you omit the part where I said she has been calling you, but you've been ignoring her calls," Pearl said rudely.

" Oh my God! This girl is mentally deranged, you're sick in the brain. Do you know who I am? Nobody talks when I'm talking, and nobody dares talk back at me; even your good-for-nothing mother wouldn't even dare me. But here you are, on my doorstep after disrupting my peaceful sleep, still spewing nonsense out of your mouth. Do you dare challenge me? I'm sure you have an idea of what I'm capable of, obviously, you don't because if you do, you wouldn't mess with me, even your mother who sent you here knows how terrible of a person that I am, and I'm sure that she must have warned you, but you wanna show that you are a heroine, right? Well done, mummy's warrior. But you know what, I won't do anything nasty to you because I woke up from the better side of the bed even though your poverty-stricken self disrupted my sleep; in other words, I'll let this slide. So leave my house, go and tell your mother that she's fired, her services are no longer needed. So, get out of my house!" Luca yelled.

" Finally, my mum will have peace of mind, and nobody will say condescending words to her anymore. I've always told her to quit this job anyway, but she kept saying she could never find a job that would pay her so well like this. She even complimented the job, saying that the pay is more than the job. Forgetting that, she's been paid so well because she works so hard and also receives insults at the end; I see that excess pay as compensation for the insults she receives alongside the job. Mr. Luca, it was nice meeting you, and finally giving you my piece of mind. Excuse me." Pearl said, turning to take her leave.

" Well, your disrespect just cost your wretched mother her well-paying job, as you called it," Luca said after her.

Soon, a car drove into the compound, flashing its lights on Pearl like a sign telling someone to wait.

" Who's this person?" Pearl thought to herself, looking confused.

" Oh God! Not again!" Luca yelled, smacking his head.

A security guard quickly came down from the car and opened the back car door. A middle-aged lady came out of the car; she looked ravishing, and her dress and accessories made her out to be a very wealthy lady. With the way she walked, one doesn't need to be told that she was a very high-class lady; her charisma, her look, and her way of dressing showed premium luxury.

" She must be Mrs. Johnson." Pearl thought.

" You must be Catherine's daughter." The lady said as she walked majestically towards Pearl.

" Yes ma'am," Pearl said, nodding her head.

" Ok, I'm Rebecca, but you can call me Mrs. Johnson; that's what everyone calls me, so you won't be excluded," Rebecca said firmly.

" Ok, ma'am," Pearl said softly.

" Your mum already called me; she told me about the unfortunate accident she had yesterday on her way from work; how is she now?" Rebecca asked softly.

" She's fine, ma'am, the doctor asked her to rest. You know her legs got affected, so she needs to be on bed rest for some time. The doctor said she shouldn't stress her legs for now." Pearl explained.

" Oh I see, that's fair enough. Thank God, it wasn't more than that. Your mum told me that you will be standing in for her till she's back on her feet, and I guess that's why you're here. Has your boss shown you around?" Rebecca asked, pointing at Luca, who had been looking at them all through the conversation.

" Oh! He sent me away, he said I should tell my mum that she's fired." Pearl said firmly.

" He did what? Luca, is that true?" Rebecca asked, walking towards Luca.

" Mum, she was disrespectful to me. This is my house, and I say who leaves or stays. I said she's not working with me, and that's final." Luca said firmly at the top of his voice.

" There's no way that's happening, have you forgotten so soon? I told you that Catherine would be the last cleaner I would get for you, I told you, didn't I? I'm tired of endangering your life in the hands of strangers all the time, which is more reason why I never hired a living cleaner for you. Son, you don't know who is who, you can't keep changing cleaners like diapers. What if you fall into the wrong hands someday? Have you forgotten the son of whom you are?" Rebecca asked softly as she stood in front of him at the doorstep.

" Mum, I'm fine. Nothing will happen to me; I don't just want her here; she can't work for me; I detest her already. I will make this house miserable for her if she agrees to stay back and work, and I'm sure she doesn't want that for herself. As you can see, Mum, she was already leaving before you came, so please let her keep going." Luca said firmly.

" Well then, be ready to do the cleaning yourself because I won't hire any cleaner anymore. I won't let you endanger your life, never! And don't think you can play smart on me; if you hire a new cleaner, I'll know, and once I know, just know that he or she is gone. There's no way I'm bringing more strangers in here for you all in the name of cleaner, no way!" Rebecca said firmly.

" Really? So you're threatening me in my house now? I said I don't want her, and you want to shove her down my throat? Her mother isn't the best cleaner in the world anyway; we can always get a better cleaner than her. So why are you making a big deal out of this, and making her feel so special and important." Luca said, looking away.

" Well, she's special because she's the only cleaner who had lasted for six months amongst all the six cleaners you've hired within just two years of moving out of the house, all in the name of wanting your own space, and privacy," Rebecca said firmly.

" It's not a big deal after all, her daughter said. Her mum kept working with me all this while because of the pay. So it's obvious that she lasted longer because of the money." Luca said.

" So why didn't the rest stay back since you believe she stayed back because of the money? After all, it's the same amount that she's being paid. The rest were paid, too." Rebecca said.

" The rest had something to fall back on, but it's obvious she has nothing to fall back on if she quits this job. She knows she and her family will starve to death if she quit." Luca said with a wicked smile.

" Who the hell does this dude think he is?" Pearl thought.

She was trying so badly to hold back her anger and words so that she wouldn't give Rebecca the wrong impression.

" News flash, son, she stood back because she's determined and patient. I know that her daughter has those personality traits, too. Do you think if she isn't determined, and patient enough, she will keep working for you? No, she wouldn't, no matter the amount you're paying her every month." Rebecca said firmly.

" Well, if that's what you tell her to make her sleep at night, then good for her. As for me, I don't want her services anymore, and that's final." Luca said firmly at the top of his voice.

" Fine! What's your name again?" Rebecca asked Pearl.

" Pearl," Pearl answered.

" Ok, Pearl, I'm sorry you have to leave. He said he doesn't want you here, so I guess he wants to handle the cleaning of his house himself," Rebecca said to Pearl.

" Ok ma'am, I was already on my way before you drove in. Thank you, ma'am, and it was nice meeting you for the first time." Pearl said softly.

" You're welcome. My regards to your mum, tell her I said I wish her a quick recovery." Rebecca said, smiling.

" I will ma'am," Pearl said, nodding her head.

" Good girl, please do take good care of... ... ... ... ... ..."

" Hey you, where did you keep your phone? I've been calling you but you weren't picking." A lady said as she entered the compound, interrupting Rebecca.

" Oh! You?" Luca said at the sight of her.

" Hi Mrs. Johnson, I didn't know you were here." The lady said with a smile as she walked towards Rebecca to hug her.

" Oh yeah, as you can see, I'm here; your boyfriend dragged me out of my house this early," Rebecca said, and they hugged.

" Mum, how did I drag you? I didn't call you; you didn't even call me to inform me that you're coming; I was even surprised to see you, yet you're telling her that I dragged you here; how? When? I don't get it." Luca said, looking confused.

" Well, if you had picked Catherine's calls she wouldn't have called me. In other words, I wouldn't be here if you had acted like a responsible boss that I trained you to be but you had refused to be. If you had picked up her calls, I'm sure you would have handled it, and there would be no need for her to call me. So you see why I said you dragged me out this early?" Rebecca explained.

" Well, mum, I didn't ask you to be here. You chose to be here," Luca said firmly.

" Do you understand what I just said?" Rebecca asked, looking confused.

" Mum, please, I'm not in the mood for your shenanigans. And you, what are you still doing here?" Luca asked, pointing at Pearl.

" Who's Catherine by the way? And who's this?" The lady asked, looking disgusted at the sight of Pearl.

" Oh! So you don't know who is Catherine? I thought you were his girlfriend; how come you don't know Catherine?" Rebecca asked, looking confused.

" No, I don't know Catherine. Baby, who's Catherine?" The lady asked Luca.

" Beatrice, she's my cleaner," Luca answered firmly.

" Oh! Is that her name?" Beatrice asked, looking surprised.

" Yes, that's her name. I'm sure you address her as cleaner too, just like your boyfriend, hence why you both don't even know her name." Rebecca said, looking disappointed.

" Birds of the same feathers flock together, can you imagine?" Pearl thought, shaking her hand.

" Sorry about that, Mrs. Johnson; I never got to know her name; my bad. So who is she?" Beatrice asked, referring to Pearl.

" She's Catherine's only child, she's here to stand in for her. Catherine had an accident on her way from work yesterday and is currently at the hospital, so she asked her daughter to stand in for her till she's back on her feet." Rebecca explained.

" Well, that's fair enough, at least she was sensible enough to send someone to stand in for her, and not let us go through the stress of getting a new cleaner because honestly, I'm not ready to start teaching any nonentity how things are being done here, I'm honestly tired of seeing new faces here all the time," Beatrice said, rolling her eyes.

" Even you? Well, just so you know, I already fired her." Luca said firmly.

" You fired who? Did you fire her yesterday before her accident? Because why would she send her daughter here if you had fired her." Beatrice said, looking confused.

" Well, I fired her this morning," Luca said sharply.

Beatrice burst into laughter and said;

" You're kidding, right? How can you fire her when she's not even her? C'mon, stop being delusional."

" Please tell him," Rebecca said sharply.

" Would you guys just let me leave?" Pearl thought.

" Just so you know, this thing right there was rude to me, so I fired her incompetent mum through her, that's simple," Luca said sharply.

" She did what? Hey you, is it true that you were rude to my man? Are you mad? What gives the guts to be rude to him? Even your good-for-nothing mother wouldn't look at his face while he's talking. So what gave you the audacity to be wrong to him?" Beatrice asked Pearl angrily.

" My name is Pearl, and I wasn't rude or disrespectful to him. And even if I was there's no smoke without fire, and just so you know, I'm not my mum because she gave birth to me doesn't mean I have all her personality traits. My mum and I are two different people." Pearl said firmly, looking straight into Beatrice's eyes.

" Finally, you both met your match; in fact, she's employed. You know what, Pearl, go inside the house and start working; I'm sure your mum already explained how things are being done to you." Rebecca said happily.

" Yes ma'am, she did," Pearl said softly, nodding her head.

" Good, go in and start working, quickly," Rebecca said sharply.

" Mum, what are you doing? I said I don't want her here, don't you get it?" Luca said angrily.

" I'm doing what I should have done immediately after I got here. It was never too late anyway. Pearl come on, go inside." Rebecca said, smiling.

" Thank you, ma'am," Pearl said and began to walk inside the house.

" C'mon baby, let's her stay back, and work for you. It's no big deal, have you forgotten that I know how to handle her type? Just calm down, and watch me handle it from here." Beatrice said with a wicked smile as she watched Pearl enter the house.

" Really? Don't you get it? I don't want her here!" Luca yelled, breathing heavily.

" Well, I want her here, you don't expect me to run errands myself, do you?" Beatrice asked, looking straight into his eyes.

" Alright lovebirds, I have an important place to be right now. So I have to be on my way now." Rebecca said softly, walking back towards her car.

" So why did you say that I dragged you out of your house this early when you knew that you had a place you were going to?" Luca asked, looking pissed.

" Well, I said what I said, and I'm going back on my words. Bye, son." Rebecca said and entered the car.

" Bye, Mrs. Johnson," Beatrice said after her aloud.

" Bye darling, see you some other time," Rebecca said with a broad smile and shut the door.

Luca and Beatrice stood and watched the car leave.

" C'mon baby, you gonna have your pound of flesh on her, don't worry. We're going to make this house a living hell for her. C'mon, let's go inside." Beatrice said, and she led the way.

" Fine! If you say so." Luca said, rolling his eyes.

" Hey you, we need to talk," Beatrice said to Pearl who was cleaning as soon as she entered the house.

" Talk about what?" Pearl asked softly as she walked towards them.