My father remained silent while I watched the landscape through the window. After a few seconds, he said,"Sweetheart, I'll call the housekeeper to help you organize your clothes."
"Okay," I replied, turning to grab the suitcases. I placed them on the bed, one by one. There were three suitcases, but not even half of my things were there. When I was still packing everything in Staunton, my mother suggested I bring fewer clothes, arguing that the style in a small town was different from a big city like Florida. I didn't understand what she meant at the time. Clothes are clothes, everyone dresses differently.
She noticed my confused expression and said I could take some things if I thought it necessary, and my grandmother could send the rest in the following days.
I agreed out of obedience, but, of course, I would need the rest of my clothes.
I was busy organizing my things when I heard a sweet voice:"Hi."
I turned to the door and saw a woman standing next to my father. She looked to be in her early thirties, wore a formal uniform, and was very beautiful and delicate.
"Hi, how are you, ma'am?" I replied with a smile.
My father smiled and corrected me,"Sweetheart, don't call her that. Can't you see she's a young woman?"
"Oh, sorry," I said, embarrassed.
The woman smiled kindly."It's alright, sir. Make yourself comfortable. My name is Abigail, I'm the housekeeper."
I extended my hand and said,"Nice to meet you."
At that moment, my father's cell phone rang. He excused himself, looked at Abigail, and said,"Here…" and hesitated, as if he couldn't remember her name.
She completed for him,"Abigail."
"Yes, of course, sorry. Help her with whatever she needs and call me if anything comes up. I'll be in the office."
"Yes, sir," she replied.
My father left, and I felt awkward that he didn't know her name. Abigail noticed."You must find it strange that he doesn't know my name, right, Mia?"
I smiled. I hadn't told her my name yet, which showed she was paying attention."It's just that I'm new here. Your father wanted to hire a housekeeper especially for your arrival. Before, a cleaning lady used to come three times a week," she explained.
She came closer and started helping me fold the clothes. I felt a little embarrassed, as I had always done everything by myself. I remained silent, wondering if she was a nanny.
"I'm not your nanny," she said suddenly.
I was startled. It seemed she could read my thoughts."I'm here to help with whatever is needed, so don't hesitate to ask for my help."
"Okay, thank you."
As we talked, Abigail took one of my favorite dresses out of my suitcase, a sunflower print on a red background. She looked at it with an amused expression."Oh, how cute! I've never seen one of these around here."
I stayed quiet. I didn't know if it was a compliment or a critique. I noticed a slight accent in her speech and asked,"You're not from Florida, right?"
She smiled."No. Not from Florida or even the United States. I'm Italian. I arrived here a few months ago."
"Wow, Italy! It must be beautiful there!"
"Yes, it is."
"Why did you come here?"
She looked at me, and I realized I might have been intrusive. I quickly corrected myself."Sorry…"
"No problem, you can ask whatever you want. But it's a long story and not very interesting," she replied.
I stayed silent. Abigail broke the mood:"Mia, do you want to take a shower before dinner? Meanwhile, I'll organize everything here."
I agreed. I grabbed any clothes and went to the shower. I washed my hair and dried it. I hate airports; I always feel dirty after passing through one. I don't like crowded places.
When I left the bathroom, Abigail was no longer there. My clothes had also disappeared. I ran to the wardrobe and, to my surprise, everything was impeccably organized.
"Wow, she's almost like lightning!" I murmured.
I lay on the bed and started scrolling on my phone. Shortly after, I heard a shout:"MIAA!"
It was my father approaching. He entered the room and announced,"Sweetheart, we're going out to dinner at a friend's restaurant."
"But I haven't even gotten ready…"
"You look great, just go like that," he said. "I'll be waiting for you downstairs."
"Dad!" I called.
He turned around."Can Abigail come too?"
He furrowed his eyebrows, then after a brief moment said,"Of course, I'll invite her. In thirty minutes, come down."
I nodded. I chose my sunflower dress, paired it with black leather boots and a jacket of the same color. I applied light makeup and went downstairs.
My father, impatient, was flipping through a book in the living room. When he saw me, he smiled:"You look beautiful, my daughter."
I thanked him and asked,"Where's Abigail?"
"She's getting ready. After all, what woman gets ready in half an hour?" he joked.
I smiled."I can get ready!"
He laughed."True, you were quick."
"Daughter, by the way… classes start on Monday, okay?"
"Yes, I know," I replied without much excitement.
He continued,"Tomorrow the company driver will take you and Abigail wherever you need. Buy the supplies and take the opportunity to study. The school you're going to is quite demanding."
I nodded as he went on,"At your mother's house, there were rules, right? Here is no different. I want you to focus on your studies. No going out during the week, no sleeping past 10 p.m… and I don't even need to mention staying away from alcohol, drugs, and dating."
I couldn't help but laugh."Okay. Better than at mom's… there I had to sleep at 9 p.m."
He frowned."Damn. I should have aligned that with Cami earlier."
Hearing that name, I froze. It had been a long time since I had heard him call my mother that. He noticed my look and, to break the tension, took out his wallet, pulled out a card, and handed it to me."This one has a higher limit. What you used in Staunton won't last a week here. Things in Florida are expensive."
I looked at the card, still without taking it."Keep it in your bag. I'll send you the PIN later."
Then he noticed something."Oh… you don't have a bag."
Awkwardly, I took the card and placed it on the small table in the living room."I'll put it away when I get back."
He didn't comment further, and the topic ended there.
Abigail entered the living room wearing an elegant long black dress, her hair falling softly over her shoulders. She was beautiful, and I noticed my father's gaze on her, analyzing her for a moment before commenting:"Abigail, you look… great."
She smiled politely."Thank you, sir."
My father sighed and gestured for us to leave. We went to the garage, where Abigail was preparing to get into the back seat. However, in Staunton, I had learned that elders always went in the front, so I went ahead of her and said politely:"You can go in front, Abigail."
She looked visibly embarrassed, but before she could respond, my father opened the car door and extended his hand to help her in.
During the ride, I watched the city through the window. The streets were bright and vibrant, full of movement and life. Still, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the number of people and the fast pace of the place.
When we arrived at the restaurant, I felt slightly uncomfortable. The environment was extremely sophisticated, and the people there seemed overly elegant, especially the women. A gentleman approached us, smiling, and greeted my father with a warm hug."I thought you wouldn't come, Mr. Holis!"
My father laughed, shaking his head."Holis, no. Stop that."
The man laughed and joked,"Luck is only for close friends, and it's been so long since I last saw you that I don't even know if we're still close."
My father smiled and nodded, while he guided us to the table. On the way, he looked at me curiously."And this must be Mia, your daughter."
I was surprised he knew my name, but I just smiled and greeted him. However, his next remark caught me off guard:"And this is your new girlfriend?… You have excellent taste in women."
I held back a laugh, but couldn't stop it from escaping. The man noticed the mistake and cleared his throat, a little embarrassed. My father, in turn, hesitated, not knowing what to say. Abigail, always elegant, took the initiative."I'm Abigail, Mr. Luck's housekeeper," she said, extending her hand politely.
The man studied her for a moment before shaking her hand."Oh, of course!" he said, embarrassed. "Well, let's go to our table."
As we sat down, I noticed there were five seats. My father, noticing the same thing, asked,"Is someone else coming to dinner with us?"
"Yes, my son, Brandon," the man replied, smiling.
"Oh, yes! I haven't seen him in a long time!" my father said.
"Yes," Jackson replied with a proud smile. "He's already a young man. About your daughter's age. Perhaps they could be friends."
He patted my father's shoulder, who smiled slightly and gave me a brief glance. Before anything else could be said, a waiter approached and handed out menus.
While I was distracted by the dishes with fancy names, I felt someone approaching. Mr. Jackson stepped forward:"Finally, Brandon! Where have you been?"
I looked up and saw a young man approaching the table."Sorry," he replied, looking at his father. "I went out with some friends."
Jackson narrowed his eyes, visibly annoyed."Sit down. Let's order the appetizer."
Brandon obeyed, sitting next to his father, who quickly introduced him to everyone.
He was tall, handsome, blond, with blue eyes, a relaxed air, and a wide smile. When he greeted me, his gaze was intense, as if analyzing me. Not knowing how to react, I lowered my head, feeling a slight warmth rise to my cheeks.
The dinner continued in polite silence, only briefly interrupted by small exchanges of words between my father and Jackson. Abigail remained discreet, while Brandon seemed more interested in his phone than the conversation.
At the end, when we were saying goodbye, Jackson suggested,"Son, set something up with Mia. Take her out, show her the city."
Brandon smiled."With pleasure. We can go out tomorrow."
My father cleared his throat, clearly annoyed."No. Tomorrow she's buying school supplies."
I nodded in agreement.
Brandon, however, took out his phone and handed it to me."Write your number down. I'll call you later."
Awkwardly, I quickly typed it and returned the phone.
We said goodbye and headed home. On the way, my father broke the silence:"Sweetheart, don't set anything up with that boy. He's trouble. The whole city knows it."
I rolled my eyes."Okay, dad. Don't worry."
Still in the car, my phone buzzed. A message from Brandon:"Good night! It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you many more times."
I smiled and replied,"Thank you. It was a pleasure meeting you too."
When we arrived home, we said our goodbyes and each went to their room. I took a hot shower, put on my pajamas, and lay there for a long time, staring at the pink ceiling under the soft light of the lamp. A thousand thoughts ran through my mind until I finally fell asleep.