Chapter 1
1275 Words
**Samantha**
I was sitting in my car, turning the ignition. The car was sputtering; the engine wasn’t turning over.
“No, not today! Do not do this to me!” I yelled at my car.
This old vehicle was on its last legs. I simply cannot afford a new car right now. I need this piece of junk to work so I can go to this interview.
If I impress these people I am going to see, I might be able to afford a new car instead of this piece of tin I have right now.
I tried the ignition again and again, but the car continued sputtering. Wonderful! Now I had to take a bus and walk to this stupid place for the interview.
I took a deep breath and went to get out of my car when I saw it: a few drops of rain hit the windshield.
“Are you serious right now?” I yelled up to the heavens.
I turned to grab the umbrella I had in the back seat. This was just what I did not need. I got out of my car and walked to the nearest bus stop.
My life wasn’t always like this. I was once a carefree college kid without a care in the world. It was during my second year of college when my life changed suddenly, without warning.
My parents were out grocery shopping when their car was hit by a truck that lost control. My mother and the truck driver were killed instantly. My father was badly hurt but survived.
That day, my dad may have survived, but the truth was I lost both of my parents. My father could not cope with losing my mother and turned to alcohol to help him get through.
Alcohol consumed him and transformed him into a man I did not recognize. He could barely get through the day without drinking, leading to his dismissal from his job. Now unemployed, he became an angry man.
Bills piled up, and I could no longer attend college. My father needed me; someone had to help him. I worked odd jobs to help pay the bills and get my father the help he needed, but for a 20-year-old, it was often too much to bear.
I love my father, but I can’t keep this up. Right now, I am between jobs when I saw that the Gold family needs a full-time nanny. Not only was the pay good, but it included free room and board.
In a strange way, the free room and board would actually save me a lot of money, as I wouldn’t be living at home with my father. He wouldn’t see me and demand I give him money for his beer. Maybe if he didn’t have my money, he could actually sober up.
I know it's a long shot, but I really want my father back to how he was before that car accident. Plus, I need my own life away from him. I am 20 years old; I need my own life instead of constantly worrying about paying my father’s bills. This nanny job with the Golds is perfect.
The Golds are this town’s royalty. What they say goes; they rule this little town. Just working for them, even if it's just as a nanny, will give you clout in this small community.
I hurried through the rain after I got off the bus at the stop I needed. I knew I had about a quarter of a mile to walk to get to the Golds' mansion.
The mansion was set away from the main road, so that would be another hike up the long driveway. I felt my back getting soaked from the rain.
Who am I kidding? Why am I even trying to get to this interview? I am soaking wet, huffing and puffing because I don’t exercise as much as I should. Who would hire me looking like this for a nanny? I had to try. I know this is a long shot, but I need to give it my best effort.
I reached the gate and pressed the buzzer. I heard a rough male voice ask who was there over the intercom.
Trying my best to stay dry in the rain, even though at this point I was just soaked, I yelled into the intercom, “Samantha Conner, I’m here to interview for the nanny position.”
I heard a noise and looked up to see it was a camera.
“Where is your car? Did you walk here?” a female voice suddenly asked over the intercom.
“Car issues, and yes,” I replied.
I heard the woman exclaim, “For heaven’s sake!” and then I heard the gate opening. I breathed a sigh of relief and walked up the long driveway to the mansion.
I approached the front door of the mansion and rang the bell. The door was immediately opened by a man in a suit, whom I assumed was the butler.
“Samantha?” he asked.
I nodded my head and closed the umbrella I had with me.
He motioned for me to come in. I stepped inside the mansion.
“Just wait right here; you need a towel, miss,” he said.
I looked down at my clothes. I had put on a simple pair of black leggings and a white tunic top. My outfit was soaked. Yeah, I was definitely making an impression with these people.
The butler left me standing in the entryway, dripping. I looked around and saw how fancy this home really was. The whole house screamed how filthy rich the Golds really are.
I knew that Mr. and Mrs. Gold had four sons, all around my age of twenty. They had two sets of twins born a year apart. It was unusual, making the Gold family even more unique in this town.
Then there was their daughter, for whom the nanny position was actually intended. She was around five years old, the princess of the family—not just because she was the only girl, but also due to the significant age difference between her and her four older siblings.
The butler returned and handed me the towel. I thanked him and dried myself off as best as I could. I noticed I had made a puddle on the floor from my wet clothes, so I bent down to dry it up with the towel.
“Miss, please don’t. I will get a mop for that,” the butler said.
I stood back up and said, “Sorry.”
“Quite alright, miss. Follow me, if you please,” he said as he turned around and walked forward.
I followed him into what looked like an office in the house. There was a woman in the room. I watched her as she appraised me.
“Mrs. Gold, this is Samantha Conner; she is here about the nanny position for Miss Eva,” the butler announced.
“Thank you, Jerry. Please come in,” Mrs. Gold said to me.
I stepped closer to where Mrs. Gold was. She motioned for me to sit down in a chair across from the desk she was standing behind.
“I have to say before I start this interview, you definitely caught my attention by walking here in the rain. I’m not sure if you are smart or reckless right now,” Mrs. Gold told me.
“Is that a good or a bad thing that I caught your attention?” I asked her.
Mrs. Gold crossed her arms and glared at me.
- Writer
