The next day, I woke up early.
Startled,I awaked. By a dream where Nathaniel held my hand, placing it on his abdomen, smirking devilishly, "This scared? How about placing your hand lower? Hmm?"
"Sir," I managed to utter. "Mm, good girl, obey me," he coaxed.
In the dream, I seemed bewitched, complying blindly.
Upon waking, I was drenched in cold sweat, eyes snapping open to find the empty space beside me, not even a sheet left.
A profound sense of loss settled within me.
As I looked in the mirror, I noticed my cheeks were flushed crimson. I must have been traumatized by his antics last night.
Rising, I immediately set to cooking, airing the quilt, sweeping the floor.
Nathaniel had vanished early and returned to find me avoiding his gaze, studying me curiously.
After pondering, I handed him a sheet with my repayment plan. "Here's my plan to repay you, have a look."
He picked it up disinterestedly, scanning it briefly. "Cooking a meal for 100, washing clothes for 100, washing dishes for 100, running errands for100?"
"Well?" I asked, somewhat uneasy.
"Not well?" He tossed the paper aside, grumbling, "Your washing a load costs more than buying a new shirt. That is impressive."
"Huh?" Disappointed, I asked, "Isn't this based on how I earned pocket money at home? Isn't it realistic?"
"Using methods to earn from your dad on me, am I your dad?"
"You're my uncle now. What's wrong with that?"
"Ha, uncle now, huh? Last night, you were bold enough to make me think otherwise."
He took the paper, accepting the agreement, "Fine, do as you please. I can't argue, if I do, you'll threaten suicide again... Forget it."
"Thank you, uncle," I smiled sweetly at him.
He gave me a complex look, hurriedly eating breakfast before heading out.
"Can I come with you?" I asked.
"Why follow me?"
"Whatever you're doing, I'll do it too."
"I'm out earning to feed ungrateful wretches, what can you do?" Was he insulting me?
"How do you earn? Can I do summer work?"
"I fix cars, you can do that too?" He chuckled.
"Can't I wash cars then? I'm bored at home alone."
I'd resolved that instead of dwelling on why I was the one abandoned, I'd work hard to earn money. This would also hasten repaying him.
"Taking a kid to work... damn, I'll be ridiculed all year."
He sized me up, chuckling self-deprecatingly, "Let's go."
"Change out of the skirt, no skirts from today."
"Why?"
"Adults speak, kids listen. Why so many questions?"
He Added, "Those men are worse than me, ignore them. You'll have your tears soon enough."
"Oh, okay."
Frankly, my first thought was, isn't him the worst among them? After last night's dream, he solidified as a villain in my mind.
