Chapter 2

As promised, I present myself at the Whitlock’s mansion at twelve o’clock. It’s the only property for miles in this very expensive neighborhood called “Los Rosales”. The Whitlock chose to put their dark, gothic mansion, in the midst of trees, shielding the property from curious outsiders. I stand at the gate and press the interphone until a man’s voice asks: “Yes?” “...Hello. My name is Catalina Nunez. I have a meeting with Mr. Whitlock.” “Come in.” The gates open automatically and I walk inside the large garden. There is a stony path leading to the actual mansion but it seems so far away. This place is humongous. I walk slowly while admiring the beautiful garden and its water fountains. It will always surprise me how some people are blessed in life. I can’t begin to imagine what it would be like to live in a place like this, to have so much wealth while others struggled to feed themselves. I would like to believe that I would be grateful if I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth but who knows? Rich people are usually the worst in here and maybe I wouldn’t be so different if I was one of them. I finally arrive at the mansion’s door and knock. An instant later, a man comes to open for me. He must be in his thirties and has the iciest pair of eyes I have ever seen. It makes me shiver. The corner of his lips tremble: “Come in, Miss Nunez.” I get in and the heavy door closes loudly behind me. The man is bulky and quite tall. I assume he must be a guard or something. A place like this deserves some level of security, no ? “Master Whitlock is waiting for you in his study.” He explains to me. “Alright...” The walls inside the mansion are very tall and dark. I don’t feel at ease here, it almost gives me the impression of being in a haunted dimension. A voice in my head tells me that I might never leave this place again and that I should run for my life. We take the large stairs up, our footsteps resonating in the silent manor. On the first floor, we walk down a hall and stop in front of a dark door. The guard knocks and opens it. His large body is shielding me from the sight within. “Your guest has arrived, master.” “Let her in.” A breathy voice responds. The guard moves out of the way so I can get into the study. He leaves immediately after while I take in the large room with rustic furniture and curtains drawn in front of the windows. It’s dark but I can clearly see the man sitting behind the desk. He is old with white, thin hair. He is also skinnier than I imagined, his frail body hidden inside an expensive grey suite. The man’s blue eyes stare at me behind his squared glasses. He pushes them up his nose and sighs heavily. “Miss Catalina Nunez...” I don’t like the sound of my name coming out of his mouth. It makes me very uneasy but I force a smile and walk closer to the desk. He waves his bony hand and I understand that he’s asking me to take a seat in front of him. I do so, noting how ashy his skin is. Mr. Whitlock doesn’t seem to be in great health... “You’re beautiful.” He immediately states with a creepy smile, taking me off guard. “...T-thank you, sir.” “I didn’t know what to except considering the fact that your deceased mother was just average but you...You are quite something, dear.” I move uncomfortably on my seat. His comments are really out of place, aren’t they? I’m simply supposed to be his maid, why does he care about my physical appearance? Fine, I guess there is something attractive about long, wavy, dark hair and a set of light brown eyes but the reality is that I’m just average. There are plenty of beautiful girls out there and nothing is interesting enough in me to have Mr. Whitlock mentioning it. He coughs in a white napkin and clear his throat hard. “The man who brought you in is Hector, the chief guard here. There are other young men working under him and taking care of the security in and around the mansion, as well as trained, fierce dogs. Naturally, those men live here too. Your mother used to take care of the cleaning and cooking...You probably noticed that the place is unkempt since she...Left.” I nod sharply. Indeed, I did notice the dust on the floor and walls while walking in. But did mom take care of everything on her own? This mansion is huge! “My sons didn’t live here but they’ll move back in tomorrow.” Mr. Whitlock adds. “I have three boys, you see. One of them has just turned five years old and they all have different mothers who are no longer part of my life. When those boys move in, you will also have the responsibility to take care of their needs.” I nod again, assuming that he’s talking about feeding them and washing their clothes. I ignore the sly smirk on his face and ask: “But sir...Isn’t there something else I can do to pay my mother’s debt? You have a lovely home but it’s not my wish to work here for seven years...I would like to continue my studies and save enough money to build a better life. Working for free for so long will be a little difficult for me...” Mr. Whitlock let’s out a breathy laugh and coughs too. I don’t get what’s so funny. He leans over the table and glare at me in a way that makes me feel like a disgusting insect. “Shut up, you filthy slut!” He spits. I gasp in shock at those awful words coming out of his mouth. I definitely did not expect him to speak so crudely to me. “A better life, you say? Someone like you can never be anything more than a slave, cleaning other people’s shit. Your mother was like that until she died and you will too. Don’t ever fool yourself into believing that you deserve more.” Deep down, I know that this man is just bitter and cruel, but his words pierce my heart nonetheless. My eyes fill with tears and my shoulders start to shake violently under the shame and the humiliation. He is right, isn't he? How dare I imagine leading a life different from my mother’s? My fist tightens and I look deep into his eyes, despite my tears. I might be the daughter to a maid but I won't allow anyone to disgrace me and certainly not this old jerk. “I’m not a slave, you fucking asshole.” I spat at him through gritted teeth. I don’t know where this courage has come from but I won’t sit still and take his insults, even if they have a bit of truth in them. Mr. Whitlock laughs even louder than before. He leans against his chair and push his glasses up. “Well, you’re definitely not like your mother!” He mocked. “That one never stood up to me, you know, no matter how much I insulted her...Perhaps she was taking it without a word because she needed the money to feed you.” I’m really this close to jumping over this desk and strangling the last bit of life out of this man. He knows exactly what to say to hurt me. “Is there any other way?!” I yell at him, hitting my fist against the table. “Answer me! I would rather commit murder than work for someone like you.” “Too bad, dear...You do not need to kill anybody but you do need some money if you want a way out of this situation. You give me twenty thousand dollars in the next couple of days, or you get yourself a one-way ticket to jail for not reimbursing your debt...If you didn’t notice, I’m quite influential in this country. I can make sure that you get locked up for at least twenty-five years...So. What is it going to be? Is it better to lose seven years or twenty-five, Miss Nunez?” “...It’s not fair!” “No, it’s not. But it doesn’t matter because you’re poor and I’m rich. I can do anything I want.” Knowing he is so right is making me even more pissed. Mr. Whitlock made it clear; he is not about to have any sort of pity for me and I do not want to go to jail. “Fine.” I say but not without the fire in my eyes. “I will work for you but let me tell you this, I won’t tolerate your disrespect. I won’t just take it, do you hear me? You might think that I’m helpless but don’t test me, sir. You have no idea what people like me are capable of when we have nothing to lose.” “It’s master for you.” The man replies coldly, ignoring my threat. “While you work for me, you will only refer to me and my sons as masters. I won’t tolerate any disrespect either. You will live here with us and work 24/7. No off days unless it’s unavoidable. While you’re here, I will also provide you with meals and clothing so you won’t need anything outside. No guests for you. You’re not allowed to go out either unless my sons or I give you permission. If you break any of these rules, you will be severely punished. Do you understand?” “Yes.” I respond bitterly. “But my mom was allowed to go home every day.” “Because your mother had a family to take care of. You are alone. If anything, I’m doing you a favor by keeping you out of that filthy neighborhood.” I don’t admit it of course but he is right. Staying in that neighborhood is not really a choice of mine and I would take any opportunity to stay away from my father right now. “When do I start?” “Tomorrow. You should be here by six in the morning.” I stand up and eye Mr. Whitlock with great distaste. Mama was right when she called him a monster. He is even worse than that. “Jesus will give me the strength to survive the next seven years, sir.” I tell him. “Oh dear.” He mocks. “I’m afraid there is no God. Not for you, at least.” I choose to not respond and walk out of his study room while he coughs and laughs. I hope he chokes. I walk down the same stairs as earlier while thinking of what my life is about to become. Now that Mr. Whitlock is out of my face, my shoulders slump and I wipe my tears pathetically with the back of my hand. This is awful. This family will put me through hell, I know it. Is God angry with me? Is that why he put all these challenges on my way? I don’t like to think this way but sometimes, I can’t help it. It’s as if the worse predicaments are meant to crash on my head. And why hasn’t mom told me about this damn debt? If she did, I could have tried to figure out a solution with her. Did she not want me to worry? Well...That didn’t turn out great, did it? I pass the front door and walk down the same stony path, knowing that I will be back soon enough for more torment. Now, I can notice a few guards pacing in the garden, some walking with German shepherd dogs. They all stare at me go with dead silence. When the gates close after me, a voice in the interphone speaks and scares the hell out of me: “See you tomorrow.” It says. I think I recognize the voice of that chief guard Hector but it doesn’t sound cheerful. Not cheerful at all...