Episode 7

The only solace in this house would be my bedroom, it always was. The soft rustling sound of leaves could be heard from the distance and I could distinctly hear the chirping of birds from somewhere.

I didn't move from my position though, the only reason I visited this place every month was to be here. The comfort of my bedroom. The bedroom that once heard my silent sobs, the walls painted with my frustration when I couldn't talk to my parents.

This room had seen it all. This room has felt it all.

The mattress I laid down on was sure hard as it hadn't been changed for a few years. The smell of dust and dirt lingered here, but the solace it provided was far greater than any microparticles of dust.

Suddenly my phone buzzed, I quickly found the device laying on the floor. The carpet was folded into one corner and the wooden ground was in a dire need of cleaning.

The alarm was the reason the phone buzzed.

I had to go to work.

That was what the alarm was about.

Though I felt the dread of coming here, I was also hopeful that Mr. King would be less of a brute after yesterday.

With that happy thought in mind, I got up from the bed, ignoring the slight groan the bed made at my departure.

-

"Yes, how may I help you?" Not more than twenty, a young woman asked as she perched herself in the jamb of the door. Her lips were pressed into a thin line clearly displeased with my intrusion.

Guess what bitch, I will intrude every day. I mused to myself.

"Oh, I am Skylar Morgan, the new nanny of Mr. King's son." I smiled at her powdered face. My smile was fake, it was most definitely coming off as a grimace but I couldn't seem to care.

"Oh, so you are the new nanny." Her eyebrow was a mess as it quirked up, I had to stifle my laughter as this young lady, though an utter bitch and rude, was still an amateur. Her heart was still bitter with silly breakups and unrequited infatuation. She was still young, still had her innocence intact.

"Yes, I am. Can I now do my job, or do you want to interrogate me here?"

Her face flushed with embarrassment before she muttered a gentle sorry. She turned around and went... somewhere.

I just rolled my eyes and entered the building and I was instantly met with the loud shrill. "Sky!"

"Alex!" I said matching the equal excitement. Alex was running towards me with a toy plane in his hands, Adelaide was just behind him, huffing as she ran behind him but Alex didn't care about that as he hugged my legs.

"I found the plane!" Alex said with elation clear in his voice, the plane was apparently lost a few days back when he was playing with it and Alex had tried to move on from his past but alas, he succumbed to his temptation and asked Adelaide to search for the plane, and the poor lady did it without a question.

The poor woman was panting worse than a dog.

"You did!" I said, bringing the cheerful tone in my tone. "But then why is Adelaide huffing?"

I pointed towards the old woman who sat on the sofa and took deep breathes.

Alex looked back and his eyes lost some of their shine as guilt passed through them.

"Adelaide found it." He said in a small voice. "I just helped her."

"Hey, look at me." I crouched down to his level. "You did such a good job, Adelaide and I are so proud of you."

"You guys are?" He asked innocently.

While I nodded, Adelaide very loudly stated. "Yes, of course, Alex."

"But you have to thank Adelaide for her part also or your toys will think you are ungrateful," I told him dramatically with my eyes widened as if I just told him the world's top secret.

"Wh-what is ungreteful?" He asked with his childlike curiosity.

"Um, it means not being feeling thankful for someone's help?" It came out more like a question but Alex nodded as if he understood everything so I just left it at that.

"I am not ungreteful!" He exclaimed clearly offended that he can be ungrateful. "Adelaide, I am not ungreteful, you know that right?"

At that point, Adelaide could have nodded to anything Alex had said so it was no doubt when she nodded eagerly. "Of course I know, now tell Sky how we found the plane."

Alex very adamantly shook his head. "No, you found the toy, I just stood there."

"Oh shush, you helped me."

There was a steady silence that followed, none of us knew what to say to make the tension go away, or even acknowledge it as one.

But Alex spoke with certainty in his voice. "Thank you, Adelaide."

-

"How does a plane goes so up?" Alex asked as he laid his head on my lap.

The sky was clear now, clouds starting to steer away, and the twilight sun playing hide and seek, sometimes hiding behind the enormously sized buildings and other times behind the trees. The warm evening was spent with Alex in the backyard, a sofa, matching the pattern of the sofa on the front porch.

The light wind brushed against my skin, raising goosebumps in their way. The backyard was a home for more plants. Scattered with yellow Forsythia and maroon Rosa, the backyard was a beauty to behold.

I glanced at Alex who was still focussing on the airplane, miles, and miles apart from us, creating a distance so vast that one could argue that it would ever be diminished. But it did. It would land on a runaway and the people would land safely.

"They have wings." I shrugged. That answer seemed to only excite him more.

"Just like birds?"

"Exactly like birds."

"Then I want an airplane." He pouted. He looked at the sky dejectedly.

"But you already have it." I pointed at the toy plane that was sitting at the corner of the sofa.

"I want the big one, I want to fly."

"You have to wait until you are big though to fly there, or the birds will pinch you."

His eyes grew in shock and I almost felt bad for telling him lies. But telling the truth was more complicated, and this innocent child deserved fewer complications in his life.

"When will I grow old?" Alex asked as his eyes remained on the sky, the plane had flown off, and a flock of birds chirped away to their nests as the day seemed to come to an end.

"It will take some time but if you listen to your Dad and be a good boy then you will grow faster."

"But Dada hates me." He said as if it was a fact as if it was normal. His voice held nonchalance but the hurt was clear as he took a deep breath.

And my heart broke into many pieces as I saw this child, this little boy with his heart on his sleeves had suffered through so much in his short life.

Anger coursed through me, every child deserved parents, good parents, and willing parents. Alex deserved it too. Mr. King was a fool for not realizing his son's worth.

"Why do you say that?"

"He yells at me, he always shouts at me and he is never home. He never hugs me and he doesn't say 'I love yous'." He shrugged. I could feel my eyes tear up as I imagined this kid longing for affection and I smiled as I realized that I could give him that. Alex wouldn't be unloved, unwanted.

"Alex."

He hummed.

"I am here for you."

-

The fool I had for my boss was late. I hoped that I could make Mr. King see his son's worth but it was too late for Alex to stay up.

Alex never complained though, he was used to it by now. He didn't expect his father and he didn't even care. Well, he did but that kid was better at hiding his emotions than depressed teenagers.

The creaking sound of the door echoed through the living room and I got up from the couch I was sitting on.

I couldn't properly see who was the figure approaching as the light was dimmed and the light fluorescent lights were less than effective to clarify the face.

"Ms. Morgan, you can now go." I felt a sense of dread washed over me, which was confusing and troubling. It might be for the usage of my surname but I didn't bother to ponder over that thought more than necessary.

I could also sense drink on him. His words were slurred and his footing unclear.

"Mr. King I would like to have a word with you," I said politely. My voice was neutral and not giving away too much.

"Not now Ms. Morgan, I am tired and I would like for you to leave." His voice was cold. Almost as if there was ice fitted on his throat.

"But-"

"I said leave!" He yelled and I felt like a nightmare was occurring cut it was real, I could see Mr. King's disheveled form. His hair was messy and his shirt was half-open with his jacket nowhere near. His eyes were red like a ruby.

He was a mess. A beautiful one.

But the mess was too close to the nightmare I was running from. So I ran away again.

He was a mess that reflected my past in a new light.