The maid was left alone (4)
“I practice a lot,” he replied casually.
– And how often do you do this kind of work?
- Sometimes, when asked.
- Marvelous.
– I often hear this.
The feather under his hand made a rhythmic sound. The movements I was familiar with indicated great experience. I looked at him openly when he looked up at me.
- What?
-You can read, right?
- Certainly.
“Then why don’t you find another job?” No physical activity.
“Who would hire a person like me for a job like this?” It is preferable to choose someone more prestigious and erudite. Any article written by an intelligent person looks better in the eyes of others.
He spoke calmly, but at the same time there was sadness in his words. He probably took it for granted a long time ago, but it was still hard for him. Acceptance of this fact may have been due to the fact that he often encountered prejudice.
The greater the difference in social status, the more discrimination a person faces. Even so, for a person of uncertain origin, it was even more difficult.
Feel like your life is worthless. Isn't this what I went through myself?
I knew the answer to this difficult question. Silence fell between us. The silence was broken only by the scratching of a pen spreading across the room. But the longer the silence lasted, the heavier and more uncomfortable the atmosphere became. I couldn't stand it and spoke first.
– Why were you so attracted to Alicia?
- So her name is Alicia?
“...Were you pestering me without even knowing her name?”
“Well, I never even talked to her,” he stammered.
I sighed and tried to look serious, but my reaction made him raise his voice.
- How could I recognize him?!
- Okay, okay. So why do you like her?
He moderated his ardor and instantly blushed at my question. I frowned, as if I saw something I couldn’t even imagine.
“She’s beautiful,” he answered shyly.
Straightforward, but it is what it is.
We're sisters, but Alicia was really charming. “Beautiful” is also quite an appropriate word. It’s not surprising, because she cared about her appearance.
Naturally, Alicia was well aware of her strengths. Therefore, she flirted with men, playing her role and enjoying declarations of love.
But in reality, no one was interested in her. Not at all, not at all, just not at all. It was a pity that the end of all these unfortunates was a foregone conclusion.
- And this is the only reason? – I asked.
- She's not just beautiful. She's all charm. It was love at first sight. Even the way she stands in one place is mesmerizing. She's definitely the girl I'm looking for. She even smiled at me when our eyes met - it took my breath away.
I was shocked by how enthusiastically he smiled, remembering their first meeting. He said a lot, but it all boiled down to the fact that she was beautiful. The guy was amazed on the spot. I shook my head, scratching the back of my head.
– You didn’t even communicate with her.
“But... has this never happened to you?” Has your heart ever started racing when you just looked at a certain person?
His question took me by surprise. I was about to answer in the negative, but a photograph from a newspaper that I had seen earlier popped into my memory. A man and a woman who looked good together and smiled sweetly.
A calm face appeared in my head, which was once turned towards me. I remembered our empty conversations when we spent time together, the awkward tone this cold-blooded man sometimes answered, how gently he looked in my direction and how unusually he smiled.
- Hey, hey. What are you doing?
A strange hand flashed before my eyes. I came to my senses, and the image of the man smiling tenderly at me disappeared. I met the guy's wide eyes. When the realization came to me that my interlocutor was looking at me in a stunned way, I completely returned to reality and grinned dejectedly. Memories that I had long hidden deep inside suddenly surfaced vividly in my mind.
This didn't bode well. All because of a newspaper that accidentally fell into my hands. I shouldn't have seen this.
I smiled bitterly and buried my face in a piece of paper. The guy sitting next to me continued to look at me. I leaned even lower over the page to avoid his gaze. The letters blurred before my eyes. I didn’t want to show my face, which probably looked strange now. At such moments, long bangs came to the rescue.
- Hey, are you okay?
- No.
- What?
– The answer to what you asked earlier: no, never. I didn't have that.
-...
“You better forget about Alicia.” She's not right for you.
I give him this advice all the time. I said my words in a tone that implied the end of the conversation and concentrated on rewriting. My head was still bowed low. I pressed hard on the pen and there was a scratching sound.
– How long ago did you learn to read?
- Quite a long time ago.
- How long ago?
-...
My silence was a clear warning to drop the subject. When I didn't answer, he seemed like he could burn a hole inside me. I thought that now he would continue to put pressure on me, but the guy didn’t say anything else.
***
The day flew by unnoticed. I was given a daily payment in my hands. The census of texts paid well.
When I stepped outside, the sun was already setting, bathing the sky in a red glow. I looked up blankly when I felt a touch on my shoulder.
- Wait, what's your name?
- Why do you need it?
“We’ll be seeing each other a lot now, so it would be nice to know.” “My name is Johnny,” he said enthusiastically.
I looked at his smiling face with an irritated look.
- You don't need to know.
- What?
- Don't pretend to be friendly.
New acquaintances caused complete inconvenience. Five years passed, it seemed there was no reason to hide, but I still remained vigilant. Besides, the prospect of getting close to a man obsessed with Alicia did not excite me at all. Such people kept pestering me so that I could introduce them to my sister. It is better to protect yourself from unnecessary irritation in advance.
I turned away, leaving the embarrassed guy behind. The street was crowded with people. This revival was probably due to the fact that there was a market square nearby. Due to the numerous stalls and merchants, the place is always crowded, but in the evening it was not at all crowded. Walking through the crowd, I constantly bumped into someone or was pushed.
I just happened to be at the moment when a countless stream of people were heading to the square. Clearing my way through all this crowd, I suddenly realized that I had left my bag. I was so lost in my thoughts that I completely forgot about her. I sighed and headed back.
Overcoming all the same obstacles, I returned to Emily's house and noticed that two men dressed in black coats and black hats with narrow brims were standing near the entrance. They talked to Emily, who was clearly not happy to talk to them. However, the men looked quite serious.
Who are these people? I looked at them, not daring to come closer.
At that moment someone tapped me on the shoulder. I was so tense that I didn't even scream. I froze. My mouth opened in surprise and my eyes widened in shock. Who is this? Who? I turned around slowly.
Johnny's puzzled face appeared before me.
- What's wrong with you?
-...Ha-ah. Haha.
I relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief. The man who had recently introduced himself to me as Johnny was standing behind me. My tension gradually subsided.
-What are you doing here? – he asked.
– I forgot my bag... Why are you still here?
“I was just about to leave.” But there is something more important! You ignored me!
- Why are you screaming? Be quieter.
- What? Hey!
He screamed so loudly that I covered his mouth with my hand in fear. The men were still standing outside Emily's house. When I looked back at them, Johnny began to flutter more and more, expressing his protest. He couldn’t calm down, and I quickly dragged him into the nearest alley.
As soon as we hid, I let him go. Johnny spat on the ground in disgust. He was acting strange, but I ignored his antics and peeked around the corner.
Johnny, watching me, asked what I was looking at so intently. I asked him to be silent, while not taking my eyes off the men talking to Emily.
Having received no answer to his question, Johnny stood behind me and looked in the same direction.
- Oh, here they are again.
- Do you know them? – I asked in surprise. Johnny looked at me as if he was surprised that I might not know this.
– Don’t you know? They are the ones who recruit people.
- Are they recruiting people?
- Yes. These men are looking for new workers. Recently they have become famous. They wear all black and it looks sinister. Just right for them.
– Are they really that famous?
- Yes. It's actually creepy. They have specific requirements.
Johnny grinned, noticing a funny detail. I raised an eyebrow in confusion and he continued.
“They say they only look for the beautiful ones.”
- What?
– Everyone who received a job offer was a beautiful-looking woman or man. In short, this is something of a mandatory criterion. And the conditions offered are very good.
Johnny also added that one of his friends was also approached by these people. I stared at the strangers again. Emily had already left, and the two continued to stand in place, discussing something among themselves. It was noisy around, so it was impossible to hear what they were saying.
Do they only target the beautiful ones? I frowned as I considered such a superficial condition. Is this the preference of their employer? What kind of strange job is this? It's like selling your body. There's a good chance that's true. In addition, it was precisely this kind of work that people were most often invited directly to.
– Did any of your friends agree?
- Not. Everyone refused because they considered the offer too dubious.
“In many ways, these individuals are extremely suspicious,” I thought as I continued to observe the strangers. Suddenly their heads turned in our direction. I quickly hid behind the wall, pulling Johnny with me. He was confused.
- What's wrong?
I didn't answer. Johnny tried to peek around the corner again, but I reacted and pushed him away.
- Hey, hey! What are you doing?
“Just shut up and let's get out of here.” Fine?
I pushed him, forcing him to hurry up. Johnny grumbled, but still sped up, but I looked back and walked at the same pace. The image of these men could not leave my head. I don't know everything for sure, but what was happening looked scary. And if something inspires fear, then it is better to avoid it.
***
By the time I washed my face, it was already dark outside. The time was late, but Alicia still did not return. Did something happen? I was overcome with anxiety because I didn’t know where I would go if I suddenly found myself completely alone. Then, I remembered those men I saw earlier. They only look for the beautiful ones, which means they could have caught Alicia too.
The anxiety intensified. Thinking won't help here.
At that moment, when I had already decided to go in search, the door swung open. I flinched in surprise and turned around, seeing my angry sister.
- I'm just furious! – Alicia screamed.
She didn’t even have time to enter, but she was already vomiting and throwing around.
- Why are you so late? Did something happen?
- Ha! I had no luck on the way back.
Alicia plopped down into the nearest chair, making a sour face. She crossed her legs and leaned back. If she's in such a bad mood, it means something really happened.