Page 24 of Love Marks

With my new hourly rate, I’ve stopped cleaning on the side for the two families uptown. The Miltons were understanding and even offered to be a reference for me, should I ever need it. I’ve been working for Wesley for almost two weeks now, so I’ve developed a routine that works for me and have figured out how to use my time wisely. Yesterday, the candles and flowers arrived, so the apartment is in tip-top shape. I talked to Sharon about my schedule and now I work weekends instead of Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I can take my mom to her chemo appointments.

It’s Friday now and I’m making lunch for Wesley. He never eats enough, even when I leave food for him, so I’ve gotten into the habit of labelling my meals with post-its, providing witty commentary to inspire him. Really, I think he hates it. I finish making his panini and salad and put it on a tray, headed towards his office. I knock lightly at the door, and he calls out for me to come in.

He’s leaning back in his chair, the phone pressed to his ear. I set the tray on his desk, avoiding his eyes.

“No, that’s not what we agreed on. Don’t try to yank me around.”

Uh oh. Somebody poked the bear.

His eyes flicker towards me and the food. I smile in his direction, but he just looks away from me and returns to his phone conversation.

I don’t know why I expect anything different. It’s like I think that one day he’ll suddenly start saying please and thank you and make an effort to get to know me. Instead, he just acts like I’m not there.

I slip out of the room and clean up the kitchen. The only thing I have left to do today is take the trash out and scrub the floors. I’m pulling the full trash bag out from under the sink when I turn and find him standing in front of me in gym shorts and a t-shirt. I’ve never seen him in casual wear before.

Holy shit, he looks good.

“Thank you for lunch.”

My jaw almost drops. Did he just say thank you? I blink a few times, trying to discern whether this is real or my imagination.

“I’m going down to the gym for a run. Need to burn off some steam. I’ll be back in a bit. Will you still be here?”

I must look like a fish out of water. I think my mouth is just opening and closing like one of those animatronics singing it’s a small world at Disney. This is the most he’s ever spoken to me. More than that, he doesn’t seem angry. He seems…neutral. Polite, almost.

“I’ll be done here in about an hour,” I manage to squeak out.

He nods.

“Well, I’ll see you later, then.”

And he’s gone again. He grabs his gym bag from his room and steps onto the elevator, leaving me gaping after him.

What the hell was that?

He didn’t smile, but he also didn’t frown. He seemed to settle somewhere close to indifference. Indifference is good. Better than dislike, at least. Progress! We’re making progress!

Shaking off the strangeness of our interaction, I fill up my bucket with soap and water and get to scrubbing. Realizing he’ll be gone for a while, I call my mom to check in.

“Sweetheart! Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine. The devil boss is gone so I thought I’d call. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. I’m over at Sheila’s helping her pack some stuff.”

Another pang hits my stomach. I hate that I’m handling this so badly.

“Cool. How’s it going?”

“Slowly but surely. We’re making our way. Who knew one woman could have so many tea sets? How’s work?”

I sigh and dump the sponge into the water. I squeeze it out and plop it on the floor.

“It’s fine, I guess. He was weirdly nice today. He even said thank you. Still, he’s such an asshole. I swear he might be heartless. He’s got me on my hands and knees, literally scrubbing his floors, and he still treats me like I’m not even here. One of these days, I’ll tell him what I really think. Right to his face.”

“Is that a promise?”

My blood goes cold. The next few seconds go by in slow motion. I turn my head, inch by inch, as if by moving slowly I can prevent the inevitable. But when I turn, Wesley is standing there, sweat dripping down his brow, jaw clenched.

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