Page 6 of Mav

“Hello. Helping Hands Cleaning Service, how may I help you?”

“Oh, hello. I am enquiring as to a position with your company that Ellie told me was being offered. A position where I would be required to work evenings and weekends?”

“Yes, we do have a position along those lines. Have you worked with a cleaning company previously?” Now the gentleman sounds interested so maybe they have been struggling to get someone to fill this position.

“I have worked a cleaning job previously. I’ve also worked in the kitchen of a nursing home, so have experience working with elderly people.” I throw that in as I think it may help if the information I’ve overheard is correct.

The conversation is thrown back and forth, questions and answers asked and given. The man introduced himself as Alf and said he’d be my boss if he gave me a chance with the position. I gave him my name and the fact I was a widow with no commitments as in family.

“Can you come into the office in the morning? Say ten o’clock?”

“I can, yes,” I quickly respond.

“Okay, bring any references you have, and we’ll see what we can do about you having a trial with the hours given.”

“I will bring what I have, and thank you. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Ten in the morning then, Blake.”

Smiling, I can’t help but think things are looking better now than they did this morning. Noticing the mail I’d brought in earlier I pick up the one that looks like it’s hand written, and yeah, it’s Yax’s hand writing. The woman is a menace and is getting worse as time passes. Tearing the letter open, I grind my teeth because she has to be out of her head.

Dear Blake,

As you are Franklin’s step-mother you have a duty to supply an income for his well-being. I will be sending you a breakdown of how much per month you will need to give to me.

I’m not going to struggle to bring up your husband’s son on my own. You have a legal obligation to provide a home, schooling and everything else he may need.

I will be in touch again soon.

Yax

I’m not sure this woman is sane because there is no way I’ll be supplying a dime to her, or for her son’s upbringing. I’ve never met the child even though he is six-years old. Stefan has been dead for four years now, and yet she’s only just starting to want money?

It makes no sense, but if I need to I’ll sell the house she lives in, which is in my name. When Stefan got the house I didn’t know he’d put it in my name, making sure that Yax could never claim it.

I think Stefan had to know what kind of person Yax is, and that she trapped him knowingly. He, however, didn’t want to leave his only child without a father, and that’s why he spent half his time with Yax and Franklin.

He really loved his son and didn’t want to leave him alone with his mother, but he did anyway when he crossed the street without looking and was mowed down by a passing vehicle. He never knew what hit him and I’m thankful for that.

The good thing is when Stefan died and his will reading happened, it was an up-to-date will, and he’d stipulated that everything he owned came to me. He did mention his son, but left him nothing because let’s face it, he had nothing worth leaving. Both the house that Yax lives in and mine are in my name, and always have been. In his way, Stefan tried to securemy future, and ensure Yax couldn’t touch what I’d worked hard for.

Stefan knew I was talking about getting divorced, and he understood why I needed to step away from him, and the mess he was having to deal with.

We had completed the paperwork, which I still have showing that Stefan relinquished any claim to anything we’d accrued during our marriage. One of the things I’m sad about was the fact we’d agreed not to have children until we were in a position we could afford to get a better home, and future for any children we may have. Yet he gained a son with someone else.

Even to this day I have no idea why Stefan started drinking as heavily as he did. We were both working, saving well, and our future was looking good…until he started hitting the bottle with his friends. Then things just got harder for us, and the tension began.

Stefan didn’t give Franklin his last name, he refused to be tied like that for my sake. But I always felt it was unfair for the child, as he’d not know he was loved by his father, and giving him his last name would have been the right thing to do.

Shaking my head to get out of my morbid thoughts, I throw the letter into the basket where I keep anything I think needs to be followed up on. It may come to a point I have to seek out a lawyer’s help to stop this madness.

CHAPTER FOUR

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Walking into the kitchen I step over to Axel when he gives me the head nod, telling me to get my ass over to him pronto.

“Morning, Prez, Mia.”

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