After attending four more customers Ella shut the front door and hanged the sign stating 'See You After Lunch', while putting the blinds on and ensuring that nothing was visible outside. She carried her bag and went to the door located behind the wall, leading upstairs to meet her dear Employer.
It wasn't a luxurious place of accommodation, but it was decent enough for the lady to have in Denver. Also, the fact being that she lived alone, so her decision was something expected.
Parking her bag near the small coffee table, which was the only table in the room, she went to call her hirer who was long asleep. She doubted the lady took care of her health.
Ella called, "Helen, wake up. It's noon already."
Helen grunted in her sleep. As the time passed, Ella learnt how to make her employer listen to her and that bonding led to them being on first-name basis.
"Oh, come on old lady, pick up your ass already!"
"I'm not old," murmured Helen as usual.
"Sure. Then why are you behaving like one?" asked Ella while looking over in the small fridge in there. She found a packet of bread which was already used quarterly, and beers which would always be stocked in there.
Such habitat worried Ella. She went on to call her up, "I've brought steak. Won't you have it?" Ella went to heat up the steak she had bought from home in the microwave. Since, the day Ella discovered this horrendous lifestyle of her employer, she ensured to keep the necessary supplies for the lady. Food, Batter for cakes, customized flavors which actually took her a long deal of time to find and select, for the lady to be satisfied in the ingredients. If the ingredients weren't right, Helen would make a fit. And might even not continue baking for the day. For avoiding such a scenario Ella had always kept note of all the required ingredients needed for her madam's taste.
"Keep it there. I'll have it later," came Helen's reply in between her yawn.
"I won't. You are either accompanying me here or I'm finishing all of it," said Ella with a firm tone.
"Oh, hell whiskers. You will turn to a balloon if you eat all that. Not to say I might wish that for you," the way she said it, seemed that she was waking up. Sometimes Ella would really want to slap the lady for her obvious remarks. But Ella was used to it. And she found a rather effective method to handle her.
"No, I won't. So... I'm eating it. Your share is gone. Don't cry and beg me later."
"Why will I cry? And beg you? Ha!" exclaimed Helen now completely getting up from the single person bed and moving around to walk to Ella. Helen continued, "You forget sweetie, it's me who is the hirer and you are my hiree. You came begging that night for a job, so you know, it's you who is the beggar here," pointing at herself and then at Ella with the other hand quirked on her waist.
Ella was trying really hard not to laugh at the stance she was standing and replied, "I don't remember me begging you of any sort. It was completely a mutual agreement. We were just discussing our shares. So, you are really thinking way over your head," while cutting a piece of steak on her plate.
"What has the world come to?! You dare talk to you employer like that? I should fire you!" she exclaimed with a mocking tone.
"And what will you do then? After you fire me," Ella inquired interestingly while chewing the steak.
"I'll do everything! It's not that I can't do anything!" huffed Helen.
Ella smiled and said seriously, "I know you can do a lot of things Helen. No one is demeaning you. You are the chef of this bakery. We won't have anything to sell if you don't make it," then Ella handed the other plate to Helen saying, "There you go."
"You are a really bad girl. Always starting and then throwing it away to me in a way like I'm the one shitty employer," said Helen quietly and started digging into her food.
Ella laughed at that and winked, "Might be one of my talents."
"You seem awfully happy today. I must say my ears have turned to blocks, listening your horrendous laugh!" though Helen said in complaining way, Ella knew that this old lady always caught up to such changes.
"Woah! Can't a person even be happy here? What has the world come to?" said Ella copying her employer's statement. Helen narrowed her eyes at Ella, which Ella smile brightly at Helen in response.
"Who is he? I pity him for having to be with you." Sometimes, Helen's ability of picking up on stuffs would amaze Ella. Even she never understood how do these old folks happen to know everything behind her shut lips. It was not only Helen but also her mother, who always strikes upon what is going on with her. She had to improve her acting in order to deal with that!
"Aren't you a sweet grandmama?"
"Grandmama?!" shrieked Helen. "Now young lady, you have certainly sinned in insulting you employer," said Helen while dangling the fork in her right hand, "Your wages will be cut by 10 pessent!" This lady surely had a long obsession with all types of sharp objects, thought Ella.
"It's called per-cent," corrected Ella clearly.
"Whatever! It shall be deducted!"
"And how are you going to do that? This ain't a math class!" said Ella with a knowing smile that the lady had no idea what was meant by percentage and how to calculate it. She only knew numbers and had her own way of calculation which ultimately led to absolute confusion for Ella, which she realized at the time of her first payment.
"Just you wait! I'll surely cut out your wages this time!"
By now Ella had completed her meal and was washing her meal-box. She replied, "Hmmm...And where is my wages that you are going to cut?" asking Helen innocently.
"Umm...It's in the counter, of course. Did you forgot?" spoke Helen still trying to make up with her firm tone, which was laughable now.
"And who might be having the keys for that?" asked the innocent playing Ella, still trying not to smile.
That made Helen grit her teeth. And before she was going to reduce anything else, Ella rushed out and called back, "Back to work, Grandmama!"
No longer than that Ella closed the door and laughed on her way to the counter but not before hearing beautiful curse words of her dear hirer.