This morning I purposely tried to avoid Richard. My dream last night was so real, I couldn't make eye contact with him. Since waking up in the morning I've been busy sweeping the lawn, cutting the grass and now I end up in the kitchen helping the chef to wash the vegetables. All I did was to avoid the task of preparing the clothes Richard was going to wear, or preparing coffee for him. Those two things are actually my two main duties while in this house.
"Hi," I say hello to Chef Delano.
"Hi." He answered.
I quickly took out the vegetable basket that full of vegetables and washed it, then handed it over to Delano again. The man possessed a dazzling skill, all his foods really shook the tongue. Even so, he is still very young, maybe he is only five years older than me but he is really talented.
"You weren't in the kitchen this morning?" Luciano asked.
"No, I felt like I wanted to do something new. So I decided to sweep the backyard and cut the grass. I also like flowers so I love seeing the flowers in the back garden."
"If you like flowers, can I ask you a favor?" He asked.
"What?"
"Please take a few pieces of roses in the garden to replace the flowers in the vase." He said.
"Ok." I nodded. I hurried out of the kitchen with a basket and garden shears.
I was shocked when I saw Richman sitting at the back garden table enjoying his morning coffee and the newspaper he always read in the morning. This is completely out of the ordinary for Richman. It's not the weekend and he's never been this relaxed in his life, at least as long as I stay here and observe him. He looked at me, but I pretended not to see him.
I immediately chose a few catch roses for me to cut. I carefully began cutting the rose stalks under Richman's gaze in the distance. Unfortunately all the images about my dream last night were playing back in my head. My heart was pounding and my blood rippled, I shuddered bristly.
"Are you done?" Delano's sudden voice made me panic and accidentally got pricked with a thorn in my hand.
"Aw..." I cried out muffled and I dropped the scissors in my hand and immediately grabbed my bleeding finger. Delano pulled my hand and immediately sucked the blood out of my hand.
"Come in, I'll treat you." He said.
"I am alright." My shack. "I'll bring this flower basket in, you go in first," I said that to Delano because I accidentally looked at Richard and his face turned grim to stare at the two of us. I don't want Delano to have problems with his job because of me.
***
I entered the house and bumped into Mrs. Nourah. "Where have you been this morning?" She asked.
"Em, I cleaned the backyard, helped Delano wash the vegetables, and now I'm cutting some rose stalks to replace the withered flowers in the vase," I answered.
"You forgot your main task, young lady?" Mrs. Nourah always manages to make me feel guilty.
"Sorry." I bowed regretfully.
"Now trim the leaves and put them in a vase filled with water, Mr. Richard wants you to take the flowers to his room." Said Mrs. Nourah.
"Doesn't he hate flowers?" I asked.
"Like it or not, that's the command. Do it without asking too many questions," said Mrs. Nourah. I nodded, after that, I arranged the flowers into a vase filled with water and took them to Richman's room. An oddity, Richard changed all his habits. He is drinking coffee in the back garden, he also asks for a vase filled with roses in her room, what's wrong with Richman?
I thought he might still be enjoying his coffee in the backyard, so I just walked into his room. And I gasped when I saw him in the room tidying his shirt and staring at me.
"Sorry." I regret it.
"You can't knock on the door before you get into someone else's room?" He asked.
"Sorry sir, I thought you were still in the backyard," I answered. I dropped my gaze, did not dare to look directly into her eyes, her eyes were very sharp and intimidating.
"Where should I put this vase?" I asked.
"At the table." The answer. I turned to the table near the single sofa where he used to relax and the memories of dreams that night, we made love in that place too, somehow made me nervous and when I put the vase I got thorns from the rose stalk that I had not completely cleaned.
"Aw." I felt the prick hit my fingertips. I immediately hid my hand because Richard was behind me. "Are you hurt?" He asked.
"No." My shack lied.
"Show me." He said curtly.
"I am alright." I shook and He quickly took the hand I was hiding behind me and saw the wound.
"You allowed the chef to see your injured hand and you refused me, how dare you." He hissed while looking at my hand. Unlike Dleano who carelessly sucked blood from my wound, Richman took a medicine box and washed the wound with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol and then put a bandage over it.
"Can you promise me?" He asked. I bowed,
"What promise do you mean, sir?" I asked softly.
"Stop getting hurt in front of me." The answer.
"Ok."
I think my face is flushed. "Yes," I answered softly while nodding my head. Then I walked out of Richard's room and returned to the kitchen. It took me a few minutes to leave the place and the atmosphere in the kitchen looked different.
"You're cooking a lot more than usual," I said to Dleano and he looked at me.
"Yes, Mr. Richard's brother is coming," Delano replied.
"Oh." I nodded. I spread my eyes and in the corner of Mrs.Nourah's kitchen was arranging other flowers to put in the large flower vase that is usually in the dining room, she seemed to be humming happily.
"Everyone looks happy," I said, and Chef Delano seemed to hear it. "Not everyone is really happy except Mrs. Nourah," Dleano whispered to me.
"Why?" I asked.
"For her, Mr. Richman's younger brother she considers as her own son." Chef Delano replied. I threw my gaze towards Mrs. Nourah again, she looked completely different than usual, she was very happy. But if I remember Richman's expression this morning, he doesn't seem that happy to welcome his younger brother. What is this about?