Stepping out of the plane, she felt the cold breeze hit her face. Rubbing her palms together, she said, "This place is freezing!"
Sitting in the plane for a whole day made her legs feel wobbly. She slowly descended down the steps of the plane, walking into the terminal. She had her luggage and travel papers checked before making her way out of the airport.
She pulled out her phone as well as a slip from her pocket. She hurriedly dialled the phone number on it. She heard a woman's voice on the other side.
"Hello?"
"Sorry to bother you ma'am but I'm..."
"You must be Julianne, right?"
"Yes but..."
"Sit tight, I'm on my way to the airport."
"But what if I..."
She ended the call abruptly. Sitting on the bench, she decided to call Doreen. It didn't take long before she answered.
"Finally you decide to call."
"Why didn't you call first?"
"You were on the plane silly. Even I know you can't receive calls on a plane."
"It feels like I haven't talked to you in forever. How are you?"
"I'm good! I here with your grandparents. Wanna talk to them?"
"Yes please!"
She heard footsteps which she assumed were Doreen's. She talked to her grandparents for a while before they handed the phone back to Doreen.
"Please take care of my grandparents," she begged.
"Sure thing! I mean, what are friends for?"
She exchanged greetings with her before ending the call. She saw a white woman in her late thirties walk towards her. Although she was in her late thirties, she looked twice her age. On her skinny body were pants and a grey shirt that were twice her size. She held the pants on with a belt. She wore a brown overcoat, giving her the look of a homeless lady. The streaks of white hair in her wavy brown hair were clearly visible. She looked so frail Julianne felt she would break if she continued walking at the pace she was at. Her black eyes lost their youthful sparkle, making them look like an empty void.
"Excuse me, are you Julianne?"
She slowly nodded her head. The woman smiled, stretched her hand and said, "I'm Rachel Everton, and I'll be your caretaker during your stay!"
She almost pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. There was no way she would be staying with her! She began to wonder if the whole thing was a scam. She looked at her once more and said, "Are you the one who organised the initiative?"
"Nope, but I've been paid to.make sure you are well taken care of."
"Well he better get his money back," she said to herself. Julianne got up from the bench and slowly picked her bags up. They made their way to her worn-out VW beetle. After several attempts, the car jerked to life and soon, they were off.
They stopped in front of a tumbled down apartment building. She walked cautiously behind Rachel, scared that a creature would pop out of nowhere and take her away.
She face palmed herself for that thought but still followed her cautiously. They stopped in front of a door. She tried to open it but, it was locked. After many twists and turns, the door finally opened. Julianne stood by the door as she stared in disbelief at the apartment. Her eyes darted to every corner of the living room where she saw four worn-out chairs. Three had clothes on them, and she could swear the fourth one had moulds. At the centre of the room lay a table, having a significant amount of dust on it. The table lay on a filthy rug which she believed was a hundred years old or more. On the table was a flower vase. However, the flowers in the vase were wilting. Seeing the situation of the place made her think about her grandmother. She would blow a fuse of she saw the apartment. Julianne knew she was messy, but she was never that messy!
She felt she had stepped into a dumping yard. She stood uncomfortably at the entrance, staring at the mess.
"Don't be shy, come in!" Rachel said warmly. She slowly walked into the filthy apartment, trying as much as possible not to throw up. She directed her to sit on the vacant chair but she politely refused. Rachel showed her around the apartment. The kitchen was as filthy as the living room. Heaps of unwashed dishes in every corner, a mountain of dirt at the door, flies darting from corner to corner, and the nauseating smell of rotten food. She showed her to the bathroom, which was surprisingly clean. "At least there's something clean in this place," she murmured. Lastly, she showed her to her room. It was bigger than she expected, but was dusty and unkempt. She was sure she saw a rat run across the room. It had a stench of rotting wood and vinegar. She frowned inwardly because she knew she would do a lot of cleaning.
"I'm sorry the place is so messy, I haveyhad much time to clean up. I have to run some errands, I'll be back soon!"
She left the room before Julianne could utter a word in protest. Sighing, she dropped her bag and got to work. She dusted, mopped and swept the messy room. She was happy she didn't see the rat anymore,she was terrified of them. She made her way to the filthy kitchen and this time, she didn't fight her urge to not throw up, except she didn't do it on the kitchen floor. She once again, dusted, swept and mopped, before washing the dishes. She finally,made her way to the living room. The first thing she did was to cart the ancient rug out of the room and to the laundry. The same went to the clothes on the chairs. Once again, she dusted, swept and mopped. She took out the rug from the dryer. It looked cleaner, but was still old. She placed it back under the table. She threw the withered flowers out the window. She was polishing the table when the door opened. Behind it was a man in his early fifties. He had wrinkles all over his face and his hair had gone grey. He was severely overweight, the greasy shirt he was wearing was too small to accommodate his stomach. He stared at the girl cleaning, surprised to see her. He admired her womanly curves, she was way thicker than his wife, and cleaner too! Her skin had a pale chocolaty color, she was lighter than the black girls he had seen. Her face looked innocent and pure, he felt she had the prettiest eyes he had ever seen. While he stood drooling at her, Rachel came in.
"Jack, this is Julianne. Julianne, this is my husband, Jack."
"Well, you better put a leash on your husband, I mean, seriously?" She thought. She noticed his stare on her, it made her feel uncomfortable. Extending his handshake, he smiled, revealing his tobacco-stained teeth. She reluctantly accepted the handshake. He had a knowing glint in his eyes, making her feel nauseous. It even felt worse than washing the filthy dishes! Rachel thanked her profusely for cleaning the apartment. "It will take a while before I adjust to this place," she said, shaking her head.