" Are you seriously asking me that? I told you that we need to talk yet you're questioning me?" Beatrice said angrily.
" I'm sorry ma'am." Pearl apologized.
" Wow! So you can use that word? I see." Beatrice said, and chuckled.
" Is that why you called me here, ma'am? With all due respect, I still have a lot of things to do, and you're wasting my time, so please, if you don't mind, I want to return to what I was doing before you called me." Pearl said politely.
" Really? This girl has got some nerves, baby, can you imagine?" Beatrice said to Luca who was watching the whole time.
" I warned you, didn't I? I told her that she's rude and disrespectful but you wouldn't listen." Luca said and looked away.
" You see that wings of yours? I will clip it, and it's a promise, not a threat." Beatrice said firmly to Pearl.
" Ok ma'am, would that be all?" Pearl asked with a broad smile.
" Are you mad? I'm not done talking, idiot. And why the hell are you smiling? Do we look like some sort of joke to you?" Beatrice asked hurriedly walking towards Pearl angrily.
" Maybe you look like a clown to her," Luca said and chuckled.
" Dude, shut up! Whose side are you on, hers or mine?" Beatrice asked angrily.
" Well, I'm on the side of my bed right now; I need to catch some sleep; I was sleeping when this nonentity disrupted my sleep. See you in my bedroom later, I have to sleep." Luca said and left their midst.
" Luca, what do you think you're doing? Where are you going? We planned to deal with this girl, so what changed?" Beatrice asked angrily, after him.
" Well, sleep changed; I had to catch some sleep. I worked throughout the night, and when I finally fell asleep, you all came into my house to disrupt my sleep. So please leave me alone, count me out of your shenanigans this morning. You can deal with her yourself after you're my girlfriend, that automatically makes you her boss, so please deal with her if you can." Luca said he continued walking up the stairs.
" Really? Is that what you're going to say? I'm not doing this alone, not today, I'm coming with you." Beatrice said, following him.
" Are you scared of her?" Luca asked and chuckled.
" Why would you say that? How could you think so low of me? She's the one scared of me, and not the other way round. Have you forgotten who your girlfriend is?" Beatrice said as they were walking on the stairs.
" Of course, I know who my girlfriend is. She's a lioness." Luca said, and they both laughed.
" A lioness that should never be messed with," Beatrice said and chuckled.
" You wish," Pearl said in a low tone.
Soon, they were out of sight, Pearl continued with her chores.
It was the worst first day at work anyone could have, Beatrice and Luca wouldn't stop complaining and asking Pearl to redo chores. She endured them throughout her stay in that house that day just to keep her mother's job, she knew how much her mother depended on the job, and she knew that if she messed things up for her mum, she would be mad at her.
Soon, it was evening. Pearl was done for the day, she went to inform Luca and Beatrice that she was leaving;
" Sir, my time is up, and it's about time I left." She said firmly.
" It's not about the time being up, it's not about how far, it's about how well, are you done with your chores?" Beatrice asked, rolling her eyes.
" Yes, I'm done with my chores, and please don't think of asking me to redo any chores because I won't. My mum told me that once my time is up, I should leave." Pearl said firmly.
" This girl is tough." Luca thought silently.
" Are you okay? Your mum isn't the one you're working for, I can ask you to stay if I want to, and there's nothing anyone can do about it, not even your wretched mum." Beatrice said with a straight face.
" Well, the last time I checked, I don't work for you, I work for your boyfriend, so if you don't mind, please excuse me, goodbye!" Pearl said sharply and left their presence.
She went straight to the kitchen, picked up her bag, and left the house without even a glance at them as she walked past them.
" What! Who's this girl? Luca, ain't you going to say something?" Beatrice yelled.
" What do you expect me to say?" Luca asked, looking confused.
" Wow! Really? How come you're soft suddenly? When did you become lenient on your staff? Why is she so hard for you to handle or control? What's going on?" Beatrice yelled.
" I don't understand what you're saying, what will you have me do? Stop her from going home; she was right; her time is up. Most times, her mother doesn't inform me before leaving; she just leaves once her time is up, and it's obvious she's following her mother's instruction, so please let me be, gosh!" Luca said and left the living room for his room.
" Are you walking out on me? Luca, where do you think you're going?" Beatrice said after him as she followed him but he didn't respond.
Soon, Pearl arrived at the hospital where her mum was admitted, she spoke with the nurses at the reception, and she went to her mother's ward room. Catherine was asleep when she entered the ward; Pearl walked quietly so as not to disrupt Catherine's sleep. She sat on the chair beside her bed, and held her hand;
" Mum, I almost made you lose your job today, but God intervened. Mum, is that what you go through in the hands of your boss, and his girlfriend? Those people are so mean and condescending; how do you even cope with them? I know you've told me several times how your boss maltreats you, but I never knew it was this bad, gosh! Mum, I wish you would listen to me, and never go back to work with him. I know the pay is good, but the maltreatment is much; you can keep tolerating and enduring that because of good pay; no mum, there should be another way to provide for me. I know you're enduring all that nonsense from your boss because of me, but mum you can't continue this way. Your mental health is at risk at this point." She said as tears dropped down her cheeks.
" So what other work do you have for me?" Catherine said faintly.
" Mum!" Pearl called, looking surprised.