One day you will shine, sugar

as soon as Mistress opened the door, I was greeted by a man. he was quite plump and chubby, his tie pinching the overlapping skin of this neck. Mistress jumped, her eyes darting from side to side. she obviously looked exasperated. the man standing beside her was too. a reel of sweat climbing down his forehead.  

mistress swallowed, giving me a fraudulent smile. 

"Ah, Amanda! you're early" she stammered, her pupils dodging around the room. 

my dark eyes were fixated on the man. 

"Who is this?" I mumbled, quite sharply, eyeing the man up and down. 

For once, Mistress looked tongue-tied and alarmed. 

“He is m-my trainer…” 

Mistress nudged the man with one of her picky elbows. I’ve been poked by her before so I expected the man to wince. 

And he did. 

He then cleared his throat, adjusting his posture.  

“I shall be off then” he sniffed, brushing past me. My eyes rebounded onto Mistress who let me in. 

She grabbed my arm. 

“You’re late!” She hissed, her blackened mane tumbling over her eyes. 

I frowned, confused. 

Didn’t she just say that I was early? 

“I want you to give Phil his pills and clean up the living room!” 

I nodded, waiting for her to stop clasping my arm. 

She let go abruptly and squeezed her way into the basement. 

“Amanda are you here?”  

A small croak was heard in the bosom of the bedroom. 

I strolled inside, staring at the ghostly waxwork of a man. the man's forehead drooped like the slated slopes of Alaska, cold and shivery. the man's eyes were the deep caves pushed upon the slopes of Alaska with the capped snow as his brow.

I sat upon the edge of the golden bed that didn't seem to light up the blistering wind of the young man.

"Amanda..."

the rough forefinger of his hand stretched towards the carpet. in the twisting hairs of the fur, was a fountain of yellow pills that shone like the duvet my buttocks sat on.

I scooped them up and passed them to him as he reached for the cup of stagnant water beside him.

I listened for the sound of Mistress's footsteps. 

there weren't any.

I leaned towards him.

"Sir, mistress, I saw her with-"

the glacier of his finger froze my lips with concern.

"I know..."

his voice was the howling of the tired wind. the wind his child; he the father.

"ever since I got sick...she hasn't been faithful I know.."

I couldn't believe it! sir was so...relaxed.

"but she was with another man-"

I felt like bursting.

but sir managed to blow the air out before I did.

"don't let her upset you, darling-" he began.

"maybe I should cancel my vacation-"

my employer grabbed my hand in urgency, his face was distraught and pained.

"don't let her worry you. it isn't your problem to deal with anyway. enjoy your holiday, you deserve it, Amanda"

I bit my lip until the first carmine current began to form.

"what about you?"

sir sucked his lips as if in deep thought.

"I can survive three days without you..."

I giggled, my eyes squinting in the dim of a room.

sir chuckled with me. it soon arose to endless fits of coughing and spluttering. I got up in alarm, reaching for his asthma pump.

my employer started to laugh wholeheartedly again as he took his pump.

he paused, abruptly, glancing into the roots of my pupils.

"one day you will shine, sugar"

I smiled, shutting the door behind me.

I breathed in the fresh air.

"and one day you will get better"

***

I closed the door behind me; the house seemed empty and dark as I searched for Mistress.

"Mistress, where are you?"

a monotonous voice rang through the walls.

"I'm in the kitchen. check up on Phil, will you? he's been begging for his pills day and night and he won't stop!"

I nodded and pushed his door open.

"Hello, Phil it's me-"

Phil lay there, his mouth gaped open. his eyes were open, all the color seeped out. his skin was tinted as pale as his child-the wind.

"sir? sir?sir?" I asked, tapping his cold arm.

my fingers soon made their way to his pulse. 

no sound.

no sound.

no sound.

I shrieked, crying over the lifeless body.

his wife came rushing in, groaning as she did.

"what is it?"

the rush of tears blurred my vision.

"Phil! he's dead!"

Mistress looked unimpressed. she just crossed her arms and leaned her back on the wall.

"oh really?" she said, sarcastically.

it was like she was waiting for this day to come.

"We need to call the hospital!" I screamed my tresses in tatters.

Mistress raised an eyebrow.

"why? he's already dead," she said, flatly, with no emotion.

***

I saw a man today. he was dressed in pure black. his skin was also black. so were his eyes. he was handsome too. I thought he was one of the Mistress's suitors.

Mistress gave a smile. she sat him down, passing him a glass of water.

she looked quite excited.

"so, the will?"

the black man brought out a black bag which he brought out a black folder.

Mistress adjusted her posture, that's what she did when she was pleased.

the man glanced at her, his eyebrow raised.

"should I read the-?"

"no, just the assets please" she cut in, staring at the folder with such greed.

the man shrugged, flipping through the pages.

"here we are. the $250 million penthouses in manhattan goes to Tilly Garfield Taylor, as for the $500 million villas in New York it goes to Tilly Garfield Taylor..." 

Mistress began to twist her hair in excitement; she was enjoying this.

the man glanced at her briefly.

"Should I stop, Miss Taylor?"

she grinned at him.

"oh, no. carry on! carry on!"

"as for the vehicles, Bentley flightly spur and the Lexus LC they go to Tilly Garfield Taylor-"

the man paused and frowned at the folder.

Mistress looked bemused.

"what is it?"

"have you got anyone her called...Amanda Fox?"

Mistress was taken aback, I was too.

"yes, but...she's our maid" Mistress replied, with disgust.

the lawyer pulled a matter-of-fact face.

"well...maid or not she's in the will." he paused. "can you bring her to me?"

"Amanda, come here!" Mistress barked.

I scrambled to my feet and ran to the table they were sitting at.

the lawyer resumed reading the will.

"as for the $270 million savings in Mr. Phillip Taylor's account...that goes to Amanda Fox-"

"what?" Mistress exclaimed in defiance.

the lawyer ignored her, carrying on.

"as for the business Taylor's unlimited...that goes to Amanda Fox"

Mistress jumped in pure shock.

"are you sure you are reading that right?" she questioned. "because if you aren't I have a lawyer too, two in fact"

the lawyer shrugged his shoulders again.

"well, Phil left you a note before he died, to explain why he made those choices"

Mistress was breathing heavily now.

"Want me to read it?"

"fine" she snapped, eyeing me with her sharp pupils.

"'Tilly, I have always loved you and will always love you but your selfish character took the once loved Tilly I knew and brought her to greed. I gave you the property and the cars because you cursed them and that I will never give to my enemy but except you. I hope you change. may God be with you and bless you.'"

the lawyer turned about to face me, straightening his neck tie and adjusting his glasses. it was like he was about to cry.

"'Amanda, you are one the kindest souls I've ever met and I am glad you didn't do it for the money. I am glad that you have followed my advice and have been faithful to me, unlike my unruly wife. keep on loving and being kind and may God bless you immensely. remember when I told you that one day you will shine? well, you have shone, sugar, you have shone"