Take Good Care

Beginnings

My long and dreadful flight from JFK to Heathrow was stressful. I thought of all the goodbyes I had to say, all of the dreams I had to store away, and the preparation for the new people I was going to meet and have to deal with for who knew how long. My mind also kept racing as I tried to think of the secret my father was hiding. My future was so unpredictable, and I was scared.

As soon as I got off the plane and found my luggage, I saw a male chauffeur with a black mustache and glasses holding up a sign with my last name. I walked up to him and suddenly sensed a cold, tense vibe. I brushed it aside though because I had extreme jet lag and just wanted to settle into my new surroundings quickly. He greeted me and rolled my luggage to the car, his back towards me. He put my luggage in the trunk and nervously glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. I watched him walk to the car door and open it for me as I still kept my eyes on him. I put on a small smile and said thank you, as he quickly nodded his head. He dashed to the driver's seat and immediately drove away. He glanced in the rearview mirror at me on several occasions, and I felt very uncomfortable. I found it strange how he took no effort in making conversation or asking me how my flight had been. I looked out the window and hoped we would get to Lou, Tom, and Lux's flat within the next minute.

All of a sudden, the car made a sudden left turn as he drove insanely fast down the road.

"What are you doing!?" I asked in fear.

"Shut up!" he retorted back. 

"Stop the car NOW!" I pleaded. He parked the car on the side of the road and ran out of the car to the trunk, grabbing my luggage and searching through it, tossing things onto the road.

"What are you doing!?" I started to panic as he ignored me and kept searching.

I lashed out and pushed him so he faced me, and kicked him in the balls with all of my strength. He yelled so loudly and crouched to the ground in a fetal position. I quickly got all my belongings and luggage together and ran into the middle of the road, stopping a taxi. I shoved my stuff in the backseat and yelled at the driver to take off.

I stared out the window to my victim and saw him take one last look at me in anger and vengeance. I had no clue what was going on or what I had just escaped, but sank into the backseat and began to sob. 

"Um, miss are you ok?" the taxi driver asked sincerely. 

"Yes, yes, just a bit overwhelmed. I'm sorry, can you please go to this address?" I handed him Lux's address.

"Of course...hmm your accent. American. Are you from New York?"

"Yes, how did you know?" I chuckled a bit, because I knew what his next words would be.

"Your o's turn into a's, just like in the movies, haha."

I smiled and appreciated the taxi driver trying to calm me down with his casual conversation.

"So what brings you to London? You don't look like you have family from here that you'e going to visit."

"Well, you're right because the movies also taught you Italians live in New York. I'm here for a job opportunity."

The taxi driver laughed as he pulled up in front of Lux's flat and got out of the taxi. "Well enjoy London and your new job, dearie." He got my luggage out of the trunk and set it down for me.

"Thank you, have a nice day." I smiled and payed him in the Euros my father had given to me before I left. 

I walked up to their door and rang the bell. Their flat was very cute, elegant, and beautiful. All of a sudden a skinny, blonde headed woman answered the door beaming.

"Dominique! Oh there you are, we're so excited to meet you and-oh sweetheart why is your mascara smudged? Is everything alright? Are you homesick? Did something happen? Tom, come get Dominique's things!" Lou went from excited to concerned in about five seconds and put her arms around me for support. 

As soon as she reminded me of what had happened before, I began to shake and tear up a bit. "The driver was a total creep and started searching through my luggage and scared me. I kicked him in the groin and swung into a taxi. I didn't know what was going on and still don't, I'm just really freaked out, I'm so sorry."

Lou looked at me in the eyes and wiped my cheeks. "Oh no, hun, I am so sorry, I can't believe that. Here, come inside and I'll make you a cuppa to calm your nerves."

Tom waved hello to me, smiling and as soon as he was about to speak he realized something was wrong and quickly took my luggage in upstairs. 

Lou set a red kettle on the stove and placed a chamomile tea bag in a yellow mug. "I'll be right back, I just need to help Tom upstairs."

I stared at the white sleek kitchen as I heard Lou go up the stairs. Their kitchen was very modern but just the right size. I sat at a glass table in a green egg chair and glanced at the yellow tulips on the table. I started to listen in to Lou and Tom's conversation. I heard her retell my tale of the mysterious chauffeur to Tom.

"You don't think he's associated with her father, right? Do you think that they think she has information? I'm nervous Tom, she's going to be taking care of Lux what if they continue to chase her?" my eyes bulged out of my head as I heard Lou's theories.

"They may think she knows something, but now that she's with us, she will be safe. They know not to go knocking on the wrong door." Tom reassured Lou.

As I heard them come down the stairs, I pretended to be preoccupied with my nails painted ballerina shoe-pink. Lou tended to my cup of tea and gave it to me, steaming hot.

"Hello Dominique, I'm Tom, I'm sorry of what happened to you but I can assure you you'll be safe with us." He smiled and shook my hand. They seemed like genuinely nice, pleasant people. I acted calm, cool, and collected as my insides began to twist thinking of Lou and Tom's secret conversation. 

"We can't wait for you to meet Lux. She's taking a nap now, but should be up when we go out in about two hours. You'll love her, Dom. She's such a good little girl, she always listens and laughs at almost everything. The boys love her." Lou tried to sweep away today's earlier events and strived to get me excited about being a nanny by adding in "the boys."

I smiled at Lou and even added in an "aw" as I clutched my mug. 

"The boys are lovely Dom, but try to pay attention to Lux and not them! Harry's a charmer. I bet he'll try to warm up to you. Niall is relaxed and very friendly. Louis is hilarious, he's the life of the party. Zayn is quiet at first but once he gets to know you he'll be all over the place. And Liam, oh Liam. So amazingly sweet that boy. I'm so glad the boys are around your age too, so you can make friends and won't be alone all the time. They'll make you feel at home." It seemed as though Lou was trying to sell the boys in a packaged deal to me along with Lux. 

"They sound incredible Ms. Teasdale, I can't wait to meet them and Lux." I put on my best acting skills as my heart sank and I became extremely homesick. I felt exposed, lost, and vulnerable in this new environment that everyone assured I would love.

"Oh, yay! And please, call me Lou, darling! I'm so happy you're here, you seem like an incredibly lovely girl who will bring us, Lux, and the boys a lot of joy." Lou hugged me tightly and pulled away as Tom put his hand on her back. 

"We'll let you get settled upstairs. In two hours we will be leaving for the boy's interview on going to America to promote their album. You'll take care of Lux as Lou gets the boys prepped with hair and makeup. We'll see you soon." Tom said.

Tom and Lou went into the den and packed Lou's makeup equipment for the interview. I smiled and thanked them, and walked up the stairs to my temporary room since we would be traveling quite a bit. The walls were painted a light sea blue and white wood covered the floors. White framed pictures of Lux hung everywhere, and a small flowered chandelier hung from the ceiling. I crashed onto the white duvet and reminded myself to remain positive and take things slowly. I couldn't think of all the stress of handling all these new things at once. 

I had a feeling taking care of a toddler wouldn't be the problem here. No, the problem would be handling these five boys and all that they entailed. The fame, the drama, and whatever else they would bring to me. I had to be ready.