Memories That Still Haunt Us

Chapter Eleven:

Monday comes around, starting a new week working for the Bythesea's. Relief bubbles inside of me knowing Mrs. Bythesea will be gone for the week. Her presence is exhausting. A looming shadow hovering over me, reminding me it's always there. Nothing is ever good enough. There's always a reason for her to complain. Her existence is like dragging a fork along a glass plate. It's evident that everyone is on edge when she's around. How grueling it must be for Ellis. To be married to her.

That morning, I wake up extra early to avoid giving Mrs. Bythesea something to groan about. After hastily getting myself ready, I move over to their house. In the kitchen, I begin to prep Beck's lunch. Rinsing the fruits in the sink, cutting them into nice small pieces, then placing them inside the avocado-shaped tuberware Next, I add the small carton of orange juice to the lunch box, then begin making his sandwich, which I cut into triangle slices and make sure to remove the crust.

I've left the back door open, allowing the sound of the birds chirping to venture inside and the cool morning air to filter in. It smells like wet grass and fresh-blooming flowers. The sun is nearly all the way up, creating orange rays of sunlight stretching across the lawn outside.

I imagine for a second that this is my life. That I've woken up in this beautiful house to prepare my son's lunch for school. With a perfect husband who will greet me with a kiss before he begins work. I want this. Every day. To have people who love me. People I can take care of and they'll take care of me. A gorgeous house to flaunt. A career worth mentioning. Not a nanny for someone living the dream life I so desperately want.

Mrs. Bythesea has the most marvelous life, and yet even she doesn't seem happy. It's like she doesn't even realize it. What a waste.

Footsteps ascend down the stairs, followed by Ellis and Mrs. Bythesea's voices, which sound slightly raised. I pause what I'm doing so I can hear their conversation better in the other room.

"Ellis, you better tell me if she makes another mistake." She hisses. "I mean, she was letting Beck eat the hot lunch there for God's sake; she might as well have been feeding him gutter water."

"He goes to one of the most expensive private schools in the state, Mills. I doubt they're feeding him anything unhealthy there."

"How would you know? Please enlighten me. Since you somehow know more about our son's school than I do."

I roll my eyes. Bitch, bitch, bitch. She's acting like I deliberately poisoned Beck.

Ellis is quiet for a moment. "Millie." He sighs like he's genuinely disappointed in her behavior.

"You may have grown up eating trash from the gutter, but I will be damned if my son ever eats anything of the sorts."

"What the hell, Millie? Look around. Do you not see where we live? He'll never grow up the way I did, and I don't know why you would even throw that in there." With that, Millie huffs into the kitchen, and I'm suddenly regretting being in here. I shouldn't have heard that. Now, they're going to know I overheard that entire conversation. Not because I was eavesdropping. It was impossible not to hear them. But I'm sure Mrs. Bythesea will accuse me of doing so and not recognize the fact that I got here early and prepared a nice lunch for Beck.

I quickly turn my attention back to zipping up his lunch. Is that how she talks to Ellis all the time? Did he not grow up wealthy? Her comment about him eating trash from the gutters, his clear distaste for her rude comment about his upbringing. He's not like her. It's clear she's always been wealthy. Most likely, her family has always been wealthy, never really knowing what it's like to be a normal person. To live a life where one has to work hard for what they have. She's just always had it given to her. Whereas he is different. It's so obvious. This life wasn't handed to him. He worked for it.