Like Buttons On A Shirt

Chapter 2

Even though Mrs. Way had told me that her son wasn't handicapped, I was still expecting a man in a wheelchair when we got to Gerard's room. 

We had passed a long hallway, with expensive looking paintings on the wall. 
On the way we met a few maids, who all looked at me with both concern and excitement. 
They were probably happy to see a new face in here. 
I could imagine that living and working here could be dull and tiring after a while. 
But I was still going to do this. 

Before we entered the room with the dark, wooden door, Mrs. Way turned to me again and gave me a reassuring smile. 
"Before you meet my son..." she started, "I'd like you to know that he sometimes... Says things that could be considered mean. He doesn't mean it though! So please... just don't let him provoke you" 

Now I was almost a hundred percent sure that something was wrong with Gerard. 
Everybody was being so careful and nobody would tell me what exactly Gerard's problem was. 

"Mrs. Way... you're kind of scaring me," I admitted, "why are you talking about him like he's dangerous?" 

She sighed. 
"He isn't," she said, "he's totally normal. It's just that he can be a really difficult person. He refuses to leave the house and when he talks to somebody, he's always so rude. But he doesn't mean it! He's a really nice boy if you get to know him better. I'm just worried because he's always by himself. And he refused to give the other people, we chose for this job first, a chance! But you're different and I hope you could get him to... Open up a bit. Maybe leave the house and... Be a little bit more like he used to be." 

So that's what I was here for. 
To make the depressed boy happy again. 

"Is he seeing somebody... Because of that?" I asked, not sure if I was in the position to actually ask that. 
She shook her head. 
"No. He refuses to go to a doctor, or a psychologist. Maybe... Once you know him better you could try convincing him!" 
After all she said about him and his behaviour I didn't think that we would ever come that far. I was determined to do a great job, but Gerard would probably shut me out right away.  
"I really don't think that'll work out," I said. 
Her hopeful expression slightly fell and I could see that she was deeply concerned about her son. And that's when I realised that the woman in front of me, wasn't just a fancy lady and my future boss, but also a caring mother, that didn't deserve to fear for her son's wellbeing. 

"I can't promise anything," I shrugged, suddenly feeling really bad for Mrs. Way, "But I could try. He can't be that bad, right?" 
Her face lit up instantly and it looked like she wanted to hug me, but she held herself back. This was a serious job interview after all. 
"That'd mean the world to me, Frank," she almost whispered but gasped only a second after, "Oh I'm sorry... I didn't ask if it's okay for me to call you by your first name! That was rude, I'm sorry!" 

I giggled. 
"Don't worry, Mrs. Way. You can call me Frank" 
She looked relieved and said: "That's so nice of you! Are you ready to see my son now?" 

I nodded after a moment. 
I wasn't ready. Not at all. 
But I couldn't just stay here all day. And I could only officially get the job after I met Gerard. 
"Yes, I'm ready."

Mrs. Way gave me a small smile and turned around to knock on the door. 
Nobody answered. 
She knocked a second time, but again... No response. 
She opened the door a bit, so we could barely see inside and said: "Gee, honey? Are you there?" 

We could hear slight breathing sounds and somebody shifting around. 
Gerard was definitely there, but he didn't say anything to his mother's question. 
"Can we come in? Here's somebody who'd like to meet you," she continued and opened the door a bit more. 
Now I could see how dark the room really was. The curtains were closed as it seemed because I couldn't spot any sunlight lightening up the room through the windows. 
All the furniture was made out of some dark wood that matched the door. Everything looked really expensive, and I hadn't even seen the whole room yet because Mrs. Way was still blocking most of the view. 

"Send them away," I heard a stern, boring sounding voice from inside. 
"Please give him a chance, honey." 
"I don't need a fucking babysitter, mother!" the voice snapped and I jumped slightly. 
"Now, now, you know I hate it when you swear," Mrs. Way argued, "and he's not a babysitter. He's a... caretaker" 
"Same fucking difference," Gerard hissed, obviously wanting to piss off his mother, "but fine... You can come in if you leave in five minutes" 

Mrs. Way let out a small sound of excitement and opened the door all the way, only to pull me inside the dark room. 
The first thing I really noticed was the smell. It didn't exactly smell bad, but... weird. Like the window hasn't been opened in weeks and somebody tried to cover up the smell with strong deodorant. 
The room was actually bigger than it seemed from the outside. There was a lot of free space between the king-sized bed and the wardrobe which was connected to a big desk. 
I couldn't see any type of decoration, no pictures, nor candles or flowers, only a few art supplies on the desk. 
Because of the darkness I had trouble finding Gerard in his room. 
Only when something moved on the bed, I could make out the outlines of a tall figure. 
Gerard sat up, but didn't leave the bed. 

"It's so dark in here. That's not healthy," Gerard mother sighed and walked over to open the curtains a bit. 
Not enough to make her son angry, but enough so I could finally see the man everybody was talking about. 

He seemed... Interesting. 

I didn't know what I was expecting him to look like. But sure as hell not like this. He was pale, that's for sure, and his black hair only made it worse. 
The only colour in his face came from the dark bags under his eyes and even though he seemed like he just woke up, I knew that he hadn't slept in a while. 
His big eyes lingered on me, probably taking in my sight just like I did with him. 
When both our eyes met, he raised his eyebrow and gave me a daring expression. I just kept staring. 

"This is Frank," Mrs. Way introduced me, making the both of us stop the staring contest. 

"Can't he talk for himself, mother?" Gerard asked as he leaned back a bit, "or is he mute?" 
I shook my head, not realising that it didn't really help in that situation. 
But actually... I didn't know what to say. 
"Gerard!" Mrs. Way scolded, "stop being rude to our guest!" 
"He looks like you've picked him straight off the streets," Gerard gave me a disapproving look. 
His mother gasped and I knew that if I didn't say anything, they would start to fight. 
And I really wanted to avoid such an awkward situation. 

I cleared my throat, making Gerards head snap form his mother to me. 
"I am not mute," I said and tried to make my voice sound as stable as possible, "and the way I dress is none of your business." 

Gerard was just as suprised as Mrs. Way about my slight outburst, and I almost wanted to laugh at the way his mouth opened a bit. 
But he caught himself rather quickly.
"Oh so you DO talk." he said, "what a shame..." 

"How about I leave you boys alone for a few minutes. I have to get the contract and you two can get to know each other in the meantime!" Mrs. Way offered and before I could protest she was already skipping outside and closed the door behind her. 
Now I was alone with Gerard, who looked at me like he was expecting me to run right after her. 

But I wouldn't do that. 

Dealing with some arrogant, rich brat couldn't be that hard. 

Right?