The Perfect Gentleman ✔

12: Miniature version

Today was not supposed to be a good day for Sara. After her exit from the company yesterday, she had gone home and locked herself in her apartment to wallow in her self-pity. Life was being terribly unfair by letting her cross paths with Lucas again, she thought in indignation.

A knock sounded on her door forcing her to peer open her eyes. She closed them for a minute allowing her senses to get used to the environment. A few minutes later and she was forced to grumble out from her bed at the persistent knocking on her door. She already knew who it could be, as Juliet couldn't seem to keep her out of her school runs since beginning of the school session September last year. She hadn't shown up for this term yet, but most schools only resumed from their Christmas break just last week.

She opened the door to find a disheveled looking woman in her late twenties pulling a tired looking five year old girl in pigtails into her apartment. It was obviously one of those mornings.

"What happened now?" Came Sara's sarcastic query.

"The alarm didn't wake us up. I'm furious!" Juliet yelled, storming into the place like she owned it.

"Really?" Juliet or Jules as she preferred to be called was never one to obey an alarm clock. Not a morning person by nature and being a single mom didn't help her situation. And for the past few weeks, Sara had been her saving grace.

"Mommy is angry. I think she's going to get flogged by her boss," explained Harmony in a fearful tone.

Sara grinned and gave her a conspirational wink. "I think so too. That's what you get for being late."

Jules ran into her room in a hurry trying to fix her necklace. She was late and couldn't afford a query from her boss yet again. God knew her daughter's education couldn't. Impatiently, she pulled open the first drawer underneath the mirror searching for a hair brush.

"Sara, where's your hair brush? It's urgent," she cried, while reaching on top the wardrobe for Sara's nude pump. Perks of having the same shoe size.

"In the drawer, under the mirror, as it should be, Jules," she yelled back, coming to stand by her bedroom door.

"My pumps again?" She quizzed when she saw Jules pulling them on her feet.

"I'm desperate and I'm sorry," Jules replied, and Sara knew she was apologizing for something else entirely. Done with her hair brushing, she stood in front of the standing mirror in the room to admire herself. Satisfied with her corporate look, she asked.

"How do I look?"

Sara eyed her fully, taking in her neighbor's tanned coffee coloured skin. On her head was a full black crotchet braids that fitted her perfectly. She had bright brown eyes, a pointed nose and full bottom lips darkened by ruby red lipstick. Jules was slender and curvy and looked very graceful in her black gown and Sara's nude pumps. Jules was the total package especially when she was in a good mood, which wasn't today, however. So it was best not to get on her bad side.

She sighed and mumbled out a question instead. "Like you woke up on the wrong side of bed?"

"I will strangle that whore if she dare say anything to me today," Jules stated, fuming at the thought of her supervisor. It was obvious the two women clashed daily at work.

Grabbing the nude tote bag she had dropped on the bed earlier, she came to hold Sara by her arms.

"You know the drill, don't you? Don't be angry at this mother who is a walking time-bomb. I can't ever be early even if my life depended on it," Jules pleaded, giving Sara the puppy face.

Sara sighed visibly and relaxed her shoulders. "You owe me."

"You're practically going to leave me without kobo once I start paying my wages you know."