Life Has its Moments

Breath, Breath

As Imogen sat eating breakfast -at 1 in the afternoon- Mike rushed around the house looking for bits of clothes to put on for the interview he was late for.

"Help me Imogen!" he called out as he ran up the stairs for the 100th time.

"I can't walk, remember!" Even if she could walk, she didn't think she would be able to leave that perfect bowl of Fruit Loops. She was ever thankful that the fact that she can't walk hides her extreme laziness. She had her iPad in front of her and kept  scrolling through videos of pretty girls dancing.

Then there was a loud knock on the door. Since Mike was rushing down the stairs, he opened it. "Oh hi Lauretta!" Imogen heard Mike say. "Welcome back!" Everything caught Imogen's attention and she moved to see who it was. Who could Lauretta be? 

She saw a young lady possibly in her late twenties or early thirties. When she saw Imogen, she gave a confused smile. Mike was more or less dressed. His tie was hanging off his neck, untied and his shoes and socks were in his hands.

"Oh Lauretta, this is Imogen, Imogen, Lauretta." He introduced them to each other. Imogen still had no idea who she was and Lauretta still had the confused look on her face. None of them said anything and Imogen turned her confused look to Mike. He understood and quickly tried again.

"Imogen, Lauretta helps me with the house." Imogen was then relieved, although she didn't know why.

Lauretta still didn't know who this Imogen was. She too, turned to Mike and then he told her. "Imogen is my daughter." Lauretta raised one eyebrow which made her look funny. And then she said, "For how long have I been gone. She seemed to be pure American as there was no accent. Mike laughed and then he walked away, out the door. 

"Hello." Lauretta said cheerily but a bit unsurely.

"Hi." Imogen replied. The woman smiled and slowly walked to the kitchen, leaving Imogen near the door.

Throught the sheer curtain over the window by the door she saw Mike struggling to quickly put on his shoes against his car. Suddenly she saw Mrs Verne coming towards him  with a huge smile on her face.

Mike hadn't seen her yet, still struggling. But just a moment later he did. Something made Imogen stay to watch.

There was a brief exchange of greetings and smiles. As Mike put on the second shoes and rised up again, she put her hands on his collar. Imogen was shocked for a moment. But turned out that she was tying his tie for him. She quickly did it. Her hands moving in and out like a needle. No doubt years of experience with her husband. Speaking of which....

Mrs Verne's husband's car drove up that second as she finished with the tie. As soon as she saw it, she practically jumped away from Mike, quickly sayong her goodbye. She walked fast towards her husband as he came out of the car. He looked at her and walked into the house. 

As she climbed up the stairs, into her house, Imogen saw the nervous look she had on her face and the quick look she gave towards Mike as she revved out of the driveway. He rarely put his car into the garage.

Imogen closed the curtain and suddenly remebered Lauretta. She heard her movement in the kitchen and went there. She was just about to take away the bowl of cereal when Imogen appeared. She looked at Imogen and said, I don't think you want to take this, Its now soggy."

"Yeah sure. Thanks."

Lauretta turned out to be really friendly. She had been working for Mike for about 4 months now. 3 months actually  since she took one month off. She was chatty and very easy to talk to. 

"So how did you become Mike's daughter?" And Imogen told her. Everything. Even the events with Edouard and Kirby. At the end, she figured that she had said too much and shut up. Their converstion moved from the kitchen to the the hallway and then to the living room. 

Lauretta was vaccuming the living room and she stopped to check something that got stuck in the hose. She tried to get it out by poking and then blowing it out with the vacuum's blower. Unfortunately, the blower was pointed in Imogen's direction and the dust blew directly in her face. 

"Oh I'm so sorry!" Lauretta  said quickly shutting off the vacuum.

Imogen started sneezing furiously. "Oh my God. are you okay?" Lauretta said, her voice heavy with concern. Suddenly Imogen clutched at her chest and started gasping for breath. She could feel her airway closing. The air wouldn't move past her throat and she started wheezing. Imogen already knew she was getting an asthma attack.

Lauretta dropped the vacuum head and knelt near Imogen. "What's happening? Asthma?"

Imogen nodded frantically. 

"Oh shit!" Lauretta brings out her phone and starts dialling but Imogen blindly knocks the phone out of her hand. "I'm gonna call 911!" She saw Imogen shake her head violently and point to the cabinet by the corner. Without waiting or thinking, she moved and opened the drawer and there were three   orange coloured inhalers in there. "Oh inhalers," she whispered and grabbed one back to Imogen who was still gasping for breath even though she knew it was pointless after more than 10 years of suffering. Lauretta put the inhaler in her mouth and Imogen clamped her lips aroung it. She took over and desperately pressed the little tank. After 10 seconds, she pressed down again. Relief took over her body and her airway opened up. "Breath, Breath," Lauretta kept saying.

"An ambulance? I would be dead by the time they get here."

Lauretta's face registered relief. She sighed, smiled and took Imogen's hand and pressed it to her chest. "Don't scare me like that."

Later Imogen showed Lauretta all the points where her inhalers where in case of any emergency. Then she told her all the dosages of her medicine...just in case. Imogen felt extremely trusted towards her as they chatted all day until she left.

Mike returned home to the smell of fresh laundry. He found Imogen in the living room watching TV. 

"Hi how was today?"

"Good I guess."

"It smells nice in here. I always love it when Lauretta does the laundry."

"What laundry? She used this air freshner." She pointed to an air freshner standing on the mantelpiece. It was Glade Fresh Laundry. He shook his head and tiredly feel on a chair. He haeved a huge sigh and Imogen asked him how his interview went.

"It went absolutely good. They seemed desperate and they want me desperately. Frankly I find the first job offer better." He looked at Imogen and a mischevious smile creeped up to his face. "But i'm gonna play those two. I'm going to make them auction for me and when the offers looks very satisfying, I'll choose whom I like."

Imogen stared at him.

"What? Hey a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." Suddenly there was a loud rap on the door. And it kept on going without stopping. "Who the hell is that?" Mike stood up to get it and Imogen had a scared look on her face."

Before Mike opened the door, he did a quick cross sign and then opened it. Standing there was Mrs Verne. Her clothes were thorn and her face bruised intensely.  She had been crying and was then hyperventilating.

Mike gasped. "Elise, are you okay?" What a stupid question. Of course she is not okay!

She burst into tears again and shook her head.

"It's okay now come in. Breath, breath." She came in and he closed the door, wondering what her story could be.