The Maid

The Call

Callie had just been laid off, and to find work in Covington New Orleans was nearly impossible. It was just her and her horse Apollo, but if she was going to keep them both fed she needed to find work fast. Her aunt Edith wanted her to move over to San Angelo Texas, but she had made roots where she was and wasn't in the mood to start from scratch in a new town.

Callie took out her laptop and started searching through LinkedIn, but to no avail. She stared at the screen for what seemed like an eternity before closing it and going to bed. She wanted to start fresh, and in her frustrated state she knew she would get no where. With that she crawled into bed and slept the night away.

The sun rose early, too early for Callie, she wanted to stay in bed but she could hear Apollo asking for breakfast. She begrudgingly got out of bed and pulled on some jeans to go down to the stable to feed him. On her way there she noticed the light on inside the door, there was a slight shimmer off the dew covered grass just outside, and a faint rustling inside the stable.

As she approached she could hear a little girls voice shushing Apollo. She stepped inside to see her Neighbors nine year old daughter building a fort out of hay. "Ava... What are you doing?" as Callie spoke Ava jumped and spun around to face her. "Um, nothing, I'm not doing anything." Callie looked around the young girl to see a pillow and some blankets laying on the floor, "Then what are those doing in my stable?" She said pointing out the objects to the young girl.

"I'm running away from home, and I decided that I am going to live here." Callie stifled a laugh before it escaped "Are you and your dad fighting again?" She stepped forward grabbing some hay to throw in with Apollo. "He said that I needed to clean my room, could you imagine that? He wants to make me a slave..." Callie now kneeling to be at eye level with Ava, "Ava, cleaning YOUR room doesn't make you a slave, it makes you neat."

Ava was appalled by this, "No, you don't understand. First it's my bedroom, then the bathroom, then the kitchen, then the whole house! I just can't live like that... Always cleaning and NEVER playing." Callie began to laugh at the sheer terror displayed on the child's face. "Come on Ava, I'll walk you home and sort this all out with your dad. I'm sure I can convince him to stick to just your room for now, how does that sound? Besides, if you stay here you would have to clean the whole barn." Ava thought about it for a moment before reluctantly agreeing.

After Callie returned she fixed some breakfast and began her job search once again. She looked through many postings, most were about house sitting for a week, dog walking, and babysitting. She needed something more solid, an actual job. She became agitated and decided to just upload her resume. After it had completely uploaded she went out to the stable for some one on one time with Apollo. She walked in to her beautiful Appy, he was sixteen hands tall, and very heavy. He had a healthy appetite and until now she didn't have the time to give him the proper exercise.

The moment he saw her he became alert, "Hey there big guy." She ran her hands up his neck and between his ears. He dropped his head nudging her with his nose. His smell drifted into her nostrils and all at once the stress melted away. Her muscles began to ease and release, her mind became clear, and her eyes closed. She was truly at peace in this moment and she was certain nothing could steal it away from her. She remembered why she purchased Apollo, he had always had this calming effect on her, somehow he could clear away the most dreadful day and replace it with bliss.

She opened her eyes smiling, "Thanks," she wrapped her arms around his neck hugging him, "I really needed you. You always say exactly what I need to hear." She spent the rest of the afternoon with him, knowing that he needed her time as much as she needed his. She went for a long ride and by the time evening was in full swing she was ready for the computer once again.

Callie opened her laptop to see a notification from an employer looking for a house cleaner. There was no message only a phone number, she wasn't super thrilled about cleaning houses for a living, but it was better than nothing. Picking up her phone she dialed the number, it rang only a couple seconds before an elderly man's voice came over the phone, "Yes?" Callie began to speak, "Hi, I'm calling about the house cleaning position? Is it still available?" There was a short pause, "Yes."

"Well, I'd like to apply.""Okay." He responded, Callie could hear another voice in the background, but she couldn't quite make it out. "Could you tell me what it entails?" she said shyly. The man said sharply, "Whole house cleaning, from 7 pm-9 pm, must leave no later than 9:15 pm. $300 a day, 55 Drake Hill rd."

With that he hung up. Callie sat there confused for sometime, not quite sure if she got the job, or he was crazy. She took a deep breathe and decided that maybe the best course of action was to show up at 7 pm tomorrow and see how it goes. "Alright... looks like I have a decent paying job, I think? Nothing to lose by trying it out." With that she closed her laptop, threw on some Pajamas, and crawled into bed for the night. She allowed sleep to wash over her and she slipped into a dream.