Diamonds Dancing

Three

The same elderly housekeeper, who had introduced herself as Ruth, glanced down at her belongings in sheer fascination. One medium suitcase and a plastic bag stuffed to the brim with whatever valuable items that were deemed worthy enough of keeping.

"So that's everything you've brought with you Miss. Johnson?" She raised a question, not in a belittling way but rather a curious one.

Standing idly in the foyer of the lavish residence, the younger woman nodded shyly. "Yeah... I did tell you I don't have a lot over the phone." Her pale skin flushed with colour, feeling far too embarrassed to expand any further than that. Rika was trying her hardest to keep up with the many faces passing by her in a hurry, from maids, to countless staff members scattered about, she could only stand there and watch like a fish out of water.

A live-in nanny.

When she had been informed that the job role was actually for a live-in nanny, she was more than happy to say 'yes!' until she realised that it meant leaving the dump she called home behind. It wasn't the place she would miss, but rather, her grouchy landlord—Marco. Though she knew she would visit him periodically to make sure he was doing well.

Still, she wasn't convinced that she was the right fit for the job, she was already feeling out of place in the wealthy home and she hadn't even been inside it for very long.

"That's no problem at all darling, if anything it makes my job a lot easier." Ruth joked loudly, her sapphire eyes twinkling with something indescribable. It was warm and wholesome.

Clasping her hands together in an excited way, she waved them round as she spoke. "Anyway, I'd like to go over some of the ground rules before I let you unpack your things. I'm afraid the girls will not be back from their ballet recital until after dinnertime, but you'll be able to officially meet them tomorrow morning." She explained in a rehearsed way, they didn't move away from their position in the middle of the downstairs hallway. "Today is just for you to get yourself settled in."

"Oh, and I hope you like Italian." She mused, referring to the evening's dinner of choice.

Rika sent her a wide grin, holding onto the bag with a firm grasp. She couldn't keep up with all the words rushing out of the housekeeper's lips, however, the mention of food seized her full attention. "I love Italian," well, duh who doesn't?

Truthfully speaking, she didn't remember the last time she had the pleasure of enjoying the tasty cuisine. Though, something told her it would be unlike any greasy Italian takeout she had ever gotten before. The thought of actually being able to eat a proper dinner was enough to put her mind at ease. Food was a constant worry of hers, one that she no longer had to think about.

An intense pressure squeezed at her heavy heart, she was so grateful that she didn't have to think about what she was going to eat for dinner. It was a first time in, well, forever.

She had come to the conclusion that she liked the lady standing in front of her. She appeared to be incredibly welcoming and kind, reminding her much of her late foster grandma, as everyone had called her—the only individual she had adored. And the only person that had taken any care or interest in her.

Her eyes glossed over at the fond memories flooding into her mind, blinking a few times to get rid of the emotion.

"I have prepared an entire schedule and a handbook that contains every single thing Mr. Ivanov expects from you as a nanny," Ruth disclosed to her, passing the young woman the hefty pack of booklets that she grabbed from the entryway table.

A short breath of air knocked out of her chest as she felt the weight come crashing down into her frail arms. "Oh wow, these are heavy..." She laughed nervously, trying to push her arms up. "I am looking after kids right?"