Bring The Rain

Chapter 13

I sat on the floor of the shower for at least 30 minutes letting the steamy water cascade down my back while I tried to control my breathing and stop the ache in the pit of my stomach. The painful cramps were finally beginning to ease and the fear that I felt had also passed as I told myself to breathe deeply and try to control my emotions. How could I have let the simple thought of Javier upset me so much? Did he still have that much control over me? I thought that once I escaped and found safety I would no longer be afraid of my past, but here it was, an obstacle only present in my mind that seemed to have a hold on me.
  My skin soaked in the piping hot water of the shower as I thought more of what had occurred. I prayed that I hadn't scared Zahir or caused concern with my new employer. It's true that Mr. Taylor was a little hard on me during his questioning but it only proved to me that he cared about his son. I felt bad that he believed his interview was the reason for my panic attack but really I knew it had to be a response to everything that Javier had done to me in my past. I had to get a hold of my emotions and forgive him for what he did to me, I can't let his past actions control my future. As I lathered my body in the shower I thought of how I could get over my past relationship and move on soon. Maybe I shouldn't jump right into another relationship but I deserved to have some fun! At twenty years old the only real relationship I've ever had was Javier and before that my parents had done their best to keep me away from the opposite sex. I was finally free of my parents over protectiveness and my boyfriend's abusiveness, there were so many new possibilities for me. As I pondered what my next move would be I thought I heard noises coming from outside. I quickly realized that it must be someone banging on the front door and I had nothing to put on in a hurry. I searched my bags for something quick to put on but the knocking continued. The red silk robe that Javier had given me was on top of one of the dressers, I put it on and ripped off my shower cap as I ran to the front door.
   Catching Mr. Taylor by surprise I opened the door wearing only the robe that did very little to hide my curves. I smiled as he stared at me seemingly lost for words, Javier might have hated my body but I could tell from the growing bulge in his pants that the man standing here clearly enjoyed the view. "Mr. Taylor?" The redness that appeared in his cheeks showed his embarrassment but I thought it was cute the way that he tripped over his words as he tried to compose himself. He handed me the plate that I had originally made for myself and we talked for a few moments before he left. I had to admit that for a man his age he was handsome and in great shape. He had changed into a loose fitting t-shirt and grey sweatpants, which made it easy for me to see that print in his pants. He looked huge from what I could see and I had always been attracted to older men. He must have been old enough to be my father but his green eyes, clean shaven face, chiseled jawline, and muscular body made him irresistible. I thought to myself that Mrs. Taylor just didn't appreciate what she had. We said quick goodbyes and I closed the door before I said something I shouldn't to an employer.
   Once he was gone I lotioned my skin and put on an oversized t-shirt to sleep in. While heating up my food in the microwave I grabbed my phone to check my school email. I was anxiously awaiting the email stating that I qualified to graduate this year and I should be getting info on when to pick up my cap and gown. The first message I noticed was from Professor Tilston, she was my favorite teacher and my advisor while I got my degree. While trying to get my degree I would stay on campus as long as I could trying to avoid the fighting with Javier at home. She must have noticed that I was always in the library studying and offered me an opportunity to make some cash by watching her children when she had late staff meetings or extra classes. Once Javier found out he demanded I give him all the money I made but at least he let me continue to work with her and I knew she would be an excellent reference for future jobs. I was right in that thinking because the email from her stated that she had recently been in contact with Mr. Taylor and gave me an exemplary reference. She also let me know that she had been in contact with the school that I did my hands on training with and they had also given me great reviews. I hope this would be enough to show Mr. Taylor that I was capable of caring for his son. After that I received even more good news because the next email I opened was a congratulations letter from the administration office. I would be graduating on June 26th which was wonderful however, I would need to pay $100 for my cap and gown, another $100 fee just to participate in the graduation ceremony and finally $50 if I wanted to buy personalized invitations for the ceremony. That was a lot of money but I worked too hard to not walk across that stage. I decided I would wait until after I got my first paycheck than I would pay for everything, including the invitations. The only people I wanted to send them to were my parents, I could only imagine how excited they would be to see them.
   Thinking about everything that I needed to purchase in the next three weeks I realized that I had never set a proper payment system or salary with Mrs. Taylor once she hired me. Should I bring it up to Mr. Taylor? He wasn't the one that hired me but clearly he was the parent making all the decisions and the one that I would deal with most. I was nervous about speaking with either of them concerning money, but I needed to get my cap and gown because there was a good possibility that they would sell out soon. I still had $225 remaining and I could use that to pay the graduation fee which was due next week. The cap and gown would have to wait right now and I would hopefully get an opportunity to speak with the Taylors soon concerning my salary. For now I would just be happy with all the blessings that were finally coming to me. I've been praying as hard as I could for a new career and a chance to escape from Javier and God has finally given me all of that.