Bring The Rain

Chapter 15

Hearing Mr.Taylor be a real man and apologize for his actions was completely new to me. He barely raised his voice but it scared the hell out of me. He must have realized how uncomfortable it made me and obviously felt bad about the situation. I truly appreciate him being so willing to admit to his wrongs and easing my fears. Whenever something happened between Javier and I the only one apologizing would be me, he made sure to twist each situation so that everything was a result of my wrongdoing. I have to realize that I've become conditioned to apologize or to hold back my own opinions and thoughts because that's what Javier made me do for years. In the beginning of our relationship I believed that I could make him a better man and teach him how to love. I knew he came from a rough family and never received much affection or guidance in life, so I thought that if I just loved him more, treated him better, cleaned the house more, or just did exactly as he told me, maybe all that would make him the man I thought he could be. I was young and stupid and it took me awhile to realize that the man I wanted Javier to become was something he could never measure up to.
    Growing up I never would have imagined I would end up in an abusive relationship. As a child I was blessed to be raised in a household where fighting and arguing were never seen nor heard. Of course my parents had disagreements but they always handled the situation respectfully and taught my sister and I about fighting fair. They were the picture perfect couple and when I met Javier at sixteen he made me believe that our future would be just like what I'd grown up with.
    My parents didn't like him from the moment he walked into our home, he was an eighteen year old high school drop out with the bad boy persona that I was looking for. They did everything they could to keep us apart and that only made me want to be with him more. I would sneak out of the house almost every night because Javier told me to. Once I got my license and my parents bought me that old Honda I was seeing him as often as possible. I would use the excuse that I was going to work or to a friends house to study but eventually my parents caught on. My grades started dropping and my entire life began to revolve around him and what he wanted from me. Once I turned eighteen he convinced me to run away from my parents and live with him. Of course I did it for him, when I graduated high school two months later I didn't even invite my parents or any of my family, Javier told me not to; he said they wouldn't want to see me and that they would be too upset with me to even speak to me. He convinced me that he was all the support in life that I needed, and I believed him. He isolated me from my family and any friends I tried to make. I don't see a reason why my family should forgive me for the way I treated them. Looking back on my actions, I truly believe that my parents must hate me now. I began to wonder if I should even send them an invitation to my graduation,after everything I put them through, why should they care?
  "Ah-Ah"! Zahir's screaming pulled my mind away from my negative thoughts and I immediately gave him all my attention while also trying to focus on the road. "Yes baby, what's wrong?" He began to point to his mouth, "E, E"! This boy just had breakfast and he wanted food again? I found his grown man sized appetite to be adorable, and now that I knew what he has been through in his short life I would probably be spoiling him more than I already did, especially with food. "It's not E E, it's Eat. Say eat and I'll give you a snack". He let out an exaggerated sigh before saying the word correctly. I had to laugh at him, I was sure that he knew how to say many words but until I showed up no one bothered to make him say much. Mr. Taylor clearly spoiled him and let him get away with the screaming and baby talk but I was not having that. I reached in the snack bag and grabbed a package of sliced apples that I took from the pool house fridge, ripping it open with my teeth. I handed it to him and he was happy for the remainder of the ride.
     Using my cellphone' GPS I was able to get to Park365 in less than ten minutes. When we arrived it was only 8:30 in the morning and the place was almost completely empty. I pulled Zahir from his car seat and grabbed the backpack that I filled with snacks but decided to leave his diaper bag behind, only taking out the wipes and a few diapers in case we needed it. Once he was out of the car he automatically placed his hand in mine as we walked across the parking lot. I smiled down at his tiny hand which gripped mine tightly as we walked. I was sure that Mr. Taylor must have taught him that; he's too hard on himself, he truly does seem to be doing the best he can for his son and I had the nerve to berate him. I would make it up to him, maybe I could cook him a nice diner. People usually loved my cooking and from their reaction this morning these two new men in my life were no different. I had made myself comfortable in Mr. Taylor's kitchen by now and I knew just about every ingredient he had in there. I decided I would stop by a grocery store to pick up just a few items before I took Zahir home. My specialty dessert was homemade triple chocolate cake and although it was my own personal favorite I figured the Taylor family would enjoy it also. While making my mental shopping list I watched as a child slightly smaller than Zahir ran up to him and hugged him tightly. I was watching him from a distance letting him play alone while it seemed like we had the park to ourselves but now that others were coming in I wanted to stay close by. I walked over to the pair as they played and was met by a woman who must have been the child's mother. They looked exactly alike with beautiful dark skin, high cheekbones, and wavy hair that ran down their backs. The mother could pass for a model, her skin was blemish free and the crop top she wore revealed abs that I would never be able to accomplish no matter how many sit ups I did. I felt an immediate sting of jealousy; she was the type of woman Javier would point out to me if we ever saw her. He would be sure to let me know that my body was nothing compared to hers. He would immediately bombard me with questions such as; why can't your hair be as long as hers, why can't you work out enough to look like that, and so many others that would break down my self esteem more and more.
   I gave the woman a tight smile and a brief hello hoping that would be all the interaction I would have with her. She walked directly up to me extending her hand and smiling, showing her perfectly white teeth. "I'm Tara", the woman said cheerfully. She introduced me to her daughter Alauna, the little girl who I had seen run to Zahir. "I see Mike all the time! Our kids love to play together, how do you know the Taylor's"? I didn't see why that was any of her concern or why she spent so much time with 'Mike' as she referred to him. This woman seemed a little too friendly to me and I just wanted her to shut up and leave me alone. After introducing myself as Zahir's new nanny she wouldn't stop talking to me, she told me about how her husband Anthony and my new employer had become good friends after he became a security officer at the law firm where Mr. Taylor works. She told me how many of the employees looked at the security and cleaning staff as low level workers who didn't deserve their respect or time of day. I listened as she explained how different Mr. Taylor was from his counterparts, he and her husband had been out for drinks after work a few times and now they hung out regularly and their two children played with Zahir often.
   I could tell that her daughter seemed to have a little crush on Zahir, but he seemed more focused on playing than he was with her. Still the pair were adorable as they ran around the playground. "How long have you worked for Mike?" she questioned, interrupting my thoughts. "Oh, I actually just started this week". She lowered her voice, leaning closer to me she whispered; "Have you met Heather yet?" Apparently I wasn't the only one who wasn't a fan of Mrs. Taylor. "She's actually the one who hired me, but I've had no interaction with her since that". "Well consider yourself lucky, the woman is rude and obnoxious". She looked around as if she were afraid someone would be watching us then finally said; "Be careful around Heather. I don't trust her and she's not very nice to those that she considers 'the help'." She made a disgusted face when she said those words. "Mike has been breaking his back at work then he has to come home and clean the house and take care of Zahir. You know the last housekeeper they had quit because Heather accused her of stealing. She threatened to call the police because some of her jewelry went missing. Mike searched all over for them and eventually found them in her travel bag, she was probably too hungover to remember where she put them. She would never apologize for it and Mike tried his best to smooth things over with the housekeeper but who would want to work for a woman like that"?
    I stayed quiet as she continued her rant but I believed every word she said. I didn't care for Mrs. Taylor the moment I met her and after hearing how Michael describes her as a completely unfit mother I knew that my suspicions of her were correct. "All I'm saying is; be careful around that woman. I don't trust her and I know that Mike doesn't either, especially not around Zahir, at least not after what happened". I was listening to the conversation but my eyes were constantly looking to ensure Zahir's safety. However that statement peaked my interest and I now gave my full attention to Tara. "What do you mean after what happened"? Tara looked as if she regretted letting that slip and she didn't respond to me right away. "Tara, what do mean"? I questioned her more and after insisting she finally opened up to me about past events in the Taylor home.
   "You know Heather was on board for fostering Zahir, she even told Mike it was a great idea when he mentioned it to her. Well once he decided on adopting she wasn't too thrilled but she went along with it and it seemed like she may have been coming around to the idea. But right after the adoption Mike found out she had been doing pills and other drugs with some of her friends; he didn't feel comfortable leaving Zahir alone with her but he was called into work because of some big case and he didn't have any other option but to ask Heather to watch him. When Mike got home he found Heather passed out on the couch with wine bottles right next to her and Zahir was nowhere to be found. He had gotten out of the house and was wandering around the neighborhood by himself. The police found him pretty quickly but Mike was terrified that something had happened to him and of course worried that this would negatively affect his chances of keeping Zahir. Heather started showing her true colors then, she called Zahir names, even some racial slurs and said she didn't want either of them around. She told Mike that she hates being tied down to a husband and kid. He moved out of their room and since then he's been putting all he has into getting some big promotion and moving all the way to Florida. He said he's divorcing Heather as soon as he gets a place down there. He doesn't plan to tell her where they're moving and he's sure she won't fight for custody,and even if she does there's no way she'll win". 
   Tara had given me so much information to take in. I didn't even realize we had talked for over an hour until Alauna and Zahir came to us complaining of being hungry and tired. I had packed plenty of snacks, sandwiches, and juices which I split between the two children and that calmed them down. I was wrong in my original assumption of Tara, she was incredibly sweet although she was very chatty, but we seemed to get along great. By eleven the kids had clearly had enough of the park for the day but we exchanged numbers before leaving so the two of us could chat again and we promised to schedule a playdate for the kids. "Zahir, can you tell your friend bye bye"? I picked him up as he looked so tired but he waved to little Alauna and said the words perfectly. Tara looked shocked, "that's the best I've ever heard him speak, the only real word I've ever heard him say is no". I laughed at her surprised expression and told her how I believed he could say many words if pushed to do so. "I'm so glad you mentioned that! I was going to call Mike but I'll give you this information". She dug down into her purse for a few moments before finally pulling out a business card. "We recently enrolled our son Anthony Jr. in a summer school program for preschoolers. Now that he's officially in school my insurance will cover his speech therapy and I was discussing Zahir's speech issues with the therapist. She said she would be happy to allow Mike to pay out of pocket. We've only had one session with her but she's really good with kids and she may be able to help". I took the card from her and thanked her for all the information she had shared with me and promised to keep our earlier conversation between the two of us. 
    Before we left we got pictures of the kids playing together and I sent a few to Mike just to let him know that Zahir was having a good day. By now he was completely wiped out and I knew he would have a good nap today. We made a quick stop at a grocery store and by the time we were home he was fast asleep. I carried him and the groceries inside and after tucking him into bed I got to work on the house. It made me so angry that this man had to take care of his son, his stressful job, and cook and clean. I'm not saying a woman's place in the kitchen but if we both work we should both take care of the house and if my husband is the only one working I shouldn't be popping pills and drinking all day instead of tending to my child and family. I will never understand spoiled rich people. 
    I wanted to help him out as best I could so I was determined to get the most important rooms of the house cleaned. I started with the family room, I was told Zahir loved to go in there and watch the big screen TV and this was evident from his toys that were strewn across the floor. I picked up everything and put it away in the toy chest, I then vacuumed and dusted. I vacuumed the remainder of the first floor and collected any of Zahir's toys or shoes that I found laying around and put them in the appropriate spaces. Once that was done I moved into the kitchen, putting away the clean dishes, wiping down all the counters, taking out trash and finally mopping the floor. I was used to cleaning my old apartment top to bottom in thirty minutes or less but this kitchen alone had to be the same size as that tiny place and I was wiped out. It was one o'clock in the afternoon and I wanted to do a little more cleaning for Mr. Taylor before I started on dinner. I peeked in on Zahir who was still fast asleep and I decided not to wake him, at least until after I was finished with Mr. Taylor's room.
    I wasn't sure which room was his so I went in search of it, checking each room on the second floor. The first room I found must have belonged to Mrs. Taylor, it was decorated completely in white and silver and it was a disgusting mess. Dirty designer clothes littered the floor, the bed sheets and pillows were all over the place, and I could see and smell alcohol bottles everywhere. I quickly closed the door and continued down the hall, the last door was what had to be his current sleeping area, it wasn't terribly dirty just slightly messy. The hamper was full of dirty clothing and the bed was unmade. I tidied up the small amount of debri and carried the pile of laundry down to the basement where the washer and dryer were. I also collected Zahir's clothing and began washing, drying and folding their things. While I waited for the washer to finish I headed back up to Mr. Taylor's room. I wouldn't consider myself nosey but I did peek around, his closet was organized well and housed many suits that looked tailor made for his tall muscular build and they had to be expensive. However his everyday wear was mostly unfolded and thrown up top of his dresser and in laundry baskets, the poor guy probably didn't have much time for folding clothes. I folded everything in sight but decided it might be an invasion of privacy to just start looking through his dresser drawers so I placed the clean clothes in his baskets and sat them back in the closet. I made his bed and finally walked into his attached bathroom. It had a small glass shower but the tub was large and had jets attached to it. I thought that it must feel heavenly to take a soak in there but I had to stop my daydreaming and get to work. I scrubbed both the shower and tub which weren't very hard to clean. I wiped and cleaned every surface in that bathroom until it sparkled and I had to say that I did a good job with this house, even if it had taken me two full hours to complete.
   It was now two o'clock and I needed to wake Zahir. I took off the latex cleaning clothes that I found in one of the kitchen cabinets. I opted to throw them in the trash after all the cleaning I had been doing with them. I put away the cleaning supplies that I found under the sink and turned to leave, as I tried to escape I walked right into the hard chiseled chest of Mr. Taylor. The impact didn't hurt but the surprise of running into this giant man made me jump back but his hands reached out grabbing mine. "I didn't mean to scare you! Are you alright"? He looked so concerned and it was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. "I'm fine Mr.Taylor." I tried to give him my best smile although he had definitely scared me, I didn't expect to see him home so early. "Did you do all this cleaning by yourself? Ara you really didn't have to, but thank you. It would have taken me a full weekend to finish all this and take care of Zahir". He was making it seem as if I built his house from scratch when all I did was a little dusting, Javier would have found something to complain about the second he walked in the house. "It was nothing", I lied, cleaning this house was tiring but I would do it all over again for this family. Mr. Taylor continued to hold my hands in his, "I can't thank you enough, let us take you out for dinner".
  "You don't have to do that, it's my job to help out. I'm gonna go wake Zahir and I'll start cooking soon". I pulled my hands out of his soft grip and tried to walk past him but the man had me trapped, his full frame blocked my only exit and he didn't budge. I hated the way he stared at me with those gorgeous green eyes. "I insist, you've done so much for us already you don't have to cook too. Let Zahir and I take you out, it can be our official welcoming party". He looked so sincere but he made me nervous, I felt trapped there and my past memories of situations such as this were not good ones. "We can go to Zahir's favorite restaurant, it's a casual place and the seafood is great, but they have other options if you don't like that". He was being persistent and I had no real reason for not going; "Sure Mr. Taylor". He smiled at that and we agreed that we would be leaving by five this evening and he would take care of Zahir until then. We stood there in an awkward silence for a few seconds before my anxiety wouldn't allow me to stay any longer "can I leave now"? I blurted, he looked embarrassed at the fact that he had basically held me hostage for the last five minutes and I could see a pink tint cover his neck and cheeks as he hurriedly stood aside so that I could leave. "I'll see you soon Ara". His deep baritone voice said and it hinted at something other than just meeting for dinner, but I was sure it was only my imagination as I hurried back to the pool house in hopes of finding something decent to wear.