“Ben, isn’t that too much?” Lisa asked.
“I’m hungry!!!” he shouted.
Lisa looked at him and thought that the child must be really hungry. She allowed herself a small piece of bread with butter.
Suddenly the glass door of the house opened. Marc came in and saw Ben satisfied and happy with a piece of bread with chocolate cream.
“What are you doing?” he yelled furiously.
“Ben was hungry after tennis and...” Lisa could not say her defense speech in the end because the angry father did not want to listen to , and picked up the phone to call his wife.
“Hello, Angelica. Do you know what the two are doing without us? Ben is holding a piece of bread with chocolate paste and eating it, and the nanny is next to him, also eating!” he shouted. “You know that sweets are harmful to a child? The dentist is too expensive “ He suddenly turned to Lisa again. He was aggressive, and his face turned red.
“Yes, but the child was hungry, and I did not pay attention to how quickly he started eating the chocolate bread...” Lisa tried to explain.
No matter how many times Lisa defended herself, she was always guilty.
She went to her room and cried. She wasn’t to blame for what happened out in the country. She lay on her wooden bed in her little room and cried. This was the magical world into which she fell. She wanted to become a member of this family for a while, but instead found only confusion and a huge stone wall, the wall between her and her host family.
During dinner, Lisa kept silent, receiving two pieces of bread. Exhausted by hunger and already weak, Lisa swallowed the two pieces of bread without noticing their taste. Dinner was over, although it was not a dinner at all. Lisa gave thanks to God for what she received.
Once during dinner, Lisa was asked by the host father, “What do you save your money for?”
She didn't know how to respond. She knew his opinion on her dream. She had managed to save a little money from her pocket money for her dream trip. After she paid for her food and other personal expenses, she put her pocket money aside. But how did her host father know that Lisa saved money? She hid the money in one of her books underneath the underwear in her suitcase. How could her host father check how much money she had? Only if she was not at home. Did he rummage through my underwear?
And with the camera in the kitchen and perhaps even in her room (once she heard strange noises from her lamp), she could never feel relaxed and unobserved.
“For my trip,” Lisa explained.
“Yes, but first you need to book a return ticket! The later you book it, the more expensive it is. Then you have to save even more money and for that you have to spend four months with us. I can tell you pages where you can book. You can write them down.”
“Thanks for your help,” Lisa politely answered.
“You have six hundred and fifty-five dollars. What could you possibly need it for?” he asked soon after. Lisa was shocked. How did he know how much money she had saved? Had he opened her suitcase? Had he been rummaging through her personal belongings? Was she allowed to have no privacy?
By the way, your visa will be running out soon,” he added, changing the subject. She nodded, staying quiet. She knew that her visa was running out. She already booked her flight home.
“You should book your return ticket now,” he added.
Again, she nodded.
“Or, would you like to hide under the bed in the basement instead?” he joked.
She shook her head.
Of course, Lisa saved money for her return ticket. But beforehand, she wanted to fulfill her only dream of seeing Paris.
“By the way, the money you are saving can be put into an account for you. I can also transfer your pocket money directly to the account,” he continued.
“Thank you,” Lisa said. She wasn't sure if this was in her best interest or not.
“I will open a bank account for you. Of course, it will have to be in Ben‘s name, since you cannot have a bank account here,” he explained.
Lisa wasn't comfortable with the idea of putting her money into an account that wasn't even in her own name. How was she going to prove the money was hers if the family tried to keep it from her? She already knew she couldn't trust her host family. If she had any doubts, the situation with Ben's helmet confirmed that for her. There was no trust. The family even had a camera set up in the kitchen. There was another one in the family room. She also had her own suspicions that there was a camera in her personal bedroom as well. She was sure she heard noises coming from the lamp one night. She couldn't ask the family if this was true. Instead, she did her best to ignore her lack of privacy. She could never truly feel relaxed when she knew she was always under observation.
“Thank you for dinner, “ Lisa said. “Tomorrow is gonna be a long day.”
“Good night, Lisa. Think about our suggestions,” they said. They exchanged a glance.
Lisa went downstairs to her room in the basement, and saw her host family smiling at her.
That night, lying in her little bed in the basement room, Lisa was pondering her au pair life. With false promises, she was lured. A perfect au pair would probably be a girl who always cooks, cleans, loves children and educates, completely waives her private life, does not speak and understand the native language so that she cannot read even her own contract, hardly eating anything and paying for her food and language courses herself.
The girl would live in the constantly cold basement with no windows (and with furniture that you would otherwise throw away) and would be so grateful for serving her host families.
Unfortunately, Lisa had high expectations. Eating, contract terms, etc. are not for a maid. The au pair program is a lottery. But the only people winning in this lottery were the host families, saving money.
Lisa should still have called herself a lucky person. She did not have to spend hours cleaning, like some other au pair girls she knew. With these thoughts, she fell asleep.
37
One evening, Angelica dressed up in one of her most glamorous dresses. It was a designer name, which was very expensive and sure to make a statement wherever she was doing. Marc was dressed accordingly, in one of his most expensive suits. They were both stunning, looking like movie stars.
“Lisa, we are going to a nice restaurant today.” Angelia started, which didn't explain the outfits. They were dressed far too nice for a simple dinner reservation.
“While we're gone, you're going to take care of Ben.” She continued instructing. Her instructions always sounded more like commands, demanding and brute.
“Okay, I will.” Lisa answered, obedient as she had learned to become.
“I want you to make yourself pancakes. Ben too. I don't want you to watch any television this evening. Instead, I want you to teach him something. Be useful.” Angelica continued, her instructions becoming more and more demanding as she went along.
“Okay.” Lisa repeated.
“Thank you, very much. Have yourself a nice evening!” Angelica finished. Angelica waved her hand out the window after getting into the car. Lisa watched them drive away, heading in the direction of the city.
Angelica and Marc liked to consider themselves aristocrats. Even though they were just simply managers. They weren't even as wealthy as the others, but it was the way they carried themselves. The way they saw themselves.
Their dinner reservation was at an exclusive restaurant. It would take 6 months to get reservations at a place like this. It was a Michelin-starred delicacy, with a posh atmosphere. The restaurant itself was decorated with crystal that was as bright as diamonds. The tables were covered in white cloth, as white as fresh-fallen snow. The meals were served in courses, like in any high-class restaurant. Each dish more delicious than the last, though gaining in price. For dinner, the couple enjoyed artichokes with a lemon sauce drizzled over. The portions were small, barely making a mark on the large white plates they were served on. The artichokes were followed with whipped potatoes. Finally, truffles were the closing taste. The change of dishes was a gradual progression, happening rather slowly. The waiter wanted to tell them a story about every side dish that was offered, along with everyone else around. Everyone talked slowly about the great art that was the culinary practice. The dinner should have been delightful. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was just right. There was a nice silence in the restaurant, though a hum in the background of other people in hushed conversations. On the table were a pair of candles, which illuminating both Angelica and Marc. The rest of the world ceased to exist and the whole setting could have led to the most romantic evening in the world. It would have been, had it been shared between two others. The meal itself ended with an expensive bill, costing more than Lisa would make in two months. But, Angelica and Marc believed themselves to be important, special. They lived a luxurious lifestyle, regardless of the cost.