Finally, the person told her, “You are young, beautiful and intelligent. You should run away from all of this. Go out and enjoy your life. You can make friends and you can study and travel the world.” Lisa appreciated the sentiment, but knew it wasn't possible. She explained that she had a contract and it wasn't possible to leave the host family.
This person became an Internet sister to Lisa. She knew they could talk about anything. Later on, this friend went on to study in University and got a degree.
16
The next day, Lisa was on her way into the town. She looked around for secluded place and sat down on the bench. She peered out into the crowd that was around her.
This host family had lied to her. Their entire application was a lie. They didn't live inside a city. They lived on the outskirts, and it was hard to travel in and out of town. They didn't pay for any of her travel expenses either. She had to pay out of her own pocket every time she had to go somewhere. They didn't pay for her language courses, either. She had to pay for them herself as well. Of course, they also didn't take her on family vacations or trips. She was always left behind.
She wasn't a part of this family. She wasn't a big sister to the children she was looking after. She was nothing more than a servant. But she wasn't paid well enough. She was more like a slave. She couldn't believe she had left everything behind for this place. This house outside of any city limit. These four spoiled children who treated her horribly. She felt like a fool.
After a short break, she took the bicycle she was allowed to use and rode in the direction of the town. The wind was playing with her hair as she peddled. She couldn't rid the thoughts from her mind. She was stuck in a prison with four naughty children. She was living with a family that promised she would be one of them, but it was all a lie. She was starting to understand that she was the alternative to a babysitter.
The host parents were only interested in their careers. They wanted to save money on a housekeeper and a babysitter, so, they asked for an au pair and lied to seem appealing. They sounded warm and inviting, but they were cold and bitter. They didn't want to raise their own children and saw her as the answer. With her in the house, they didn't have to think about their children at all. They could focus on their career and on making money.
Lisa continued thinking. The air was crisp and it helped to clear her head, but, she was still upset. She thought about her place in this family. She started asking herself what she was doing with her life. She wondered what else was in the contract that she signed. She wondered if she sacrificed her entire life to make other people happy. Not just people, but ungrateful strangers. She would have been happy to help those who appreciated her hard work. Instead, this was the family she was stuck with. Lisa signed a binding contract for a year.
She was absolutely alone in a very strange land, but she was no longer as naive as she was when she first arrived.
The day before, the family had gathered up suitcases and left for Disneyland. Of course, she did not go with them. She was not invited. The host parents said the trip was pre-planned long before Lisa arrived. So, they didn't make arrangements for her to come along. But, they assured her the next time they went somewhere, they would bring her along. She knew they were lying, the same way they always did.
She spent the night alone in the large mansion of her host family. There was no sound except the creaking and whispers of the buildings foundation and the echoes of her thoughts.
Lisa walked into the kitchen, sitting on a stool at the table. She leaned on the counter, plopping her elbows onto it and burying her face in her hands.
She was lonely. She closed her eyes. No one else was there to talk to her. No one for her to confide in. Lisa tightened her eyes.
I'm all alone.
After a short while, Lisa slipped away from the table, walking toward one of the many closets around the home. This one resided near the kitchen and housed several expensive bottles of wine. Lisa withdrew one bottle and carefully closed the closet door. She then reached for a plastic cup from the stack on the countertop. Pouring a hefty cup of wine, Lisa watched the deep red liquid fill the cup's white interior.
She took a deep drink.
Lisa wanted to cry. She wanted to shout. But no matter how much she did, no one in the world would hear her. No one in this God-forsaken village would care.
Her initial excitement had long dissipated. Now, she stood imprisoned, trapped within the four walls of the large mansion. She remained trapped with four naughty children and two ungrateful host parents—who had already left her high and dry.
Being alone so soon, all Lisa wanted was to talk to someone. She took another drink. She savored the taste of the wine.
“I need to talk to someone before I go crazy.”
Closing her eyes, she sipped more wine. “If only this mansion belonged to me.”
The rays of the sun suddenly tickled her face. She took in the scent of phantom flowers and fresh-cut grass. Ah…she felt as if she was reclining in a beach chair and basking in the sunlight!
She sighed, taking another quick sip.
“Cheers,” she repeated to herself. “Cheers to me, the most naive girl in the world!” Lisa lifted her cup, as if toasting someone.
But, she was alone. She was completely alone and abandoned.
She placed the cup back on the counter and opened her eyes. What an awful feeling. She was completely abandoned and tormented by her doubts. Her doubts were such a weight on her shoulders. They tormented her soul. She focused on the cup in front of her, tightly wrapping her hand around it. Maybe it didn't have to be so bad, she thought to herself. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. This life wasn't what she was expecting at all. She was expecting a warm family and new opportunities. She was expecting to see the cities, meet people and learn about the culture.
She walked down into the basement. She was allowed to go down in the basement, though her access was restricted to other parts of the home. The family kept a guest-friendly computer down in the basement. It was also where the laundry room was, along with discarded goods. That computer was the only window to the world that Lisa had access to. She turned on the computer and waited for the start up. Once it was done, she opened her email and started writing to a friend.
“It's so beautiful over here. My host family is so sweet. They are appreciative of all my work. They even consider me to be a member of the family. They're planning a trip for the Holidays and they asked me if I wanted to go with them. I'm thinking about saying yes. What do you think I should do?” Lisa typed. Of course, none of it was true. But Lisa didn't want her friends to worry.
Lisa read over her email a million times. She looked over the email so many times that the words started to feel foreign to her. She wanted to tell someone how she was actually feeling. She wanted to write about how horrible it was. She wanted to break down.
The village where the mansion lurked was so small. She couldn't find any people her age to meet. Only families and older people lived in the other fancy-looking houses.
Not to mention, she couldn't speak their language.
She would have gone out and attempted to make friends, but that wasn't possible. She worked too much, so she rarely got the chance to go into the village. The village near the mansion was small. There were a few other really nice homes, but there weren't many. It wasn't as large as Lisa had believed it was going to be. It was a small community, instead of a city. There were hardly any people milling around. The people she did see were always much older. There was no one around her age in the village. Even if she could meet new people, she didn't know the language very well. She was supposed to attend language courses during her stay, but she couldn't afford them. So, she decided to start studying the language through the internet. She registered to an online community, where she was able to make online pen pals. This gave her the opportunity to make new friends, as well as practice her language skills. When she was talking to her online pen pals, she was able to be more honest. She could talk about how she really felt. It was her only fresh air. Her only freedom.