“Mister Kit! What…what are you talking about? You will send me to the street? How about your conscience? Can you sleep at night knowing that I have nowhere to go?” I attacked his morality after he announced that he didn’t want me to stay with him anymore. I pouted my lips while I waited for his answer, and he took his time in considering my situation.

“I can call your parents to pick you up, Ariana. You, staying with me, it just won’t work. You have an attitude problem and that’s the least I need right now.” He said, and I looked up to him, and my eyes begged him to reconsider his decision. However, no matter how much I tried to look pitiful in front of him, he wasn’t buying it. He remained snooty, but then I couldn’t allow him to send me away…well not yet!

“I will do everything you’ll ask me to do, just let me stay here for the meantime.” I thought that if I had to beg on my knees, I would gladly do it. With Kit Ramirez, I couldn’t be sassy and disobedient. He has strict rules and I had to abide it or risk my lifeline! I believed I could tolerate being his underdog for a month however difficult it may become in the days to come.

“You will do everything? Are you sure about that?” He wanted me to confirm that I would be true to my words, and I raised my hand to give him a salute.

“Sir, yes sir!” I replied, however, I couldn’t promise that I could do everything correctly, but I was willing to learn. After all, nobody’s perfect, and I’m no exemption.

He just nodded and left!

“How about the contract, Mister Kit?” I called him when he was about to return upstairs.

“Tomorrow, Ariana. Don’t forget to lock the door,” he ordered, and I had no choice but to continue eating alone.

Later on, I stared at the leftover pizza while my hand was on my tummy, massaging it gently after I stuffed it with three large slices of pizza and two glasses of soft drinks. My stomach was loaded that I had a hard time breathing. Gladly, I wasn’t wearing anything tight and stretched my legs underneath the dining table while my upper body was slumped into the chair. So this is how it felt to be a pig, I thought amusingly.

In the morning, my slumber was disturbed by someone who knocked on the door nonstop. Rubbing my eyes, I got up from the bed and walked towards the door to open it. Outside, Kit stood and scowled at me. “What is it Mister Kit?” I covered my mouth when I asked him because I didn’t brush my teeth yet.

“Didn’t you set your alarm clock? It’s almost seven and I need to have my breakfast before eight!” Kit snapped and left after he said his piece and he didn’t give me a chance to defend myself!

When Kit went upstairs I retrieved the microwavable meals he bought from the convenience store yesterday. I wondered if something was wrong with him because he was usually cranky since we got home. No wonder he has no love life!

“Sorry, I didn’t wait for you and ate ahead.” I expressed my regret for eating ahead of him. He just looked at me and didn’t say anything. Did he even consider my existence?

Kit sat down opposite me and slapped the table with his hands. The loud noise startled me and I spilled my coffee on the floor. “What’s this?” he glared as he pushed the plate towards me.

“That’s your breakfast, try it, it’s delicious. I’ve finish mine in a jiffy,” I replied but the scowl on his face was still there. “Aren’t you hungry?”

“It’s written on the meal plan what I usually eat for breakfast on Mondays, don’t tell me that you can’t read, because I won’t believe you.” He said, and the next thing I knew, I was in front of the whiteboard where his meal plan was written in permanent ink, and honestly, I didn’t notice it earlier.

But then, he seemed abnormal to me when he got furious that I didn’t follow his so-called meal plan. “You need to have a check-up, Mister Kit. Who the hell would eat the same breakfast on Mondays throughout the year?” I questioned his sanity because it was out of this world.

“I do. So what are you waiting for? Go, and prepare it!” He ordered, and this time, I didn’t dare to question him any more. The man knew how to use his loud voice to scare me so I instantly prepared the toasted bread, and spread it with pineapple jam.

In less than a day, I started to discover the kind of person Kit was. There’s no need to call an expert to diagnose that Kit has a mental problem. Just for toasted bread with pineapple jam, he made a scene to drag me from my seat towards the whiteboard. Gosh, he’s not normal for sure!

When he left for work, I was glad to be alone. No more scowls and glare. The house was peaceful without him, and I was reminded of my own home, my parents and everyone else in Oslob. I missed them already but I have to be strong even just for a month. That’s right because I planned to go home in thirty days, then I would formally ask my parents’ permission to allow me to work or live in the city…alone.

I was so caught up with my thoughts that I didn’t notice when Kit came home, and I prepared our dinner in the kitchen –mac and cheese. “What do you do for a living, Mister Kit?” I asked him, but he didn’t answer, and just motioned me to check the plastic bags he brought home. “Is this your uniform?” I inquired.

“No, it’s yours.” He replied, and I stared at the colorful overalls disgustingly! For a moment, I became speechless.

“This isn’t a maid’s uniform Mister Kit! This is something that a welder must wear!” How could he order me to wear an overall while working as a maid? “You’re mean and despicable!” I shouted at him.

“If I am despicable, I have already forced myself on you yesterday.”

His announcement astonished me and my hands immediately covered my breasts from his sinful eyes. “You wouldn’t do that,” I told him, and he just grinned!

“Maybe, but who knows what will happen if you keep that nasty attitude of yours,” he paused and looked at me from head to toe, “and your body is ripe for the picking.”

If Kit was trying to scare me, he did a good job, because his remark about my body scared me. What if he was a rapist? Or a criminal that I misjudged as a kind person? Suddenly, I distanced myself from him, and when he advanced towards me, my eyes widen in terror. “Mister Kit, wait! We can talk about this,” I tried to bargain with him, but he continued to move closer, until I hit the wall, and had nowhere to go. I was cornered and my hands trembled in fear.

He imprisoned me with his long arms, and I couldn’t escape from him. He then lowered his head towards mine, and I closed my eyes while anticipating his next move, and then I smelled a hint of alcohol from his breath. Was he drunk? I had no prior experience in dealing with a drunk person and the thought that he would abuse me made me want to cry and scream for help.

Nothing happened, and when I opened my eyes, Kit was already gone. Where did he go? Why didn’t I notice that he already left? I massaged my chest to calm down my racing heart, then I went to search for him. He dared to scare me!