Thirteen Letters. Chapter Two.

In the other room, I didn’t have a hot drink, but I wanted to take some of the nice-looking biscuits home, but it just seemed that at least one eye was on me from someone in the room, so I decided against it. Besides I thought, I have a job now, so regular money will be coming in, and thinking of money, would I have to wait a week or a month before I got my first wage? I needed the money now for food and other essentials. I decided to be bold and ask about money, so I said to Maxine quietly, “Can I be cheeky and ask you about my wage?” I hadn’t even asked her what I would be doing yet, but hey, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. She said, “Sure, what would you like to know?” I said, “When will I get paid, as I will need some money for essentials,” Maxine replied, “You wouldn’t need any money, because from today, you will move into your very own purpose built house, it is a three hour drive from here, and then tomorrow you will be picked up by David and he will take you to my office where I will go through some of the things that you will be doing, in your job role, today is the start of a new beginning.

I asked, “Can I take home a doggy bag?” Maxine smiled and said, “The house that is yours, has food cooked already for you in it.” I didn’t question it and replied, “OK, thank you.” She added, “There’s also  changes of cloths, for you to choose from, enjoy a good night’s sleep and David will pick you up tomorrow at 9am and bring you to my office, then from there we will go to a nice jewellery shop.”

It was a long strange day, and I did nod off on the journey to my new home, I did have lots of questions, but for now I was going with the flow. Maxine had asked, me, “What would you like to get from your studio flat?” I replied, “Nothing at all.”

The following morning, David picked me up and took me to Maxine’s office. It was nice. A selection of hot and cold drinks was there and Maxine said, “We will now go to a few different jewellery shops, when we go into each one, you are not to say anything, I will do all the talking ok.” I replied, “OK.”

The first beautiful shop that we went into, Maxine went up to the counter and said to the Sales Assistant, “Please can you give me the most expensive tiniest diamond, to fit into his nose and a very thin leather bracelet and a matching small necklace, both for this gentleman?” She asked Maxine, “Will you be paying my card?” Maxine replied, “No, I would like you to donate it to me, and with that, she replied, “Sorry we don’t do donations,” And with that reply, Maxine said, “OK, thank you,” And we left the shop. I was starting to think, she was nuts, had I trusted a nutter?

This went on for ages, and then we came to the seventh shop, I had looked each Sales Assistant in the eyes, they seemed to have expected me to speak, we did look like the odd couple.

In the seventh shop, Maxine asked the same questions she had asked in the other stores, this shop seemed to be the poshest one, the Sales Assistant said, “Just one moment, and from behind her she unlocked a glass cabinet and took out the smallest, most beautiful diamond stud for the nose. She said, “This is the most expensive one we do in the shop, it is not a best seller, because of the price.” Maxine said, “When he is famous, it will be.” She looked at me again, standing there silent looking back at her, with my clothes that I’d chosen from my wardrobe with my hair still looking good from yesterday and my piercing blue eyes, and then she looked back at Maxine and said, “OK, I will donate you this beautiful diamond for his nose and the thin, slim leather bracelet and small slim, short necklace.” She put the three precious, very expensive items into three boxes and put them into a nice paper bag and handed it to me. I smiled, without saying anything.

Outside the store, I thought, Maxine did it, she did the impossible. She believed in herself and the store Assistant it seemed she too believed in Maxine. If I didn’t become famous as Maxine had claimed, then this shop would have just lost thousands and thousands of pounds. Was I worth it? Was she a scam artist? I had yet to find out.

Outside the store, Maxine said, “From tomorrow you are to wear those three items of jewellery every single day when you are outside, let’s go for something to eat now, and then you can go back to your home, and tomorrow more of your job description will be given to you.”