Chapter 15
LUNA
I never realised how hard it would be to be in the same room as Oliver Walters until last night. The air was awkward; we both felt out of place, and I tried so hard not to show that I was getting high on that man’s scent.
What cologne did he use?!
And how can I find out?
Whatever it is, it’s clearly expensive, and it pairs nicely with the smell of fresh soap.
I have never even seen the man sweat before, but it made me all the more curious to figure out how that paired with his other variety of smells.
The man annoys me to high heaven, and I hate how anti-social he can be, but even I can’t deny the man smells like a God.
Last night really took me by surprise. First, Surly Bastard came home early, and I honestly thought he was going to fire me for painting his grumpy portrait on a pizza, and I’m not proud of subtly blaming it on Theo.
I mean, I did make it look like him, but it was done subconsciously, and I only realised it after Theo pointed it out.
We had a good laugh about it, and all would have been fine if Surly Bastard hadn’t come home. But then we also had dinner with him, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Don’t get me wrong, it was really weird, but it was kind of nice.
He remained quiet most of the time, but it’s impossible to forget he was there, and then he pulled me aside to make sure I take care of his son when he isn’t going to be around.
Dare I say, it made my heart flutter. Oliver Walters might hulk around and set out to crush everyone in his wake, but he does have a soft side, reserved only for his son.
The more I learn about Surly Bastard, the more I’m convinced there is far more to this man than anyone gives him credit for. He’s like an onion; there are so many layers, and it makes me wonder how many layers I’ll get to see whilst working here.
At the moment, the main focus is finding out what he hides in that secret room, my stakeouts haven’t worked at all and I’m getting desperate, I did consider asking Theo yesterday but decided against it, just in case he mentions to his dad that I’ve been digging around, the last thing I want to do is give him another reason to not trust me, especially after seeing how on edge he was yesterday during our chat.
I have to do a good job this weekend; my fat new paycheck depends on it.
Ugh, I have no idea what time I fell asleep last night, but I had to get up. Not only did I need to be at the care home for nine, but I have myself and an energetic little one to feed and dress so we can leave the house on time.
Thankfully, Oliver’s house was in a great location; it only takes ten minutes to get to the nearest tube station, and as long as I prepare Theo and pack his favourite snacks, I think we could get through the journey without any hiccups.
Just thinking about everything I have to do before we leave forces me to swing my legs off the sofa and push myself to my feet.
I shuffle upstairs to my bathroom to brush my teeth, then head straight to the shower, slip on my mustard maxi skirt that I haven’t worn in a while and pair it with my white Ice Bear graphic tee.
I apply simple makeup at my vanity and guide my curls into two cute space buns, and top off my look with my favourite red-tinted lipstick. Then I head downstairs to pack snacks and other essentials Theo and I might need whilst we’re out and about, and put the bag by the door.
When I make it into the kitchen, I munch on an apple for breakfast. When I hear the sound of small feet padding their way down the stairs, I get to my feet just in time for Theo’s little body to crash into mine as we share our morning hug.
Then I help him up on the stall next to me and fix him a bowl of Coco Pops and a slice of toast for breakfast, he’s so excited to come with me today that he finished his breakfast in record time then raced me up the stairs to get ready as we walked into his bedroom, I was surprised to see he had already laid out his clothes for the day.
Oh my days
This little boy just gets cuter by the day.
I love seeing how he carefully picks out his clothes and bounces in excitement when it comes to putting them on.
Today we were going with a Luigi theme: a pair of tree green jeans and a matching top with a Luigi’s Mansion print on the front.
After I helped adjust his little jeans, Theo plopped on the bed so I could help him into these white and green polka-dotted socks, then he jumped off the bed, racing downstairs to put his shoes on.
It’s barely 8 am, and Theo is so full of beans; I wish I had his energy so early in the morning.
I grab a black zip hoodie from his wardrobe, just in case it gets chilly on the way back later.
We’re having pretty good weather for springtime in London, but you also couldn’t trust it not to change the second you step out the door.
I packed essentials, just in case. By the time I get downstairs, Theo is waiting by the door, bouncing on his heels as he reaches for his shoes when I ask him to go to the bathroom before we go.
He runs to the small bathroom located next to the kitchen as I slip on my beige cardigan and use my shoehorn by the door to slip into my white platform trainers.
Theo comes running back moments later with his hands still a little damp from washing them, still buzzing with the excitement of going outside, and he struggles to put his shoes on.
Eventually, I have to help put his shoes on because the little boy just can’t keep still; then I slip his black hoodie over his shoulders and swing my backpack over my shoulder.
Theo is the first to exit the house, waiting for me on the doorstep.
I set the alarm and double-check I have my keys, then lock the door.
Theo jumps his way down the concrete stairs, then takes my hand before jumping off the last step, and we head towards the station.
Theo asks me how many children he will get to play with today, and I reply with ten. I tell him about each of the children, which is just enough pastime for us to reach the tube station when I pull Theo to a nearby bench.
“Okay, Theo, we’re going to try something new today,” I explain, placing Theo to sit on the bench bend down in front of him. I know I have to prepare him before taking him on public transport; with the crowd and loud noises, it can be scary when you’re not used to it.
“We’re going on the train!” He cheers with excitement, and I smile at his innocence as I’m convinced this little boy’s mission is to permanently tug on my heartstrings.
“Sort of, what we’re going on is called a Tube,” I state when Theo scrunches his nose and furrows his brow in confusion.
“What’s that?” He asks, tilting his hand.
“Well, it’s like a train, but it goes underground, and sometimes it makes a loud noise bu-” I stop explaining the moment I see fear forming in Theo’s eyes.
Ugh, I’m really messing up on the whole; don’t scar this little boy, front.
“Okay, let me try again,” when I suddenly think of something.
“You know how in Super Mario, Mario travels down those green tubes to go underground to collect coins?” I ask, watching the smile return to his face as he nods way too quickly.
“Yeah, I’m really good at collecting those coins.” He grins proudly.
“Yes, you are sweetie!” I praise, sharing a grin just as bright.
“Well, today we’re going to travel on our own version of a tube that takes us underground, only this one is white and red.
It goes really fast so sometimes it makes noise, but it’ll get us to the care home nice and quick.
” I explain, watching Theo try to piece together my words.
He turns to look at the station we were heading towards, then looks back at me.
“You mean, when we go in there, we will come out to the house with children on the other side?” He asks with his thinking face as I nod proudly.
“Exactly! And we take magic stairs down to the Tube, then it’s going to stop six times before we get off, so will you help me count the stops?” I ask when Theo pounces off the bench with his hands on his hips.
“I can do that! I’m great at counting!” He beams.
“Yay, okay. Now, before we go, what’s the important thing we talked about yesterday?” I ask, wondering if he remembers, but then he grabs my hand and grips it tightly.
“Hold on to your hand and don’t let go!” He sings, swinging our entangled hands,
“What a smart boy you are!” I smile, joining him in swinging our arms and heading towards the station.
I explain that before we get to the tube and go down the magic stairs, we have to go to the beeping swinging door with the help of a special blue card.
At first, Theo clutches my hand too tightly when he sees how suddenly the barriers close as the British public manoeuvres their way in and out of London transport.
At first, I think it’s easier to walk through the bigger barrier set for wheelchairs and buggies, but after watching a few people go through them, I’m surprised to see Theo take hold of my Oyster card and pull me towards one.
He turns to watch the old lady next to us and copies the way she presses her card against the round yellow scanner, and does the same as we both run through the barrier.
Theo’s adorably bright laugh quickly filled the station, and people around us turned, both passengers and staff.
Some just shrugged off the sound like it was torture to their ears, but most had warm smiles on their faces, letting the joy of a child’s laughter make their day.
The railway employee nearest to us gives Theo a thumbs up for getting through for the first time; they both share a small high five while I was putting my oyster away safely.
Then Theo takes hold of my hand again, and we head towards the escalator.
On our way down, Theo’s reaction is like he was experiencing Christmas for the first time.