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Now sitting on the coach with Miss Daisy and Tony, Helen thought about all her effort to get a confession from her parents! "So futile, so vain;
now they're dead!"
She began crying. Tears gushed down her cheeks, yet her grayish blue eyes glistened; they were as beautiful as when she was a very young woman!
She lay on the coach; Miss Daisy moved from her side and lay herself down at the bend of Helen's knees, licking her bare skin there. The faithful, beautiful dog knew that her mommy was upset. She always licked her when Helen was depressed. Tony was at top of her head with his front paws draped around her neck. She had not touched her coffee. She moved the pillow she always used it for her back because of her chronic back pain and put it under her head. Tony did not like this move and ran off. She called him, but she knew he would not be back now.
She thought about work, about the demand and expectation that her boss had from her. She was more than an assistant to him. He expected her to go to his house, to check on things, to bring something he had forgotten to work. When he was travelling with his boyfriend whether for business or pleasure, he expected Helen to go to his house and check on his two dogs, and one parrot he had. She had to go twice, before and after work, to feed them to send them out so they can do their thing, clean up the parrot's cage, put fresh food and water for the three unlikely animals he and his boyfriend had. His dogs were one very small about only two pounds, beautiful toy dog, and a big, German Shepherd. But the dogs were the best of friends. Once he had asked Helen to stay at his house when he traveled. She had no choice but to tell him that just checking twice a day was as far as she would go. Once in the morning she saw the two of them in bed. They were supposed to be back that afternoon. Helen just went inside. She had no idea that they were already back. He sat on bed and looked at her surprisingly and then said:
Oh, my God, we came back last night! I forgot to call you!"
At the beginning, when she had started working in this company, she could not believe that almost all in this company were Gays. They were all nice and kind people. The boss was a good boss, but demanding. He expected too much from Helen, many of them privet affairs which had nothing to do with the business. Helen had a good relation with all the designers. The boss himself used to be married. He had two grown children. His former wife was a good friend of him; but who knows why he had turned Gay or decided to become gay. Doing business with other companies, Helen had realized that most men that they were in fashion industry and designing gowns for wealthy women were homosexuals. Her job was not only being a secretary or as she preferred to call herself an assistant to the boss, she also ran errand for him all the time. She knew top to bottom of his and his boyfriend's lives. She even did grocery shopping for them. If he had a party, Helen was always there to help out. At work, she typed letters, kept appointments, made travel arrangement, organized fashion shows, made the payroll, and many other things. She was a very busy woman; sometimes would not get home till late in the evening; but he paid him for the using of her car and the extra hours she always put in. He always brought her beautiful gifts when he went to Paris or Italy to participate in fashion shows. He was very generous with her. Sometimes when his model would not show up to try the samples, he asked Helen to try them. Helen still was a beautiful, fit woman. He expected that Helen like the model to get undressed in front of him, but she refused to do that and used his private bathroom to change. Many people called him the Robin hood of the fashion industry. He did not mind it. He took from other designers but in a way that no one would even imagine. He would use the bodice of one, the skirt of the other, the sleeves of the third, the shawl of the fifth and drew the most beautiful gown. His drawing was breathtaking! He was able to keep the cost down, so most women who were not very wealthy could buy his beautiful and well made clothes. Over all she was happy in her job.
Her eyes were getting heavy and she was about to fall asleep when she heard the alarm going off in the bedroom. Too much for sleeping. She needed to get up; it was time to arise! This morning she had to go to the boss's home before work. They were in Paris. She had to go there to do the usual, the dogs, the parrot, the mail!
She stepped into the shower, tried very hard to get the sleep out of her mind. She had had sleepless night before, and survived it. She did not yet listen to her heart beats of everything she had thought about the night before sine she knew that her heart was heaving excruciatingly! She was happy that she had a job, almost a good job with good pay. The little black bag was empty now. She did not need so much money for herself, no that was not the case; but her children were always in need of something or in some kind of trouble.
Her joy of having a good job was more like a tumult which the horrible distress of the sleepless nights and stressful mornings after of defiant headaches, she could only observe. It would be a real joy when she could recover from the insomnia and the morning pain and had the power to feel true alleviation.
This road she was taking, although it seemed from outside a healthy and safe road, would go miles and miles for her without any exit, end, or destination. She had seen too much monstrosities to be joyful, but people who did not know her story called her, "Lucky Helen"! The road of her life stretched like her pains, like her dreams or nightmares on and on, no ending, no beginning, no journey's completion, no stop, no purpose!!
She had resolves and aspirations when she had begun, but somehow along the way, she lost that desire, that intended resolution! She blamed it on her father, mother, Roger, her husband, and a whole hosts of others; while people on her way called her "Lucky Helen"!!
To Be Continued
