Esmeralda woke up the next morning with the sudden realization that she would have to start looking for a job. It was a good run, but she couldn’t live much longer on the money she grabbed on the way out of Fishery. It was the only part of being upper class helpful for this journey. She peeked out of her room to see if anyone was around. She liked Mrs Bergin, but last night she came on a bit strong. Esmeralda didn't feel like talking right now. When she got to the bar, Mr Bergin was busily scrubbing down the floor with his kid (she assumed) on his hip, very much looking like he was trying not to look like he was waiting for her.
“Mornin’.”
With all the people in here last night, it hadn’t occurred to Esmeralda just how large this place was. And the silence was... She could almost breathe it in. Sadly the smell had gotten worse, as the place was now covered in day old beer instead of fresh beer. “Good morning.”
“How’d you sleep?”
“Good, but I need to talk to you about something.”
“What about?”
“It looks like I’ll be staying here long term. Or at least, longer than I had anticipated.” (Did I actually expect to reunite with them right away? Not to mention the lack of plan afterwards. Why am I so dumb?) “Do you know where I could find a job to tide me over?”
“As a matter of fact, it would be very helpful to have somebody do more of the menial tasks around here. Gives us more time with the kids and all. What do you think of that in exchange for room and board? The work’s a bit boring but it’s easy. What do you think? And we’ll throw in a bit of cash every once in a while, so you can have a little spending money.”
Esmeralda felt more like they were taking her in as a stray dog than an employee. However, she was not below taking such an offer. “Sounds perfect. When should I start?”
“Now, if you’re up for it. You can start by scrubbing the floor.”
She cringed reflexively, “Weren’t you already doing that?”
“Now I can move onto fixing the chairs that were broken last night.”
“You do that yourself?”
“As opposed to?”
“There’s got to be someone you can hire to do it. Penance doesn’t have a carpenter?”
Murgin laughed, “Maybe if this happened once. We don’t have the money to pay for other people to keep fixing our furniture. Besides, I’m pretty good at it.”
“Then I’ll get started here.” Esmeralda glanced at the rag she was given with concern. She wasn’t prepared to become the help. Trying to show no hesitation, she dunked the rag into the bucket and then went to work on the floor.
“Esmeralda? You might want to ring that out over the bucket first.”
“Right, right, sorry.”
Esmeralda stared at the rag, and then at the floor. As much as she hated the idea of the task, she wanted to do it right. And she would be excited! All she had to do was imagine her excitement, and it would happen. Concentrate. Get it done, be happy with it. She needed to remember to do this more often. She always felt better if she got herself energized about something. Also why, she believed, everything always felt better after a good night of sleep. You need energy to be happy!
“Esmeralda, do you need something?”
“No! No, I’m good!”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. I think so. Just to make sure, how do I, uh, dry the floor when I’m done?”
“You can just let it dry by itself.”
“Right, of course. I’ll be done in no time. What should I do afterwards?”
“Just do this, and then come see me.”
Okay, she could do that. “Of course, sir. Will do!”
Murgin had to admit, he could get used to being called sir. But he had never seen anyone so excited over cleaning the floor. “Esmeralda?”
“Yes?”
He wanted to mention her change in mood, but didn’t want to worry about possibly making her feel uncomfortable. Maybe she’ll do a better job this way. “Have you eaten yet?”
“No, sir.”
“Then your task is to eat when the food is ready.”
“And I’ll work on this in the meanwhile?”
“That’s the idea.”
“Ok, no problem, sir. Thank you, sir.”
“You are very welcome, young lady.” He smiled at her, and walked off. She was an odd one, but he liked her.
