In My Desperate Time

“How do you know?” I ask confusingly.
Did Steven Song see me dragged into the car by Frances Louis?
He curls his lips and points at my face.
What?
I look myself in the mirror, finding that my mouth is red and my lips are swollen.
Damn Frances Louis! He kisses me so hard.
Steven Song is an old dog in love, so he knows what happened. Embarrassed, I go to the bathroom to wash my face and put on
my makeup.
When I get back to my office, Steven Song closes the door and says to me apologetically,
“Thank you today. I don’t know Frances Louis would give you such a hard time.”
I know he is talking about Frances Louis asking me to take off his belt.
“It doesn't matter. Unlocking his belt makes the company tens of millions of dollars. It’s worth it. I don't know if I'll get a bonus for
doing so well.”
“One hundred thousand dollars.” "Steven Song says with understatement.
A thrill runs through me.
One hundred thousand dollars is nothing to Steven Song, but for me, it represents one step closer to paying off Frances Louis
and maybe I can get rid of him sooner.
Maybe one year, or shorter. I must try harder!
Holding this thought, I have a lot of energy in the afternoon and design a sketch of a wristwatch. Steven Song looks at it and
says there are still some flaws and wants me to improve it.
“Actually, I find that you are quite talented, you are not the mud as your mother said, why don't you work hard?” I ask Steven
Song.

Steven Song's eyes darken down, and I know I have asked something I shouldn’t have.
But next second, Steven Song turns back to be a playboy.
“Because it’s easy to be a mud.”
He makes me speechless.
After work, I send Steven Song home as usual.
In the back seat, Steven Song suddenly says,
“Jane Noyes, would you come and cook for me? I miss your cooking. In the future, as long as you are free, you can cook for me,
I will pay you as before.”
I am in need of money and could not resist this temptation. What's more, Frances Louis doesn’t ask me to go home and cook
every day. I still have plenty of time left after cooking for Steven Song.
Steven Song and I go to the market to buy some vegetables. As soon as we get home, his mother is sitting on the sofa reading a
book.
His mother's temperament is really good, looking like an elegant lady. Even I, as a woman, am attracted by her.
“Mom, why are you here?” Steven Song goes to her and sits on the sofa casually.
“I come to see if you are still living with her.”
She says and looks at me ambiguously.
I smile and introduce myself, “hello, auntie, I am an employee of Steven Song and his nanny. I don’t live with him. I lived here for
a while and now I have moved out.”
I feel a little strange to call her auntie. Because this man, standing in front of me, looks so young.
His mother smiles and nods to me like she didn’t hear what I said, “You can cook, very good.”
I don’t know what to say and go straight into the kitchen. After I cook the meal, I walk out and ready to go. Steven Song's mother
insists that I stay for dinner, but I decline her.

She takes my hand and gives me her card, “That’s my card. Call me if you need me.”
I look at her card, “Shelly Harper”, a tender name.
I come out of Steven Song's house and a rainstorm catches me off guard.
I run into a coffee shop, take a seat and order a cup of coffee. I want to wait until the rain stops.
The cool weather matches the warm, fragrant coffee.
I am enjoying this moment when a cup of hot coffee is poured over my head.