By Chance In Oxford

2. Athena

"Hello?", "Hi, Athena, while I so hate to bother you, there's been a bit of an emergency and I desperately need a huge favor from you." Apprehensively, knowing exactly what was coming, I responded "Hi, uhh... sure what is it?", while she was the most sophisticated of people, Annalise was easy to read after spending almost every day including holidays with her. "I just launched a brand new product, unexpectedly, it has some real potential to take off and become a great success for my brand. My management has set up a launch dinner in New York City and they've invited a ton of people as well in order to advertise the product and give it some buzz. I need to get there by tonight, me and Henry already have the plane but the only issue is Melody. We absolutely cannot bring her with us because we have absolutely no where to take her and no one to supervise her while we are there. I know it's short notice and I know today was your day off and we always ask you to do extra to take care of Melody but you're my last hope. I have absolutely no one, if you can't do it, I can't go, which brings on a potential for lost business, lost advertisement, and lost room for my brand to grow even larger than it has. I'm so sorry again but the stress is overwhelming and I cannot do this without you. I'll raise your pay by 30% after this and I'll give you an entire two weeks off if you desire, if you take this one night for me." I knew in my heart and in my mind it wouldn't just be "this one night", Annalise did this to me all the time, and I knew her brand and her job did not allow for her to avoid situations like this, she also knows I have issues saying no, to her, to Henry, and to Melody. What am I supposed to do, do I let the guilt get the best of me and tell her I'll do it? Or do I stand my ground and tell her I have extremely important plans that I won't be able to do another time, it took two months to snag these tickets, I can't let this go. "Annalise, I'm sorry, I really am but I can't let go of my plans for tonight. I have been trying to get to this art gallery for months, and I finally got my chance to go with my busy schedule and the amount of time tickets were sold out for. I know you have no one else, I understand completely but I can't do it. I'm sorry. I understand if you want to let me go, or you're going to take away some of my paycheck or put me on tighter hours but I can't sacrifice this.", how would she react? Was this a mistake, could I have just given away one of the best gigs I had ever gained? "Oh, Athena, take Melody with you!!! We'll have her fed, dressed, we'll bring her toys, we'll get her in her stroller, we'll make it so easy you won't even know she's there. I promise, and if anything happens we'll pay for it." Gosh she made it so hard to say no, "I'm sorry Annalise but I can't do it, I just can't." "Please Athena, PLEASE!"... The line was dead for a few seconds, two weeks did sound good, and 30% extra pay could help me make a bigger dent in my tuition fees, maybe even allow me to get a new Cello. I had played since I was 4, my mother taught me, she went to Julliard for music and even got to play at the Sydney Opera House, that was my life's dream to fulfill, playing there, like that would help me get a piece of my mother back, a way to make her proud of me. I adored the way the bow moved across the strings, the response it gave back to me, the sound soaking through the wood and soaring through the air as if to say, hear me, listen. The rich, deep tone of each note, the way the instrument fit perfectly against my body. I replied, "Ahhhh... OK, I'll do it! I'll do it! But I don't want the extra two weeks, or the pay, it's ok I just want to do my job. I get into the gallery at 6:00 so I'll be at the manor by 5:20?" "OH ATHENA THANK YOU SO MUCH!! You will never come to know the appreciation I have for you, Thank you so very much. I have to at least give you the pay, don't take the two weeks, fine but please let me increase your pay, you deserve it. 5:20 sounds wonderful, but Melody will be alone with one of our housekeepers. Our plane leaves at 2:00 today, thank you!! I'll have everything prepared for you all you'll have to do is push her stroller out the door!" Her breath steadied and I could sense how stressed she really was. "Of course Annalise, you're welcome. I'll see you! Bye." I took a deep breath to release the tension that was built on top of me like a tower of boulders upon my shoulders. My shoulders released, my legs trembled, my chest ached, and it wasn't until this moment, when my eyes began to water and tears flooded my cheeks like puddles on a sidewalk that I realized just how burnt out I was. How built up everything was from months, even years of events and emotions, and I had never even noticed. I so desperately needed this, this day to be alone and to relax. I mean maybe it wouldn't be so bad, maybe Melody really wouldn't cause a struggle but still I feared how incredibly devoted I needed to be to this job and how much of my personal life it robbed me of. I approached the bakery, grabbed my things, and sat at a small bench in a nearby park. I needed a minute to retrieve every piece that had just fallen on the floor, pick it up, and glue it back together. I couldn't quite explain why I was crying, I mean it seemed like such a minor thing to cry over, my plans were still intact, it's just that I'd have a child with me which wasn't the worst thing as Melody responded well to me and her and I had a connection where I would be able to console her if she was crying and meet her needs like hunger, tiredness, or boredom. However, I allowed myself to feel the feelings I was and not downplay how I truly felt. I felt like my job was constantly chasing me down, like it was always there and when I tried to outrun it, tried to catch a break, it came lurking out of the dark and charged at me to the point where it became inescapable. I arrived at school and got to my first and last class of the day and of the year, Clinical Human Anatomy. The professor seemed to talk slower than usual today, lecturing us about how grateful he was to have us as students after we took the final exam, I could barely pay attention. I kept an eye on the clock and slowly, the stress turned back into excitement for my plans for tonight, after all I was still going to the art gallery and I was still doing what I had planned to do which was something to be grateful for. I headed back to my apartment to get ready. This gallery is remarkably sophisticated, and since I will already have to lug a stroller and a baby around I figured I could make up for it all with my outfit. I opted for a black satin dress with a pair of tie leg detail black heels, the drive to the manor was calm. When I arrived the house seemed lonely, there were the same moving parts, people working, cleaning, landscaping, but without Henry and Annalise, the house didn't seem to sway like it always did. I parked the car against the pebbled filled driveway and walked up to the front door. Inside, I was greeted by Mrs. Pensington, the house manager, "Good Afternoon Ms. Carter. Melody is just upstairs finished with her nap and getting dressed with Carrie Ann." Carrie Ann was one of many of their maids, "Ok, thank you I'll just be a few moments and then I'll get her out of your hair.", I replied. I walked up the grand marble staircase into the room Melody was being changed in and as much as I didn't want to admit it, this toddler looked better than me. She wore a puffy pink gown, white sandals, and a small tiara headpiece you would think she was going to visit the queen. I packed her stroller, some snacks and a few bottles, some toys, and her diaper bag into the trunk of my small crossover. I battled with the straps of her car-seat, as usual before finally getting her buckled in safely. I got myself in and put on our favorite classical playlist, her eyes lit up when I first played this when I had just started working for the Channing's and since then I've always played classical music for her, her parents are huge fans of rock music so I'm sure Melody doesn't get her fair share of classical if I'm not around. The drive towards the gallery was calm, Melody slept, and I got to enjoy the freshly repaved roads. This felt like it was going to be a really good trip, regardless if I had to bring a baby with me.