"Yeah, rich in this world, but fuel for hellfire in the afterlife. Want to test your courage in the hereafter?" Kayla asked with a chuckle.
"Aish!" Her friend slapped Kayla on the back, giggling. The two of them burst out laughing.
That same afternoon, Kayla finally decided to go straight to the address Toni had given her. She arrived in front of the Arshaka house the next day. Kayla stood there in awe, staring at the grand home and its aesthetic design. It looked exactly like the mansions of the ultra-rich featured on television.
"Who are you looking for?" Arshaka asked.
Kayla stood frozen, unaware that the front gate had opened and a car was waiting behind her, trying to drive in but blocked by her body. Arshaka had just returned from out of town that morning.
"I'm looking for the owner of this house. I'd like to apply to be his daughter’s caregiver, as stated here." Kayla showed him the flyer Dalilah had given her the day before.
Arshaka did not answer right away. Instead, he studied Kayla’s face carefully. Somewhere in his heart, he felt as though he knew her, but his mind told him otherwise when he saw her thin, disheveled appearance and dull complexion, darkened from frequently being out under the blazing sun.
Being stared at so intensely made Kayla nervous. "I'm sorry," she said as she moved aside.
Arshaka nodded.
"Come in!" Arshaka ordered, then drove his car into the garage.
"Dad! Dad!" Emeli called, spinning her wheelchair around and moving quickly toward her father. The little girl looked thrilled, bringing a smile to Arshaka’s lips despite his sadness over the rejected partnership, even though he had gone all the way out of town and left Emeli behind. The man ran over and hugged his daughter tightly.
"So? Did it work, Dad?"
"Yes, thanks to your prayers," Arshaka lied, not wanting Emeli to feel sad too.
Emeli loosened her hold on Arshaka when she saw Kayla following her father.
"Who is she?" she asked, staring strangely at Kayla.
Arshaka turned and looked at Kayla, who hesitantly wanted to come closer. He wondered whether the woman in front of him could take care of Emeli, since she looked like she could barely take care of herself. But what choice did he have when no one else was applying?
"What's your name?"
"Kayla."
Arshaka jolted as an event from several years ago came rushing back.
"Kayla died giving birth to your daughter." Jeremy’s voice over the phone seemed to slice straight into his heart. Arshaka had never expected that, from that moment on, he would never see his wife again—not even her body.
"Wait!" Arshaka moved away from the two of them and called Toni. Afterward, he returned to Kayla and Emeli’s side.
"She’s your new caregiver." Arshaka’s words immediately brought a delighted smile to Kayla’s face because it meant she had truly been hired, while Emeli looked displeased.
Hahaha, did you really think anyone would want to take care of you?
Elena’s words from the day before echoed in Emeli’s ears.
No, sweetheart. No one is sincere. They’re all just like Aunt Elena. They’re only doing this so they can get close to your father, marry him, have children with him, and then throw you out onto the street.
"Aunt Elena is evil!"
"Hahaha, I wouldn’t be evil if you weren’t so cruel to me. I’ve dreamed of marrying Arshaka for years, and you’ve been standing in the way until I became an old maid," Elena said, gripping Emeli’s chin before shoving her roughly to the side.
Emeli growled, clenching her fists tightly. She grabbed Elena’s bag, which lay beside the bed, and hurled it viciously at the woman’s face.
"You little demon! Sick and temperamental too!" Elena snatched up her bag and stormed out.
"I don’t need a caregiver!" Emeli screamed so loudly that Kayla and Arshaka immediately covered their ears.
Kayla looked disappointed, but she tried to approach Emeli and speak to her.
"Your name is Emeli, right?"
Emeli did not answer. She glared hatefully at Kayla’s face. To her, Elena was right. All the caregivers had worn fake smiles, acting kind only in front of Arshaka. None of them had ever treated her well when Arshaka was away.
"Hi, Emeli. My name is Kayla. Please let me be your caregiver and get to know you better," Kayla said with a sweet smile.
"I don’t need a caregiver!" Emeli shouted, then shoved Kayla so hard that she toppled backward.
"Emeli!" Arshaka snapped, because his daughter had been completely rude.
Angry at being scolded by her father, Emeli turned her wheelchair around and moved away from Arshaka.
"Emeli, wait!"
"I'm sorry," Arshaka said to Kayla before running after Emeli, who had gone inside the house.
Kayla nodded, watching Arshaka’s back as he disappeared. She covered her face with both hands. Seeing Emeli’s expression, she knew her hope of becoming a caregiver and earning a big salary had vanished. How was she supposed to repay the money she had borrowed from Dalilah?
"Where am I supposed to get money to go back to the village? Where will I get the money to pay Dalilah back?" Kayla sank weakly to the floor.
"Emeli, you can’t behave like that, sweetheart," Arshaka said.
"You’d rather choose her than Emeli, right?" The child was still furious.
"That’s not it. She came here to take care of you. Did you really have to treat her so harshly?"
"Emeli doesn’t like women who are sweet-talkers. You don’t know what’s really been happening all this time, do you? None of the caregivers actually took care of me. They only came to mock me and collect their pay. Emeli is better off alone. Go wherever you want, Dad. Emeli will never get in your way again." The child lowered her head. No more sound came from her, but tears streamed down her face.
Arshaka crouched in front of Emeli’s wheelchair.
"Listen, sweetheart. Just this once, let Dad give you a caregiver. If it doesn’t work out this time, I promise I’ll take care of you myself. If necessary, I’ll quit working and stay by your side all the time."
"Okay," Emeli whispered.
"Don’t be rough with her anymore, okay? Then Aunt Kayla won’t be rough with you either!" In his heart, Arshaka hoped Kayla would be Emeli’s last caregiver, just as Kayla Nadhifa had been Muhammad Arshaka’s last love.
"Emeli’s attitude depends on hers, Dad."
Arshaka nodded and immediately left Emeli to call Kayla before the woman left.
When he reached the front of the house, Arshaka smiled when he saw Kayla still standing where she had been.
"Kayla!" Arshaka called, and Kayla immediately lifted her downcast face.
"You’re hired," Arshaka said, making Kayla instinctively jump up and down with joy.
"Kayla... You’re just like my Kayla when she got something that made her happy." Arshaka stared at Kayla, but his thoughts were fixed on his late wife.
"Come inside!"
Kayla nodded and walked behind Arshaka.
"But are you ready to be Emeli’s caregiver? She’s emotionally unstable, and her feelings often explode. If you’re not ready, you can back out."
"No matter what your daughter’s condition is, sir, I’m ready to look after and care for her."
"Good. That’s your room. Bring your bag inside and freshen up before meeting Emeli!"
"Yes, sir."
Kayla entered the room Arshaka had shown her and placed her bag on the bed. Before going into the bathroom, she stood in front of the mirror.
"No wonder Emeli is afraid of me with a face like this. Maybe she thinks I’m a witch." The woman chuckled to herself as she looked at her extremely disheveled face and appearance.
To be continued.