Sindy Hunter
Planetoid
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2023
- Location
- UK
The last eighteen months had been a struggle for the Harmon family. Due to the aftereffects of the pandemic and the downturn in the economy, Bill Harmon lost his job as Division Sales Manager. The reason he had been dismissed was not entirely clear, but he was not the only one in his company to be made redundant. At first, he thought he would soon find a similar position elsewhere but quickly found out he was wrong. After six months of searching Bill finally got hired as a team leader at a call centre. It was a massive change from his previous employment. His income was now a fifth of what it previously was and he was constantly badgered by his twenty-something manager to improve the performance of his team. It was definitely not the position Bill had pictured himself in as he approached his fifty-fifth birthday.
Although his bad fortune had been hard to take, Bill was at least grateful for the support of his family. Bill's wife Jessica, or Jess as she preferred to be called, two years younger than him, had been stoic about their change in circumstance. Bill's former generous salary had allowed Jess to be a 'stay at home' wife and mother, spending some of her time helping at the neighbourhood church and local charities. When it was clear that they were going to struggle financially Jess started looking for a job. However, her options were limited since she had never had a career other than being a wife and mother. Then one day she saw an advert in the local free newspaper for the position of a housekeeper.
On calling the telephone number given Jess spoke to a man who said he needed somebody to visit his home each day to clean and shop for whatever he needed on a particular day. The vacancy sounded ideal for Jess. The man asked her to visit his home the following day for an interview. The next day Jess took a taxi to a very exclusive part of the city. The address was that of a large single-story building situated on a hill overlooking the city and surrounded by a tall brick wall.
The entrance was a large set of wooden gates with a camera and intercom installed next to them. Jess pressed the button on the intercom and a man's voice said "Hello". Jess explained who she was and why she was calling. The only reply the man gave was "OK" and then the intercom went dead. A few seconds later the gates began to slide apart and Jess was able to enter the property. It took Jess nearly a minute to walk up the long driveway to the house. As she approached the front door it opened and a young man walked out and gave a friendly smile.
Although his bad fortune had been hard to take, Bill was at least grateful for the support of his family. Bill's wife Jessica, or Jess as she preferred to be called, two years younger than him, had been stoic about their change in circumstance. Bill's former generous salary had allowed Jess to be a 'stay at home' wife and mother, spending some of her time helping at the neighbourhood church and local charities. When it was clear that they were going to struggle financially Jess started looking for a job. However, her options were limited since she had never had a career other than being a wife and mother. Then one day she saw an advert in the local free newspaper for the position of a housekeeper.
On calling the telephone number given Jess spoke to a man who said he needed somebody to visit his home each day to clean and shop for whatever he needed on a particular day. The vacancy sounded ideal for Jess. The man asked her to visit his home the following day for an interview. The next day Jess took a taxi to a very exclusive part of the city. The address was that of a large single-story building situated on a hill overlooking the city and surrounded by a tall brick wall.
The entrance was a large set of wooden gates with a camera and intercom installed next to them. Jess pressed the button on the intercom and a man's voice said "Hello". Jess explained who she was and why she was calling. The only reply the man gave was "OK" and then the intercom went dead. A few seconds later the gates began to slide apart and Jess was able to enter the property. It took Jess nearly a minute to walk up the long driveway to the house. As she approached the front door it opened and a young man walked out and gave a friendly smile.
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