"Ding! Dong!" Molly was standing by the door with her small bag strapped to her shoulder. A close family friend of her mother's had contacted her to watch the house of an acquaintance of theirs that same morning. She was available and needed the extra cash. It was mid-August and most of her friends where away on vacation so the timing was perfect. A quiet weekend resting and sunbathing by the poolside of some Mac Mansion sounded like easy money. She was enjoying the last days of her summer break and would be returning to the world of Academia in a few days. After a summer working almost 7 days a week at the local mall she was content to start enjoying her time off.
"Ding! Dong!" She stood at the front stoop of the palatial residence waiting patiently. The doors finally opened on a very elegant 30 something male. He was wearing a sharp business suit and led her into the sumptuous entryway. The deco was tastefully done in a minimalist, modern, Zen type of way. The floors were a combination of wood and stone. The walls were white and mostly bare with small calligraphies of Asian characters. The scripts looked Japanese to her, but she could not tell for sure. He then gave her a quick tour of the main house all the while thanking her for coming on such short notice. He felt obliged to explain that he had to go away on a business trip and that his staff would be off too. Despite his state-of-the-art security system, he never left the house unattended and his regular house sitter had abruptly become unavailable for personal reasons.
Once he had showed her the house and the room where she would be staying, they stepped out on the grounds of the property. There it was and it was even more beautiful and grandiose than what she could have ever imagined. An intricate system of 5 cascading pools sat at the center of a Japanese Garden designed to echo the style of the main house. Quiet, tranquility and absolute privacy were all taken into account for this plush sanctuary that combined traditional and modern elements of the Far East. A pool house almost as big as her childhood house stood next to the main pool and served as a gym and guesthouse. He explained that she was free to use all the equipment inside except for one. But she was so distracted and astonished by the beauty of her surroundings that she did not really hear what he was talking about.
He was gone before she knew it. His personality had fit the style of his attire. Driven and ambitious his demeanor was very concise and his speech pattern very efficient. He had been grateful and polite yet he had not used any unnecessary words. Using only what was required to communicate what was necessary. He seemed in a rush and his car picked him up a mere 10 minutes after her arrival.
Molly stood there bewildered and disoriented as if she had just walked through a very windy storm. She thought to herself that his personality certainly was not reflected into this quiet and peaceful architecture. Now that he was gone, she let the ambiance of the Garden work its magic.