Jade parked her car, and slammed the last few sips of her energy drink.
It was 5:45 AM, the sun was just starting to cross over the horizon. It was pitch black when she had left her parents' house half an hour ago. It was the earliest she had been up in years, and she was really regretting taking this new job. But, even with tips, 18 dollars an hour was considerably more than she'd ever make at the coffee shop. Plus, no bitchy customers.
Jade shut off her engine, locked the door and started moving. She had strategically parked two blocks away from her new employer's home. Maplewood was a suburb known for being wealthy and luxurious, and her hand-me-down Kia would stick out like a framing nail. Today and tomorrow would be her last shifts at
Bean Gene's
, then she'd be working full time as a caregiver.
When the 24 year old saw the post on Craigslist, it was like a godsend. Eighteen an hour to be some chick's arms and legs, how hard could it be? Jade's Aunt Jackie was a nurse, she worshiped her when she was little. Jade had been debating going back to school, and nursing was high on the list of things she'd consider getting a degree in.
Diving deeper into the ad, she realized that not only would she be acting as her "arms and legs", but there was a decent amount of medical procedure involved, a considerable amount being of an intimate nature. This made Jade reconsider, but then she thought about other job listings she had seen. If not this quadriplegic woman in the suburbs, she could be dealing with trash, mold, or even rats.
Compared to those, care of an intimate nature really didn't seem all that bad.
*******
Jade pulled out her earbuds as she realized she was walking up to the house she was looking for.
"Oh fuck," she said, under her breath.
Her reaction was indeed the correct one, her employer's house was nothing short of gorgeous. A spacious, elegant, one-story abode that had to have five bedrooms, at the very least. The type of home that her parents would refer to as a "McMansion". Something that she, nor her family and friends would ever dare dream of calling home. She gulped as she knocked on the door, half expecting someone to chase her off the porch for bothering them so early. An energetic blonde woman with blue eyes answered the door.
"You must be Jade," she said softly. "My name is Larissa. Please, come in."
Jade followed Larissa into the house, which was twice as elegant on the inside as it was on the outside. Beautiful hardwood floors, everything was well-kept and organized. Jade felt out of place, like she had just stepped into a magazine or possibly a furniture advertisement. Larissa invited her into the kitchen for some coffee.
"How do you take it?," asked Larissa.
"Straight is fine," Jade replied.
Larissa poured a cup, and handed it to Jade. Jade slurped, and allowed the warm brew to completely glide over her palate. Full-flavored, and low acidity, this was most definitely a dark roast. Larissa poured a cup for herself and began to add cream and sugar when she asked, "How'd you sleep?"
"Fine," said Jade. "Although this dark roast is definitely helping."
Larissa laughed, "That's right, you're the coffee girl. Holly mentioned you. Well I hope you brought your energy, because she always does.
Larissa then reached into a cupboard and pulled out an oversized coffee mug with elongated loop handles on both sides. She filled this coffee cup, once again adding cream and sugar. She handed the cup to Jade.
"Follow me," said Larissa, walking down the hallway.
The sunrise was lighting the way as the two women made their way down the huge, corridor-like hallway. They finally reached the solid, heavy door at the end of the hallway. Larissa knocked twice before she walked in.
"Good morning," Larissa said, softly. "She's here."
Jade followed Larissa into the bedroom, and could barely keep her jaw off the floor. The bedroom was what she imagined her bedroom looking like, some day in the future. Giant wooden dressers, with a matching vanity that had lights and a magnifying mirror. A flat-screen television was mounted to the wall, and the hospital bed had both a nightstand and a tray table to swing over. A larger electric wheelchair was parked at the opposite side of her bed. Everything in the room seemed larger than life, save for the small woman laying in the bed.
"Morning, Jade," she said. "So nice to finally meet you."
It took Jade a second to fully make the connection, but this was indeed Holly, the woman she'd be caring for. When they interviewed on Skype, Holly just seemed...different. Jade chalked it up to the early morning, and a lack of caffeine and/or makeup. Holly was about to turn 37, but time hadn't fully caught up with her yet. Even without makeup, she was quite cute. Her arms were thin, but her hands were what caught Jade's attention. Her hands appeared to be moving, but her fingers did not. Holly smiled as Larissa gently took the oversized mug from Jade, and placed it into Holly's hands. Holly then used both hands to bring the cup up to her mouth and began to sip. Jade watched as Larissa walked into the attached bathroom she was just noticing, and returned a second later with a container of pills. Larissa walked over to the bed, moved the tray over Holly's lap, and took her cup.
"God, I needed that," said Holly. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," said Larissa. She found the slot on the container marked for Wednesday morning, and removed the pills. Holly stuck her tongue out, and Larissa gently placed the pills in her mouth. Larissa then grabbed Holly's cup and held it up to her mouth for a sip, to wash down the pills.
"We start the morning with meds, then cathing and stretching," said Holly.
Holly had mentioned cathing before, and Jade figured she was about to find out exactly what it entailed. In the Skype interview, Holly had asked Jade if she was comfortable having to deal with both feces and urine. Jade had said "yes", optimistically assuming she would be emptying a bag, at the absolute worst. But after looking at Holly's bed, there was no bag to be seen, and Jade began to fear for the worst.
Larissa walked into the bathroom and returned a few seconds later with a small plastic tray. She set the tray on top of Holly's nightstand.
"Larissa's gonna do this the first couple of times, but I promise you'll do it at least once today," said Holly.
"Do what?," Jade asked.
"You'll see," Larissa said with a grin.
Larissa pulled the blankets from Holly's chest down to her feet. Jade could see that Holly's legs were just as thin as her arms, but her feet were completely enclosed in cloth boots. There also appeared to be a waterproof pad underneath her hips. Holly raised her arms up, and Larissa pulled the oversized t-shirt off of her thin frame. Jade could see Larissa's breasts sagged just slightly, but her gut protruded quite a bit.