It was the end of my last college semester and I wasn't sure what step to take next with my life. The obvious move would be to find a nice summer teaching gig like many of my friends had at one of the local elementary schools, but I was craving something different. Being stuck in so many different classrooms for five years had made me exhausted and stressed to no end. I wasn't ready to get back into the classroom just yet, and so against my parent's wishes, she sought out some other opportunities.
I remembered that I had set up an account on care.com a few years ago, so I grabbed my laptop and began exploring the different job offers. "Let's see," I said to herself. "There's plenty of babysitting jobs, but they don't pay near enough". "Hmm, no one needs a nanny right now, a few pet sitting jobs". "Maybe I should try calling up some local daycares". I grabbed her temples with her hand trying to relieve her building stress when her cell phone started to ring. It was her close friend Cristyn.
ME: Hey girlie what's up?
CRISTYN: Oh nothing just packing for the beach and thought I'd see what you
Were up to.
ME: Oh yeah, time for your yearly beach trip with you Mom and Mamaw I guess.
I've just been searching for some summer work on Care.com, but haven't had any
Luck so far. I guess you're working for that year round school when you get back?
CRISTYN: Well have you tried looking outside of Morgantown? I know you've thought about traveling; maybe you could find a gig somewhere else.
ME: That's a great idea actually! Hey let me get off here and expand my search and I'll get back to you later.
CRISTYN: Ok bye!
I changed my search options to nationwide on the webpage and hundreds of job offers popped up. "Well looks like we're off to a good start," I said slightly smiling. There were so many options, so I clicked a tab that put the most recent offers at the top of the page. After the page finished loading a big header for the first job offer finally popped up. I clicked on the link to read the whole description:
SUMMER HOUSEKEEPER NEEDED: My name is James Summers and I'm looking for someone to look after my house during the summer. I work long hours during the day so I would need someone to clean the house two to three times a week, prepare meals each day and be able to help me with any secretarial type work when necessary. If you would like more information please email me at
j.summers88762@gmail.com
.
I looked beside the header for the job offer and it said the job was located in the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Corolla Beach. I had been to that beach before with my family and knew that some parts of the beach could be pretty remote.
Mr. Summers,
My name is Rachel Figueroa and I am a recent graduate from West Virginia University looking for summer for as well as travel opportunities. If you could email me back with some more particulars about your job offer or call me at 304-553-5085 I would be very appreciative.
Thank you for your time,
Rachel Figueroa
"There" I said. Now to wait for a response. I closed my laptop and lay back on my bed closing my eyes. I imagined Corolla beach, a nice bottle of wine and the sun setting in the background. Then I started to imagine the silhouette of a man walking down the beach. He's getting closer and leaning down to kiss me and then...
I heard a loud buzzing beside my head. BUZZ...BUZZ...BUZZ...BUZZ. I sat up and realized my phone was ringing. "I must have dozed off" I said to myself. I picked up my phone to see who was calling. "Hmm a 252 area code, that's weird". I answered the phone expecting to hear a telemarketer on the other end, but instead heard someone completely different.
ME: Hello?
MR. SUMMERS: Hello is this Rachel? I calling in response to your email about my job listing on Care.com
ME: Oh yes, Mr. Summers right? Thank you so much for calling me.
MR. SUMMERS: No problem, so let's get down to business. I own an engineering company in the Outer Banks that contracts homes and offices for vacationers and different companies. As you can imagine everyone's looking to build down here so that they can visit or work during the summer, so when the summer comes it's my job to greet the new owners and run through the property with them to make sure we didn't leave anything out of the buildings or need to add anything to accommodate the buyers needs. This means that I'm going to be at work at my office and at different properties from around 7-5, Monday through Friday, and on the weekends I will work from home. Your responsibilities would be to make breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and dinners on the weekends, clean the house twice a week and help me with things like paperwork and organizing my office. Any questions?
I was stunned at how blunt this man was being. I mean I didn't expect to be best friends with the man, but I thought he might have some ounce of kindness. Despite my desperate need for a job, I responded to Mr. Summers rather annoyed.
ME: Well sir, considering you've given me less than five minutes to think about this job opportunity, I might need a little more of your time and patience.
MR. SUMMERS: I apologize if I sound rude, but you must understand Miss Figueroa, I'm a very busy man and I work on a tight schedule. I need someone to help me out this summer and honestly I won't have time for any type of working relationship. If you take this job you will not see or hear from me very often, but I promise you will be paid very well if you can keep up with your responsibilities.
His tone was softer now and I couldn't ignore the phrase "paid very well" that easily. I felt a conflict building within me. Do I follow my heart and take this job as well as a big risk, or do I follow my head and find something more solid?
ME: Mr. Summers, I accept your offer.
MR. SUMMERS: Ok great. If possible I would like to meet you within the week and show you around the house as well as where you'll be staying before work gets too hectic. Let me know when you are on your way and have a safe trip. Oh and don't forget to send me a copy of your background check, I want to make sure I can fully trust you.
Mr. Summers hung up the phone and I rubbed my eyes still trying to process what I had just done. Me, Rachel Figueroa, was going to be staying in a house with a man I've never met for an entire summer basically playing wifey. But on the bright side I'll be near the beach and I can go shopping. I still felt nervous about my decision, but also felt excitement building within me knowing that a great opportunity was heading my way.
On Saturday, the day after I made my crazy decision, I called up my parents to try and explain to them what my plans were exactly for this summer. Telling my Dad was a breeze. I just let him know that I had a job and boom no problem. My mom on the other hand was a different story.
MOM: Rachel I'm not discussing this with you anymore, you're not going.
ME: Mom let me tell you something. You know that I love you very much and respect all of the advice that you give me. But I'm twenty-two years old and need to make my own decisions. I've thought this through and this is something that I really want to do. And besides I know how to take care of myself. I'll have my cellphone on me so you can call or message me whenever you want me to, I'll be close enough to town in case of any type of emergency, and I've researched this guy. His company is legitimate and there are no red flags anywhere that I have found. You know me mom, if I ever thought there was something wrong when I got down there I'd pack up and turn right around.
There was silence on the other end of the phone and I could almost hear my mom thinking. I prayed she wouldn't question how thoroughly I'd really thought this job offer through.
MOM: Alright Rachel, I can't tell you what to do I will admit that. But I hope you know I don't fully agree with this. Making this decision means you're going to have to support yourself this summer and I can't rush down there if something goes wrong. I love you sweet pea. Please be careful.
When we hung up I felt a wonderful sense of relief. I was all clear to head down to Corolla. I sent a quick email to Mr. Summers letting him know I'd be in Monday evening. Then I started the busy task of packing. I was digging through my underwear drawer looking for my bathing suit and my sparkly orange vibrator from spencers caught my eye. "Hmm" I thought to myself. "Am I really going to feel like using this knowing that some random guy could be listening in the next room, a guy who is going to be my boss?" "Oh what the hell" I said. Three months is a long time and a girl can go stir crazy if she can't let off steam once in a while. I tossed my vibrator in a side pocket in my suitcase and zipped it up.
On Monday morning I waited outside my apartment and saw Cristyn pull up. The plan was to get a ride with her to Charleston, WV where we'd pick up her family, and then on their way to Myrtle Beach they would drop me off in Raleigh where I could take a bus the rest of the way to Corolla. Normally I would have driven myself down, but since my mom wasn't going to help me out this summer I decided that a car just meant extra money I'd have to save for gas. Besides, Mr. Summers already said I would use his car to go get groceries for each week, so I'm sure if I really needed something I could just use his.
I tossed my suitcase into the back of Cristyn's jeep and got into the passenger side seat. Cristyn started driving and didn't greet me like usual, but instead stared intently at the road.
ME: Hey is something wrong? You're being really quiet.