English is my second language. Actually, it's my third or fourth language. My native tongue is Dutch but many of us also speak French in the capital. I've also picked up some German, (goes with the territory). We ALL learn a bit of English, it's almost impossible not to regardless of where you live, but I didn't consider myself fluent until I got some practice in America.
I left home because I wanted to escape my family, especially my father. He has such unreasonable expectations. He's so much tougher on me than my half-brothers. He thinks because he loved university, I should love university. He thinks I should be trying to become a doctor like he did, like my mother had wanted me to be. She died when I was 11 (cancer) & he remarried. I know he wants to make sure he did a good job raising me, he feels like he owes it to her memory. But sometimes, he's too strict, too pushy. I needed to go somewhere, spread my wings. I chose the USA because it was far away.
America's very conservative. I thought it would be more like the shows & movies I'd watched but it's not really like that, unless you go to one of the big cities & even there, it's not the same. The people are very loud, always talking so loudly, always so excited, & very friendly people. When they hear my accent they all want to know where I'm from (& where's that?) & how much I love America. They tell me why their country's the best, why there's nowhere else like it.
Americans brag about freedom, as if America invented it, & ask me leading questions. I've told more than one person that my country barely has electricity, because it's what they believe & it's funny to let them keep thinking it. Many people think I took my job as an au pair to escape 'third world conditions' or Communism. I've given up correcting those people. A lot of Americans tell me my English is good, that I 'sound intelligent compared to other foreigners'. I tell them I sound even smarter in Dutch, French or German. One guy tried to convince me that I didn't speak any of those languages, that I was lying (even when I spoke to him in those languages a little) & that my country spoke an entirely different (made up) language & that I was wrong. I didn't bother correcting him, but he was hard to shake, kept asking for my number.
They wear flags on their clothing, & hang them around their houses, I've never seen so many flags. It's not like that at home. Also, the people are very opinionated. Most of them seem to be extremely religious, or at least, extremely curious about what you believe & where you go to church. We don't usually discuss things like that when we first meet people at home. It took some getting used to. It wasn't until I'd been in America a while before I realised how much secret kinkiness that conservative exterior hides.
I was hired by a successful & wealthy couple to look after their twin girls. The wife had taken some maternity leave, only two months. At first I was shocked but I learned this was actually an indicator of a privileged position in America. At home, if you're working, you automatically get paid maternity leave, a lot more than two months but in America many workplaces didn't offer it & it wasn't mandatory. You can bet I called the au pair agency after that to get another copy of my contract, not because I wanted maternity leave (I have a Mirena implant) but to check sick leave, holidays etc.
Juliet felt lucky to have had two months & grateful to the company she worked for as CFO. The husband, Liam, had also taken a few weeks off, but since the pandemic he was very busy rebuilding his own company & he said he "couldn't afford to take any holidays at the moment." He was a partner in a law firm, which had a great reputation but catered to a small exclusive clientele. Jules explained it was still "all hands on deck" until the company was back on strong footing & they reassured their clients.
So for the first 6 months I was very busy looking after the twins. Although they were lovely babies, very quiet & happy, it was extremely hard work. I'd work a full day & then be up a few times a night to soothe & feed them. Jules expressed milk for them which she left in the refrigerator. Sometimes she would get up too, but rarely, she worked hard & needed her sleep. Such a luxury to be able to hire someone to do this for you, yet, it also seemed sad, to miss out on so many milestones of your children's development & sometimes I think Jules felt the loss deeply. She was my favourite out of the two of them. Sometimes I'd sing 'Dodo, kindje do' to help the babies get back to sleep. The same lullaby my mother used to sing to me.
I'd been working for them for about 8 months before I spent any real time with Liam. I'd been warned by other au pairs that sometimes the fathers would hit on you. There's something appealing about a young woman in your house, nurturing your own babies under the eyes of your exhausted wife. It's the kind of industry where you naturally try to be easy going & uncomplicated, you're living in their house with them & you can't afford to let any drama get in the way of your work, so you stick a smile on your face & nod along to all kinds of nonsense. You seem to be parenting the parents, as well as their children.
Whenever the babies napped I'd try to accomplish some personal things & on this day I took a shower. I was shocked speechless when Liam came in. I hadn't heard the garage door open, had no idea when he'd come home, & there he was, coming into my en suite without even knocking & staring at me without even blushing. I hadn't locked it, since I'd thought it was just myself & the babies there. I didn't say anything. It was his direct stare, his silence, the way he leaned against the vanity & appraised me without apology that made my protest catch in my throat. There was something about him.
"The girls are napping" I said, as if to reassure him they were safe.