John had spent the previous afternoon carefully wiping the ghost-gray paintwork of Mother’s Mercedes with a soft yellow chamois in preparation for the journey.
It took several hard turns of the ignition for them to get it going. Marion had her fingers crossed inside her coat pockets in hope the car would refuse to start at all and they wouldn’t be able to make the trip; but after several minutes of mysterious grinding and screeching it lurched forwards down the gravel driveway and onto Grange Road. The car radio was tuned to a station called Casual Classics. “One of our listeners’ favorites now,” said the presenter in a syrupy voice. “This is the Queen of the Night aria from The Magic Flute, to set your day off to a great start.” John whistled along to the music as he drove.
@violetunderground
August 2nd
Hi Adrian thanks for adding me!
Here some things about me:
I am a girl called Violetta of course!
It is my dream to be famous designer and to make red carpet dress for very famous actress. Perhaps Scarlett Johansson she is my favorite actress of all. My favourite designer are Versace, Burberry and of course Chanel. I am always drawing pictures of clothes I would like to design, I am very good artist you can see my pictures on tumblr page.
For the present I am working in big hotel. My best friend is Irina, we are both chambermaids. We have to make beds all day long and it is very hard work. Some people are kind and leave tips, but others even very rich people leave nothing then block toilet with their nasty rich people poops.
The girls on reception are bitches. They think they are better than us chambermaids. The worst is Ariana, she has a long nose and cross eyes. One day I came to work through the front entrance because I was late and she reported me to Maria and I lose an hour’s pay. Maria the head housekeeper is a super witch. We have to put these little tiny bottles of shampoo and shower gel in rooms each day. Hundreds and hundreds of them. Before we are allowed to go home Maria searches our bags to make sure we don’t steal any.
Last month Irina found a human pinkie finger in the waste bin of Pendragon Suite. Maria told her to flush it down the toilet because the hotel people do not want police making trouble. We think maybe some gangster cut off the finger because the guy owed him money.
Lots of love
V
/<3
xxxx
August 10th
I am so tired tonight I can hardly write anything to you. And I must sleep on the floor of Irina’s room because mama no longer wants me at home. One time Irina’s brother came into bathroom while I was in shower and took piss right in front of me. I couldn’t even say anything and just stood there wanting to scream. Tomorrow a hundred more beds to change and toilets to scrub. A thousand little tiny bottles of shampoo. How many more bottles of shampoo until I am rescued?
August 19th
Dear Adrian, when will I see you in real life? I have many times been looking at your photographs the one of you looking handsome on a boat is my favorite but also I like Adrian skiing and Adrian playing the guitar for his friends while drinking wine and eating what I think perhaps is potato chips. I wonder if soon you will play your guitar just for me? That is my greatest dream come true. You are so handsome with your blond hair that is so thick and sticking up, your healthy pink cheeks, and your blue British eyes.
Why can’t we talk on the phone sometime or Skype? Are you too shy? That is okay I do not mind, I like it when boys are shy. Did you ask your aunt about the job again? I don’t care if pay is not much good—I will work just to sleep in a bed and eat. I will even sleep on floor and not eat a lot, maybe some chocolate though, English chocolate is so good, a friend gives me one time from holiday!
August 29th
Did you forget again to ask your aunt and uncle about the job? You are always forgetting things and I have to remind you! I am angry with you Adrian. No, I was joking, of course I am not really angry! When you don’t email for a few days I am scared you are bored with me and sometimes I feel you are my only friend in the whole world. Adrian. I think about you so much. If I am to be your girlfriend I promise not to be annoying and ask you for things all the time. I will be a good little mouse. I think the English girls they will hate me for stealing you. Why don’t you have an English girlfriend? Maybe you do and you are just pretending. Sometimes I get scared that you meet a pretty and nice English girl and you forget about me and I don’t get anymore messages.
You are so much nicer than the boys here, all they want to do is smoke drugs and talk about stupid motorbikes.
Sept 10th
I received your letter and money today. Angel Adrian I will pay you back in a thousand kisses when I see you. Thank you thank you thank you. I am a little scared because I haven’t been to foreign country before, I will be a little lost girl and you will be the prince who is rescuing me.
Now I will tell Maria and all her little bottles of shampoo to go to hell.
Tell your aunt and uncle I don’t mind to do any job and I know good English and I can work very hard. I am good at cleaning things, being polite to people, mathematics, fashion, cookery and historia. I would like very much to learn to drive a car. I think if you will teach me I can learn things very quickly and I know you will be a good teacher and not get angry if I make mistake!
I will meet them as agreed on the 27th. They will be parked in the silver Mercedes car in the park of McDonald’s near to the port. I hope they are very nice people. It is just a little disappointing that you will not be there to meet me yourself. Since you are going to be on the ski trip until end of month—then we will be together and able to have some fun times I hope.
All my love and kisses
Violetta
xxxx
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IT WAS ALMOST six years ago when they had gone to collect the first visitor. John told her he needed to meet someone arriving on a ferry at some port hundreds of miles away. He said she was a young woman who didn’t speak very good English and that she would be staying with them for a while. The news sent Marion into a spin. They had never had a visitor staying in the house before.
“But who is she, and how did you meet her? Is she going to be staying long? I suppose we could put her in Mother’s room, but I would have to change the bedding, and there is water leaking in near the front window. Will I have to buy foreign food or will she eat what we eat?”