I AM THE BOSS

After the long, dreadful daring stare challenge, the wicked witches click their heels on the floor and hike out of the house—only the devil knows where. I breathe out a sigh and stroll in the direction of the kitchen. My belly is rumbling after that unprecedented, edgy morning squabble. The nerve of those witches!


"Nanny Aisha?" I called after entering the kitchen.

Nanny Aisha meets me in the kitchen. "Yes, madam!" She rushes to me, giving me a slight bow.

Madam? When did my name change from Miss Ellie? "First of all, don't call me madam unless you want to offend me; is that okay?" I ask.


"Well, sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. It was my way of honoring my new boss," She responds, and I wave off her humorous explanations.

Well, she may mean well; madam makes me feel like a fifty-year-old granny. "I am not angry at you. I know you mean well, but I will be angry if you repeat it again. Miss is okay, and I can make exceptions for just Ellie, most especially since you are my friend," I say, and she smiles. Actually, she is more than a mother figure to me


"Okay, Miss Ellie. I think that is better. It doesn't make you feel old at least," She teases.

I nod. "That is a bit better," I respond.

"By the way, my dear, thank you so much for defending us from Gracia. I don't know what would have become of us. Thank you," she says with so much gratitude.

That witch, I can defend even a nobody from her leaving alone people who matter to me. That is how far my loathing for those black witches goes. She has not seen anything yet. I will make her taste hell in this house.

"You know what hurts me more, nanny?" I start, holding her hand. 'It is the fact that nobody came to my room to tell me what was happening down here. You could have even given me a call to let me know what was going on. So what? You all wanted to leave just like that? Not even a goodbye after all the years we have been together? Besides, did you all think I was in cahoots with that woman to commit this injustice to you?" I scolded her nicely. I can't believe they were all going to leave just like that. What would the people have said, huh?

She clasps my hands tighter. "I am sorry. Things just happened so fast, and she ordered us not to inform you."

She probably anticipated that I would strip her of the powers she thinks she has in front of the servants just the way I did. Well, she knows me too well. She also needs to know that good always prevails over evil. No matter what schemes she cooks under her slaws, I will still find out.

"And you fell for that? Don't you people even know your rights? Or have we ever treated you like that before?" I ask, and all the servants present shake their heads.

"I apologize on behalf of everyone, Miss Ellie," nanny Aisha says.

I sigh. I don't want to get mad at them. They might get scared, which I don't like. They can't cower in fear whenever that witch threatens them. "I will let this slide for now. But in case something like that ever happens again, I want to be informed ASAP! The only person who can order you around here is me alone. Not those two lazy bones! Is that clear?" I query.

"Yes, boss!" They all chortled together.

Great! I hope nothing of the sort happens again. "Good. Now, please bring breakfast to the dining area. My friends and I are ready," I say as nanny Aisha lets go of my hands.

"Sure. Right away. Thanks again," Nanny Aisha says, and I spare her a smile before walking out.

Sauntering to the dining area, I find my friends perched around it. The howls from me and Gracia earlier must have called them from the room because they don't seem to have even taken a shower.

"I love the way you put that witch and her little whore in their right place, bestie!" Grace states.

"She is really shameless and heartless. How could she wake and fire all those employees this early this morning on some stupid grounds? Is she for real?" Rose adds.

"And stupid! I mean, who does what she was about to do, especially when she clearly doesn't have any rights? Ghosh! What would even the people think about this family?" And Sherry adds.

You know, I don't even want to imagine the stain that that stupid act of hers could have brought on our name. "At least she now knows she can't do as she pleases around here. I am not going to let her intimidate anyone in this house just because her ass is itching with supremacy, which she does not even merit, to begin with." I state and just then, the breakfast arrives.

The aroma, oh wow! Nanny Aisha never goes wrong when it comes to preparing my favorites. Weirdly, the face of Damian flushes to my mind.

I miss those beautiful moments when we were so free together in a clichéd way. Those times we spent in his kitchen as he taught me how to cook. That one time, we ate in the streets of Bombolulu. The delicious meals we shared. We really had a taste of the juice of life. I wish I could turn back time. They say old is gold, and it is true. Those moments with my cold, weird stranger were golden moments. Then again, gold is rare. Sad!

"Huh? Why are you camouflaging your mood like that?" Grace asks, and I snap at them.

I didn't know I had drowned in my ingenuity. I honestly miss those moments. With my father gone, I think I just have the memories to cling to, both of him and Damian. "What do you mean?" I play dumb.

"You were smiling into space a minute ago, and all of a sudden, boom! You look like you are bearing the sorrows of the whole world. What's up?" Sherry says.

I was smiling. Well, those moments had everything in them to make me smile. From the small things we started with, like hitting the gym that almost broke my spinal cord, to everything else that came along. Every second of my life with him back there was beautiful.