Chapter 4 - Raymond Mansion

Sarah.

"Mama, we can stay here forever. I love this place. When will I start going to school?" Teddy asked excitedly.

It was the 29th of June and there were still two more days for me to join my new job. I was happy that Teddy agreed to stay here but I didn't have the answers to his question right now.

"Grandpa Donald has found a new job for Mama. Once I start working there, we will move to our new house. Then you can go to your new school." I said, "Mama, that means we are not going to stay with Grandpa forever. I don't want to stay in another home. We can stay here. There is a lot of space here." Teddy said with teary eyes.

"I wish we could stay with him, but we can't always trouble him. Our new house will be near to Mama's workplace as well as to your school. We can always come and meet Grandpa on the weekends. Grandpa can also come and meet us. Believe me teddy bear, you are going to love our new home." I tried to cheer him up.

"Okay, but Mama should promise me that you will take me to meet Grandpa whenever I want." He extended his tiny hands in front of me.

"Fine, I will take you to meet Grandpa whenever you say but only if Mama is free. Mama can't take you all the time as I will be working." I said.

"But you always work from home. That means you will always be at home." Teddy asked.

"Honey, this work is different. Mama is going to work from another kitchen. I am not going to work from home. I don't know the timings yet but I am sure it will be the same as your preschool timing." I explained.

"Okay mama, I am going to play with my new puzzle game." Teddy said and went to his room.

I went back to my work and by the time I arranged everything for the dinner on the dining table, uncle Donald came back. He had a big smile on his lips.

"Sarah, the Raymonds have allotted you quarters and you can move there and settle down whenever you like. Moreover the cottage you got is at a safe distance from other houses. You can hide your face when you are away from Teddy and be yourself when you are with him without fear of getting caught." Uncle Donald said.

"Uncle Donald, does that mean that the house will be in a remote area? I mean will it be safe for us to stay there alone." I asked.

"You will be safe because you are going to stay on the premises of Raymond mansion. The whole property of Raymonds is always guarded. They have acres of land, most of which are utilized for agriculture. They have divided the land that is not used for agriculture purposes into equal plots and built a cottage in the middle of each plot. They give these cottages to their employees to stay and in return, they ask to keep the property well maintained. I have told them that you are a single mother and so they are providing you a small cottage which is near to the preschool where Teddy is going to study. The preschool has already started and they want you to admit Teddy to preschool as soon as possible. I have bought the masks you are going to use at work. Take care to stick the prosthetic mask to your face at least for a few days after you join the work." Uncle Donald said.

"Can we move out tomorrow? I mean I need time to settle down before joining the work." I asked.

"Yes, you can and I will help you to move. We need to go to the Raymond mansion and introduce you to Madam Alice Raymond." Uncle Donald said.

"I'll pack the bags tonight itself. I will need to buy stuff needed in the new kitchen. Can we go shopping tomorrow morning?" I asked.

"You don't have to worry about that. It will be a fully occupied kitchen as well as a well-furnished house. We just have to buy the grocery items and also some preschool supplies for Teddy." Uncle Donald said.

"Uncle Donald, you said that we are going to meet Mrs Raymond tomorrow. So I have to wear the prosthetic mask you bought. Then what will we tell Teddy?" I asked.

"Let's go to preschool first. We can go to the Raymond mansion after leaving Teddy at the school."

"But he doesn't have any bags to take to the school." I said.

"Then let's go shopping now. We can buy everything he will be needing for the school." Uncle Donald offered.

"I'll go and tell Teddy. He'll be excited." I went back to the bedroom.

We first had our dinner and then went shopping. I packed the bags after Teddy fell asleep. I woke up early in the morning and made breakfast and also packed lunch for Teddy to take to the preschool. By 7.30, we left for school. It took half an hour to reach the school. The preschool was inside the premises of the Raymond group of educational institutions. I was happy to see the facilities and amenities of the preschool. It was more than what I had thought or dreamed for Teddy. I just wished to give him the best I could afford but this is far beyond my expectations and I am grateful for coming back to New York. We went to the office and on seeing Uncle Donald, the lady behind the desk stood up and greeted us.

"Welcome, Mr. Shultz. Madam Raymond has informed us about the new admission. The caretaker will take the boy to the class and you can complete other official papers."

I turned to Teddy and kneeled in front of him.

"Baby, did you like the school?" I asked.

"Mama, I love it. There are so many things to play. Thank you mama, I love you."

"I love you too, my Teddy bear. Be a good boy and make many friends by the time I come to pick you up." I kissed him goodbye before letting him go with the caretaker. We then went to the administrator's office to complete the admission process.

"Good morning, I am Yelena Dorothy, administrator of the preschool. We have been informed about the new admission. Kindly fill out the admission form after I tell you all the rules and regulations of the institution. This preschool comes under the Raymond group and is provided free of cost to the children of all the employees of the Raymond group. Kids can come to the school without any bags. Meals are provided for the kids along with snacks. Discipline is mandatory and the use of bad language is strictly prohibited. The timing of the school is according to the needs of the parents. School opens at 8 in the morning and closes at 7 in the evening. It's for the convenience of the working parents as you can call it a day care center. Vehicles will pick up your kid from the Raymond mansion premises by 7:30 and drop them off at 3:30, 5:30, or 7:30. You can tick the time you prefer to drop your child at home."

"I would prefer 3:30 but I can't tell you right now. I will come in the evening and give you the exact time. Actually, I don't know what my work timings will be. Is that okay?" I asked.

"That will do, ma'am." The administrator agreed.

I filled out the form and gave it to the administrator who went through the details and she frowned looking at me.

"Why are the details incomplete? Where is your son's birth certificate?" She asked.

"I hope you have already got instructions from the Raymond family to give admission to this child. So there is no need for asking unnecessary questions." Uncle Donald came to my help.

"I understand Mr. Shultz but still we need the surname. I'm not asking to tell his father's name. If not for the boy, she could at least fill in her complete name." The administrator's words felt like a slap on my face.

How can I tell her that I don't have a surname? I just knew my name as Sarah and I never felt a surname is necessary to live in this world. Moreover, I don't even have a birth certificate let alone Teddy. How will I get a birth certificate for Teddy when I don't even know where he was born or to whom? Again Uncle Donald came to my rescue.

"Her family disowned her after having Teddy. That's why she can't use her surname. She is a rape victim and doesn't know about the father. She was living a secluded life till now so that she didn't have to answer these unnecessary questions. Now please complete the formalities so that we can leave."

"Okay, Mr. Shultz. For now it's not necessary, but I would really advise you, Miss Sarah, you should move on. You are young and beautiful. It will be good for you and your son if you find someone who loves you and is ready to give his name to both of you." Mrs. Yelena Dorothy said.

"Thank you for your advice Mrs. Dorothy. If you still need a surname, you can add mine. I am ready to officially adopt her as my daughter. Once the procedure is complete, I will let you know. You can then add Shultz to their names. Till then, keep it blank."

Uncle Donald's words made me gasp. I sat there petrified hearing his words. Uncle Donald has done a lot for both me and Teddy. But this is more than I could even dream of. He is going to give his name to me. I don't even know how I got out of the office and reached the car. I was crying by the time I got inside the car.

"Sarah, don't take her words to heart. I am going to tell Madam Raymond about her. She doesn't have any right to lecture you just because of a surname." Uncle Donald tried to console me.

"Uncle Donald, I am not crying because of her words. You are an angel to me and Teddy. You have done so much for both of us and now you are even ready to give your name. You don't have to do that Uncle Donald." I said between my weeps.

"My dear girl, you know I don't have anyone to say as mine in this world. When I met you and Teddy, it felt as if I had a new family. I didn't say about the adoption out of the blue. It's been in my mind for a long time and I think it's time to do that. It's getting late. Let's go to the Raymond mansion. You can now stick the prosthetic mask on." Uncle Donald took the car forward.

"Uncle Donald, Mrs. Dorothy has already seen my face. If I go in front of Mrs. Raymond with this mask, won't Mrs. Dorothy tell her about my truth." I expressed my doubt.

"Well you don't have to worry about that. Rich people have their own ways and reasons to decide who to talk with and who not to. Mrs. Dorothy just gets directions from her superior. Madam Raymond doesn't have direct contact with these people." Uncle Donald explained.

"Then how do you know her directly? I mean you are not that rich." I asked.

"This world is not what it seems. There are lots of secrets, good and dark, around you. Try to keep yourself away from these secrets. You will encounter lots of such secrets inside the Raymond mansion. Just close your eyes to them and that will keep you safe. Just concentrate on your work and stay away from others' business. I am sending you to a safe place but I can't guarantee the people around you. If you ever face any sort of problem, just give me a ring. Raymonds are good and you will be treated nicely." Uncle Donald promised.

"I will do as you say Uncle Donald. I'm just worried about this fake identity. Is it necessary to wear this mask? I'm afraid of lies." I tried to make him understand.

"Sarah, you have no idea how beautiful you are. I don't want your beauty to be your biggest enemy. I told you that I can't guarantee the people around you. They might harm you for your beauty. It's better to keep you ugly for your safety. Believe me, you don't have to do it for a long time. I will soon find some other job which you will be able to do from your home. But before that I have to complete the adoption process. I want you to do this job so that Teddy can go to this school. Now just stick the prosthetic mask and also hide it with the outer mask."

I did as Uncle Donald said. Within 20 minutes the car stopped in front of a huge iron gate. The gate itself was enough to tell how rich the Raymonds were. We got permission to go inside after entering our names in the register. It took about another five minutes of driving to see the silhouette of the mansion. Mansion was just the name, it was a palace.

I was just mesmerized seeing the whole driveway. It felt as if I was going through the path to heaven. Both sides of the road were beautifully arranged with a variety of plants and trees. The road to the mansion came to an intersection where it parted into two. Both the roads lead to the mansion. In between the two roads there stood an enormous fountain. Riding through one of the roads, I could now see the mansion. I blinked again and again, not being able to believe what I was seeing. I am going to work here. The thought itself gave me hiccups.

"Uncle Donald, are you sure that I am going to work here?" I asked unbelievably.

"Yes and remember one thing. Always keep your eyes low. Don't look at anyone directly in their eyes even if it's another maid." Uncle Donald said, "I'm sorry but may I know why?" I was confused.

"Your eyes are so attractive and beautiful. They have the power to attract anyone. I don't want you to be in any trouble. Now come out. Let's go and meet Madam Raymond."

I stepped out without realizing what was waiting for me inside the huge mansion. I didn't know at the moment that someone inside the mansion had been woken up by my presence.