Chapter 09: New Job, New Start

A week had passed since that meeting with the management of the letting agency and it was time to start the job. Unsure on how to approach the first meeting of the acquaintance, Jack was unsure of himself, but like he has mostly done since his return, he grits his teeth and got on with it. Dressed in a navy blue and white striped tracksuit, old worn-out white trainers, and a plain white t-shirt underneath the tracksuit jack, he was nervous but prepared for his new role.

Buzzing the 'tradesman' buzzer of the building and entering through the electric front doors of the building after being let in, looking around he was stunned by the quality of this building. This building is supposed to be a building that's mostly housing university students, so why is it that it looks like a 5* hotel that even puts 'The Litz' the shame? Walking even further into the reception area, Jack heard rushed footsteps from behind him.

Turning around he was greeted by a woman who was leant over, with one hand on the wall beside her completely out of breath. Regaining her composure, she rose to an upward position and slowly approached Jack. A stunningly beautiful woman stood before him. She looked no older than 20, with an athletic figure, a larger than average chest and deep blue eyes that were as serene as the ocean itself. Her long blonde hair had been curled up and wrapped into a bun, with little parts of it hanging loose over her nape and dressed in a black with faint grey lining office dress and white high heels.

Jack was in trouble mentally. Being nervous and uncomfortable in general around strangers was hard enough but being in front of a woman as beautiful as her, he momentarily forgot to breathe and had to recollect himself from his thoughts.

"Hi there, it's nice to meet you! I'm Raella, Mia's older sister. Thanks for accepting the job, we were really struggling to find someone for the position as it's quite a heavy workload."

"Umm… yeah no problem, it's nice to meet you too… Mia is Rachel's friend, right?"

"Yeah, that's right! Those two have been inseparable since high school and to think since Mia wanted to follow me to uni, Rachel also tagged along, it's like I've got two little sisters, ha-ha"

After greeting one another, Raella showed Jack around the building, the different floors, the location of the underground car park, the storage areas for each flat at the back of the building, and then lastly back to the receptionist area, due to the caretakers work cupboard being stored behind the receptionist desk, near the fire escape.

This building was absolutely stunning. It wasn't just the lobby that looked out of this world, but also the upper floors too. The underground carpark was as standard as it could be but was locked with an electric door and a scanner that opens the gate whenever it reads an approved license plate. The upper floors had white marble floors just like the lobby, the elevators were brand new and high quality, even the storage cupboards for the flats which normally represent a wooden cupboard or a medium quality shed, instead were high quality and had electric pin-lock security locks.

Being confused by the quality, Jack first apologized to Raella in case what he would say came across as rude, but then followed it up by double confirming that this was definitely a building made for the purpose of having university students housed inside. It didn't make sense to him, for a building with such a purpose to look like this.

"ha-ha! Judging by that question it seems like the manager didn't fill you in on everything. In the interview he tested your character a little with the personal questions that you wouldn't normally get in an interview, right?"

"Urm… yeah, he did."

"There's a reason for that you see! This is a building that was built with the idea of housing university students who have important backgrounds! That's why even though I'm a resident who's been here for a while, I also had a little bit of sway with the manager regarding who we hire!"

Jack flinched back in shock, to know that not only he was in front of a person who he'd originally thought was another normal person like him, was actually one of the upper echelons in society, but also shocked that the building was so important. Lowering his head, in a softened tone he posed a question.

"is it… is it really alright for me to work here? As you said, this place is for important people, and I'm not good with people in general, but I don't want to offend any important people by accident when I'm working here…"

Raella's usual happy go lucky nature disappeared momentarily, and she got serious in response to his question.

"You really worry about that, eh? Well listen, I'm not just saying this to make you feel better or to tell white lies to make sure we have a caretaker, but I'm saying it because it's the truth. You were hired because I and the agency management believe you're up to the task, your sister has sung your praises to Mia, which also reached my ears, and the management also approves of your character. You're not an individual with a hidden lecherous or rude nature so you won't cause the girls in the building hassle, and lastly, I know of your social anxiety problem. Being here will be good for you and might even help you slowly open up. So yes, it's okay for you to be here, and you're more than enough for the job at hand."

Jack, without realizing smiled as he raised his head to look towards Raella. This made her return to her usual chipper self as she let out a laugh.

"See! You're even smiling now! What more proof do you need that you should work here!"

Then suddenly a vibrating sound followed by an electrical bell repeatedly ringing came from Raella's pocket. She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out her phone, it was an alarm she had set prior. Looking at the alarm, her face dropped into one of panic.

"Shit! Oh no! Sorry Jack, I've gotta go! I'm Late for work and If I'm late for work, I'm late for my evening classes, which then means I'll be late for my gym class! Look I'm super, super sorry but I need to go! If you need to get hold of me, ask Rachel for my number, today just do the usual stuff you'd normally do as a cleaner like mopping, hoovering, dusting, all of that jazz, the stuff is in the cupboard! Um, anything else? I dunno! Shit! I need to go, see ya!"

In just a matter of moments, the upbeat happy go lucky Raella, turned into an overly organized panic that rushed away to the front door of the building. Jack couldn't help but laugh a little at the sudden change in character Raella showed as she rushed off to work. Knowing that he had a job to do, he unzipped his tracksuit jacket, headed to the caretaker's cupboard, taking out the things he needed for the task at hand and left his bag behind. It was time to start the job.