Chapter 4
Olivia
Isaac’s been here three days, and he’s still acting like a pig. I glance around the bedroom at his clothes scattered on the floor, bed, and nightstand. God, he’s lazy. He never bothers to pick them up by himself. It’s my job to clean, but his room looks like a teenager’s and not one belonging to a grown man who runs a multi-millionaire dollar empire. If he’s this unorganized at home, no wonder the company is in trouble.
Things started out so good between us! I enjoy spending time with Isaac when we go riding around the ranch with me on Autumn and him on Buckskin. On horseback, he seems like a different person, laughing and carefree. He makes me feel good. But once he’s back at the ranch, he becomes moody and finds fault in everything I do. Nothing is good enough for him. Nothing!
“Daydreaming again?” Isaac says as he walks into his bedroom. I’m picking up after him again; I do it more for Neil. I just feel bad for him, because for sure one of the cleaners will complain about Isaac’s room. I know that I would if I was paid to clean up after him.
“Yeah, I’m dreaming that you’ll learn to pick up after yourself for once!”
“You do work here, right?”
He’s deadly serious as he folds his arms and stares at me. I don’t know what planet this man comes from? When does ranch hand involve cleaning up to the owners' grandson?
“Neil pays me a good wage to look after the ranch. Not clean up after you!”
Sometimes he makes it unbearable to be around him, I’ve been biting my tongue, but if he carries on this way, then I’ll have to forget to try to be nice to him. We can keep our distance especially because I don’t live in the main house anymore.
“I want to go riding this morning,” Isaac says offhandedly.
“You aren’t going to the office today?”
That’s what he said to me yesterday when I suggested that we ride today. I wonder what changed his mind?
“Maybe this afternoon. Now, I feel like riding!”
“Sorry, I’ve got laundry to do this morning,” I’m shaking my head. I’m not going to jump every time he wants to do something. If he wants to spend the morning riding around the ranch instead of taking care of the company, that’s his business.
“Have it your way,” Isaac says stalking out of the room like a little boy that’s been told that he’s not going to be taken out for ice-cream.
What did I see in him? I think shaking my head as he walks out of the bedroom. Okay, he is handsome and has a decent body, but that isn’t enough to build a friendship on and certainly not enough to building a relationship.
I fantasized about having sex with him when he first moved back to the ranch, but my initial attraction to him is slowly and surely fading. It’s a shame too because I enjoy the time we spent together riding and swimming. I’ve even come to enjoy him giving me pool lessons, but I still can’t make a decent shot to save my life.
Isaac storms out of the room, and I do the same. I’m going to let Gloria, the cleaner or Harriet the maid see his room. Let them sort it out. Neil said to keep Isaac company, not be his slave.
***
I head to the laundry room, wondering if maybe I was too harsh on Isaac? He’s a grown man, but he has the tendency to act like a big kid. I can’t get over the way he switches when we’re on the ranch and then it dawns on me.
When we’re not on the ranch, he’s not drinking. That’s the real Isaac and then as soon as we get back he hits the bottle like a duck to water, and that’s when the horrible side. The part that I hate starts to reveal like an onion, the more layers you peel, the more it makes you cry. He says nasty things and even at one time demanded that I fucking clean his boots because he thought that Ron, the other hand who cleans the boots had stolen his last pair. He insisted on me cleaning them and then we discovered that Isaac had taken them up to his room. God, he gets paranoid when he drinks.
I didn’t even notice that Neil’s poking his head into the laundry room.
“Hey, Olivia, I see Isaac’s not going to work this morning?”
“No, he said he didn’t have any appointments until this afternoon, and he felt like taking Buckskin out for a ride,” I explain, but I have a feeling that Neil already knows the answer to his question.
Neil slowly shakes his head. “That’s his problems. He does only what he has to do! He doesn’t put enough of himself into running the business. Not like before. He hasn’t even asked me who I put in his place while he’s here. It’s as if he’s not interested in it anymore. Maybe I should just think about putting him in rehab and forget about him going back to the office.”
Neil takes a deep breath, “Sorry to unload on you like this; I don’t know what’s got into him. I’ve hidden all the drink in the ranch. And I think that he’s got someone buying him some, because sometimes at night it’s clear that he’s drunk.”
“At least we’re on the same page about that.”
“You’ve noticed it too?”
I nod my head because I feel as if I should have spoken to Neil sooner, but Isaac’s only been here three days. It’s not as if he was going to change over night.
“An old saying comes to mind, and it seems to apply to him.”
“What saying is that?” I ask thinking that maybe I can be of more use to Neil and try and get Isaac away from his bad habit or disease as they call it.
“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”
We both smile and laugh, just at the irony of him thinking of an old saying about Isaac drinking.
“I haven’t seen you smiling much lately. How is it going between you and Isaac? If I may ask?”
“It’s not going,” I admit. “I try, but if I get too close, he seems to lash out at me.” I shrug. “I’m not sure if he even likes me or thinks of me as a human being or just some servant?”
“Oh, I believe he does,” Neil says. “Maybe he won’t admit it. But I think he does. When he comes back from riding, he’s briefly his old self. Then he starts drinking and goes into the new Isaac, the one that I’ve become accustomed to hating lately,” he crosses his arms and leans back on the machine. Luckily, I never started one of them. I was too busy thinking about Isaac and maybe allowing him to take advantage of my kind nature.
“Neil, I’ve tried. I have tried, but I don’t know if I want to bother with him anymore. I’ve been more than fair to him. But I give, and he just takes,” I need to tell him the truth. That enough is enough. I know that Neil’s my boss, but I have to draw the line somewhere.
“Olivia, there’s something that I haven’t told you,” he sighs and takes my hand, and now he’s scaring me.
“What?”
My heart is racing out of control like the old dryer, the one that Neil refuses to replace because he said that his wife loved that dryer. It was her first one, and it makes so much noise at times I think that the whole ranch is going to collapse. That’s how I feel right now, as if the room’s making so much noise, but the only sound is my heart beat racing out of control.
I beg him, “Please. Tell me.”
Oh God! No!
I move away from him; I can’t breathe. The room feels so hot, and it’s as if I’m suffocating so I need to get out. I can’t lose someone else I love. I can’t take it.
“It might look like I’m in good health, but I’m not.” He pauses and takes a deep breath. “I don’t have long to live!” He says the words fast as though if he speaks generally, he won’t be able to tell me.
“What’s wrong?” I ask feeling a wave of panic swell up from the pit of my stomach.
He holds up his hands. “Olivia, I hate telling you this. You lost your parents not long ago, and I took you in. But I didn’t want to burden you with my family issues.” He starts to walk away, “I shouldn’t have told you. I’m sorry.”
I shake my head, “No Neil. I shouldn’t have asked. Maybe they’ll find a cure; maybe it’s not too late. You’re a rich man. They’re always bending over to help the rich.”
“You don’t have to worry you’ll be taken care of.”
“Neil, you think that’s bothering me? My family didn’t even bother helping me. They thought that we had money, and then they were interested, but when they learned that dad had drank it all away. They slowly took me in one-by-one. Please don’t tell me that this is the end. Neil, you mean so much to me. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t given me a job on the ranch. I owe you. And I pay my debts. Please tell me what it is I can do?”
“Help Isaac! I need to see him happy again before I go. I can’t let go knowing he’s lost his way. I need to see him in a better place. And only someone as kind and good-natured as you can help him. Olivia, do this for me.”
I feel like crying as I hug Neil, he gently strokes my hair and says, “Save your tears. It’s not over yet. As you said, there might be some hope. I just need you to help Isaac. I think that he likes you. He’s just not good at showing his feelings.”
I break away from Neil wishing that he’ll ask me to do anything else. If I spend any more time with him, then I may turn to drink myself, and I’ve never touched a drop. Not ever since I found out that it killed my parents. My watery eyes meet Neil soft pleading eyes I relent. “Of course, Neil. You know I would move heaven and earth for you. You . . . You’ve been like a father to me for the past two years.”
Neil’s face lights up with a smile. “That’s what I want to hear. Just give him a second chance, that’s all I ask.”
He kisses me on the forehead and then leaves the laundry room with his head bowed down. He’s feeling down, and I know that there’s only one way to put a smile on his face and that’s to help Isaac. I decide to go to his room; I’ll do the laundry later.
I head up the stairs with a mission on my mind, that’s to help Isaac. I’ll find out who’s buying drinks for him and put it to an end. I’ll search his room with the help of Gloria and get rid of the existing bottles. I’ll make Neil see that there’s nothing I won’t do for him and it starts and end with making Isaac turn his nose from liquor.
I knock lightly on Isaac’s bedroom door. “Isaac?” I call out.
No answer.
“Isaac? Do you want to go for a swim with me? Come on. It’s hot, and a swim will be refreshing.”
I’m trying to sound pleasant and as if I mean it. I’m not a good actress, but I need this to work. If it doesn’t then I don’t want Neil to feel bad. He doesn’t deserve it. I’m standing and waiting for him to answer the door. I grow impatient and just open the door. He’s not in bed. I open the door and step into his room. His bags are gone!
Damn!
He’s left I realize as I face an empty closet with none of his clothes in there. This is the first time that he’s left the room clean. Which means that either Gloria or Harriet has come to clean it.
What’s up with this guy?
I know that this time of day, Neil will be in the library. That’s where he’ll be ready with one of his books.
“You’re not going to believe this. Isaac’s gone.”
“What?”
“Yes, Neil he’s gone and so has all his things.”
He lifts his hand up in the air dropping his book, “I give up. I do.”
I blurt out, “I don’t. I’m going to go to the city and find him.”
“Olivia, you don’t need to do that.”
Yes, I do, because you’ve been more than a father to me and I owe you big time. I’m going to find Isaac, and I’ll give him a piece of my mind. Once I do, he’ll be the one running back here, with his tail in between his legs.
“I’ll go in the morning. Don’t worry Neil. I don’t work Thursday’s. So, I’ll have cover.”
I kiss the old man on the head and reassure him with a hand pat on his shoulders. He holds on to my hand for a second, maybe trying to figure out if I’m serious. I’m a woman of my word, and one thing’s for sure. I’m going to bring Isaac back. No more miss nice girl. He’s going to see a different side to me now.