“Alright, one more interview.” I considered it might actually work out since home was presently a hotel. I was sure I could handle the job. After all, I managed the operations of a multi-million dollar law firm and our household affairs…well, the ones that Lawrence, the control freak, would allow me to…ah but I digress. One more interview couldn’t hurt.
5
Lydia set up the interview for 5:30 Friday evening. I arrived at the gated home of Emmet Navar with a few minutes to spare. The impersonal security guard waved me through as I looked curiously at the mansion in the distance. The traditional estate was close to the size of my house… well, my old house in Florida. The front lawn was as long as a football field with perfectly manicured shrubs lining the driveway. I should have asked Lydia more questions. Who is this man and what does he do?
Susan, the nanny, greeted me at the front door and welcomed me into the two story entryway. She looked normal. Everything from the woodwork to the décor screamed old money. There was a parlor of sorts on the left and on the right an office occupied by a man on the phone with his back to me. Susan led me down the hall.
Past the first few rooms the house opened up to a grand room with an exquisite black baby grand piano in the center. There were two cordovan leather sofas on the far side of the piano facing each other and an ornate mahogany coffee table between them set on an oriental rug. Beyond the piano and sofas was a staircase straight out of The Sound of Music. To the right of the staircase was a grand dining room with a table large enough to seat about forty people. To the left of the staircase was a rather long hallway leading to another room I couldn’t quite see.
Susan continued the tour to the back of the house. The gourmet kitchen was complete with custom finished stainless steel appliances, two dishwashers, a center island with double sinks, and an antique drop leaf kitchen table that seated six people. Beyond the kitchen was a family room with built-in bookcases, a fireplace, a leather recliner, and two overstuffed fabric couches…no television. We walked through the family room and a small mud room out to the backyard. To the right there was a three car garage attached to the house and off to the left about one hundred feet was another three car detached garage with a breezeway. The rear driveway alone was larger than Jed’s car lot.
The boys were busy playing outside, and so far it seemed Lydia had been telling the truth. This family appeared normal enough; at least at first blush. No signs of sacrificing virgins, demonic children, in-laws from hell, or armed guards with machine guns.
We walked back inside and Susan had me wait in the library. The collection of priceless books would have rivaled Lawrence’s any day. There were first edition volumes of Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Grapes of Wrath; even original works of Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Dickens. I stood admiring the books when I heard a voice outside the room.
“Annie…Annie…Annie? Annie, is that your name?”
Oh no. That is my name. Lord, I had to get better at my new identity. “Yes…yes…I’m sorry. I was just admiring your books. You have quite a collection.”
“Emmet Navar,” he said, extending his hand to shake mine. “Do you collect books as well, Annie?”
“No, my…ah…father did.” I lied returning his firm handshake. “Not close to the priceless collection you have, but I share his appreciation.”
Emmet and I stood while we talked. He was personable, but very matter of fact. He outlined the details of the job and his expectations. He shared that he is a private person and I would be required to sign a privacy agreement stating I would not share information with the press, sell pictures, write a book, etc. “I hope you don’t find that offensive,” he said. I speculated why he was so anxious about his privacy…was it related to his business or his family? Either way, I appreciated his position and assumed he would extend the same level of privacy to me, which was vital.
“With such a litigious society and privacy increasingly compromised, I completely understand your desire for confidentiality. However, in the spirit of reciprocity, I only need your assurance nothing unlawful or dangerous is happening here.” Damn it…That didn’t sound like it came from a woman that spent her days in a day care center singing Barney songs and wiping runny noses! I had to be more conscientious of my communication style. Emmet looked at me a bit sideways. “Sorry,” I winced. “A little too much Court TV I guess.”
Emmet didn’t believe the Court TV comment, but Susan entered the room with the two boys and we were on to the next topic. “Annie, meet Joshua and Elijah.” I sat down so the boys could approach me, just in case they were shy. Well, they were not shy. They were two of the most zealous children I’ve had the pleasure to meet. Elijah was six and Joshua was eight. They were in first and third grade. They talked at the same time and were absolutely charming. After a ten minute data dump of information they were quiet for a moment.
“When I grow up, I’m going to be a herpetologist,” Joshua said.
“And I’m going to be an etymologist.” Elijah chimed in cheerfully with an adorable lisp. I was pretty sure he meant entomologist. I couldn’t imagine he would be that excited to study words.
“Reptiles and bugs, how are you going to feel when your brother’s reptiles are eating your bugs?” I asked.
“I’m going to Madagascar to study big bugs, huge bugs…bugs bigger than Joshie’s reptiles; bugs that could eat him!”
“Is that right?”
“Do you want to see our reptile room?” Joshua asked. “Yeah, the reptile room,” Elijah cheered.
My college roommate was a zoology major and was forever commandeering new pets. Reptiles were her favorite, so I learned by osmosis. I never imagined my exposure to herpetology would prove useful. “Want to; I would be disappointed if I didn’t…that is if your father …”
Emmet was already giving an authoritative nod of approval. Each child took one hand and they lead me up the vast staircase to the reptile/ bug room on the third floor. It wasn’t at all what I had expected. The room was about sixteen by twenty feet, maybe bigger. Most of the wall sharing the hallway was glass. The floor was completely covered with sand. There were several potted cacti, a few potted trees, two piles of rocks, a few scattered boulders, and a small waterfall of sorts in the corner of the room. A desert mural was painted on the remaining three walls and the ceiling was painted to look like the sky. I had expected a few tanks with turtles and frogs; maybe even a little snake. This was truly eccentric.
The room had no windows or vents. The boys opened the door for me and the three of us ambled in. I turned to Susan and asked if she was joining us. She shivered a bit and shook her head no.
The room was warmer than the rest of the house; eighty-five degrees or so. Walking around were six large bearded dragons and two large turtles. On the walls and trees were numerous anoles and geckos; thirty at quick count. On the tallest rock pile next to the waterfall there were two mountain horned dragons. Several types of frogs hopped around among countless crickets. A huge thing that looked like an iguana swam in a shallow pond at the bottom of the waterfall. No snakes. I was careful not to step on anything.
The boys sat on the floor and talked about all the creatures and critters in the room. I sat on the boulder next to them making sure my shirt was pulled well below the back of my pants. The surroundings didn’t bother me, but I would lose all composure if a cricket jumped down my pants.
“Sometimes if the anoles get too close to a bearded dragon, they get eaten,” Elijah shared.
“Does that make you sad?”
“Not anymore, but it used to.”
Joshua picked up the mountain horned dragon and set it on my shoulder. The excitement they had talking about their pets was inspiring. What I found amazing was the knowledge these two little people had regarding these creatures, their