Chapter One

Oxford, London

January 2012

 

It was cold in London. The sky overcast as usual, the clouds a dark grey as the evening waned to flow into night. A cool breeze wafted through the nearly empty streets of the city. Lights still shown from inside of several of the shops and café’s helping to lighten the sidewalks. Evelyn had lost her job weeks ago, sure her dance classes at the studio helped keep her fed but she was currently living with a friend of hers; she hadn’t been able to keep up with rent and her friend’s flat was not big enough for the both of them.

 

Evelyn had to find a job…and fast. She needed the money…she needed to get her own place again. Marisa had been generous about her moving in but it was only a matter of time before they blew up at one another. The thought elicited another sigh from Evelyn’s lips as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket and quickened her pace not bothering to look up at those she passed. A sense of defeat came over her, increasing the wrinkles along her forehead as well as the heaviness in her step.

 

Evelyn had moved to London in hopes that she could make a new life here. After the death of her parents in a car accident which for some reason hadn’t bothered to take her along with it, she did not have any family left. Perhaps a few cousins that lived on the west coast of the United States but she did not know them thus, she had moved to London along with her friend Marisa who was an up and coming artist. It was a leap of faith that Evelyn had taken but she didn’t really have much to lose.

 

Upon arriving back at the small one bedroom flat, Evelyn grabbed the evening paper as she shrugged off the heavy jacket to throw it over one of the stools at the bar. The kitchen and small island were left open to the space of the living and dinning room. A sliding glass door led out onto a small balcony which hardly was big enough to house the small chair and table that Marisa had insisted on putting there. The large red sofa sat on top of a cream colored rug which contrasted with the dark hardwood of the floor.

 

Evelyn made her way over to the welcoming sofa and collapsed into its soft cushions, propping her now bootless feet on top of the glass coffee table. Marisa worked nights as a bartender which would explain her absence but Evelyn didn’t mind spending alone time in the quiet apartment. Having sold most of her own belongings, she had not brought much with her in the move considering the little space that was available.

 

Another heavy sigh escaped from her lips as she opened up the evening edition of the paper and immediately turned to the classifieds which listed job openings and the like. As much as she loved working at the dance studio, the hours were low and pay not that much better. It was not nearly enough to be able to support herself comfortably and having lost her full-time job…she was in dire need of finding another. At this point, even Marisa had begun to help Evelyn, seeing that it was more difficult then expected.

 

Even with Evelyn’s Bachelor’s in International Studies, it was a broad topic which sometimes was not to one’s advantage. The fact that she was fluent in English, of course with it being her first language, French, Italian, and Spanish also came easy to her. It seemed languages in general came easy to Evelyn and she could have spent the rest of her life dedicated to learning all of them…of course this was not the most reasonable way to make a living at the moment.

 

~

 

“Hey…what about getting a job with the government?” Marisa suggested the next morning as Evelyn shuffled around the kitchen making breakfast for them. The sun had finally decided to make an appearance and it’s bright rays spilled into the open curtains of the sliding glass door. The soft murmuring of the television in the living room accompanied Evelyn’s shuffling and Marisa’s suggestions as she perused the morning edition of the classifieds.

 

“I tried remember. I called them everyday for a week and still they could not do anything for me. They said they would keep my resume on file though.” Evelyn shrugged without looking up from the scrambled eggs she was making.

 

“Well, Evy…you may have to get back into retail or babysitting…at least for right now.” Marisa let the paper drop back down to the counter to glance back up at her friend. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she still wore the camisole and pajama pants she had slept in.

 

Evelyn did not respond right away to her friends comment, understanding the validity of the suggestion. She wanted a career, not just a job. She was so tired of going from job to job and she had hoped this last one would have given her that security…so much for that hope and dream. “What about tutoring?” The blonde suggested when Evelyn still said nothing.

 

“Tutoring?” This immediately caught Evelyn’s attention causing her gaze to shift up to meet her friends.

 

“Sure…you are really smart, Evy. You are great with languages, reading, writing. Tutor’s can make very good money and you can meet some very interesting people doing so, I’m sure.” The suggestion brought the slightest bit of hope back to Evelyn’s face as she contemplated the possibility. Marisa was right, she was really good with languages; her math and science skills were lacking a bit but she was good with the simple concepts.

 

“Tutoring, huh?” Evelyn spoke again lifting the pan from the stove to dish out the food onto plates.

 

“Yeah…I mean…I know you are not a big fan of children but you seem to work with them really well. You did great when you helped me babysit my cousins last week. They seemed to really like you.” Evelyn once again grew silent as her friend continued to talk. Pulling the pieces of toast from the toaster, she placed them equally on the plates before turning toward the island. The dark granite countertops contrasted with the pristine white of the plates.

 

“That’s true. I do seem to get along with them well. Maybe that is a good idea.” Evelyn once again shrugged her shoulders as she poured them some coffee and took the seat next to her friend. “But I am not licensed or anything…I have never taught anyone officially. Who would hire me?”

 

“You said you did some teaching in high school right? Some volunteer stuff…that has to count for something. Plus, you have a Bachelor’s degree and the fact that you know languages will be some major brownie points. It could also give you the time to work on your Master’s…did you say you wanted something that had more flexible hours?” Marisa took a large sip of her coffee before beginning to chow down on her eggs and toast. The fresh scent of the vanilla coffee still filled the apartment from where Evelyn had allowed it to continue to brew. Both being American, they hadn’t quiet gotten a taste for the strong tea that was a normal necessity in England but they were getting there.

 

“Alright…that settles it. I will try my luck at finding a tutoring job.” Evelyn straightened her back and smirked. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad. Marisa was right, the hours may be a bit more flexible since she wanted so badly to start on her Master’s degree.

 

“Alrighty then…that is what we will look for.” Marisa joined in her friend’s amusement as she sat down her cup of coffee and replaced it with the paper.