Chapter 3

Jonathan stood in front of the Tribeca Apartments. "Wow," he thought looking up at the magnificently tall building. The white stone building looked elegant. A doorman opened the door for Jonathan to enter.

The lobby had nice, marble floors in a cream and brown color pattern. In the north corner stood a brown reception desk. The man at the desk eyed Johnathan suspiciously, having never seen him before. Johnathan couldn't blame him he was dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt with a white zip-up hoodie. Jonathan realized he was dressed too causally. He hoped he wouldn't offend the family; maybe they could look past his attire. "May I help you, sir?" The man behind the counter asked.

"I'm interviewing with the family in unit 1111." He lied. "They said you would allow access or should I call them to come down?"

The man pulled out a white key card which allowed elevator access.

Jonathan watched as the elevator ascended slowly to the 11th floor.

"11th floor," the robotic voice spoke opening the elevator doors. Jonathan walked down the beige hall. The carpet was expensive. It cushioned his feet as he walked.

He stood in front of door marked 1111. He raised his hand to knock but saw a small black button on the side of the door. It was a doorbell. He pressed it suddenly becoming nervous.

"Yes," the cold voice spoke over the intercom system. He had a slight accent that Jonathan couldn't quite place.

"Um," He cleared his throat. "Good afternoon," He spoke. "My name is Jonathan, I'm here about the job." He said wondering if the man would open the door.

"I'm looking for a maid," the man spoke back his tone denoted that he was annoyed.

Johnathan frowned what the hell was that suppose to mean? He hadn't even given the man his resume yet. He pressed the doorbell again. "Yes," the voice said once more in agitation.

Jonathan bent down to talk into the intercom. "But sir, I'm qualified to be a maid, I've had 2 years of experience and I'm certified." Johnathan paused thinking for a moment. "Just because I'm a guy you shouldn't discriminate." He was confident in himself at this moment. "I'm good at what I do. I would be valuable...If you could just take a look at my resume" He stepped back from the intercom looking at the address, 1111. The door remained closed. Maybe this guy would discriminate against him with the assumption that only a woman could be a sufficient housekeeper. Jonathan sighed in defeat. The man hadn't opened his door. Just as he was about to leave he heard the locks on the door turn.

The brown mahogany door opened wide. Junsu stood in the doorway he had just come home from work. He was dressed in a black suit with a beige tie. Johnathan looked the man over. He was tall with a medium build, Korean, with nice almond-shaped eyes and flat cheeks that gave him a stern but nice look. The man had nice wavy black hair.

Jonathan smiled extending his hand towards Junsu who took it. "I'm Jonathan Cassidy." He introduced himself. "I take it your Junsu Won."

"Correct," Junsu opened the door letting Jonathan in. He wasn't sure about this. A man as a maid? It was unheard of.

Junsu looked Jonathan up and down taking in his presence. He was dressed like a youngster, in jeans and a hoodie. Not very professional at all. He was also black, not that it should matter but what was his work ethic?

Jonathan looked over the shoulder of Mr. Won at the apartment from the foyer, it was in complete disarray, with toys and clothes everywhere. This morning's breakfast was still on the table. Dishes piled up in the sink. Everything was a mess. Jonathan's eyes went wide at the state in which the apartment was. How can they live this way?

"I think you really need my services," Jonathan said honestly as he looked around.

"I agree," Junsu spoke. "I just don't have time to keep this place up," Junsu offered an explanation for the lack of order. "I need someone to help take care of this place but also to take care of my seven-year-old son." Junsu paused thinking. "Cook for him and take him to school. This job is not only about being a housekeeper but also a part-time nanny," he explained. "This is why I was looking for female help," Junsu explained as he looked into Jonathan's gray eyes.

"I can do this," Johnathan volunteered. He really needed a job and this was right up his field in hotel management, except now he was taking care of a family instead of a 4-star hotel. He wasn't really qualified to be a nanny but he could try. How hard could it be to take care of one child?

"What about your wife?" Johnathan worried. Wives are notoriously hard to please. The wife would no doubt want to consider other persons for the job possibly a woman and that consideration could squash his chances at this job. "I'm divorced, it's just me and my son Ki Sub," Junsu explained. Johnathan nodded feeling as if the gods had blessed him.

"When can I start?" Jonathan asked feeling confident.

Junsu wasn't sure about this. He looked at the casually dressed young man in front of him. Then he looked at his chaotic apartment. He really could use the help and he felt desperate. He could always fire the kid if things went bad.

"Can you start now?" Junsu asked desperately.

"Yes," Jonathan said taking off his backpack he pulled out some clothes. Can I use your restroom to change?"