Chapter 30

Photography was a somewhat engrossing hobby, but did not develop into the passionate love affair she expected. She was interested, and she liked to look for different things and places to photograph, but after she had framed an entire collection and experimented with black and white and sepias, her interest in shutterbuggery began to wane.

With Dennis gone on yet another business trip, Marqi found herself wandering the huge, empty house in flip flops, rarely bothering to brush her hair. Mei generally made a disgusted noise when she saw her coming, and Marqi had taken to rolling her eyes at the sound.

“So what are you doing?” she asked one particularly boring Tuesday morning.

“I’m cleaning and making bread. What are you doing?” Mei tartly replied.

“Nothing,” Marqi sighed blandly.

“Here,” Mei said, thrusting a bowl toward the girl. “Snap beans.”

So, having nothing better to do, Marqi sat at the counter and snapped an entire mixing bowl full of long green beans into manageable pieces. The housekeeper then surveyed them, nodded in satisfaction, and whisked the bowl away.

“So now what?”

“Wait for the bread to rise.”

“Oh.” Marqi looked around the room in dismay. Yet again, a room in the house had failed to inspire her.

“You miss school?”

“Yes and no,” she admitted.

“What?”

“Well, I miss having stuff to do… and like… having the idea that I had to get through these particular things to get to my ultimate goal,” Marqi said, “but then I don’t miss the hassle, walking all over campus, missing fun stuff so I could study. Only here there’s not that much fun stuff. No offense.”

The maid shrugged. “So do something.”

“Like what?” Marqi said, setting her chin on her palm.

“Go back to school.”

“I don’t know…I really don’t know… I gave up my scholarship,” Marqi said. “How would I pay for it?”

“This school is cheap,” Mei said, fishing a folded brochure out of her pocket.

“Mei, where’d you get this?” Marqi asked, turning over the shiny page.

“U.S. History,” Mei said.

“You’re taking a class? Wow, good for you!”

“It’s online,” the maid said, poking the brochure. “Online!”

“Well, still, there is a small fee, and I don’t even have a credit card in my name.”

“Hm,” Mei harrumphed, taking back the brochure. “Maybe you should get a job.”

“Yeah, but what can I do? I’m a college dropout with no car.”

“Take his car! You’re the mistress, you can do whatever you want!”

Marqi raised her eyebrow. “Okay. Maybe I’ll think about that.”

She stood up as Mei tucked the brochure back in her pocket.

“Green beans for dinner,” Mei called after her.

Marqi just smiled. At least now she had something new to think about, and a computer with internet access to exploit. She grinned as she went down the hall.