Chapter 5 There Are Vacancies

• I heard screams. I didn't know if it was a dream or reality, because my eyes were still closed. Soon I heard the voices getting closer and closer. A light passed over my eyelids and I heard the sound of the window opening:
• - Wake up, Kat... Wake up.
• I opened my eyes and the sun blinded my eyes. I closed them again, lazy:
• - What happened? If we didn't win the lottery, what's the point of all this screaming?
• - Get up from there now, Katrina Lee. - my mother said seriously.
• I lifted my body, leaning against the hard, uncomfortable headboard.
• - What there was?
• - I found you a job.
• - So... Shall I start now? – I asked ironically the way I was woken up.
• - Come on, Kat. Move, you have a lot to do.
• I got up confused and staggering. Leon watched me attentively, along with my mother. She held the Royal Journal of Noriah Sul in her hands.
• - Hmm... Job vacancy at Jornal Real? I asked.
• - Yes... Lady of the queen's company. - my mother said smiling.
• - What? I asked perplexed. – Do you think I'm suitable for this job? Inside the castle?
• - Of course you do... You're Katrina Lee.
• - Mom... I couldn't.
• - Because? – she asked looking at me seriously.
• - Mom, I've never seen myself inside Noriah's castle... I'm not even in favor of the monarchy... I don't like the way Queen Anne leads the country. And I could list other less important things if you want.
• - I don't care what you think, Kat. It matters that it's every girl her age's dream job. Not just for the salary, which is the best compared to any job you could get. It's the fact that you're inside Noriah's castle, with the queen.
• - Mother... They would never choose me.
• - Then you will find a way to be chosen. Because you are Katrina Lee and we need this money and this prestige to regain our dignity in the city.
• While I thought being chosen for this job was impossible, my mother was right: I could at least try. I picked up the newspaper and saw the ad, which took up an entire page. It was the job of the year. And guess what? The chosen woman would be from class D onwards. Disagreements would think that Queen Anne was a wonderful person, giving job opportunities to the less fortunate. I, reading that, already understood the real reason for it all: popularity of the monarchy. They needed to be in the media and make a good impression on the people.
• While going to the table to have breakfast, I took the opportunity to read the rest of Jornal Real. There was only milk for breakfast. I looked at my mother worriedly.
• - We have more food, but I'll save. - she said.
• - I get it. - I spoke.
• - But... Leon ate it?
• - Yea.
• - He won more than a glass of milk, didn't he?
• She nodded. I looked at him playing with his carts in the middle of the room, little concerned with what was happening at that moment. I didn't want Leon to go through difficulties. He was just a kid and he wasn't to blame for anything. The responsibility weighed even more on me.
• - Tomorrow you can give him my milk.
• - No need... As I said, just a way to save. Tomorrow we can eat the bread without the milk.
• - Mom... I'll get this job.
• - I know it. I never disbelieved you, Kat. You were born to shine...
• - Mom, thank you for trusting me so much.
• - You've always been smart, since you were a child. As he grew up, he always knew what he wanted out of life. And you will get everything you want in this life... I know that.
• - Thank you... for always being with us. I placed my hand lovingly over hers. – You can save my milk... I'm not hungry.
• She didn't hesitate and saved it. I asked:
• - Did Dad drink milk?
• - Yea. A glass. It shouldn't have, but it won.
• I laughed. She had no way. I went to the room to say good morning and to pet him. I know how much he enjoyed the attention I gave him. Adolfo Lee was already awake, leaning against the head of the bed. He was still pale and never seemed to gain weight. The doctor had said there was no point in him staying in the hospital. He was in deep depression, panic disorder, anemia and a heart rhythm problem. If it got worse, he would be hospitalized. But there was no worsening… no improvement. He was always the same. And the biggest problem he carried wasn't in his body... It was inside his heart. Regret for all he had done for his own family. A man addicted to gambling who lost absolutely everything he had, including his home and dignity. His black hair already had several gray strands growing out of it. He didn't always cut, so they were in the middle. He used to have a neatly trimmed beard, but lately it had grown out. I no longer felt like being presentable. He had no reason to, because the house was the only place he stayed. The blue eyes so clear that you could see your own image reflected in them were of an endless sadness... I really wanted my father back, smiling, happy, playing games with us... But that implied a father who almost all nights he went out to throw everything he had in his pocket. So the best thing was for him to be home. It was safe for him and for all of us.
• - This is all my fault. – he lamented.
• Our house was small. So it was easy to hear everything that went on from room to room. Even if Mom hadn't told him we didn't have food, he would have already heard what was going on.
• - Dad, everything will be fine. - I said trying to cheer him up. - I'll try to get a job.
• - I heard about the vacancy for Queen Anne's lady-in-waiting.
• - Yes... But I'm not going to get excited about it, Dad. Do you know how many people will apply for this job?
• - I know... More than a hundred thousand... Kicking from below.
• - Exactly... Why would I be chosen?
• - Well, because you have a trick up your sleeve.
• I looked at him confused:
• - No, I do not have.
• - Has.
• - What do you mean, Dad?
• - I've done so many wrong things... And I'm responsible for you leaving college and having to look for a job to take care of the family...
• - Dad, I already told you...
• - Let me finish, Kat. I can help. I will not miss the opportunity to do this.
• - But... How would you do that?
• - Honey, sign up and wait.
• I left there full of doubts. My father never seemed like someone who could help... But it didn't hurt to give it a chance. I picked up the Royal Journal again. It was a weekly edition, so there was always a lot of news when we received it. All the houses received one, with the news of the royalty and what the monarchy did for the country. So it didn't contain any tragic or bad news. And it was the only newspaper allowed in the country. There were groups against the monarchy that handed out pamphlets attacking the queen. They were hunted down and thrown into the chair when found. But that wasn't much of a problem in our class. Nobody cared about us, not even the monarchy. So the leafleting ran free without much problem. But the groups that were against the system met secretly. And you had to be very careful, because someone could be unreliable and give the group away. That was a problem, because usually small groups cornered denounced the large groups behind.
• I opened the newspaper and bla, bla, bla... The same news as always. Half a page announced the courtship of Prince Magnus with Vitória Grimaldo, a young woman belonging to Class A. There was a photo of the two, but not together, but apart. Hadn't they actually gone on a date so they could post a picture of the two of them together? I laughed... Damn royalty, full of lies and now arranged marriages. Victoria was a well-known girl. Beautiful, rich and from an influential family within the castle. If I'm not mistaken, her father had the title of Duke... So I think she was a Duchess. But whatever, for soon she would be Princess Victoria Grimaldo Chevalier. The prince's photo was not very good. And I realized that they were always like that. They should always use the same one. Did he not like to photograph? The prince was 25 years old. I've never seen him smiling, neither in pictures nor on TV. He was always very serious. Although I didn't like anything that came from royalty, I didn't think his speech was bad. Even on TV he looked like a worried person. His forehead was always creased, showing concern. Yes... I watched it. Just like Queen Anne Marie was always smiling but did nothing to help the people. In the end I knew that everything would only change the day she left power. And there was hope that her son would be a better person. Dereck, the youngest prince, must have been about my age. Although none of the royals had a social network, he had several fake profiles. Some girls thought he might be behind one of them. He was a man who loved to show up. He was enjoying his life acting like a playboy. He traveled the world, lived in nightclubs full of beautiful, rich women by his side.
• I called Kim:
• - Hey friend.
• - Kat, honey. I can't bear to be without you in college.
• I laughed:
• - Of course you will... Our hearts are interconnected 24 hours a day and you know it. – I joked.
• - I think you'll have to work with me in the salon in the afternoon... There's this option.
• - Thank you, Kim. But for now I'll try something else. I don't know how to do anything in your salon... You know that.
• - I can teach you, baby. Is not difficult.
• - You are the best hairdresser and makeup artist there is. Who would risk giving their hair to me?
• He laughed:
• - Do not play!
• - Kim, thank you so much for trying to help me. But I need more money than a Freelancer in your salon...
• - I know... But it's still an option, in case you have difficulty.
• - Yes... But guess what? My mother thinks I can be the queen's lady-in-waiting.
• I heard his endless laughter on the other end of the line:
• - That's the funniest thing Laura has ever said in her life.
• I laughed:
• - Well then... She was serious.
• - Does she know that Kat Lee is against the monarchy?
• - In a way, yes... But not everything, right?
• - You wouldn't get the job anyway.
• - I know... The worst thing is that my father said he has an ace up his sleeve.
• We both started laughing. It really was funny. My mother thought I could be chosen as the Queen's lady-in-waiting and my father, a loser, thought he could somehow help. Hilarious was the word.