The Au Pair
001 :: A Record of Facts
002 :: Terms and Conditions
The border guard held up his hand miming lifting a suitcase.
Luggage....
003 :: Airport
004 :: The Train
The young woman stared out the train window. She watched her new country...
005 :: The Shops
The street was bright. Warm. It was busy. Nice shops. The young...
006 :: Delivery
The young woman and Simon had been standing at the door for nearly five...
007 :: An Entrance Hall
008 :: Welcome
Peter knelt next to the small table. He gestured for Naomi to sit. On the...
009 :: How to undress
You can get undressed now. (Peter)
Naomi nodded. She was expecting this. ...
010 :: Pubic hair
011 :: Shower
Would you like to shower now. (Peter)
Naomi examined where Peter had shaved her. ...
012 :: Pic
Would you like to take your pic now. (Peter)
Naomi looked at him.
You must have a...
013 :: Sex talk
Naomi and Peter were sitting on the bed. Neither looked comfortable.
You can...
014 :: Watchers
Today I am going to show you the house. Then I will teach you what to do. The...
015 :: The House
Peter followed Naomi up the stairs. She led them to a very large room. The...
016 :: What we do
Cinema. Peter. Select. (Peter)
The screen lit up. It had a...
017 :: Making Sushi
Time to cook. (Peter)
Naomi stood watching Peter wiping down the kitchen...
018 :: A Table
Peter placed a stool at the end of the coffee table in the sitting area. He laid a...
019 :: Phoebe and George
020 :: Letter
Dearest Sister
Day two. I woke up to my first full day in London feeling so...
021 :: Exploring her Skroll
Naomi woke in an empty bed. She had gone to sleep alone. Sprawled. In...
022 :: Playback
Naomi touched the picture of the master lifting sushi from her nipple. It was the...
023 :: Ear worm speaker
Naomi looked at the door. It opened. Peter came in.
Good morning....
024 :: Coffee
Naomi typed on her Skroll. She spoke in English..
Show my....
025 :: Dreams
Tell me your dreams. (Peter)
To have a house like this. To have parties that are...
026 :: Miller
Shall I tell you our duties for today. (Peter)
Yes. Please. (Naomi)
We have to tidy...
027 :: Letter
Dearest Sister,
Day Three. This is the best time of the day, the time I can type...
028 :: First Morning Duties
029 :: Reflection and Revelation
030 :: Breakfast
Peter’s Skroll buzzed. He spoke quietly for Naomi to read the translation...
031 :: Letter
Dearest Sister,
Day four. Sometimes things are a little silly here. I made...
032 :: Learning to ehhlie
033 :: Shopping
Naomi and Peter walked down the high street. Across the lights. Back forty...
034 :: The Poor
Peter opened his Skroll. He tapped. The screen changed to blue. He...
035 :: The Gym
Shall I show you the gym. (Peter)
Naomi nodded. Peter stood. Naomi...
036 :: Free to laugh
Naomi and Peter walked back to M&S to collect their order. This time the door...
037 :: Two animations by Jack
038 :: Music to play memories to
039 :: Letter
Dearest Sister
Day five and today I report that everything is just right in...
040 :: Second morning duties
041 :: Music, magic and sex
042 :: Cooking is not my thing
043 :: A mother
Naomi and Peter were sitting at the end of the garden.
What this. (Naomi)
Oh. ...
044 :: As if not spoken aloud
045 :: Bathing Diane
Naomi lay asleep on the lower terrace. Peter woke her.
Diane will be home...
046 :: Watching a film with Peter
047 :: Letter
Dearest Sister
Day six and I hope you will write to me soon. Everything has...
048 :: The au pair at work
Naomi awoke in the dark. Her movement caused the alarm to light up. Red...
049 :: Practicing anal
Naomi sat watching the door. Waiting for Peter to come in. When he did she...
050 :: John sets Naomi a task
051 :: Cooking breakfast with Maelle
052 :: Street Advertisement 
053 :: Sparkle protests
Naomi stopped at M&S. Orders and collections. She tapped the...
054 :: Silence like discouragement
055 :: Letter
Dearest Sister
Day seven and I can see the potential for me here. The streets...
056 :: Flirting one oh one
057 :: No one to talk to
The Skroll buzzed. Naomi picked it up. An alert. Diane wanted to be...
058 :: A numbers games
Peter heard a sigh. He started. Turned to the screen. They were nearly...
059 :: A bull horn
Peter. Bring the bull horn to my room when you are done. (Diane)
Diane left the...
060 :: Lessons in erotic dance
061 :: Watching the Voyeur
062 :: Practice, practice, practice
063 :: Letter
064 :: A secret message
Naomi leaned against the advert. She smiled as Jack approached. An...
065 :: Life is peaceful
Naomi did not exercise for long. Half an hour at the gym. She skated...
066 :: Double-time clean
Naomi. Naomi. (Peter)
Naomi sat up. Looked at Peter calling her in. ...
067 :: Letter
Dearest Sister,
It is still day eight and I am writing an additional note. It is...
068 :: iQ explained
You need to shower. (Peter)
She looked at him. Peter stood at the door. ...
069 :: The Man
069 :: The Man
A visitor was sitting on the chair. Facing the fire. Diane...
070 :: Letter
Dearest Sister
There is so much potential here. Wow, that is quite a sentence to...
071 :: MdMa
Naomi woke in an empty bed. Peter was upstairs taking coffee to Diane's...
072 :: Talking about fucking
073 :: Liking a minidoc
Peter liked Naomi’s minidoc.
Your minidoc is really wow. Were you being a...
074 :: An unexpected request
075 :: The au pair cafe
076 :: Saturdays
You can keep your clothes on today. (Peter)
Naomi opened her Skroll. She looked...
077 :: Pegging
Peter entered the room carrying a little black bag.
We have to practise this....
078 :: Riding in the dark
At eight Naomi checked her Skroll. Jack was in his house. She dressed. ...
079 :: The invisible man
The door opened. A man led Jack and Naomi down a corridor. They entered a...
080 :: LonMet report
Naomi closed the front door. She leant her back on the door for three...
081 :: Official warnings
Naomi woke. She looked at the time on the wall. She reached for her...
082 :: Personal warning
Peter woke Naomi.
Diane wants you upstairs. (Peter)
Naomi sat up. ...
083 :: letter
Dearest Sister
I guess when you see this you will say you told me, and you were...
084 :: Pretending everything is fine
085 :: Detailed notes
Peter woke in the night.
What are you doing. (Peter)
Nothing. Just writing...
086 :: Peter steps in
Peter woke alone. He lay for a while staring at the ceiling. Maybe thinking...
087 :: An empty bench
Peter checked his Skroll. Naomi had not moved. Still at the river near the...
088 :: Never the right thing
Peter stood in the street in front of Jack’s House. He opened his...
089 :: Do better
Peter stood looking out the kitchen window.
Hi. (Diane)
Peter spun...
090 :: Reset
Peter did not reset Naomi’s Skroll. It would reset automatically when she...
091 :: London lottery dream
092 :: The second referendum
093 :: Hank and Rita
At the time of the referendum Hank lived in Bristol. He had voted yes. He was...
094 :: The au pair plan
095 :: A new walled city
096 :: Tinsley House
Hank worked in Tinsley House. Documenting illegals. Processing immigrants. ...
096 :: Watching the sex tape again
097 :: The process
098 :: Remember me
99 :: Being watched
Hank was being watched. Hank knew he was being watched. Or he thought he was...
100 :: The interview
The au pair looked up when Hank entered the room. Hank smiled at her. He...
101 :: Hank makes a plan
102 :: Life outside London
103 :: Women in limbo
Mariam opened a camera of the common room. The one Hank had said. The escape...
104 :: Biometric checkpoint
105 :: Finding Naomi
Marram drove slowly through the industrial estate. Passed prefab corrugated...
106 :: The argument
Mariam and Naomi sat in the car. Mariam opened her Skrolll. She sheared for...
107 :: Driving on small roads
108 :: Welcome to the collective
109 :: Settling in
110 :: Morgan's garden
Madison was sitting at the table when Naomi came down the next morning. Drinking coffee. Reading her Skroll. She raised the cup to Naomi. A question. Naomi nodded. She sat while Madison got her coffee. She worked out her sentence.
I make garden. (Naomi)
Oh of course. Shall we take our coffees out. I will show you what we have. (Madison)
The tide was in that morning. Water lapped at the jetty across the car park from the front door. The road deded at the house. After the car part were the sheds. Then a small orchard. Fife trees. Then a vegetable patch. Then a field with a picnic table on the edge of the estuary.
So. This is what we have. This is Morgan’s garden. She will be out soon. I have to go to work. Morgan will tell you what she is potting. Through here are the fruit trees. Apple. Apple. Apple. Pear. Pear. And this is the vegetables. Ah. There is Morgan. I did not hear her get up.(Madison)
They watched Morgan walk towards them.
Hi Em. Up early. (Madison)
Yes. It is a good morning. (Morgan)
Is it not. I was just showing Naomi the garden. She asked about it. Can I leave her with you. (Madison)
Sure. You off. (Morgan)
Yeah. Got to go. (Madison)
Have a great day. (Morgan)
Bye. (Naomi)
This is my favourite time of the day. The night has slipped away and the chaos has not yet woken. (Morgan)
Garden. (Naomi)
Of course. But how will we talk. I do not even know what language you speak. (Morgan)
I learn English. (Naomi)
Of course. We can learn the names of all the plants today. (Morgan)
Let me open my Skroll. Can you tell me about your experience gardening in your language. Then after we will learn the English names for our veg. (Morgan)
Yes. My father grow vegetables. Always. His garden smaller than this. In the morning he water. After work he weed. I help him after school. I do my jobs. He say grow the vegetables that grow. If it does not grow do not plant it again. One year I wanted carrots. He never planted carrots. He say they did not grow. I maybe seven. Maybe eight. He say this is my patch. I turn the soil. He show me. I sow the seeds. Sprinkle in a row. I water. I weed. I take our some because there too many. But nothing. Little bad skinny carrot. He say see. This is how we learn. We now plant cabbage. (Naomi)
My father bought this house but he never lived here. He lived in Argentina. We did not know abbott the house until he died. We lived in London. Madison and I. Sold our flat and moved here before the wall. Madison still works as a translator. Not much work because of Skrolls. All the others work. Not today. Only Madison works on Saturdays. A private tutor. (Morgan)
Was he nice man. (Norgan)
Who. Our father. Mum always said nice things about him. She told us stories of his adventures. Probably made them up. Father left when we were five. My sister was a baby. He met mum in London forty five years ago. No forty six years ago. He was a student. Mum was a librarian. She was ten years older than him. Would not expect him to die first. Sorry. LIsten to me rabbitting on. (Morgan)
You no have to tell story. (Naomi)
It is okay. He was in his second year when they met. He sent home to argentina when he finished his studies. Mum went to nan’s home and had us. Maidstone. He came back a year later to live with us. Two years. Our sister is three years younger. Mum said he had to go back because he could make more money there. She said he would come back one day. I guess he made money. This is a nice house. He did not come back. I think he had another family in Argentina. (Morgan)
Is sister here. (Naomi)
Our younger sister. No. She lives in Maidstone. Madison will visit her today after her lessons. Two nephews. Lovely boys. (Morgan)
I have sister. (Naomi)
In London. (Morgan)
No. Tianjin. She no talk to me. She cross I came here. She say aupair is bad karma. She right. Bad bad karma. (Naomi)
You will be okay here. Learn English. Make new friends. We are good people. (Morgan)
Thank you. (Naomi)
Now shall we start naming the veggies. (Morgan)
They named the vegetable plants in English. Naomi repeated the naked. Morgan showed her pictures of small shoots on her Skroll. She asked her to plant out the lettuce. Naomi knew how.
111 :: Patrick's flirt is wasted 112 :: Lunch time conversation
A feast was spread on the table. A large lasagne. Salad. Breads. ...