Life Designed (Life Plan Series Book 1), Eliza Taye [great novels .TXT] 📗

“Yeah, I really don’t,” agreed Garrett, taking the shears back from Lance and starting on the next bush.

“I’ll be trimming those hedges over there, so just ask if you need help. The enforcers only stick around long enough to take attendance and then they’re gone until it’s time for us to end work.”

“Thanks, Lance.”

“No problem!” With a swat at the thanks, Lance jogged off to the hedges.

Garrett set back to work on the bushes, trying to remember how Lance had done it. Using the bush Lance had worked on as an example, Garrett shaped the next four bushes in the same shape.

Stepping back, proud of himself, Garrett admired his work. When he turned to see where Lance had gone, he gawked when he realized Lance had completed the eight rows of hedges in the time it’d taken Garrett to do the four bushes.

Losing pride in the work he’d accomplished as he realized he’d been way too slow, Garrett moved around the house to the next row of bushes and challenged himself to move faster down the row. He needed every single trecin if he was to be able to buy food and supplies for his apartment.

Eventually, he found himself lost in his work of trimming the bushes when a voice broke his concentration. “Hey, you, kid, I need some help.”

Garrett turned around, looking to see if the person was talking to him or someone else.

“No, I’m talking to you.”

Garrett fixed his gaze at the back door to the Grady house where Mrs. Grady was pointing at him. Sheepishly, he walked over to the back porch. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to break work to help someone do something else, but he also wondered if Mrs. Grady would complain to the enforcers if he didn’t. “What do you need help with?”

“I need help moving a piece of furniture. My hairpin fell behind the dresser and I need that specific one because it perfectly complements my outfit. I have an important meeting in an hour and my husband is gone at the moment. Could you please help me move it?” Mrs. Grady’s steadfast azure eyes stared at him, awaiting an answer.

“Um, I…I guess I can.” Garrett still didn’t know quite what to do.

“Well, come in and hurry up. Take your shoes off and leave them on the porch.”

Garrett did as he was told and followed Mrs. Grady through her immaculate home, feeling completely out of place. He was sure he stunk after sweating at work and not taking a shower that morning. While he shuffled behind her, she made a call on her interwave, pointing to the dresser she needed moved once they got into the large bedroom.

The dresser was heavy, but not too much trouble for Garrett to move. After moving it out several feet, he picked up the fallen elaborately decorated hairpin and handed it to Mrs. Grady.

With a nod, he was about to leave when she held her hand over the mic of the interwave and said, “Wait…for your trouble.”

Garrett held out his hand as Mrs. Grady placed ten trecins inside his palm.

“Thank you,” she stated, then returned to the interwave call before he could voice his own thanks.

As he retraced his steps to the back porch, Garrett looked at the ten trecins in his hand like they were solid gold. He never knew being given ten trecins could mean so much.

Outside, after descending the steps from the porch, Lance grabbed Garrett’s arm and yanked him around the hedges he’d just trimmed. “Garrett, what were you doing inside the house?”

“Mrs. Grady asked for my help moving a piece of furniture, so I went inside to help her.” Garrett opened his palm. “She even tipped me for it.”

Lance stared down at the trecins and then looked back at Garrett. “I’d hide that if I were you, you don’t want the enforcers seeing it. Also, we are never ever to go inside the house if we’re doing outside work. What would you have done if Mrs. Grady accused you of stealing something from their home or worse?”

Garrett opened his mouth to retort, then realized he had no good response to the question. Mrs. Grady could easily accuse him of stealing. After all, she hadn’t escorted him out of the house. He had several opportunities to steal something if he’d been thinking that way.

His silence prompted Lance to respond, “I thought so. Garrett, you have to keep your head down and focus on getting the job done. We have two hours left; I suggest you do that.”

Garrett followed Lance’s advice and kept working hard until the end of the job. All the gardeners lined up in front of the enforcer to be paid, Garrett at the end of the line. His arms ached, his back hurt, and he couldn’t believe it was still only 10 in the morning.

“Mrs. Grady said you also did a fine job so you’ll be paid the full amount of 25 trecins.” The enforcer reached into the bag of coins and took out the money, handing it to Garrett with his gloved hand. “You’ll find your next assignment has been sent to your interwave.”

Wearily, Garrett pulled his interwave out of his pocket to see his next job detailed in a message:

Daily Job Assignment:

Trash Collection

484 Montigue Avenue

Wage: 3t/hr

Start Time: 11am

Expected Duration of Job: 5 hours

Garrett hung his head in defeat as he realized his long day just got longer.

Chapter 23

The light of day greeted Opal as she awoke in her new room. For a few seconds, she couldn’t remember where she was, but then everything became clear. Declaration Day was over and she’d begun living her Life Plan. The path she’d been planning for herself had finally become a reality.

Sliding out of bed and slipping