07
***
"Hello, Mr. Daud."
"Good morning, Miss McKay!"
At some point, exchanging greetings with the grocery store owner had become routine.
"What are you cooking today, Miss McKay, the chef of Newdane?"
"Hmm."
Nellie pretended to think with a thoughtful expression.
"For breakfast, I’m planning something light, bread rolls, bacon, and orange juice."
"Oh."
"And for lunch…"
"Lunch?"
"Chicken sandwiches with potato salad. And lemon soda too. For dessert, I’ll have coconut cake."
Nellie recited the menu she had seen in a cookbook yesterday.
"So today, I only need to buy chicken and potatoes! For dinner, I’ll make chicken soup with bread. I’m also thinking of trying out that new bakery for the bread and cake!"
"Sounds like a wonderful plan, Miss McKay! Try adding this to your chicken sandwich as well."
Mr. Daud handed her a head of lettuce. With the lettuce added to her basket, Nellie left the grocery store with her hands full. After stopping by the bakery to buy some bread, she returned to 331 Fitz Street. It had already been a month since she started working.
Chester wasn’t exactly a difficult employer. He could be a bit sensitive in the mornings, very private about his personal life, and sometimes fall into deep bouts of melancholy…
But as long as she was careful during those moments, he was quiet and composed. Though whether that was his true nature, she wasn’t sure.
He rarely talked about himself. Even after a month, Nellie knew very little about him.
"I’m back, Mr. Coleman."
"Come in, Miss McKay."
When she returned, Mrs. James was waiting for her.
"Hello, ma’am."
"It’s been a while, Miss McKay. I just stopped by to see how things were going. It’s already been a month, after all."
"…Nothing out of the ordinary has happened."
Nellie shrugged her shoulders lightly.
"Ches looks like he’s put on a bit of weight. Thank you."
Mrs. James lightly patted Nellie’s shoulder, as if praising an employee.
"Don’t you think that’s enough? You should leave now, Aunt."
"Ches, you’re so cold. How can you be so indifferent to your aunt after a whole month?"
"I’ve told you repeatedly not to call me that."
"If Ches ever gives you a hard time, be sure to contact me. I need to head to the office now."
"Yes. Goodbye, Mrs. James."
After Mrs. James left, Chester turned to Nellie with a frown.
"If there’s anything troubling you, please let me know."
"I will, Mr. Coleman."
Chester looked at her with a very serious expression and asked.
"This may be hard to answer, but…"
"Yes? What is it?"
"Have you… had a difficult time until now?"
"Pardon?"
Nellie blinked in surprise.
Was this some kind of trap question?
Would she get fired if she gave the wrong answer?
She tilted her head slightly, unsure of his intentions.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?"
Saying something like that with that face, isn’t that cheating?
Nellie couldn’t meet Chester’s eyes, whose expression even looked a bit desperate.
She turned her head, afraid he might notice the rising heat in her cheeks.
Who could look directly at that face and still say they were struggling?
Sure, he was a bit sensitive sometimes, but compared to taking care of Mrs. Hudson, taking care of him was far easier.
Besides, didn’t this man often spiral into depression saying things like, "I’m someone who could die any day"?
If she answered honestly, he might fall into another of his melancholic moods.
Nellie could only shake her head at Chester’s clumsy attempt at communication.
Still, he was the one who held her employment in his hands.
"No, nothing."
"Are you sure?"
"I’m really fine. Not a single thing has been hard."
Chester’s lips curved into a bright smile.
His expression lit up like the sky after a storm, so clear that Nellie found herself once again reminded of how handsome he was.
"If, by any chance… well, if something did happen, you’d probably have called my aunt already. But just in case…"
Chester spoke with emphasis.
"If something ever troubles you, please don’t call my aunt. Tell me directly. I’ll take care of it. Getting my aunt involved just makes things more complicated. So please…"
"Yes, I will. You should eat now."
"Understood."
Chester nodded, clearly in a good mood.
As they sat across from each other for the meal, Chester, holding his coffee cup, suddenly spoke as if something had come to mind.
"I heard there’s a really funny movie out recently. A comedy that’s supposed to be hilarious."
"Oh, really?"
Nellie responded absentmindedly while cutting the cake.
"My aunt gave us tickets. Miss McKay, you should go. It starts at six this evening."
"Did Mrs. James only give one ticket?"
Nellie asked with a slightly confused look.
"No, she gave two."
"Then you should go with me. Why are you sending just me?"
"I…."
Chester began to speak with uncertainty, then shook his head.
"It’s fine. If there’s someone you’d like to go with, please do. You may leave work early today."
"Who would I even go with?"
"Maybe… someone at your boarding house that you’ve gotten close to…"
"I don’t even know their names."
"If not, then…"
Chester trailed off. It seemed the thought had finally crossed his mind that Nellie might not have any friends, likely because she spent all her time taking care of him.
"Well… there’s George. A friend I go walking with every day. But she’s a dog, so I doubt the theater would let her in."
"……"
"Seriously, just come with me. If your legs are bothering you, we can take a taxi. Where’s the theater anyway?"
"The Prince Theater."
"Oh, that’s not too far. Come on, Mr. Coleman. It’d be a waste to throw away the ticket."
"…Alright."
Chester reluctantly agreed.
***
That afternoon, Chester grew visibly anxious. His face was full of regret, as if thinking, "Why did I say I’d go?"
He even dropped his teaspoon while having tea, a first for someone normally so composed.
Even with his leg injury, Chester was always calm and graceful.
"I’m sorry, Miss McKay. I’ll go get ready in my room."
"Take your time. Let me know if you need anything."
Chester went into his room and didn’t come out for a long while.
As it neared time to leave, Nellie knocked on his door.
"Mr. Coleman, I think we should head out now. Are you ready?"
"No… I don’t think I can go."
A weak voice came from inside the room.
Wait, what was that?
"Excuse me? I’m coming in for a moment, Mr. Coleman."
"Ah! No, wait!"
Despite Chester’s protest, Nellie opened the door and stepped inside his room.
On the bed lay clothes pulled out from the wardrobe in disarray.
Chester was already dressed in a brown checkered three-piece suit.
It was a little loose on him, but it suited him surprisingly well, almost as if it had been tailored just for Chester Coleman.
Nellie let out a delighted gasp.
"You look amazing! Truly like a gentleman! What’s the issue?"
"…I’ve lost a lot of weight, so the suit looks terribly oversized."
"No one will notice. Don’t worry about it."
"This suit is from several years ago… It’s out of fashion now."
"It still looks high-quality, so stop worrying about that too."
"Since it’s the evening, I should probably wear evening attire… but it feels too formal. It’s been so long since I’ve gone somewhere crowded, I don’t even know what’s appropriate anymore…"
He kept mumbling to himself.
Only then did Nellie notice what the other clothes on the bed were, tuxedos.
A tuxedo? Just to go see a movie? Was he treating the theater like some kind of gala?
She was momentarily at a loss for words at the sight of the glossy, pristine tuxedo.
"It’s just a movie, Mr. Coleman. You don’t need a tux. What you’re wearing now is more than enough."
"Really?"
Even with Nellie’s firm tone, Chester still looked unsure.
"Don’t tell me… this is your first time going to a theater?"
"No, not quite."
"Then?"
"Before I went to war, I used to go often…"
"Then you probably know better than me what people wear to the movies, don’t you?"
Chester didn’t answer. Nellie tugged gently on his arm.
"Let’s go. We’ll be late."
Finally, Chester, holding his cane in one hand, leaned on Nellie’s arm and slowly stepped out the front door.
It was still daylight.
It seemed to be his first time going out at this hour in a long while, and Chester hesitated a little.
But Nellie didn’t give him any room to linger and quickly urged him on.
"Mr. Coleman. There’s a taxi! Go on, get in first."
She helped him into the yellow cab and immediately gave the driver instructions.
"To the Prince Theater, please!"
The taxi slowly pulled away from Fitz Street.
Once they left the residential area, commercial buildings appeared and traffic picked up noticeably.
Chester, clearly uneasy from being out for the first time in ages, sat rigidly, staring straight ahead.
Nellie gently tapped the back of his hand and whispered.
"Mr. Coleman, relax."
"I’ll try."
Even as he answered, his jaw remained tightly clenched, shoulders stiff.
Seeing him so tense, Nellie felt a twinge of sympathy.
To be this anxious just going somewhere he once frequented…
"You said you used to go to the theater often, right? Then I guess you must’ve liked watching movies."
"I didn’t really like them. It’s just…"
Chester trailed off, lips pressed shut before he could finish.
Sensing his discomfort, Nellie shifted the topic.
"Then what did you usually do for fun?"
Chester answered hesitantly.
"I used to go driving with friends… or drink and play mahjong at parties in dance halls. On days without parties, I’d go to jazz bars to listen to music and dance…"
As he listed his endless, extravagant pastimes, Nellie felt a bit overwhelmed.
Driving? Mahjong? Jazz bars? What even are those…
"Sometimes I’d go watch baseball games live… or play in games with friends."
"I see."
As they chatted, they arrived at the theater.
Nellie helped Chester out of the taxi.
By now the sun had set, casting a warm glow across the sky. Neon lights flashed on the front of the Prince Theater.
"Wow! This place is amazing, Mr. Coleman! There’s no movie theater in my hometown. I had no idea places like this existed!"
"Is that so."
While Nellie marveled at everything, Chester remained calm and quiet.
Inside, the theater was already packed.
Women in flapper dresses, cloche hats, and glittering jewelry filled the space alongside sharply dressed men.
Chester glanced at Nellie, who looked around wide-eyed with excitement.
She wore a simple white blouse, black skirt, and had her hair tied back with a hairnet. A plain, practical outfit, what you might call a working woman’s uniform.
It didn’t stand out, but it wasn’t exactly impressive either. Chester seemed unsure how to describe it.
"Let’s go in!"
They found their seats and waited a bit before the movie started.
Just as Chester had said, it was genuinely funny. The main character kept tripping, falling, and getting up again, and every time, the audience burst out laughing.
Even Chester, who hadn’t seen a movie in ages, seemed focused and entertained.
Then, suddenly.
A sharp, piercing sound filled the theater.
"What was that?"
Nellie looked around, confused, only to see Chester, his face pale, head bowed low.
"Fire!"
It was the fire alarm.
"Please evacuate the theater!"
A theater staff member shouted loudly as they ran in.
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