THE UNEXPECTED DOMINANCE OF RICHARD PAYTON

"Knock knock" 

Richard knocked on his mother-in-law's door.

"Come in" came her dry and weak response.

It was another Monday morning in the Chrysler Estate in California. The estate was located in the wealthy region of the city where only the wealthiest lived. Politicians, business moguls and tycoons were the only ones who had residential properties here.

You would expect the husband of somebody in this area to be relaxed on the balcony, sipping wine or some exotic juice and having his feet wiped by servants. But the reverse was the case in Richard's life. He was on the balcony but he was not receiving any such treatment. 

In fact, he was kneeling on the ground, wiping the feet of his mother-in-law, Grace Chrysler. The woman sat comfortably, intentionally moving her legs about to make it difficult for Richard to be done with the cleaning. He had to move about on his knees with the towel and water to continue cleaning her feet when she changed positions.

"Hurry up, you freeloader! I have a meeting with my friends this evening. Clean my legs fast so I can call in the pedicure lady!" She hollered at him scornfully.

"Yes, Ma'am. Sorry" Richard replied and apologised at once and tried his best to keep up with her movements.

Normally he would have pointed out to her that she was the one delaying with her switching positions but the last time he said anything in reply to anybody in this house, he was starved for two days straight.

It was with his brother-in-law. He had asked him to bath the dogs but Richard informed him that the dogs were sick. He insisted that Richard bath them and they got worse. When Richard asked why, he tried reminding him that he had told him of their condition earlier.

"You have the guts to even talk to me? You must be feeding very well to even fathom the idea of replying me. You will not be tasting any food in this house until those dogs recover!" Samuel, his brother-in-law hollered.

And so it went, luckily for him, the dogs responded early to veterinary treatment. Since then, he learned that it was better to keep quiet. He was a nobody after all. 

"Are you spacing out?!" Grace's voice thundered, breaking into Richard's thoughts.

"No, Ma'am. Sorry, Ma'am" He apologised and immediately returned to his task. 

Soon he was done with cleaning her legs. "I'm done, Ma" he informed her.

She ignored him, feigning interest in the papers in her hand.

"Ma, I said I'm..." 

Splash! 

The water on the stool he was using to wipe her feet got emptied on him, drenching him from head to toe.

"Did I tell you I was deaf?" Came her cold response.

"Clean up this wet mess and get out of my sight, you swine" she ordered.

Richard motioned to fetch a mop but she stopped him immediately.

"Are you leaving this place to get a mop? You want to drop all over my chambers in search of a mop?" She hollered in her signature condescending tone.

"There's nothing else in sight, Ma" he replied quietly.

She pointed her finger at him, waving it up and down. "These rags you're putting on were bought with my money. You might as well clean my floor with them" she instructed.

Richard quietly took off his shirt got on his knees. He began wiping off the ground with the dry part of his clothes. When he was done and heading out, she called after him.

"On your way out, call in the cleaner to do a proper job here" she instructed.

"Yes, Ma'am" he answered.

Even the servants looked at him with contempt. They avoided him and were always talking and whispering when they saw him. Just like the three maids he passed after informing the cleaner. 

"Does he ever stop stinking?" 

"I think the smell's etched on his skin now"

"He can't even get a job. How shameless" 

He heard them whisper to each other as he passed them. They weren't even hiding it. He was good-for-nothing. Not even his status as the husband to the daughter of the family could change anything. He was only husband on paper. In reality, he was just another servant. The lowest of the servants.

As he got back to his room. He immediately got into the bathroom to properly get his bath since the last night. He had been woken up early that morning to wash Samuel's vehicle, serve the dogs and clean his mother-in-law's feet. His life was miserable here.

But still he couldn't leave. Where would he go? He had no money. He had no relations. But more than these, he was hopelessly in love with Rachel. He hoped that one day she might reciprocate his feelings even though all she's done over the years was humiliate and maltreat him.

Then he heard the sound of a vehicle driving in. Rachel was back.

He hurried up and came out. He brought out the parcel he had ordered earlier that day for her. He had used whatever pennies he had gathered to purchase a necklace for her as a gift for their anniversary which she never honoured or even remembered.

"Welcome back, darling" he greeted her at the doorway with a beaming smile.

"What is it this time?" She replied him with a contemptuous tone. 

"How was your day?" He asked out of sincere concern.

She stopped in her tracks and sighed impatiently. "What is it you want, Richard?!" She yelled.

"Another money? Sorry but I don't have any spare change to give you today. I thought I have you 20 dollars last week" she hollered, completely irritated by him.

He smiled sadly. "I'm not asking for money, Rachel" he replied quietly, his hands behind his back.

"Then what is it?! Please I'm tired and I need to rest. Plus you stink. Haven't you had your bath?" She was on her last nerve.

Richard's face fell at that moment.

Couldn't she at least fake a little care for him? Why was she so irritated by his presence? He didn't ask her to marry him. She was the one who asked him to marry her in exchange for her paying of his debt at his former company.

"I just wanted to say Happy Anniversary" he smiled and handed her the parcel gracefully.

Her countenance changed for a second. Then it went blank.

"What's in there?" She asked, not even taking the parcel.

"It's a gift, open it when you get to your room" he urged, pushing it forward to her.

"I don't want trash in my room. Open it here" she insisted.

By this time, his mother-in-law had come downstairs after hearing all the rants. The servants and maids had also began clustering at corners and eavesdropping.

Samuel also walked in with his friends at the same moment.

"What is Loserchard doing today?" Samuel said. Him and his friends burst out laughing.

"Well he remembered that today was our anniversary and said he got me something" Rachel replied, crossing her arms.

"Wow, none of us even remembered. Shows how trivial" Grace said, chuckling from the stairs.

"Who remembers the anniversary of a wedding to a loser?" Samuel laughed again with his friends.

Richard tried his best to maintain his composure. He was being humiliated all over again. It was nothing new but this was taking its toll on him because he had done his best to prepare for this moment and spent all he had on the gift.

"Well, let's see what you got for Rachel then" Grace chuckled again. It was clear they were eager to disgrace him more.

Richard hesitated. Then he finally mustered courage and opened the parcel. The necklace sat comfortably in the case. It wasn't anything expensive looking or radiating but it was a decent piece of jewelry.

Rachel instantly became furious. "Are you our of your mind, Richard?!" She yelled.

"You stop me from getting my well deserved rest for this piece of trash?" She slapped the parcel off his hands.

Richard's face fell. 

Samuel walked to the necklace and picked it off the floor. 

"It's not that bad for a man like Richard. But this shit is an insult to Rachel and the Chrysler family. Even our maids wear better jewelry to parties" he said and held it above Richard's face with the tip of his fingers.

"I knew you were hopeless but this stupid?" Grace commented.

Rachel wasn't over. "You spent the dollars I gave you on this piece of trash?"

Samuel dropped it and smashed it with his foot. "You should have saved your dollars and stayed silent, man" he replied mockingly.

"I can't believe..." Rachel was about shouting with the home telephone rang.

"Somebody get that bloody phone!" She yelled.

One of the maids rushed to it.

"You'll pay for this disgrace and insult, Richard. I promise you. You won't get away with humiliating me with that piece of trash in front of servants and visitors" Rachel swore.

Richard immediately wished he had bought himself something and celebrated the anniversary alone.

"Ma, they're asking for Mr Chrysler" the maid called their attention.

Samuel turned. "Who's asking for me that doesn't have my private line?" He asked, feeling a bit disrespected.

"Not you, Sir. Mr Richard Chrysler" the maid clarified.

"Who's asking for the loser?" Samuel chuckled.

"The caller said he's from The Payton Group" the maid replied.

The whole living room went dead silent. 

Grace was the first one to speak. 

"What does the biggest enterprise in California want with Richard?" She asked.

Samuel chuckled. "Who knows? Maybe the loser has been involved in a scam or theft or something. Broke men can always be desperate you know" he replied.

"Oh, he better not. He better not bring shame to this family after all we've done for him" Grace thundered.

"Go and answer the phone, Richard. Let's hear what you've done this time. And be ready to pack your bags and leave if it's what Samuel said. We're disowning you immediately" Rachel ordered with the deepest of contempt.

Richard's heart raced as he walked to the phone. He hadn't done anything to get the attention of such a big enterprise. Had someone used his details to pull a scam on the company?

"Hello" he said quietly as he picked the phone. 

"Put it on speaker, loser!" Samuel hollered.

Richard did so.

"Are you Mr Richard Chrysler?" The caller asked.

"Yes" he replied.

"Please, Sir, we'd like to request a meeting with you as soon as possible" the caller said.

"Is anything the issue... Sir"? Richard asked.

"Yes, Sir. We have multiple reasons and information that point to you as the rightful heir of the Payton Enterprise"