“You cannot tell me what to do! You are not the boss of me!” she hollered.

“You are against me. My mind is made up and you all keep trying to change it!” She yells in a room with just them two there. So she swings open the doors and yells out to her friends trying to convince them that they have all been brain washed. None of them say anything back, feeling obligated to the man and actually had a desire to stay and work in exchange for a room and food.

“But you just agreed…” He contested.

She could not understand how they all followed her and would not stop following her even when many people took a different path. Now that she is telling them to leave with her, they have all gone deaf. This is what she gets for even trying, she thinks to herself. Then she started thinking of that dream again. It felt so real! Then she recalled that she was the only one there. She found herself in a fork on her path in which she had to choose. The thought of her idiot friends being enslaved to this guy bothered her. And what about that child that was already doing all his dirty jobs, is it important that she tries to free her from him as well? In her dream she ends up alone, so maybe this is the moment she leaves and they stay behind. Leo is passed out with a hangover and no one else cares that she is leaving so maybe this is the moment to truly be alone on her journey without a bunch of whiney men crying about so many different things all along the way.

So why does she feel guilty leaving them, she thought. So she hollers “What’s the matter with you? I am telling you that we should really go! Staying here is a bad idea. We should get Leo and we should go now!”

“Ah common! You know we follow you anywhere. But give us a break. It has been a while since we had a chance to shower and sleep in a bed” replied the youngest guy in the bunch.

“You just want her in a bed. You should take her with you. We all need to get away from her!”

“But I do not understand why you speak of me this way. What have I done? You have asked for a ride. I asked if you and your friends want to work a few days and get some rest!” pleads the kind stranger.

“This is ridiculous!” she yells. “Can’t you see through this facade?”

The youngest male asks “what does that mean?”

“Aaaahh. I give and this thanks I get! If you wanted to leave, why you just donnot just leeeave? Ehhh?” contested the stranger.

“But…” she replied with a tear in her eyes so noticable in her mind driving her to think she was betrayed.

The elder man gets closer to her and speaks in a lower tone voice desiring to sound compassionate and philosophical. “Look. Your friends. They are followers. They are sheep. Lost puppies that follow you around because they have no sense. Easily they have been convinced to stay for food and shelter. I don’t know, what path are you following and why? Do you know?”

“Yes! Yesss!”

“You are following someone too. You are a lost sheep following a lost hope in the United States. You think you are leading your men to a better situation. Starving them. Making them walk in the rain, sleep on the floor. Never knowing what is next, what can happen, what will happen!”

“I didn’t ask them to follow me!” she angrily replied.

“But you just did! Right now you came out here screaming that they should all leave. You bad mouth me. In front of my face I might add! One can only imagine what you say behind my back!”

“Look you have a child back there working as your maid…” she defends.

“She is my niece! I am her only living relative! She has no home. I am getting older and cannot do the jobs that I used to.”

“I am not a follower or a leader. I don’t know what I am. I am getting away from that horrible situation I was in back in my country.” she confesses.

“But why do you think I want to harm you?”

“A false friend helping hand in disguise! What is it you want old man!?” she alarms.

“Ahh whatever” he gives up and walks inside.

She stands wondering what does this all mean? She rolled her eyes to the left and really asks herself if she is dreaming. She walked out the door. What did she see as she walked out the door? Why did she black out when she walked out? Wait. Did she black out at the party? Is that why she was so mad? Did he drug her and all of them? They were so willing to follow her before but they are being manipulated. How can she get them to see that they are brainwashed?

She looks to her right with the stranger waving his hands at her “hello!”

He asks “what are you going to tell them? Hmmm? What!?! Are you going to tell them ‘Follow me…that way!’ Hmm? Well?”

“Stop drilling me! You are not the boss of me!”

“At least do you laundry.”