We wash off our plates and put everything into the dishwasher. Luke gives me a quick tutorial on where to put the soap in and how to run it but tells me not to unless the dishwasher is full.

“Now, speaking of cleaning machines, let’s teach you how to do the laundry!” He guides me out of the kitchen and to a door in the hallway between the foyer and the living room. As he pulls it open, there’s a wooden staircase that goes down before making a sharp right turn into a dark abyss. He pulls a string in front of him that lights the walls with a single, unprotected bulb. The walls lose all their luster as they become cinder blocks that constrict the space to only fit one person at a time.

Luke steps inside without a moment’s hesitation. The wooden steps creak beneath him as he bounds down them. He turns the corner and disappears from site. Taking a pause to gather my courage, I carefully step into the claustrophobic space. Slowly, I make my way down - my hands sliding against the cold walls as if ready to push them back if they choose to start closing in on me.

Finally reaching the first landing, I turn to see Luke waiting just a few steps down in a wide room. The walls are the same cinder blocks as the stairwell but these have been painted a sandy beige in an attempt to make the room seem a bit less like a dark basement. The floor is concrete but has a large, intricate rug thrown over it. Against one wall, there are two sets of washers and dryers lined up in a row. Lining the other two walls, are shelves full of even more boxed and canned food and cleaning supplies. Right at the bottom of the steps, a wooden door sits to the right next to a light switch.

Luke points to the switch as I step off of the last stair. “When you come down here, this turns on the lights. So be careful on these last few steps when you’re coming down.” He walks past me to the four machines and makes a grand gesture towards them. “And here are your new toys! Come on over, they won’t bite.” I step over to the four hulking devices. Placing my hand on one of the washers, I stare at the panel of buttons and the large knob and try in vain to piece them all together.

“Why are there so many buttons? Don’t you just put the clothes in and hit start?” I look up to Luke chuckles in response.

“No, there’s actually quite a bit to it. For example,” we spend what feels like an hour going over each of the settings on both machines and how to properly separate the loads. He explains the instructions on the tags of the clothes and that some clothes are considered ‘delicates’ and some shouldn’t be washed at all but dry cleaned instead. He shows me the different detergents and where to put in bleach if necessary. Dryer sheets, scented beads, how to fold each type of clothing, and so on. He didn’t let up until I was able to explain back to him everything he told me perfectly. I was ready to hit him more than a few times.

Once I folded the last shirt, he pulled out his phone for a brief moment. “Perfect timing, Charlie! Stores should be open by now and I’ve got a treat for you!” I look at him skeptically. “We’re going to buy you a brand new wardrobe! I’ve got an appointment set up with my tailor so that we can get you some proper clothes for a uniform and, if you’re good, we can get you some new casual clothes as well.” He winks at me as if I’m in on whatever joke he’s trying to make - if it’s even a joke at all.

He reaches out towards my face. “Let’s go!” This time, I’m able to pull my head back and dodge his hand. When his hand misses, he simply smiles and shrugs. He turns around and heads up the stairs. I look around, confused as to why he keeps leaving me behind, before shaking my head and going up after him.

Stepping out of the door at the top, I look around for Luke. He’s standing in the foyer waving me over. His smile is irritatingly wide. I clench my teeth and walk over to him.

Luke holds up a keychain with a few keys and a small black box with buttons on it. “I assume you don’t know how to drive?” He shakes his keys semi-mockingly.

“Why would you assume that?!” He was right but his assumption pissed me off to no end. Luke simply raises an eyebrow and smirks. This pisses me off more. “Fine. No, I don’t.”

He closes his eyes and smiles. It hurts me. “Don’t worry! I’ll drive! We’ll teach you one day so you can start driving me around.”

“And why would I ever do that?” I cross my arms in defiance and glare at him.

He sighs. “Because you’re my butler!” His eyes are begging me to understand something I’m clearly refusing to. “Just… Come on. You’ll warm up to it in your own time I suppose.” He turns away, not even giving me a chance to respond. He walks over to a small panel beside the front door taps away at it. “There, now you can leave.”

I start to walk to the front door but stop in my tracks when his words hit me. My face twists as worry warps my insides. “What do you mean ‘now I can leave?’”

Luke points to the panel next to him. “This is an alarm system for the house… But it’s also been altered to activate the chip in your back if you try and leave.” He laughs and tries to act like this isn’t a big deal.

“It does fucking what?!” I’m screaming now. “You put a glorified shock collar on me and set it to go off if I tried to escape? Do you think I’m a dog? This… This is so fucked up! You’ve kidnapped me!” My mind is swimming. I feel light. I can’t hold myself up. I collapse onto my knees.

Luke runs over to me with his hands out. “No! No no no. You don’t understand. I really want you here. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t try and run away before giving me a fair shot. Charlie, please…” He reaches his hand out to me and I slap it away.

I’m actually trapped. I could tell the cops? But… He’s rich. His parents probably have connections. I’d just be ignored. I’m just some homeless guy. Nobody will care… I stare up to the kneeling Luke, terrified. He looks back concerned. His smile returns sadly. “Come, Charlie. It’s not all that bad. You could be back on the streets.” At this point… I’m not sure if this is better.