The maid

Thinking about making this into a full length book. Opinions?

“I began making and using cleaning agents from all natural products when my son was quite young, Sir.”

“Why is that?”

“He suffered from asthma and the harsh commercial cleaners added to his symptoms.”

“I see. And are you now going to tell me that the use of all natural cleaners curing him?”

“Hardly. I think God and age and modern medicine did that, but I do think that by avoiding as many harsh chemicals as possible in the home, he had fewer flare ups.”

Vincent nodded, appreciating the honest answer. He’d had enough of housekeepers claiming that this natural regime would cure all ills.

“I am strict and demanding in my standards, you understand. Should you accept this job, you will live upstairs, wear a uniform while on duty and refer to me as Sir or Mr. Vanderson.”

“Yes, sir. I expect I will.”

“And what of your son now?”

“He is in his third year of college.”

Vincent’s eyes widened. This woman could be no more than thirty-five years old.

“I won’t go too far into your personal life, but will he be expecting to stay with you during breaks from school?”

“No, Sir. We have a two bedroom apartment which I have left to him. He sublets the second bedroom. He goes to school here in town, so I see him often.”

Alice was relieved that he had not, indeed, asked too many questions regarding her past. Still, she felt he had a right to know about her history.

“To be brief, Sir, I was quite young when I had Emmit. My family wanted me to abort him, but I refused and so they disowned me. I had been date raped, you see, and no one, including me, knew who the father was, so I was alone with a young child. A neighbor lady, Mrs. Simms, took me in and taught me about the old ways of cleaning. I kept house for her in exchange for food and board. She passed away two years ago and I’ve been supporting myself and Emmit since then.”

“I see. And does Emmit also work?”

“Yes, he is self-supporting now. He has a full ride scholarship to pay for his schooling and works part time at the library to pay for his other expenses.”

“Here’s my offer. You will be on probably for this week. If all works out well, I will offer you the job. For this week, though, you will stay here and follow all of the rules in this booklet. If you have question, ask me at any time. You salary may seem a bit low, but that will change after this week. Your compensation will also include room, board, health and car insurance, and a 1 month paid vacation.:

Alice was stunned by the generosity and quickly accepted. She followed a servant who carried her bag to her room. Actually, it was more of a suite. A small bedroom complete with a queen sized bed, wooden wardrobe, five drawer dresser and vanity with matching cushioned seat. The dark blue curtains matched the bedspread and rub. One door opened to a bathroom complete with tub, shower, stool, cabinet filled with fresh towels and a stainless steel sink. The medicine cabinet contained basic hygiene products along with a fresh toothbrush, comb, hairbrush and blow-dryer. Off to the left of the bedroom was yet another room which contained a loveseat, end table, two chairs, a rug and small writing desk with matching chair. On the end table was an electric kettle, a tea pot, two mugs and a variety of tea choices. A small leather bound book sat on the desktop.

“Mr. Vanderson requests that you spend the afternoon reading your manual. A meal will be sent up to you at six o’clock. When you finish, simply place the tray on the floor outside of your room. You should also try on your uniform and let me know if something does not fit.”

Alice leaned against the door once the servant, whose name she did not know, left. She then went to open the wardrobe, fearing what her uniform might look like. She was not anxious to wear something overly provocative, but would do so if it meant keeping this job. To her pleasure, her uniform was a simple, well made and very modest dress consisting of side buttons, a narrow belt and capped sleeves. After trying it on, she noted that it fit perfectly and would be quite easy to move about in, an important feature since she was often bending over and on her hands and knees while cleaning.  Next, she fixed herself a cup of tea and sat down to read her employee’s manual.

For Maids in the Employ of Mr. Vanderson

The following are expected duties to be completed on a daily basis.

1. Master bathroom: toilet, shower, bath, sink and counters cleaned and disinfected and the floor mopped. Fresh towels hung by Five o’clock in the evening as I shower after dinner. All soaps, shampoos, lotions and other sundry will be checked and replaced as needed.
2. First floor carpets cleaned with a push sweeper and hard floors dust mopped.
3. Magazines and newspapers will be recycled daily and replace with current issues.
4. Master bedroom: bed made by 6:30 a.m. weekdays and 7:00 a.m. weekends. Carpet swept, clothing folded and put away every evening. Trash disposed of, curtains opened after the bed is made, laundry and dry cleaning replaced in their appropriate places.

Weekly Responsibilities

Maid will set her own schedule but each of the following must be addressed on a weekly basis.

1. All carpets vacumed.
2. Linens in all used bedrooms changed.
3. Hard floors mopped by hand.
4. All guest bathrooms scrubbed
5. All furniture polished in all rooms
6. Ash removed from all fireplaces
7. walls brushed down
8. Library straightened and books replaced in their appropriate place
9. Fresh flowers in master bedroom, dining room and main parlor.
10. Fresh flowers in guest rooms if guests are expected.
11. All verandas swept and dusted.

Monthly Responsibilities

1. All inside windows washed and all outside windows on first floor washed.
2. Arrangements made for professional window washers for outside upper floors.
3. All framed artwork cleaned and dusted.
4. Mattresses on all beds rotated (you may enlist the help of the butler for this)

Other Responsibilities may also include but are not limited to the following upon the request of your employer or if the need arrises.

1. The purchase of new linens and towels
2. Professional carpet cleaning
3. Personal shopping services
4. Polishing of silver and dinner services

In return for the above services, Mr. Vanderson will provide five uniforms to be worn at all times while on duty, serviceable shoes of the maid’s choice so long as they compliment the uniform, all cleaning supplies (maid will provide a list of what is needed every Friday and the materials will be available every Monday morning), a personal suite, three meals a day along with healthy snacks, tea, water, coffee or lemonade as desired by the maid. He will also provide medical insurance coverage and pay for any medical bills of the maid while under his employ. He will pay for a cell phone, car and car insurance.

Should the maid fail in any of her duties, the two will have a meeting to discuss the issue and come to an amiable agreement. Mr. Vanderson has the right to correct the maid’s conduct, decorum, or work habits in order to help her meet his expectations. The maid has the right to refuse such correction and will then immediate leave the premises with two weeks salary.

The maid will at all times refer to her employer as Mr. Vanderson or Sir and He, in turn, will refer to her as Miss Alice. (Whoa! He has her name in here already???) or some other respectable term. Should Miss Alice disagree with a particular form of the address, Mr. Vanderson will refrain from the use of such term once he is made aware of the situation.

Miss Alice will have a weekly meeting with Mr. Vanderson every Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 in the library to discuss the week’s schedule and other new and old business as needed.