The Invisible Housemaid

When she had first walked in, she had looked around bewildered and fearing she had taken some wrong turn and bumped into some bizarre morning party, she turned to leave only to find the butler in front of her, giving her a glance of understanding and the creeps as well, for the man was completely noiseless. Perhaps it was in his job description but combined with the environment, she found it slightly unsettling. “You are not in the wrong place, my dear” he said kindly. “Mrs. Emmerson has a unique way of doing things. Go ahead and enjoy yourself until you are called in. This may take quite a while” She did as she was told… Well sort of. She found it impossible to relax and as time went by, she started getting impatient, despite the man’s warning. She did not have all day to spend here, but she could not afford to lose this opportunity. The money they were offering were crazy for a seemingly easy job and as much as she was suspecting there would be a catch, she was curious and desperate. The combination was meant to be disastrous, but at this point she was willing to risk it. Not bearing to stand idle anymore, she grabbed a bubblegum-colored smoothie from a passing waiter just to have something to hold. She brought it close to her nose and sniffed. Cherry. She hated the artificial smell and taste of cherries. She made a disgusted grimace and kept the glass as far from her face as possible. “I thought they were poisoned too at first” a woman’s chirpy voice said from beside her. She turned to see a short woman, shorter than her at least, with dark blond spiky hair, smiling at her, with a glass of half-finished, slimy green smoothie in her hand. She returned the smile only not to come off as rude. In all truth she was not in the mood to make small talk. She just wanted to be interviewed for her job, preferably ending up getting it as well. “I am no fan of cherries, that’s all” she replied, hoping the other would be discouraged to keep the conversation going. No such luck. “Oh, I like all flavors” the woman exclaimed enthusiastically. “I am almost done with me kiwi here and I think I am going to try some mango next! They have a wide selection” When she did not respond, the unwanted company changed the subject. “A little?” the woman snorted. “How many times have you seen a possible employer throwing a feast for their candidates? I tell you, these rich people are so eccentric” “I don’t really care about how rich people choose to spend their money. I am just here for the job” she stated bluntly. “We are all here for the job, honey. I’m just saying it’s a waste of money when you are only looking for one person. Though you won’t hear me complaining about the free food and drinks” She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. If the chatty one kept going at it, she would have to go and powder her make-up-less nose to avoid her. Thankfully she didn’t have to, for the woman’s name was called and with a too happy announcement for her taste: “That’s me!” she left. She did not even bother to pay attention to her name, but she did not feel guilty about that. She was not here to socialize or to make friends. It was not the kindergarten. She just wanted this to be over, so she could go back to Zoey and Lex. Time was dragging on. It was early afternoon now. She would be worried if Andrea hadn’t promised she would get to the kids in time. Each candidate summoned in did not return to the garden. She guessed they were leaving the way they came; from the front door. When there left only four of them and she had half a mind to toss the smoothie in the nearest pot, she heard her name being called. She placed her glass on the buffet table and approached the butler hastily. After he led her to a relatively small and sunny living room, he bowed and took his leave. There, on a comfortable armchair, sat a very old woman. Her face was wrinkly and her cotton white hair was up in a regal bun. She was dressed in white as well and she leaned on an off white colored cane. If not for the clean and sunny room and the perfectly working clock on the wall she would remind her a lot of Miss Havisham from Great Expectations. It was one of the few books she had ever written and she had been forced to do it by her Lit professor. “It was inspired by her” the old woman spoke suddenly. “I should have stopped the clocks and create a sense of decay just to watch them flee, but alas, I love the light!” The dramatic tone the old lady used made her want to giggle but that would be inappropriate. “Come closer, child and spin around for me” She obeyed not managing to hide a small frown. She felt like an i***t twirling around like that. “Young, cute but not too much, short but not too short, thin but curvy…” the old lady muttered as if she could not hear her. “You may stop now child, I am getting nauseous. Sit down” She sat and gave a quizzical look to Mrs. Emmerson. She really could not help it. The ad said that a person was needed for the position of a housemaid. Her appearance should have nothing to do with it. “I am sorry child, I am not very good with names” the woman stated completely unapologetically. “What is yours again?” “Pandora Morgan” “That’s a good name” she approved. “But perhaps, you should keep your curiosity at bay. It will do you no good in this job” “I got the job?” she asked in surprise. “Given that you will agree on the terms I present to you, I see no reason for you not to. I like you and I like to think I am a good judge of characters. My name is Ophelia Emmerson, by the way” “Nice to meet you Mrs. Emmerson. I hope that you will be satisfied by my services” Pandora said sincerely, although she failed to see how this woman had managed to be a judge of her character when she had barely spoken. “If your job was to satisfy me, child, your task would be easy” the old lady sighed. “Unfortunately, you will have to deal with my grandson, Evan Emmerson” “Oh, I thought I would be working here. The ad…” “The ad was vague on purpose” Mrs. Emmerson cut in. “My grandson is a well-known singer. Successful at what he does, I am afraid. Add to that he is a bachelor cursed with lots of money and good looks and it is not that hard to imagine what would happen in here had the ad stated he searched for a housemaid” She nodded. Though she had never heard the name of the man before, she completely understood the secrecy of the thing. Even if the guy was ugly his money and apparent fame would be enough to attract the attention of a certain type of woman. “I see. But if I may ask, why isn’t he the one choosing?” “Because he is being a brat, as always!” she murmured irritated. “He did not want a housemaid at all. You see, Pandora, my grandson is a very private person. He does not like people snooping around his space” “Then how am I to work for him?” she questioned. “He gave me some basic instructions, rules if you will, that must be followed by the person I will hire for him” “Such as?” The old woman rolled her eyes as if she found what she was about to say utterly stupid. “First and foremost, you are not allowed to see him or rather allow him to see you. I expect he will set up a schedule for you to never meet. Given his crazy lifestyle it is quite easy. If you do, you will be fired on the spot” Pandora’s eyed widened in disbelief. “Oh, wait, child. It gets better. Why do you think we are willing to pay so much?” Mrs. Emmerson sighed tiredly before she went on. “On your first day, you will be expected to sign a confidentiality agreement for obvious reasons. If you don't…” “I get fired" Pandora snorted. “No dear. You will not get hired" the lady corrected her with an amused laugh and then she went on. “You are not allowed to touch or rearrange his things. Don’t ask me how you are supposed to do that, I have no idea. You are expected to cook, clean, do the laundry, go to the groceries apart from the small errands he will have for you from time to time. If you fail to do any of the above, even the tiniest thing, you will be fired on the spot. That’s all he told me to tell you so far. What do you think?” What did she think? The money, obviously, but she could not speak as bluntly as the woman in front of her about it. As for the rules… the guy really did not want a housemaid. This much was clear. The restrictions were not that difficult to manage but something told her that they would not be that easy to accomplish when it came down to it. “I’ll do it” she said at last.