Mixed messages

Training wheels

The click clack of countless heels reverberates off the walls making me feel completely out of place. I look down at my basic slip-on sneakers and suddenly become self-conscious. Almost as if in unison, everyone stops what they're doing and stares directly at me as I enter the office. And just as quickly, they all resume working, completely disregarding me as I stand by the door uncertain which desk to approach. I take a calculated guess and step towards the podium that says INFORMATION, patiently waiting to be assisted. A beautiful redhead with flawless skin, the deepest blue eyes and legs that go on for days approaches me. She is dressed in a sleek navy dress suit with her hair tied up in an impossibly perfect bun and her feet squeezed into a pair of stunning yet painful-looking stilettos. They are so high, they make me wonder how she is able to walk without wobbling. A quick survey around the room confirms that everyone in here looks essentially the same. The only way to describe the look of the staff in here is high end couture professionals. She study's me with her gaze. "Are you lost?" she says with a silky voice dripping with disdain.

I put on a neutral face before I look in her direction and respond "Hi Uhm... Catherine" I say, reading the name off her badge. She scoffs, clearly not amused by me calling her by name. Argh whatever!

"My name is Horizon, I'm the new hire in housekeeping. I was told to come to HR for my orientation and to sort out the paperwork", I say politely.

"That explains a lot" she says eyeing me from head to toe before giving me a look that says she would rather not have me in her presence.

"Take the corridor on your left, at the far end there is a boardroom, you can wait for Trishal there" she says looking away, dismissing me as she does so. I was left with no option but to turn and head towards the corridor. She is so unbelievably gorgeous, but the inside clearly doesn't match her Barbie doll exterior. Pity.

As I walk away I hear her say, presumably on the phone, that the new maid is waiting in the boardroom. "Well Trishal, I didn't want to risk her walking past Andrew looking the way she does... well that's not my problem is it?" She says disrespecting not only me but whomever is on the other end of the line.

I summon the strength to resist turning back. I proceed to the boardroom as instructed.

After about fifteen minutes of patiently waiting, I got bored and started playing games on my phone. Shortly after I hear a bang and a woman grunting before she pushes the door open with her posterior. I quickly hop to her side and hold it open as she pulls a fully loaded trolley in with her. "Thank you" she says flustered as she enters and introduces herself. "Hi Horizon, I'm Trishal. Sorry for the delay. I had the conference room and lounge all set up for your orientation. Unfortunately, we have had to change venues due to unforeseen circumstances" she clearly is unimpressed with this sudden change.

"In any case please just bear with me for a minute while I set up, then we can start" she smiles at me.

A quick glance at her trolley that has several files, a laptop, cables and other knick knacks tells me that it will be more than just a minute.

Unable to sit and twiddle my thumbs while she struggles, I grab the extension cord and start looking for a wall socket. "Please call me Ri" I say as I plug the cable in and connect both the laptop charger and the projector to the other end.

She smiles gratefully and we both get to work placing the files on the table in numerical order. She quickly turns on her laptop connecting it to the projector, before apologizing in advance for the long day I'm about to have.

Handing me today's program she sits down and says "Let's get this show on the road."

I stare dumbfounded at the the sheet of paper, realising that not only are we behind schedule but we are going to be here all day.

Housekeeping orientation program

07:30 introduction to the royal family

08:30 confidentiality and privacy clause

09:00 code of conduct

10:00 tea

10:30 contract and structuring

11:30 uniforms fitting

12:30 employee essentials

13:00 lunch

14:00 mentor led estate tour

15:00 Skills demonstration

15:45 brochures and packages

16:00 day end

As we set out tackling everything on the list I couldn't help but admire Trishal's polite yet professional nature. She was dressed essentially the same as Barbie doll Catherine, only her suit was a soft pink and her demeanor was welcoming. The presentations were informative if not excessively lengthy.

I was introduced to the Royal family using a PowerPoint presentation detailing the everyday lives of the King, Queen and the "Trueblood 7". King Zwelakhe Zulu has 4 wives and many many children. Each homestead is named after the mother/wife that lives there. The Trueblood 7 are called that because their mother is the first wife, Queen Ciniso Zulu. Her name means truth, hense Trueblood. As the eldest wife and mother to the royal heir, she is considered the True Queen of the nation.

The other wives live in other Manors across the province with their children. All the children are equal in standing, with the exception of Prince Muzi (Bhekumuzi Mholi Zulu), the first born and heir to the thrown.

I heard a mouthful about Prince Muzi from my mentor and personal rainy day heroin, Jazz. Turns out her real name is Crystal and she's 24. Everyone calls her Jazz because of her striking resemblance to Jasmine from Aladdin. As Jazz took me on a tour of the premises she told all I need to know about Princess Thando. She is the 19 year old princess whose residential area I have been allocated to. I learn that she is still in varsity and is hardly ever home. When she is around though her house becomes party central. I think I'm up for the challenge.

Jazz talks endlessly about her family, life on the estate and Prince Muzi, with whom she is helplessly in love. I find it both weird and disturbing that she is lusting after the forty something year old husband of 2 and father of many, when there are younger more age-appropriate princes for her to ogle. According to the other housekeepers, the resident heartthrobs are the 2 youngest son's, Prince Nathi (Nkosinathi Mvelo Zulu) and Prince Andrew (Melokuhle Andrew Zulu). Based on videos and pictures seen on this mornings presentation, I would say all the princes are incredibly handsome, clearly inheriting their fathers regal looks. Jazz tried desperately to get me to participate in choosing which prince I would prefer before getting annoyed when she realised that I knew nothing about any of them.

Apparently one of the Princess's in another homestead has a reality TV show where she often speaks about her siblings. That sounds awful to me. I can't imagine living my life on stage for all to see. I promised myself a very long time ago that I would never appear on TV for any reason. Never again.

As the day draws to an end, I'm taken to the kitchen area that needs tidying. I'm informed that this is the skill I'm requested to demonstrate. Cleaning the area proved to be simpler than I thought. This place has everything a girl could possibly need to tidy up without having to break your back doing it. The team is seemingly impressed with the work I've done and they all beam at me, happy to have me onboard. The staff is a very diverse group of young females from various parts of the country. All the men mainly work either outside or in offices allocated for senior staff.

We are all dressed in a basic grey and white uniform consisting of a knee length pencil skirt that is extremely stretchy, allowing ease of movement. It is paired with a grey and white Chinese collar shirt with a black streak concealing the central zipper and topped with a black waist apron to be worn when needed. There is a second gold and black ensemble that is only to be worn when the family is hosting events. This is by far the fanciest attire I now own, which speaks volumes.

At the end of the day I head to my new locker to change back into my home gear. It is prohibited to leave the premises dressed in uniform. The logo of the royal coat of arms is embroidered on the right sleeve of all the shirts. Wearing this in the outside world would be a direct violation of the confidentiality agreement. I stuff as many files into my bag as possible and carry the rest in my arms. I start heading out to join the rest of the ladies in the parking bay where we will all wait for Max to take us to the nearest taxi rank. Max is the staff driver. He is assigned to hospitality. It's his job to ensure we are collected from the nearest transportation hub (be it the taxi rank or the train station) and droped off at work. It's clear that the entire team is uncomfortable around him. Jazz says she Ubers more often than is necessary, in an attempt to avoid being in Max's presence.

As I walk towards the parking lot, lost in thought, I unintentionally bump into someone. She shoves me back, sending me crashing down on my backside with my files scattering in disarray all around me. I look up ready to apologize when I am met with the seething gaze of Catherine.

"You better watch where you are going, not very discreet for a maid are you?" she says as she dusts off her suit. One would swear a simple touch from me has somehow infected her with scabies.

"Excuse me" I say as I look her directly in the eye wondering how someone could possibly be so condescending.

"Here, allow me" is spoken in the deepest growl I have ever heard. I shift my attention to the owner of said timber and find myself staring directly at one of the resident Prince's. He has his hand outstretched in my direction and wears a charming smile on his handsome face. This man is really tall. I would put him at 1.9m give or take. His skin is smooth and a rich coffee brown. He has hazel brown eyes, full lips and the build of an athlete.

It takes me a second to realise that he is offering to help me up and is patiently waiting for me to accept. I swallow uncomfortably as I put my hand in his and mumble an almost incoherent thank you. He simply nods his head briefly and proceeds to help me collect all my files from the floor, much to the dismay of Catherine. As she begins to protest whining that maids should never be seen or heard, the prince cuts her off with a simple instruction. "Fetch the young lady a carry bag Cathy". His tone is both commanding and insistent. While it is clearly obvious that 'Cathy' would much rather eat live bees, she is left with no choice in the matter. She exits back down the corridor grumbling as her heels click gratingly across the floor.

"I don't believe I have seen you around before" he says, ignoring Catherine's theatrical exit. I almost laugh but I manage to compose myself long enough to realise that the prince is speaking directly to me. Butterflies begin dancing in my stomach, I'm nervous to speak to one of my many bosses. I'm also confused because I was led to believe that the royals never address ground staff and they certainly don't help them gather themselves after carelessly crashing into them.

"It's my first day on the job. Apologies your highness. I'll be more careful from here on out" I really am not making a great impression today.

"Andrew" he says simply while he studies me with his intense gaze. His eyes travel the length of my body and I feel a warm blush creep up around my nose. His inspection was simply cursory and I have no idea why I suddenly feel like an exposed wire.

"Of course" I say, "and thank you." I deliberately avoid saying his name because there is no way I will be caught dead disrespecting any of the royals. "Allow me" I say, motioning for him to hand me the files. His response is halted by a devastated Catherine who practically races back to us. She throws a large, black fabric grocery bag in my direction and motions to the prince to follow her wherever it is they are going.

He doesn't acknowledges her as he takes the bag from my hand and fills it with the files in he is carrying. He holds the bag open and motions for me to do the same. I put the only file I'm holding inside, smile gratefully at him and take the bag from his possession. I see a brief hesitation in his eyes before he clears his throat and excuses himself. I nod, thanking him again and walk off in the direction of the lift. I can feel a set of eyes staring at me as I walk off. Do not turn around, do not turn around, do not turn around. Ignoring the mantra in my head, I turn and find hazel eyes boring into me. I blush, turn back around and press the call button for the lift. Once inside I exhale, releasing a breath I had unintentionally been holding in. I'm pretty sure Catherine may report this incident to Trishal or whoever my direct supervisor is. I just hope that it is written off and I can continue working peacefully.