The Destitute Heiress

“Have you cleaned the attic?” I stop sorting the barrage of clean clothes I have in a blue basket and turn to my mother-in-law. She had said it in passing last night but I hoped to do it over the weekend, when there was much less to be done. “No, I should get to it later.” From the corner of my eyes, I can see her shake her head in disgust, her lip curling in mockery. I can almost hear her ridiculing words before they start to tumble from her lips. “What heavy duty are you doing? All you had to do this morning was make breakfast, clean all the bathrooms, clear the breakfast dishes, pack lunches and sort these clothes. You can’t be so dumb that you haven’t finished it all by now.” I try very hard not to let my laughter go, because if I laugh, I’ll get hit by her or thrown out to sleep in the shed in the cold like the last time. If she didn’t dislike me so much, she would have realised how ridiculous all the chores they have me do are. If they were paying anyone in fact, they’d have gone bankrupt by now. “I’ll do it.” I say instead. Making sure to sound serious. She sends me a scathing look before she walks off into the living room. As I sort and iron each cloth gently, I’m reminded of how I got here, with no one or anywhere to turn to, and Kevin making sure I don’t get a job, I have no savings. A few minutes later, I ironed all of my father-in-law’s clothes, his ties and pocket squares when Maggie returned. She never let me call her Mom or Maggie, always Mrs Hammond like I’m her maid, not her daughter-in-law, but in my head I definitely call her Maggie. “You’re still here? You’re so slow, gosh!” Her eyes glare at me with dissatisfaction and anger, and in my rush, I place the iron on my left hand instead of Kevin’s white shirt. “You did that to yourself to get out of cleaning the attic, but you lie! You will get it done today!” And as she walks away again, she says, “I’ve told Kevin to get you out of this house, you cannot continue to live here free of charge while you do nothing to contribute!” Her words strike me in the wrong place, exactly where she intended it to. And I decide to talk back, “The only reason Kevin and Father have gotten every promotion they have is because I’m here working everyday to keep them fed, with clean clothes so that they can concentrate on work, solely.” I might have got that from a book that attributed men’s success at work to the free labour they get at home. She laughs like I just said something incredulous. “You must have gotten a screw loose in your brain to say that rubbish to me. You did nothing! I’ve worked very hard for them to get to where they are, there’s nothing you can say you did!” I purse my lips and leave her to go get a pack of frozen peas to ice my injury. It’s fast gathering momentum in pain and soon I’ll be unable to work with that hand. Once I iced it a little I put a generous amount of honey on it. “Mrs Hammond?” I say quietly once I return to her side in the living room, I need a few hours to ice my hand so I can get back to work. “What?” She asks as she scrolls through her brand new fruit brand phone, I use the one Kevin used four years ago. Not that I have anyone to call or text anyways. “I need a few-“ She cuts me short, index finger raised and her head shaking. “You get nothing. I need that attic cleaned because you have to start staying there now. Kevin’s new girlfriend is coming to visit, and she needs to stay with him.” I stumble, but I hold onto the sofa so I don’t fall completely. It’s nothing new for Kevin to bring female friends home. They do not like me, but a whole new partner? A girlfriend? “But Kevin is married? Isn’t he scared of state sanctioned bigamy? He could get arrested and lose his job?” I say, trying to get her to see reason. “Oh please, unless you talk. No one is going to know. All you need to do is go about your duties with the thought that if this relationship goes well, Kevin can become the regional director. Behave yourself.” She shooed me away like she did not just deliver life-changing news to me. I slowly stumble away, feeling boneless and tired. Unable to even begin to fathom what the Hammonds have planned out for me. Somehow, I’ve had their name for five years, but almost like they forget I exist until there’s a chore to be done. I soon reach the attic, but the thick smell of dust and settling mould greets me. I’ve never had to clean this part of the house in all the five years I’ve been here. I get to work immediately, ignoring the pain on my left hand. The dust is thick and enough to make me sneeze, but I put a clean cloth over my nose and continue, cleaning everywhere vigorously until it’s sparkling clean. I quickly put away the things I used to clean and got started on dinner. The quicker I can serve dinner, the faster I can get to bed. I met Maggie in the kitchen, listlessly cutting carrots, with a pile of already cut celery in front of her. “Oh good, you’re here. We’re cooking gnocchi Chicken soup tonight.” I finished up in no time and once I reappeared back in the living room, she pointed at me as she said, “There’s a down mattress topper that was just delivered, take it upstairs to the attic. That’s your new bedroom.” A loud boom goes off in my head and I see stars from the news and the hunger gnawing at my insides. “But you said she’d be coming soon, not today.” She looks at me like I’ve lost several brain cells. “You want her to arrive and smell that peculiar perfume you wear around the house in Kevin’s bed? Not everyone is as dumb as you are, Carina.”