Film of Love

Sioxante Cinq

It rained cats and dogs that afternoon and there is sudden uneasiness in her heart that time. She doesn’t know if it is because of the hormones or what. Frederick take a leave and she was left alone in the kitchen’s island counter.

The only one she is with was the chef and other different batch of house maids. She also observes that the people serving the whole family have different color in their uniforms. Maids in the kitchen are called Scullery Maids and they have this black dress with a burgundy trim, with a full skirt below their knees. A white half-apron with burgundy ruffle. It is the most neat looking uniform and also the pattern behind the plain dress was the logo of the family. They also have these three kitchen boys who dress up the same burgundy color and their differences are they are using all black pants and a t-shirt. Basically, they are those people who handles most of the dirty work or the heaviest work in the back of the kitchen. They are like the backbone of everyone who keeps the fire going, cart coal or wood, cart away the rubbishes, take the food scraps out to the compost heap. It was like they are still living in the mediaeval era, no fancy automatic dishwasher, electric stove and more other technologies that will make them live easily.

She was served with another batch of freshly-baked cookies, in the traditional oven. She never seen one not until now. She left the other cookies while she still munching on the other in her hands and curiously went to the dirty kitchen and find herself watching those professional chefs cook their dinner. Ask why she think of “their” because what she knows that time is she was now recognized as a family member or more over their daughter in law. She continued watching them and how their hands move skillfully. Their hands swish like they are in the middle of a dancing performance.

She was distracted when the housekeepers and some of the maid lined up and follow the lady in the olive green uniform. If you don’t know about the hierarchy of servants you wouldn’t know, who are to be respected and followed by the same title of them.

As she watched the workers who are busy doing their jobs, she realized how big, powerful and wealthy the family she is under. She smirked in triumph when she grasps her situation right now. She wants this kind of life and she never thought to have one. she will not go back to the poverty stricken town she lived by her whole life. She wants to enjoy what she thinks she deserved in the first place.

She was over-joyed by the fact that she will stop working on those hideous and in the verge of bankrupt diner. She rolled her eyes on how her surroundings and people she works with. They are those people who judge, has substandard attitudes, and has a contrasting life from her. She was so mad when she was being suggested and was pleaded and beg to be one of the waitress. She knew from the start that she was being used, of her looks being used to hype up the filthy diner, but then she wants to make it a win for her also so she made a deal. The deal is if she gets more customers than the normal numbers she will be paid the highest and the ignorant old man who owns the diner agreed without thinking about it.

That day she accepted the deal, will change everything about her life. She gained so much hate when the other workers heard that they were being robbed little by little by the owner because of the deal. They’re working for hours and in the end of the day they will be given €8.00 and nothing more while she was receiving a total amount of €16.00 in her first day and all the day she will be working with them.

She was happy, once she gets to called inside the office while the others salary is handed without any fancy envelope unlike her. They are not happy because of the unfairness that is circulating the workplace, but they can’t do anything about it because if they will report it to the police in their office they will never be listen or believe, they might be also get on the corner when something happened. They cannot resign also because the diner was the only one in their community who accepts and hired person who has no grade complete.

They all wonder any day in that week on why she chose to work in that kind of place when she has this looks that are much suitable and appropriate to the other cleaner and neat diner than the diner they are in now. The boys interrupted and also said their thoughts about that question and said. “What if she was given some sort of royalty in here.”

“Royalty? Here? Are you kidding me?” Stéphane, one of the older waitress who are now in charge of the cashier scoffed on what she heard and said it.

“What?” the tallest boy, Henri replied. He was giving the “I am just saying” vibe when he said that. The girls can’t believe what the boys are saying.

“That’s bullshit!” Sylvie, another girl angrily exclaimed. The two boys mocked her and she will be going to them not until they were interrupted when Clarisse went out the office at last. they are all looked at different directions and some continued their cleaning because it is time for them to go home. They went on their usual routine but Stéphane’s glared last long into her. Clarisse suddenly looked at her way and she quickly change into her warm but fake smile.

“Wow! Look at your envelope. It is fancy!” she stood straight and went to her. She suddenly wants to be nice to her.

“Y-y-yeah! I-it’s a-a-ctually m-my f-fir-first t-t-time g-ge-g-get-ting a s-sa-salary!” she stuttered while she got nervous when Stéphane wrapped her arms in her neck and shoulder. She wants to crush it but she is also a person, she controls her temper on the new kid.

“Oh, f**k!” it was almost not audible swearing when the boy named Lucas saw the situation. Lucas was like their errand boy and that’s why he was outside in the night to buy some alcoholic drinks.

“Want to join us?” she asked the girl. She was like a scary looking dude even if she has a long hair. She was shaking because of the negativity she is thinking that time.

She shook her head and nicely declined their offer and gave out some reasons that are possible being real. They are not so bad when it comes to family matters because even if they don’t tell they all have problems in their family, and same with not being able to make ends meet, but it doesn’t mean that they will comfort her because in the first place there is something fishy going on behind their backs or not even in their backs, it was being done in front of them it just has a boundary and that’s the freaking wall made of planks of woods.

They all sighed in relief when they saw Stéphane all calm and walk her out of the place. As soon as she walked out the area, the owner suddenly appeared and told them that he will be going. They all nodded at the same time without any interest to the man, they just need to be patient before they can go and be wasted.

It’s not all day she will reign and forever be happy when they started to move their dirty tricks, Clarisse unforeseen circumstances. She is doing so well not until they can’t take it anymore and started to harass her and she tried to sell out with their regulars. It’s not even a bar, but as the people came by they always suggested to change their dry as dust diner and turn it to a bar instead.

The owner was encouraging and was coaxed so bad that he released a large amount of money and change the whole dull and boring diner to a captivating and engrossing bar that lights up the town’s people night. They were all in awe when they first saw something for the first time in their whole life, like those majestic sound systems and flashing lights.

The place was all hyped up and the money grow more. That’s also it takes place all the hardships Clarisse faced so bad. She was being embarrassed in front of many people, laughed at, make fun of, and the lasting she want is to be harassed but it happened. She was in the edge of being r***d when a girl fought for her.

She has never been thankful until that time when she was rescued from the grips of the filthy old man. She was so scared and breathing so fast not until she was comforted by her and until she fainted. She waked up so late and the sun was in the middle now. She was so surprised that she was in a bed that she seems unfamiliar. The place is clean and neat, she tip-toed not wanting to attract people she doesn’t know and opened the door as discreet as she can.

She looked at her left and right and saw a room across where she is staying for a while and went down stairs. She heard something in the kitchen and carefully peek on who is the person present in the kitchen that time.

“Good morning, lady!” the lady who seems so focused on what she is doing suddenly greeted her. She looked at her back if there is someone and unfortunately there is no one. She stood up straight and cautiously went in the kitchenette. It was small it like a kitchen for two.

“Why am I here?” she asked the lady. She stopped and looked at her directly in her eyes and replied. “You don’t know?”

“I don’t…actually remembered things that happened yesterday.”

“Well, unfortunately but luckily I rescued you to those men who tried to touch you,” she said. Clarisse looked her from top to bottom. She wears leaders even the weather is summer.

“I am Mathilde and I am a police officer.” She introduced herself to Clarisse as she cut the potatoes. “How about you? Are you Clarisse?” she asked the lady. Clarisse find a seat because her legs feels like they will give up in a few.

“Yes, I am,” she answered while she looked around her surroundings. “How did you know?”

“Well, I am currently investigating the said bar because we detected and someone sent an unknown letter on how the things are going on here. They said that it is noisy and so on but there are more than that and yesterday I am there to see more of those not until I saw you being dragged away the building.” She explained on how and why she is there last night.

“Well…I am thankful that you rescued me,” she said. “I don’t know what happened and I know that I didn’t let my guard down that night but this still happened to me.”

“After I get you here safety, if you see the other room upstairs, it was my sisters and she is a nurse,” she proceeds to explain. “She is studying how to detect people who are on drugs because of the expansion of illegal drugs in our country is happening and found out so quick that you are being drugged by this drug called “Triple kill”.”

“So…I am drug? Are you going to charge me for that?” she became nervous and blurted out a question.

“Dear, that’s not how it works,” she assured her by those words and continued. “Those people that drug yesterday was knocked out before they know and was being take care of my team. Those people will pay and the place will be forever being closed.”

“Are they going to be in jail? All of those people that works there?”

She nodded as she opens the burner to cook while all the ingredients have been prepared while they talked.

“If it is alright…can I ask?”

“What is it?”

“Where are your parents?”

She looked suddenly down and became silent.

“I’m sorry to as—” she was cut when she finally spoke up and gave her a fake smile and replied. “Maybe they are gambling their asses out there.”

Her laughed was full of sadness while her eyes filled with pain. Her mind is hurt and her body was numb. It was the worst yesterday she wants to forget and the day she wants to do is to sleep. She was lucky that it was their summer break and she will not mind not going to the school for a day. In the middle of painful night, she was welcomed in a warm day.

She looked at the woman who intently focus on her cooking and envy her on how her life turns out to be good and she felt that she doesn’t want to go back to her parents anymore…but she knows she need to return soon.