Writingcamp New beginnings

Week 1-Picture perfect family

Today has been a very important day in Angela’s life. Five years ago today, she became Mrs. Robert John Smith. They decided to celebrate, intimately at their own backyard, together with their four-year old daughter Sofia Anne and Nora, the nanny s***h her best friend.

Angela sat down on a bench watching her picture perfect family as her daughter screams of laughter running around the yard with her father chasing closely behind her. She could not ask for more, she thought to herself. Then a flash of memories came to her.

She was in awe as she stood in front of a majestic mansion in this side of the city she dared not dream of. All her life she had always known poverty. Never in her life has she thought of being in the other side, even just as a household help. But her neighbor, Nora recommended her to be a stay in maid. Nora does Laundry for this Wealthy Family twice every week. Nora could not make it as stay in maid because of some restrictions of her religion that this rich family cannot accommodate. But being a good neighbor that she is, she always looks after Angela ever since her parents died in a fire that happened in their slum area some two years ago. Angela has just finished High School when her parents died and with the aid of a scholarship and her hard work to take any part time jobs available, she is now on her second year in college taking up a course to become a teacher. But life has not been easy on her. Her grades dropped for the last semester because she cannot focus on her studies for her part time jobs requires most of her time therefore terminating her scholarship. She decided to take a break from school and try out the recommendation of Nora to be a full-time housemaid.

“Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep-------------” her heart leapt at the loud horn from the car behind her. They must be the owner she thought to herself as she ran to the side to avoid the approaching vehicle.

“Ange- come let’s enter from the back entrance, Manang Doray is waiting for us.”

 Nora snatched her hands and led her a door at the side of the Mansion which enters in a very large kitchen area. There stood a pleasant old Lady that called Manang Doray, she is in-charge of all the housemaids and other things related to utility of the place.

“You must be Angela? Nora said you are 20 years old and very hardworking.” The old lady inquired

“Yes ma’am,” Angela replied.

“You are indeed lucky, Nora Recommended you, Our Boss usually hires from the manpower agency but since Nora here vouched for you, I reconsidered. And you may call me manang by the way.”

“Yes manang, thank you for your trust, I promise to work really hard and not waste this opportunity”

“Okay then, Nora can show you the quarters so you can settle and you can formally start tomorrow morning.”

The work has been good for the past week, this family has two sons and a daughter, the eldest son is already married and settled in UK while the daughter runs the family business and the youngest son is an established businessman himself. All this information Angela have learned from Nora and Rhea, her co-workers. She has only met the daughter and the mother a couple of times when she is cleaning, the father was already dead and the youngest son rarely comes home. They said he already has his own house.

One faithful afternoon while dusting the books in the library of this huge abode, Angela was startled by the slamming of the door. She had dropped the book I was holding therefore making a loud thud.

“Hey girl watch it!” the daughter of the family, Rebecca yelled at her.

“I’m sorry ma’am” she shyly replied.

“Hey becks, take it easy,” a guy spoke then Angela turned to see who is it and her stare landed on the deepest most captivating set of orbs she has ever seen.