“What? You mean their cousin?” The new maid was surprised.
“You heard right. Her parents died when she was twelve, and they took charge of her. But since then, she’s been a maid in the house. Barely fed, barely clothed. She’s always walking around on her feet, and no one dares offer her a pair of slippers. I can count how many clothes she has from the past years since I’ve been here.”
“How many does she have?” The new maid asked, curiosity in her voice.
“Probably three or four.”
“They’d be tattered by now.”
“No,” the other maid said. “That’s one amazing thing about her. She takes good care of them, even though there are patches.”
“Are these people the only family she has?”
“No, but these are the only people who probably give a damn. And the people who care treat her like a slave.”
“I guess that’s why everyone calls her the house slave.”
“Don’t call her that; it’ll be so inhuman.”
“Yeah, I won’t. It’s harsh, but it’s the truth, you know,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Have they ever treated her nicely? You know, on Christmas? New Year’s? At least they’d treat her nicely on days like that.”
The other maid burst into laughter. “Sorry, but I found that question funny. Treat her nicely? They’ve never. Sometimes, she doesn’t eat anything during Christmas. All she does is the dishes and laundry. They’ve never given her gifts or bought her clothes. They beat her mercilessly at every opportunity for any mistake, while their bratty daughter enjoys all the luxury. She, on the other hand, suffers. I think what you’ve just witnessed is a perfect example of how badly she’s treated. I mean, who slaps a bride two days before her wedding?”
“A bride?! A wedding?!” she exclaimed, surprised because there was no sign that a wedding was coming.
“Yes, a wedding. I feel so bad for her… why?”
“Why feel bad? This is the perfect opportunity to get away from these monsters.”
“Yeah, I would have said that too, if I didn’t know who she’s getting married to. I bet she doesn’t know either. And we dare not say a word if we don’t want to be her next of kin in suffering.”
“Who is she getting married to?”
“You won’t tell her?”
“I promise. Wait, is it some messed-up family?”
“It would be better if it were just a messed-up family. The husband is the definition of an unfortunate man-a monster.”
“What?”
The maid sighed and drew her closer, then whispered into her ear. The new maid gasped, covering her mouth. Her eyes widened as if she had just heard a horror story. She wished she could run to Clarisse and tell her to run-run as fast as she could. But all she could do was tremble and shiver in fear.
“Are these people the only family she has?”
“No, but these are the only people who probably care. And the people who care treat her like a slave.”
“I guess that’s why everyone calls her the house slave.”
“Don’t call her that. It’ll be so inhuman.”
“Yeah, I won’t. That’s so harsh, but it’s the truth, you know,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Have they ever treated her nicely? You know, on Christmas? New Year’s? At least they would treat her well on days like that.”
The other maid burst into laughter. “Sorry, but I found that question funny. Treat her nicely? They’ve never. Sometimes, she doesn’t eat anything during Christmas. All she does is the dishes and laundry. They’ve never given her gifts or bought her clothes. They beat her mercilessly at any opportunity they get for any mistake, while their bratty daughter enjoys all the luxury. She, on the other hand, suffers. I think what you’ve just witnessed is a perfect example of how badly she’s treated. I mean, who slaps a bride two days before her wedding?”
“A bride?! A wedding?!” she exclaimed, so surprised because there had been no sign that a wedding was coming.
“Yes, a wedding. I feel so bad for her… Why?”
“Why feel bad? This is the perfect opportunity to get away from these monsters.”
“Yeah, I would have said that too if I didn’t know who she’s getting married to. I bet she doesn’t know herself, and we dare not say a word if we don’t want to become her next kin of suffering.”
“Who is she getting married to?”
“You won’t tell her?”
“I promise. Wait, is it some messed-up family?”
“It would be better if it were just a messed-up family. The husband is the definition of an unfortunate man-a monster.”
“What?”
The maid sighed and drew her closer, then whispered into her ear. The new maid gasped and covered her mouth. Her eyes widened as if she had just heard a horrific story. She wished she could run to Clarisse and tell her to run-run as fast as she could-but all she could do was tremble and shiver in fear.
“Let me guess, that’s ‘Unity’ by Alan Walker.”
Clarisse looked up to see the new maid.
“You’re humming ‘Unity’ by Alan Walker, right?”
“Yes,” she nodded slightly.
“Didn’t know you knew the song.”
“I love it. There are some songs I can relate to, and they’re my favorite,” she said, spreading the panties. The new maid assisted her.
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. My name is Abigail.”
“That’s a nice name. Can I call you Abby?” Clarisse asked sweetly.
“I’d love that,” Abigail grinned. “Whose panties are these?”
“Alice’s.”
“You wash them with the washing machine, right?”
“No, she does not like that.”
“Huh? She doesn’t like it? But she can’t even wash her own panties?” Abby scoffed, disgusted. “If I were the one, I’d tear three of them up and tell her it was a mistake.”
Clarisse chuckled. “That’s too bad, I can’t do that.”
“Why? You have nothing to lose.”
“Maybe, but I can’t let anything ruin my wedding. I just have two more days. I’ve endured this for years. I can’t risk ruining this lifetime opportunity.”
Abigail’s heart sank upon hearing that. Did she just call that nightmare a lifetime opportunity? No, dear, if anything, you should ruin it with everything you’ve got. She wished she could tell her, but her eyes only filled with tears as her lips stayed sealed.
Clarisse saw the teary eyes and smiled, patting her shoulder.
“You should be happy with me, friend.”
Did she just call her “friend”? It was even more tempting to tell her everything.
“Why should I be happy?”
“Because after suffering comes a fairy tale,” she said with a giggle.
“A fairy tale?”
“Yes, though I do feel like novels exaggerate. They are fictitious but tempting. Sometimes we wish we could be in that position, where a prince in shining armor comes to rescue a lady in distress. And in novels, it’s always a billionaire marrying a lady in distress in an arranged marriage. You know, that case of marrying someone you’ve never met, but turns out to be the person you need most in your life, becomes your shield and your land, the warm embrace you’ve always wanted, that comfort zone. My life is going in that direction. I can’t ruin it.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.