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Amanda Collins and her mother had just moved into a new house – her new supposed-to-be home. She was seventeen and a half years old and she had been spoiled all her life. She was pretty but she always kept a sour look on her face. Their last servant had to lose her job because of the move and Amanda was getting pretty anxious because there was no one she could order around. Her mom enjoyed showing her around the house though.
The sun went down and it rose up again. It was already Monday and their newly hired housemaid was supposed to arrive that day. It was early summer and she was left alone in the house because her mom had to go to work. Her father died before she was born, but they were rich and didn’t experience any sort of financial problem at all.
The doorbell rang. Amanda sighed as she got off the couch and reluctantly walked towards the main door which directly leads to the living room. She was actually waiting for the new maid to arrive, lying. Her blondish black hair and black skirt spread out on the cushy furniture. She sighed again as she turned the knob and opened the carved wooden door.
“Good morning, Ms. Collins,” greeted the maid as soon as she saw Amanda.
They both looked at each other for a moment. The maid was wearing the typical black-and-white maid uniform and a maid’s hat covered most of her brunette hair. She was rather thin, but her friendly-looking face made her pretty.
“Shut up, servant,” Amanda said after she got a good look of the new maid.
Her flowery pink blouse was well lit by the friendly morning sunlight that came through the door.
“Serve ant?” The maid replied with wonder written on her face. She chuckled a bit. “Why would I serve an ant, ma’am? My name’s Marsha by the way.”
“Oh, just come along!” said Amanda, walking towards the living room.
“A long what?” Marsha whispered to herself as she followed, stepping softly upon the white-tiled floors.
“This is obviously the living room,” Amanda said with sarcasm as they were finally at the centre of the room, gesturing with her two hands.
There was a small, oblong, glass table right at their knees. A rose was placed upon its centre which was put in a water-filled glass vase. Three soft two-seater couches of rosy pink surrounded it. The wide, flat-screen television, which was placed upon a huge TV cabinet, was behind them. There were racks of CDs at the sides of the TV cabinet. A glossy, bright chandelier was glowing right above them.
“It’s pretty neat for a new house,” the maid remarked after she had a good look around.
“We had all of the movers arrange all of our furniture. That means less work for you. It might come down on your salary,” said Amanda in an attempt to mock the cheerful-looking maid.
It failed though for Marsha remained cheerful and it was so evident in her still young face.
“Okay,” was all that she replied.
The spoiled teenager frowned, annoyed by the cheerfulness that persisted within the maid.
What the heck is wrong with this wench? she thought. “Ugh,” she muttered. “There’s no point in showing you every part of this house. I’m sure you’ll figure the place out. Go out and buy me some ice cream.”
“Okay, ma’am,” said the maid as Amanda handed her some money. “Excuse me, ma’am.”
She then turned away towards the main door and left.
Several minutes passed and Amanda had grown very impatient waiting on the couch while watching the television. The show was unfortunately not entertaining for her though, and she had changed her position on the couch a lot of times already.
What’s taking that maid so long? she complained in her thought.
Finally, the doorbell rang, and Amanda stood up and went to open the door in a very impatient manner.
“What took you so—” she was about to complain but was stopped by the sight of the maid holding up in front of her a cup of cream with ice cubes on it with both hands.
“Here you go, ma’am,” said Marsha, smiling.
“What? Are you crazy?” retorted Amanda. “This isn’t ice cream! This is ice on cream!”
“Sorry, ma’am,” said the maid.
“Ack! Forget it,” said the teenager. “Just go out there and buy me some French fries. This is your last chance, servant. I’ll have you fired if you won’t get this one right. Go!”
She pushed Marsha out of the door when she said “go”, turned around, and sat down on a couch again. But, this time, the wait did not take long. It was like only a few minutes until the doorbell rang again.
“That was fast,” Amanda remarked as she stood up and went to get the door again, but actually, she was already getting tired of doing it.
An unrecognized face greeted hers as she opened the door.
“Bonjour!” greeted the stranger with a smile like Marsha’s. Amanda realized that the man that stood in front of her was French. He was tall and muscular and was wearing a black newsboy cap which was turned to the right side.
“What the—!?” was her sudden reaction. “Marsha!” she called after she noticed the maid behind the French. “Who the heck is this!?” She gestured with her right hand.
“It’s a French man I met on the street!” said Marsha as she moved towards the side of the stranger to show herself.
What the heck is this wench thinking? complained Amanda.
“It was really lucky for me to find someone so fast, ma’am. I can speak French too, you know?” continued the maid.
“Marsha,” called Amanda in a harsh manner. “I asked for French fries, not a French man! H—”
“He knows how to fry, ma’am,” said the maid.
“That iz correct, madam,” confirmed the French with a distinguishable accent, and said, counting with his fingers, “Chicken, eh...Fish, Eggs—”
“That’s it, servant,” Amanda coldly said, her face frowning in anger. “You’re fired! Get out of here!”
The French man quickly went away as he got scared of the teenager’s outburst. Marsha, on the other hand, remained and stood still.
“What are you waiting for!?” exclaimed Amanda. “Get—”
“I was only testing your patience, ma’am,” said Marsha in a firm manner.
“How dare y—!” replied the teenager.
“Now, I’ve decided, I wouldn’t want to work for someone like you,” continued the maid. “You may think it was crazy but, like what they say, ‘Patience is a virtue’ and I was testing yours. Have a good day, ma’am.”
Then, she finally walked away and was no longer in sight. Amanda stood there, motionless, thinking about what the maid just said to her. Her narrow eyes looked blankly into space as the wind that came from outside the door blew her hair.
Crazy, she thought, but, deep inside, she was struggling. Maybe, she’s right…but, why the heck did she act that way!? Screw it.
