MerAdd Oneshots

The Maid

Growing up, I'd been ambitious. I had wanted to do something extraordinary, be somebody extraordinary.I know it sounds cliche, but at one point in my life, I really did want to do something with myself.

My Mother prided herself in being ambitious, hard-working, and skilled. She was a genius; so many people loved her, and so many others wanted to be just like her. It was a hard legacy to live up to, but somehow, I wasn't scared out of trying. I knew, somehow, that I could be great someday too.

And I really did think it was true; that I could be extraordinary, just like her.

That is, until my Mother got sick. Early onset Alzheimers began to slowly eat away at the brain that belonged to one of the countries finest general surgeons; which, I suppose, proved that no matter what you do or how you do it, we all end up in the same place in the end. Even still, I did my best and worked hard to become somebody my Mother would've been proud of.

Or, at least somebody she wasn't embarrassed to be around.

But, as per usual, life happens and the cost of my sick Mother's extensive medical bills had piled up to an unreasonably high number, a number I couldn't pay off as a medical student. Sure, my Mother had money, but she also hadn't been working in a while. The cost of her care home was expensive from the get-go, and as she slowly deteriorated to even worse of a state, the bills became more and more extensive and expensive.

So, doing the right thing, I dropped out six months before graduating, and looked for a job. I could always return to school and finish up, after my Mother's expenses had been paid. After all, once I could move back to Seattle I could just live in the house my Mother still owned there.

It needed some fixing up, but it was free.

I scoured the newspapers looking for jobs; I applied everywhere I could get a resume to. Coffee shops, fast food joints, department stores. Anything and everything.

When I came across a 'Help Wanted' ad that had been placed in the newspaper, I was immediately intrigued. This ad was new; I read the paper everyday looking for job advertisements, and this one was one I hadn't seen yet.

Help Wanted

Cordial Cleaners are seeking a mature, professional adult to employ as a live-in housekeeper. Duties include (but not limited to); cleaning floors, windows, bathrooms, kitchen appliances, polishing furniture, shining silverware, etc. Individual must be legally of age, neat and responsible.

A live-in maid sounded odd, but when I'd read the pay and the benefits I quickly came around to the idea; it was more money than any other job I'd be qualified for, not to mention I wouldn't have to worry about renting an apartment.

During a one year contract, I'd be making more than I'd made in my life. Then, the plan was, to go back school and finish what I'd started so I could begin a surgical internship.

It was easy, a solid plan and a good way to make sure my ailing Mother's needs were met without me needing to pitch in any effort. The nurses she had were paid well for their work, which meant her insurance had begun rejecting certain costs.

So, that's how I'd ended up being assigned a family to clean for; an older couple with another live-in employee. Their personal chef, as far as I'd been told, popped in and out every day to prepare meals that just needed to be heated.

Meanwhile, I'd been living on a student diet of ramen and Kraft dinner for about a month.

When I'd started cleaning for the Montgomery-Forbes household, I hadn't been aware that there were more than just the older couple and the wife's assistant that lived there.The company had told me that they cater mostly to older, wealthier couples who had more interest in boating and traveling than being home all the time.