Behind Curtains

Kabanata 1

Kabanata 1

Cleaner

I was 18 when I really wanted to run away from home.

I was 19 when I successfully did.

And I did it so discreetly, I had to send a letter to my parents, so they'd find out without alerting authorities. I never thought running away without my family's prior knowledge was that easy, though.

Well, if I take into account the fact that I've lived away from home ever since I was 16, to pursue my studies in a big-deal University, who would be the wiser? No one in my family would even take it as a possibility. That their trusted, supposedly responsible, future-lawyer-panganay broke down on her last year as a University student, and decided that that was the cue for her to throw away whatever future they had planned.

That their high-achieving daughter chose to vacuum carpets and steam draperies, rather than take into heart case digests, and prompt herself on daily recitations.

That instead of mulling over a toxic schedule and suffer under a terror professor, she chose to have a healthy sleeping schedule, and wake up to please the wickedness of her stringent amo.

Well, hindi amo per se. Currently, a strict mayordoma.

Naiiling nalang ako habang nag-bu-buhos ng Tuff cleaner sa sahig. Dahil kahit anong ginawang pilit ko, hindi talaga natatanggal ng simpleng bleach o ng kahit anong baking soda 'yong mantsa noong tiles. Binuhusan ko na rin ang bathtub at ang sink. Pero bago 'yon, sinigurado ko munang naka-sarado ang pinto at 'yong mga bintana lang ang naka-bukas.

The last time I was caught doing this, muntik na akong sisantehin ni Mayordoma, dahil nandiri siya. Ang toilet bowl cleaner daw ay para lang sa kubeta, and putting the cleaning liquid on anything else other than that would only spread more bacteria. Which I think is counterproductive, because a cleaning agent is supposed to be a disinfectant, papaanong dadami ang dumi nang dahil doon?

Pero hindi ko na isinatinig 'yon at pinili nalang na yumuko, tahimik na itinanggap ang lahat ng sermon. I wanted to keep this job, at panay panghihingi ng tawad nalang ang sinabi. Buti nalang at mukhang awang-awa talaga sila sa akin, and decided to let it go with just a warning. But here I am again.

Hindi ko alam kung hindi ko lang talaga maatim na hindi kumikinang 'yong banyo, o sadyang matigas lang 'yong ulo ko.

Tahimik akong lumabas sa huling banyong nilinisan. Isa rin ata 'yon sa rason kung bakit hindi ako agad mabitawan ng Mayordoma. Other than I was the only one more than willing to clean bathrooms, I was also the most meticulous.

I returned the bucket back to the utility closet at bumalik na sa staff house to take another shower.

"Lala, tapos ka na ba? Kain na tayo," yaya sa akin ng aking mga kapwa kasambahay nang mapang-abot kami sa pasilyo patungong quarters.

Nasulyapan ko naman 'yong mga pagkain sa kusina.

"Sige po, mauna na po kayo. Maliligo pa kasi ako..." I smiled politely at them, at hindi na nagpapilit pa.

Sa lagay palang noong mga ulam, alam kong sobra-sobrang swerte talaga 'yong pagkakapadpad ko sa pamamahay na ito. They have staff houses detached from the mansion, with the male servants' communal house separate from the females', kaya pakiramdam ko ay kahit ang kapakanan ng mga nagtatrabaho roon ay pinag-iisipan din.

Matapos kong maligo at mag-handa para sa pag-tulog ay minabuti ko nang tunguhin ang kwarto ng Mayordoma para paalalahanan siyang mamayang madaling araw na ako aalis.