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L illian Scott sighed and reluctantly picked up her feather duster. Her tall black stilettos clacked crisply across the hall's black and white tile floor as she made her way to the enormous china cabinet dominating the left side of the room. It housed at least a dozen large vases, all of them intricately hand-painted with designs of flowers and flying birds. Each vase probably cost more money than Lillian had seen in her life.
They were also a bitch to dust.
Dusting was easily Lillian’s least favorite part of her job. Most people assumed that cleaning toilets or washing windows were the worst things about being a maid. But for Lillian, the monotony of dusting was so much worse. She had to stand for hours, carefully handling each knick-knack that Mr. Isaac Walters owned while her heart pounded in fear of breaking something. Most of his artwork was priceless and required the most delicate of touches to clean - and Lillian was not a particularly delicate girl.
"Why does a young guy like Mr. Walters even own so much crap? He has more bric-a-brac than most grandmas," Lillian muttered under her breath, opening the cabinet and carefully taking out the first vase. It was pure white and had dark red lilies painted along its stem.
She began to lightly brush the surface of the vase, letting her mind wander off. Like most days, instead of concentrating on the task at hand, she began thinking of the future, imagining her college graduation. Her long black robe, having celebratory champagne with her family, receiving a bouquet of white roses. Every detail was vivid in her imagination and a hell of a lot more interesting to think about than dusting.
"But that's a long way off," she sighed, coming out of her reverie. In fact, according to her last calculations, graduation was at least fifty thousand dollars away. School was not cheap, especially when the only campus nearby was a private college with outrageous prices. She'd had good enough grades to get in, but unfortunately, they weren't good enough to get her any scholarships. She’d only been able to complete two years of her botany degree before she'd had to take a leave of absence to earn more money. "It's ok, though. I'm sure things will work out eventually. I'm making enough here that I'll be able to start school again in two years," she said, trying to buoy up her confidence.
She put the first vase down and grabbed the second, a large blue piece with twin handles. However, before she could zone out again, she heard an angry voice booming through the nearest wall. She looked up in confusion and realized she was standing right next to the closed wooden door of Isaac's office. Based on what she was hearing, her boss was not having a very good day.
"I need more time," came his deep voice. "I can't make a decision like that in such a short amount of time!”
Lillian took a step forward, trying to hear more of the conversation. However, Isaac had dropped his voice further, and now all she could make out was a low murmur. Figuring he was going to hang up, she turned to move away.
"This will ruin me! You have got to give me some room to maneuver!"
His shout made her pause again.
Lillian looked around the hallway to see if anyone else was nearby. The whole place was deserted, however, as most of the staff had taken the day off to go to the county fair. She was alone, and there would be no witnesses if she wanted to be a little naughty. The impulse to eavesdrop, especially when she wouldn't be detected, overwhelmed her. She quickly stepped up to the door and pressed her ear to the dark wood. She bit her lip in suspense, and she strained her ears, her whole body quivering in curiosity.
Isaac Walters was a good looking, professional man who had never been mixed up with any scandal that she knew of. But it sounded like he was currently in well over his head with something scintillating. Was it drugs? The mafia? Some secret blackmail? Her imagination was running wild with vivid
L illian Scott sighed and reluctantly picked up her feather duster. Her tall black stilettos clacked crisply across the hall's black and white tile floor as she made her way to the enormous china cabinet dominating the left side of the room. It housed at least a dozen large vases, all of them intricately hand-painted with designs of flowers and flying birds. Each vase probably cost more money than Lillian had seen in her life.
They were also a bitch to dust.
Dusting was easily Lillian’s least favorite part of her job. Most people assumed that cleaning toilets or washing windows were the worst things about being a maid. But for Lillian, the monotony of dusting was so much worse. She had to stand for hours, carefully handling each knick-knack that Mr. Isaac Walters owned while her heart pounded in fear of breaking something. Most of his artwork was priceless and required the most delicate of touches to clean - and Lillian was not a particularly delicate girl.
"Why does a young guy like Mr. Walters even own so much crap? He has more bric-a-brac than most grandmas," Lillian muttered under her breath, opening the cabinet and carefully taking out the first vase. It was pure white and had dark red lilies painted along its stem.
She began to lightly brush the surface of the vase, letting her mind wander off. Like most days, instead of concentrating on the task at hand, she began thinking of the future, imagining her college graduation. Her long black robe, having celebratory champagne with her family, receiving a bouquet of white roses. Every detail was vivid in her imagination and a hell of a lot more interesting to think about than dusting.
"But that's a long way off," she sighed, coming out of her reverie. In fact, according to her last calculations, graduation was at least fifty thousand dollars away. School was not cheap, especially when the only campus nearby was a private college with outrageous prices. She'd had good enough grades to get in, but unfortunately, they weren't good enough to get her any scholarships. She’d only been able to complete two years of her botany degree before she'd had to take a leave of absence to earn more money. "It's ok, though. I'm sure things will work out eventually. I'm making enough here that I'll be able to start school again in two years," she said, trying to buoy up her confidence.
She put the first vase down and grabbed the second, a large blue piece with twin handles. However, before she could zone out again, she heard an angry voice booming through the nearest wall. She looked up in confusion and realized she was standing right next to the closed wooden door of Isaac's office. Based on what she was hearing, her boss was not having a very good day.
"I need more time," came his deep voice. "I can't make a decision like that in such a short amount of time!”
Lillian took a step forward, trying to hear more of the conversation. However, Isaac had dropped his voice further, and now all she could make out was a low murmur. Figuring he was going to hang up, she turned to move away.
"This will ruin me! You have got to give me some room to maneuver!"
His shout made her pause again.
Lillian looked around the hallway to see if anyone else was nearby. The whole place was deserted, however, as most of the staff had taken the day off to go to the county fair. She was alone, and there would be no witnesses if she wanted to be a little naughty. The impulse to eavesdrop, especially when she wouldn't be detected, overwhelmed her. She quickly stepped up to the door and pressed her ear to the dark wood. She bit her lip in suspense, and she strained her ears, her whole body quivering in curiosity.
Isaac Walters was a good looking, professional man who had never been mixed up with any scandal that she knew of. But it sounded like he was currently in well over his head with something scintillating. Was it drugs? The mafia? Some secret blackmail? Her imagination was running wild with vivid
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