2. MEETING MRS. THOMPSON

Walking down the road where everyone was rushing to get home early before the heavy downpour of rain will descend on them since the cloud has darkened dangerously. Valerie Williams was among the people rushing but Valerie was not rushing anywhere, she stood at the pedestrian crossing waiting for the cars to stop so she could cross over to the other side.

The cars had finally stopped, Valerie joined the long queue of people waiting to cross the road. Safely on the other side, she started walking all over again with no destination in mind. The street was dark due to the rain about to fall except for a few street lights that were scattered around.

She bumped into a middle-aged woman who was returning from the market. The bags of groceries she was carrying fell to the floor and the contents scattered around as Valerie bent down to pick up the groceries as she profusely apologised to the woman.

“Young lady! Can't you see the way” the woman scolded her as her maid rushed over to help her pack the groceries off the floor.

The event of the day, coupled with the woman's words, brought tears to Valerie's eyes as she sobbed uncontrollably on the sidewalk of the street.

The woman was shocked, she kept wondering what she must have said to the girl to make her cry but she came back blank.

“Young girl! Stop crying! I'm sorry if I've offended you” She apologised as she dragged the girl up from the floor.

“I'm sorry ma’am” Valerie apologies once again as she turns to walk away without glancing at the woman.

“Wait!” The woman called to her, her heart breaking at the lonesome figure of the young girl. Valerie stops and turns to regard the woman questionably.

“What's wrong? Why were you crying?” The woman asked her as she walked close to her and hugged her. Valerie stood shocked, she couldn't remember the last time she was hugged and now from a total stranger.

“I don't have anywhere to go,” Valerie opens to the woman after some time.

“Why? What happened to where you were before?” The woman asked, looking at the girl who was homeless at such a young age.

“I've been staying with my aunt and my cousin but due to some misunderstanding she sent me out, never to come back again”

By now the rain has started drizzling making everyone run to a nearby shelter. Valerie and the woman were not left out as they both scrambled into the woman's car which was parked very close to the mart.

The driver opened the door for them as she got into the car with the woman beside her while the maid sat in front with the driver.

“You said your aunt sent you out, right?” The woman asked Valerie again as she nodded, clearly not understanding why someone in their right mind would send a young girl out of the house so late in the night.

“Yes ma’am” Valerie replied as she tried to force back tears that threatened to surface again.

“It's okay. I wanted to hire another maid anyway but now that you are here you can do it” The woman said, shrugging as she looked out of the window.

The smile spread across Valerie face as she looks at the woman God had miraculously sent to her “Thank you, Ma’am”

“You are welcome, dear,” The woman replied just as the driver punched in the code to the big gate of the Thompson's mansion. They drove into the mansion.

Valerie stood gasping at the big white mansion in front of her, two other maids putting on uniforms walked out to help offload the groceries from the car.

“Maria,” The woman called an older lady who was standing at the car giving instructions to the other maids.

“Yes, Mrs. Thompson” Maria replied as she walked up to where we stood near to the fountain.

“This is Valerie. She's the new maid, guide her through everything and the rules” Mrs Thompson said, she turns to look at me one last time before walking into the mansion.

We are currently in the maid's quarters; Maria has left after introducing two other maids including the one, I saw with Mrs. Thompson at the mart.

“You are so beautiful” Audrey said, she was my bed mate and was also the one with Mrs. Thompson when we met.

“Thank you” I replied shyly as I unpacked the little clothes, I managed to take with me.

“Is it true that your aunt sent you out of the house?” Lisa asked. I nodded as I couldn't speak due to the heavy lump of tears in my throat.

“I don't know why aunties are so difficult” Gia lament bitterly

“Don't worry everything is going to be alright. Mrs. Thompson is a good woman, she will treat you right as long as you do your job well” Lisa said, she was the older one among us apart from Maria. After I had finished unpacking, we all showered and retired for the night.

I woke up the following morning at 6a.m. Being the one to do all the chores at my aunt's I was quite used to waking up early.

“Good morning, Val, sleep well?” Audrey asked, she was up earlier than I and she was already dressed in her maid uniform.

“Yes, thank you” I smiled at her as I got out of bed to do my daily routine of brushing my teeth, bathing then dressing in my maid uniform. I walked out of the room to see that everyone had a bath and were all waiting for Maria.

“I can't believe we'll be having a permanent roaster,” Lisa exclaimed happily, her short red hair was pulled back with a scarf as Mrs. Thompson frowned against letting hair down during working hours.

“I just hope I'm permanently assigned to young master Victor's room” Gia said with a dreamy look on her face. Looking at her one could guess that she has a crush on the young master.

“You still haven't gotten out of this, your foolish crush” Audrey frowned at her while I watched them fascinated. This is going to be hell of an interesting week!

Maria walked in holding a notebook and a pen “Good morning, everyone!” She greeted us as her eyes scanned everyone in the room before finally resting on me. She smiled proudly.

“I see you are already getting used to the routine around here. Right?” She asked me, smiling.

“Yes ma’am” I replied bowing my head shyly.

“Just call me Maria. Now to the duties” she said as everyone quieted down to listen to their roles. I could feel the tension in the room.

“Audrey and I are to handle the master's bedroom and the study. That is, everything that has to do with the second floor from serving food to cleaning” She paused to look at Audrey who nodded at her satisfied with a smile on her face which didn't quite reach her eyes.

“Lisa and Gia, you are to handle the kitchen and the cleaning of the first floor from serving food to anything else on the first floor” She pauses again to look at them. Lisa was excited being a foodie, she gets to eat whenever she wants.

Gia was not happy; she has always wanted to be the young master's personal maid. She nodded reluctantly at Maria with a sour expression on her face. Maria continues as she looks at me smiling.

“Valerie, you are young master Victor's personal maid”

“What?” They all exclaimed while Gia looked at me with a jealous expression.

“That means, you are not to take part in any cleaning around the house. Your duties are on the third floor and everything that Victor's need” Maria continues smoothly ignoring their protests. I nodded at her when she was through. I hate the idea of having to wait on someone being Tiana's personal maid was worse and now this....

“That's so unfair” Gia exclaimed bitterly “Why did she get to be his maid when she just joined yesterday?”

“Why don't you go ask Mrs. Thompson?” Maria replied as she turned to walk out “Everyone to your duties now,” she shouted as we all scrambled out with our brush and duster.

“Valerie, come let me show you to the young master's bedroom” Maria called to me. She guides me up the stairs to the third floor. There were different drawings of a boy with blue eyes. That's rare, I've never seen anyone with blue eyes before. Maria stops in front of a door and turns to me.

“This is the young master's bedroom. Luckily for you he's not around. You come in here every day to clean, mop and sweep the hallway. Okay”

“Yes Maria” I reply

“Then after sweeping make sure, you dust the paintings” Maria said as she turned to go.

I counted the paintings on the wall, they were fifty all together. That's much right? but this is a piece of cake compared to what I had to do at my aunt’s house every day.

I opened the door to the young master's bedroom and exclaimed at the size of the room. It was bigger than my aunt's house. I can spend a whole day cleaning this room.

I immediately got to work, from dusting to cleaning and washing the bathtub. I was in the middle of dusting the paintings when Maria came to call me that Mrs. Thompson wanted to see me.

I drop the trash can and brush, and turn to follow her. Walking into the sitting room I was surprised to see her sitting beside a man who I assume to be her husband. This was the first time I would see him; he was agile and handsome with brown eyes and dark hair while Mrs. Thompson had blue eyes. I guess that's where the young master got his eyes from.

“Come here Valerie. I want you to meet someone” Mrs. Thompson called out to me immediately she noticed me standing at the stairs. I rushed to meet her with a smile on my face.

“Come on, sit down” she said as I sat down across from them bowing my head timidly.

“This is my husband Mr. Daniel Thompson,” she said, introducing me to her husband who was busy on his phone.

“Nice to meet you sir” I greeted him with a smile, he smiled back at me.

“Nice to meet you too Valerie. You are a good girl, how old are you?”

“I'm twenty years sir”

“Good. And please drop the sir, call me Daniel” He replied and went back to typing on his phone.

“Has Maria shown you to Victor's room?” Mrs. Thompson asked, looking at me.

“Yes ma'am. She has”

“Good. I want you to take him as your brother since both of you are in the same age range. I wanted to adopt you since I've always wanted a girl child but my lawyer said you are long past adoption since you are already an adult. But in my heart, you will always be the daughter I never had” Mrs. Thompson said as she hugged me close, tears welled up in my eyes as I fought to keep it at bay.

I never believed that someone could love me so much as to want to adopt me apart from my parents “Thank you so much ma’am”.

“You're welcome, dear. Have you eaten?” She asked me as she sat back down on the couch opposite me.

“Not yet”

“Go into the kitchen and pick whatever you want to eat” she said waving me off to the kitchen. I walk in to see Lisa and Gia eavesdropping on us. Lisa smiles at me as she dishes my food while Gia was frowning and glaring dagger at me.

“Did you know Mrs. Thompson from anywhere before?” Gia asked looking at me

“No,” I replied, taking the food from Lisa and sat down before taking a spoonful into my mouth.

“She seems unnecessarily kind to you and that's so unfair” Gia laments bitterly

“I'm surprised too,” I replied, smiling happily to myself.

“What is there to be happy about?” Gia shouted at me as she dropped the broom she was holding and walked out angrily. I looked at Lisa shocked.

“Don't mind her Valerie. She can be very dramatic sometimes” Lisa said as I shrugged and went back to eating my food.

Thirty minutes later I was back in the young master's bedroom dusting and cleaning his portraits on the wall in the hallway. It was getting dark by now and I just couldn't wait for night to fall to rest my weary bones.

“This is where you are,” Audrey exclaimed. I turn to see her standing at the stairs looking at me surprised.

“Yes. Where else will I be?” I asked her, rolling my eyes at her for asking me a stupid question.

“Come on, it's time for bed” she said, dragging me down the stairs to the maid's quarter while I protested furiously.

“But I'm not yet through with cleaning the portraits”

“You don't have to finish everything today. Moreover, young master won't be around still weekends. You can always do it before then” she said as I sat down on the bed defeatedly. Gia and Lisa were already snoring while Audrey and I chatted still the wee hours of the morning before we decided to sleep.