Roommates 2: Episode 11

Maid On A Mission 2

April spent hours making Georgina up.

At the end, after she wore her the new grandma’s wig and antique spectacles they got, Georgina became a darker and older version of herself.

She stood and looked into the mirror. ‘Blood of Jesus!’ she screamed. ‘April, what did you do to my face?’

April turned to Rachel with a smile.

Georgina touched her new wig. ‘April, seriously, must I be an ugly aunty to be a maid? Can’t I just be a young sexy maid with some iota of seductiveness in me?’

‘You intend to seduce another woman’s husband?’ April asked.

‘Oh, girl, do with the devil whatever you please,’ Rachel said.

The girls chuckled.

Georgina touched her wig again. ‘Well, since April has decided to turn me into a witch, no problem. Now that I can’t seduce him, I will bewitch him.’

‘I like that better,’ Rachel said with a smile. ‘Now listen.’

They gathered round her and she began.

‘The gate man would probably want to search your bag.’

‘Really?’ Georgina said. ‘Why?’

‘Don’t worry,’ Rachel said. ‘Just tell him Martha sent you.’

‘Martha?’ April this time. ‘Who is Martha?’

‘The former maid, they were really close.

‘Oh.’

‘Yes.’

‘I’ll write something down on a paper. You can give to him and tell him it’s from Martha.’

‘Ok.’

‘The next person you are probably going to meet is Kester. He is the driver but doubles as a body guard. He was the one that came here that morning to drag me home.’

‘That tall thing?’ Georgina said.

‘Yes,’ Rachel said.

April gave Georgina a slow look. ‘Are you afraid?’ she asked.

Georgina shook her head. ‘So what am I going to tell this Kester guy?’

‘Nothing. Just tell him to take you to oga, that Martha sent you.’

‘Martha again?’ April and Georgina chorused.

‘You see, girls, Martha served in the house longer than any of them. She was like their mother, a very lovely lady.’

‘So why did Martha leave in the first place?’ April asked.

‘It’s a long story but it’s not important. The good thing is that you are going to use her name to gain entry, ok?’

Georgina nodded. ‘So will you give me a letter to give to Kester too?’

‘No. The pig probably won’t touch it.’

‘You don’t like Kester so much, do you?’ April asked.

‘Not at all,’ Rachel said. ‘He is terribly obsequious. He can do anything Josh asks him to do, even kill.’

A sigh flew out of Georgina. ‘That’s scary.’

April turned to look at her again. ‘Georgina we can call this off and look for another way.’

Georgina straightened her features. ‘Rachel, continue,’ she said.

‘Ask Kester to take you to his master. If he asks, tell him he already has your CV.’

‘Okay.’

‘The devil will probably be in the sitting room. Greet him and tell him what you’ve come for.’

‘Ok.’

‘Girl, you must remember to act normally. He mustn’t suspect a thing or else the mission becomes dead on arrival.’

Georgina nodded.

‘Don’t worry, I’m sure the house is going to be in a mess so he’d be just as desperate as you are to have you stay.’

‘I don’t understand,’ Georgina said.

‘Since Martha left, I’ve been the one doing most of the cleaning myself. So now that I haven’t been there for days, there is every chance the house would be in dire need of some work. Utilize this to your good by indicating your interest to start immediately.’

‘Wait, do you mean I’m going to do real cleaning in the house?’ Georgina asked.

April and Rachel’s eyes ran to her. ‘What else do maids do?’ Rachel came through first.

‘But I’m not a real maid,’ Georgina said.

‘Girl, while in the house, you are going to act as real as anything real can be. You are going to clean, vacuum, dust and scrub.’

‘Blood of Jesus! Only me?’

‘Come on, girl,’ Rachel said, ‘the house is not that big, just 14 rooms.’

Georgina’s eyes popped.

***

The door of the room where Loveth was kept burst open. Two tall dark men walked in.

Loveth sat on the floor at the corner of the empty room, her mouth gagged, arms and legs bound. The floor was not carpeted and it felt very cold to her skin.

She sent glaring eyes to the men.

‘Hey, who are you looking at that way?’ the man in front asked. He was taller and bigger than his companion.

Loveth blinked hard at him and turned away.

The man stared at her. ‘I know you must be hungry, but since you’ve failed to be nice, nothing for you at all.’

Loveth said nothing to him.

The man walked to her and pulled off the handkerchief they’d gagged her mouth with. ‘Scream and it’d be your last,’ he said.

Loveth hissed and turned away.

This appeared to get the man more curious. He stared at Loveth. ‘You don’t look any afraid, do you?’ he asked.

‘Afraid of what?’ Loveth said.

The man gave a small unamused smile. ‘So you are not afraid of your life?’ He pulled out a gun from the side of his waist and showed it to Loveth. ‘You are not afraid of this?’

Loveth stared at him. ‘All my life I’ve lived in fear. It defined me. I thought it was me, I thought that was how I was built, a faulty scared little machine. But it is not. I simply gave in to it, I gave up living. This is about the most courageous thing I’ve ever done in my entire life, so if I die from it, it would be an honourable one.’

The man was staring at her. For long his eyes remained on her, and then he turned to glance at his partner.

Turning back to Loveth, he asked, ‘What is your name?’

‘I’m Loveth.’

‘What is your beef with Lady B really?’

‘I don’t have any beef with any lady,’ Loveth said. ‘The only person I have issues with is my fiancé. He lied to me, I reacted. I have nothing to be sorry for.’

‘I see,’ the man said.

‘Yes.’

He was staring at Loveth again. Then he slipped his two hands into his pockets. ‘Well, my name is Anthony and it’s a pleasure to meet you, Loveth.’

Loveth sent surprised eyes to him.

***

Gift was coming out of the salon when two bikes screeched to a halt in her front.

Four girls jumped down from them.

She made to run but they caught her and descended on her.

People stood by, watching as they beat her up, some of them taking pictures.

Finally they left her dirty and crushed on the ground, jumped on their bikes and zoomed off.

That was when people started coming close, to help her up, ask questions and some others, to take more pictures.

***

Georgina pounded the gate again.

‘Who is that?’ came a male voice from inside.

‘It me, open gate.’

‘You, who?’

‘Open gate!’

A short while and the small portion of the gate slid back.

Georgina walked in.

‘Who are you?’ the gate man asked.

‘New maid. I come from Martha.’

The look on the man’s face softened. ‘Oga know say you dey come?’

‘Before.’

‘Okay.’ He turned and pointed. ‘Walk straight down.’

‘Dalu.’ Georgina walked past.

In the garage, Kester sat with his legs on the ground in one of the jeeps, nodding to the music from his headphones.

Georgina gave him a slight wave and walked past.

‘Hey!’ Kester called. He pulled the headphones off his ears. ‘Hey, come back!’

Georgina turned back to him.

‘Who are you?’

‘Maid. I come from Martha.’

The man smiled. ‘Ah, Mummy sent you?’

Georgina nodded.

‘Cool,’ he said. ‘Hope you can cook like her o.’

‘I cook Indomie very well,’ Georgina said.

‘What? We don’t eat noodles in this house.’

‘Really? What of garri and milk?’

A sudden frown came over Kester’s face.

‘Please take me to your oga, inugo,’ Georgina told him.

***

Some minutes later, Georgina and Kester walked into the sitting room to meet Josh.

The room was calm, stylishly furnished with blue and related colors.

Josh sat cross-legged on the couch, his eyes on the TV. On the screen, Amanpour was scolding someone on CNN.

‘Good day, sir,’ Kester greeted Josh with a small bow.

Josh looked up at them. Thin transparent glasses framed his eyes.

Seeing him again, Georgina found it strange that someone so fine and pale and frail-looking could be responsible for such atrocity.

She was now beginning to truly understand how very deceptive looks can be.

‘Sir, I brought her,’ Kester explained, gesturing at Georgina beside him. ‘She said she is from Martha.’

Georgina gave a quick bow. ‘Good evening, sir.’

Josh dropped the TV remote and put his legs down. ‘Kes, you can go,’ he said.

‘Ok, sir.’ Kester bowed and left.

Josh turned to Georgina. ‘Martha sent you, you said?’

‘I come from Martha.’

‘You want to replace her?’

‘With immediate effect, sir.’

‘So do you have like a CV or something?’

Georgina shook her head. ‘CV, no. But Martha say I start immediately.’

‘So have you had a cleaning job before?’

‘I born cleaning, sir.’

Josh nodded, breathing out a slow sigh. ‘While Martha was here, she doubled as a cook too, can you handle that?’

‘I cook pass Kate, sir.’

‘Kate?’

‘Kate Horseshoe, sir. Onga woman.’

‘Oh. I see.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘So did Martha discuss anything about salary and allowances with you?’

‘Martha say you pay me fifty thousand, sir, and then another twenty thousand and then eight thousand again.’

‘I see.’

‘What is your name?’

‘Geo…Janet, sir.’

‘Janet, okay.’

‘How old are you?’

‘I think 50, sir, but everybody say I look younger.’

‘You think you are fifty?’

‘I not have certificate for age.’

‘Okay.’

‘So when can you start?’

‘I start now-now, sir.’

‘Hope you know you are going to be live-in?’

‘Sir?’

‘As in, living here.’

‘Oh.’ Georgina tapped the leather bag she was carrying. ‘I carry my wrapper and cloth come.’

Josh stood. ‘Come with me, let me show you to your room.’

Georgina followed him, her eyes scanning all around the house.

***

The next morning, she woke up at 9.

Josh was at the dining table when she came into the sitting room. ‘Good morning, sir,’ she greeted.

Josh turned to her. ‘And so her majesty finally wakes up,’ he said.

‘I sorry, sir,’ Georgina said. ‘I have headache.’

‘It’s okay, so what’s for breakfast?’

Georgina knitted her brows in thought. ‘Tea or akamu, which one you prefer, sir?’

‘What’s akanu?’

‘Pap.’

Josh shook his head, sighing. He stood and picked his iPad from the table to walk inside.

‘I sorry, sir,’ Georgina said with a bow as he walked past her. ‘I make sure I finish cooking when you come back.’

Josh turned to her. ‘Come back from where?’

‘Work, office.’

‘I have nowhere to go for the next two weeks to come,’ he said.

Georgina’s jaw dropped. ‘So you not go work?’

‘No.’

‘Office nko?’

‘I’m taking some time off.’

Josh walked away and Georgina turned her eyes up in misery.

***

Downstairs, she picked the bucket and broom and dusting cloth and walked up again.

Rachel wasn’t exaggerating; the house was really in serious need of cleaning.

Her bristly wig kept getting in the way as she swept and dusted in the sitting room.

Finally she took off the wig and dropped it aside.

Josh was walking into the sitting room.

Glimpsing on Georgina’s bald head, he screamed, ‘Holy shit!’ and dropped his iPad.

Georgina turned to him.

He was frozen stiff, his eyes wide at her.

‘What?’ Georgina said, confusion coating her eyes.

Josh pointed toward her with his left hand. ‘Your hair, where is your hair?’

Georgina touched her scalp. ‘Oh,’ she said. ‘Sorry. Wig disturbing and I take it off.’

Josh was breathing heavily.

Georgina didn’t understand. She bent and picked the wig from the ground and wore it back.

She carried her bucket and picked the plastic broom. ‘Sorry,’ she said with a bow and walked out of the sitting room.

For long minutes, Josh still didn’t move.

***

Later, Georgina entered the sitting room to meet him. She handed him a piece of paper. ‘I need money to go buy these things,’ she said.

Josh took the paper, scanned over it and returned it to her. ‘You will find some money on the table in the bedroom.’

‘Ok,’ Georgina said.

Once inside the room, she ran to the drawers of the closet. She checked the first one; there were no papers in it.

She opened the second one and saw a large file.

Reaching to carry it out, the door swung open, startling her.

She slammed the drawer back in and turned to Josh. ‘I looking for the money,’ she said.

Josh was staring at her. ‘I said on the table,’ he said.

‘Ok.’

Georgina walked to the dressing table and took some notes from the bundle of money there. ‘I go now, sir,’ she said and left the room.

Josh turned to stare at her.

***

On her way back from the market, she stopped by at the lodge and told the girls what she discovered in the morning.

‘How do you mean?’ April asked.

‘I think he has a thing about bald women,’ Georgina said.

‘What do you mean?’ April again.

‘He literally jumped out of his skin when he saw me in the morning without my wig.’

‘You took your wig off?’ April asked.

‘It was itching my forehead.’

‘What exactly did he do when he saw you?’ Rachel asked.

‘He screamed like a scared little boy and went motionless.’

‘I think something like that has happened before,’ Rachel said.

‘Really?’

‘Yes. We were seeing a movie together. There was this part about a lady with cancer. As soon as it got to the part where the woman’s bald head showed, he shuddered, very visibly, and then changed the channel.’

‘That’s strange,’ April said.

‘And frightening,’ Georgina added.

‘How?’ the girls chorused.

‘The guy obviously has a thing about bald women and—’ she tapped her head—‘—your sister here is very bald.’

‘Maybe we can use this to our good,’ Rachel said.

They turned to her.

‘How do you mean?’ April asked.

Just then someone pounded the door from outside and their eyes flew it.