Maid or Lady of the House?
AN: Rated T for slight mentions of drug use, domestic violence, and alcohol abuse, which incidently make this story sound way more grittier than it actually is. It's humorous with flawed characters that sometimes make bad choices.
Chapter 1: Maid Mania
Mr. Gold had just fired his fifth maid, this year, and it was only March. What was the problem with maids these days? Why couldn't they just comply to his wishes; it's not like they were that extravagant. Of course, he wasn't the easiest person to work for, as many of his employees could confirm, but still….
He will put an ad in the paper, once again. Hopefully, this time someone competent and not to easily spooked will apply. Mr. Gold is a collector of many things and a amateur alchemist. For both his collection and his hobby, odd, bizarre and scary objects fill his house.
Belle French is skipping through the paper, looking at the ads, whilst smoking away. She has recently lost her job as a housekeeper for an old couple whose requests got stranger and more eccentric every day. She has some savings, but does need a new job pretty bad. Ever since her divorce, the money has been tight. Not that they were rich during their marriage, quite the opposite. Her ex-husband, Gus, short for Gaston, a name he hated, had a terrible temper and often lost jobs due to his short fuse. His mother had called him Gaston after falling in love with some fairy tale movie and he had been bullied because of it. They never got around to having kids themselves, which was probably a good thing, considering how bad their relationship had gotten in the end.
An ad for a maid grabs her attention. The house in question is pretty large. On the upside there's only one occupant and the pay is considerable, on the downside though, such a good job will probably have many applicants. She has some experience, some references, but also a track record of failed positions, not unlike Gaston. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Some odd ten years ago he had been in a car accident. He had been drinking and so had the driver of the other car involved. Fortunately, no-one was killed or seriously harmed, except for himself, that is. He had a limp ever since. The punishment had been a heavy fine and his license had been revoked for a considerable time. He had spent some time in revalidation for his leg. After the accident, his marriage started to go downhill. She was ashamed of his appearance and hated that people knew about the DUI sentence. They had been part of quite a small and gossipy social circle. Milah had begged him to move and eventually he had caved in. Not that it had benefited his marriage, but at the time he had hoped it would.
Milah, now his ex-wife, was remarried to his son's former high school football coach, Kenneth Jones. Due to the accident, he had not been able to play sports with his son. Brant was a successful player and had established a good relationship with his coach. That was why he didn't think that much of it, at first. He didn't always have the time to attend the games, but Milah did, and was well informed of her son's progress.
It wasn't until Brant had smashed the windows of the coach's car, having seen him and his mom earlier that day kissing passionately, that he had found out about it. The divorce had been quick. Brant had lived with him for a while, still being angry at his mother, but now, a few years later, they were estranged. Brant was a sophomore in college. He had forgiven Milah. Kenny had been able to get into his good books again by pulling some strings to get him a place on the college football team. He hardly spoke to his son nowadays.
Belle hops of the bus and walks the remaining streets towards the house. Gaston had gotten the car in the divorce. As she approaches the house, she becomes nervous. The house and garden are beautiful. She could get used to working here. Belle has had her share of crappy jobs over the years and nice surroundings always helped with otherwise mind-numbing tasks.
The interview is quite.. different. Belle is called into the home library. Behind a desk sits a polished man looking equally bored and annoyed. A cane rests against the desk. "So you are?" The voice echoes through the room. "Belle French," she answers, using her maiden name. "Ok, let me see, I've got your résumé here. Fine, looks good. Let's get to the questions, shall we?" "Ehm, ok." "Do you have a criminal record?" "No, I don't." "Do you intend to steal, use drugs, use my house as a party venue?" "No, of course not." "Do animals in formaldehyde scare you?" "No, not that I'm a fan." Oops, wrong thing to say, she thinks. He smirks, "Most people aren't." "Could you cook a wholesome meal, say three times a week?" "Sure," so far so good, Belle figures. "Will you arrive on time and do as you're told?" "Within reason," Belle replies, remembering the old couple. He looks at her appraisingly and makes a spur of the moment decision.
"Well, you seem to have your wits about you, so you're hired." "Just like that?" Belle asks quite baffled. "Sure, I haven't got all day for this nonsense, besides, most of the maids are gone within the month anyway." "You didn't ask anything about my personal life, hobbies, or.." Usually people want a bit more info on their hired help, especially when the maid is the only one at the house during the day. "What's that to me?" he answers rudely. "I couldn't care less. Like I said, most of them don't last that long." "May I know why?" Belle inquires, getting a bit nervous. He did mention animals in formaldehyde; perhaps he did the same to… unsatisfactory maids?
"I seem to be cursed, as far as maids are concerned." He lets out a long sigh. "They steal, give parties in my living room, bedroom even!" He shudders at the memory. "They cook really, and I mean really, bad food. So horrible, I'd rather make it myself, and the smell of burnt chocolate is just.." He shakes his head. "And the last one, well, she was nice, I thought. Clean, and friendly, good food too. I thought I'd finally found a winner." "What happened?" "She started a stray cat shelter in my shed." Belle can't help but giggle.