Chapter 2 Meeting the evil aunt

Don't get caught out, always purify your intention and make your relationship beautiful with Almighty ALLAH.

No matter how much you try to do for people, you will not be able to please everyone, they will always find faults.

Zainab:

I shifted my eyes left and right but still didn't find him...ah I hope I never meet him again. He sounded like an old and angry bird!

Whatever, as it is who cares whether he's grumpy old man or young guy, I have just come to this mansion to do my work as maid and stay away from troubles but will it be really possible?

******

I was awfully nervous, my heart was thumping fast in my chest, labouring my breaths. What if I run into someone? However, my legs moved automatically when I realised that I couldn't just stand around like it was my own house. I just had to start the day.

It's my first day, and I am already sensing a lot of trouble under this roof. You know like the sixth sense or what do they call it?

'I should start doing the work before someone else snaps at me.' I thought. As far as I had heard from my parents, there were around 6 people living in this house, and yet nobody was to be seen in this huge yet silent mansion.

The supposed inhabitants of the mansion were my mother's brother, his wife, and their two kids; one girl who was around my age, so around 22, and a guy a bit older than me. If am not wrong they also mentioned my mum's father, whose my grandfather, and my grandmother that had moved to the mansion with their son a long time ago, whereas we stayed back.

"Where are my grandparents?" I wondered aloud. Were they sick, or even safe? Were they alive? Ya Allah, the more I thought the more anxious I became. This house held many mysteries, and it haunted me with its bothersome mysterious aura.

I Wonder how my journey will turn out from here?

I finally entered into a kitchen that was twice as large than what my room was back home. This kitchen was just unbelievable. It had everything kept individually and organized. The kitchen was lined with impressive marble counters, along with glass jars lining the counters with almost too perfect ingredients. There were fresh fruits; apples, oranges, and pears that were sitting in a delicate golden bowl. The cupboard handles were made of sparkling gold a silver. A glass chandelier eliminated the whole kitchen making it look more magical. Someone could easily mistake it for a five-star hotel kitchen. 'If this is the kitchen I wonder how the interiors of the rest of the house maybe.'

After I had admired the whole kitchen I spotted two chefs, one of whom I met earlier and decided to have a conversation with them to know more about my job and the residents of the mansion.

"I guess you are new here, dear?" One of them asked me calmly as I approached them while serving me a glass of water. Oh! how badly I needed water to relax. At least someone spoke calmly.

"Yes, I just arrived this morning and I was already told to start work but I hardly know what my work is, let alone my way around this giant house" I explained to him in my low voice, glancing here and there hoping no one sees me talking to the chef as I have heard some stories whereby the employers don't prefer the servants intermingling especially during working hours.

"Well, there are four maids now, but there were once five. One was for cleaning the interiors of this huge mansion, but she left all of a sudden due to some emergency. So, for now, you are one of three other maids; the other maids are responsible for maintaining the garden, one for the guest house, one for the kitchen and washing, and now I guess you will be for a house, where you will have to clean each and every room but you will receive specific instructions from madam." After he finished, I just wondered and hoped that this house had far fewer rooms than it appeared to have.

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I went into the dining room since there was no one there, and one of the other maids had already cleaned up the dining table breakfast. 

I went and swept the dining room and once I was done, I mopped the floor. The size of the dining room was larger than the kitchen and I was already exhausted but there were many more rooms left.

I tiredly strolled out of the dining room and was about to knock on the door of one of the rooms when I was suddenly greeted by a cold, intense voice behind me and I stood frozen on the stop, not again really.

I turned around so I face the side from where  the voice came from only to find a lady looking at me, I thought ladies didn't have high voice, I recognized her since I saw her photo on one of the framed portraits in the sitting room while cleaning. She was elegantly dressed and her clothes and jewellery confirmed she was indeed a millionaire and nothing less.

"So you have come," the lady who was my aunt, since she was my uncle's wife, stared at me while she spoke as if I was a piece of trash. She wore modern clothes and no hijab. She was beautiful but she had a wicked and harsh demeanour.

"I arrived in the morning today, I-"I explained to her but was suddenly cut off. Rude much.

"I didn't ask for your explanations," she told me off coldly and I already disliked her. She had a wicked grin plastered on her face when she spoke to me as if she totally despised the sight of me. Just like those evil lady type characters in the tv.

"Start tidying our room, as it is, my husband has already gone to work. Also, make sure you don't enter the rooms when they're occupied by my family," she told more. Oops no. It sounded more like an order. Trust issues?

I nodded without any comments. Aghhh! How much I disliked this aunt of mine! How did my uncle fall for her?Ofcourse here goes the saying ,Love is blind. Maybe she changed after she married my uncle, or she just truly despised us. 

She opened the room and came inside, and sat on the bed as if not trusting me in her room alone. She started polishing her nails, but she was alert of my every move. 

"She wasn't even able to change her own bedsheet, what a shame", I thought to myself and smiled while doing my work. I had always seen my mum do the house chores and taught me to do the same. So it was really weird for me to see my aunt not doing anything.

I saw a dressing table which had lots of perfumes by luxury brands. I didn't touch any,

fearing that I would break them and face her wrath. I cleaned the table, windows, fan, and everything else in her room until it was spotless.

"When did she clean her room last?"I wondered to myself.

Finally, I was done. Beads of sweat were already forming on my forehead, My hands already ached and weak my legs were so sore that I was unable to walk further, I felt like rushing towards my small room and let sleep consume me.

"You're done? Now bring me water; the jug is over there," she ordered pointing to the jug which was beside her bed. Evil, lazy woman. It was as if she didn't have legs, may be that's why her and my family didn't get along as personalities also didn't match at all.

While I was bringing a jug of water back to her room, well  I was rushing since I had to go to plenty of rooms to clean them. I heard her spoilt daughter was awake, so it was better to clean before she came out.

Was I judging yo early by calling her spoilt?

While I was rushing, I didn't realize where I was going and I collided with a hard wall. Upon further notice, it wasn't a wall. I thought I had collided into my uncle, but he was at work, but maybe he was working from home..ahhhhh..bad day...

"Watch where you're going." An unfamiliar, deep, irritated voice snapped at me. I mustered out a sorry in a low voice and rushed away without even sparing a second glance to the person. Likely, it was the same old, grumpy man.

"Who was he?" I asked myself. I don't care.

"Why is everyone rude in this house?"I wondered. Maybe that's their personality. I shrugged and quickly rushed to give the evil lady her jug of water before she screamed at me.

" Be careful,"I heard chefs concerned voice while I rushed and I just nodded and waved at him, I will talk to him later.

"Once I had everything and now I am a maid."

Losingng a loved one is never easy and we all experience it at one stage or other. Stay attached to the Almighty and you will feel better.

Not everyone will like you, don't let it bother you.