Chapter 3 - Facing Co-Workers

The only trouble I had with my coworkers, was with Maggie, the housekeeper. She seemed to resent my presence, but I went out of my way to be nice to her.

"Please call me, Angelica." I asked one day when she brought my tray up to my room. She grunted something I couldn’t understand and started to turn away.

"Wait!" I said, detaining her. "Have I done something to upset you?"

"Your presence here upsets me!"

"Why?"

"That’s none of your business, Angelica! If you must be different from everyone else by wearing that silly veil, fine be different, but don’t think you’re better than anyone else!"

"I don’t. Why do you think that I do?"

"I know you do. No one else around here gets their meal brought up to their rooms. Yet Miss high and mighty Angelica Walker has to be waited on hand and foot. I am not your servant. Why can’t you eat downstairs with the rest of us?"

"That would be quite impossible." I began, but she cut me off.

"We will just see about that when I tell Mr. Adams about you."

"Maggie, if it’s too much trouble for you to bring my tray up, I’ll be more than happy to come down and get it myself. In fact, I insist upon it. You have enough work to do without waiting on me hand and foot. However, I will be taking my meals in my room. That will not change no matter how much you talk to Mr. Adams!"

"You’ve got your nerve. You don’t tell Mr. Adams what to do."

"Well, to use your words, Maggie, we will just see about that." Afterward I regretted my harsh words and what I had done. I was always stubborn. That was a fact, but now, it had gotten me into a lot of trouble. I had made an enemy I could not afford. I was after all still on probation.

"How’s my girl?" Mr. Adams asked.

"Daddy we learned the nine planets today and Angelica is going to take us to the planetarium to see the stars! If you give your permission.
Please, please say yes!"

"We’ll see, Trisha. We’ll see." Randy Adams said, lifting his daughter into his arms and giving her a hug.

"Angelica says that we can go to the Zoo to see the animals on Friday. Can we go daddy, can we huh?" June bug asked. His father smiled and tousled the boy’s hair.

"I’ll have a talk with her."

"Now you’re going to get it!" Maggie said, calling me into Mr. Adams’ study on Friday.

'So he was going to fire me was he?' I thought so. 'Maggie had been talking to him about me and my mouth was going to get me fired. Well, I surely wasn’t going to make things easy for him.'

"Well, Miss Walker, we made a deal. A weeks trial I believe it was."

"Yes, Sir."

"Do you have anything to say for yourself? Or any questions you’d like to ask." I shook my head. "Fine! Then that will be all. You may go."

"But, sir!"

"Yes, what is it?"

"I don’t understand."

"What’s there to understand? The children have taken a distinct liking to you."

"I’ve gotten quite fond of them as well."

"It’s been some time since I’ve seen them actually excited about learning." I smiled.

"I’ve always believed that the key to keeping a child’s interest is to make learning fun." He nodded. "Trisha is really quite bright. Junior is inquisitive. I think they can really benefit from my expertise."

"I think so too."

"Then I don’t understand."

"What’s the problem?"

"Well you…"I began.

"Oh, me...I admit it did take a little getting used to, but even I seemed to have become accustom to that…that thing of yours."

"The veil, sir!" I said defiantly.

"What ever you call it."

"I call it...a veil, sir." I replied, accenting each word.

"Listen, woman! I’m trying to be polite to you."

"Trying...being the operative word, sir."

"Young lady!"

"Young lady." I mocked, cutting him off. "What happened to the polite “Listen, woman!” I said, standing to confront him and mocking his hands on hips pose. He smiled.

"I hope you haven’t been teaching my children these rude manners!"

"I hope you wouldn’t abandon your children if they weren’t always as attractive as they are now."

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"You are firing me, aren’t you?"

"I wasn’t, but I’m tempted to do so now. You’ve got some temper!"

"You weren’t firing me?" I asked meekly.

"No! What made you think that I was?"

"You said that I could go. I thought you meant go away. Leave this place. I never want to see your ugly face again."

He smiled again. "No, I mean go about your duties."

"But, Maggie said…"I began.

"Ah, yes...That explains it. Maggie, I should have known. She came to me a few days ago with some...shall we say concerns. Maggie doesn’t like you or that…the veil of yours."

"She wants me to eat with the rest of the household staff. I tried to explain to her that that was impossible."

"She said you threatened her."

"As you said before, she doesn’t like me. She would say anything to make you fire me. Only I would have thought she would stick to the truth. I didn’t threaten her, sir. I just let her know that I would not be eating with the rest of the staff, no matter what anyone said."

"I’m sure she liked that." He said sarcastically. I smiled. "Don’t be put off by Margaret, Angelica; she’s harmless really, but please, try to stay on her good side from now on." I nodded.

"I will. I promise."

"The bottom line is: I’m impressed with your progress with the children; in so short of a time. It hasn’t been easy these years since their mother died, finding someone they like and trust, someone that I like, and someone who can put up with Maggie. I think I’ve found that in you."

"Oh, do you like me, Mr. Adams? You never actually said."

"Call me Randy."

"Should I, after all I’m only a servant."

"I insist. I like you very much, Angelica. I hope that we can be friends and that you will enjoy working here." Although he didn’t know it, behind the veil, I smiled.

Later when I read to the children and put them to bed, I broke the good news to them. They were glad but not as happy as I was. Finally to have somewhere to belong to. That night as I listened to their prayers Randy Junior prayed that his father would make a lot of money so he wouldn’t have to work so much and wouldn’t be away for so long.

I made a mental note to talk to Mr. Adams about it. Such lovely children, I thought as I went to my room.

Click to go to "Chapter 4 - Securely Attached" 
Or here to go to "The Veil"   by Magdalena