My papa will like to sink hisself in that soft cushion sofa in Big Madam’s parlor and be watching evening news and talking elections with Mr. Bada. How he and Mama and my brothers will love this house; the rich and big and powerful of it all.
“Where will we fetch water to wash plate and cook?” I ask, and the trembling in my voice shock me. I keep still my voice, clear my throat, make up my mind not to think too much of a life that can never be. “Is there a river or well in the afar?”
“Adunni, we have taps,” Kofi say. “That is a tap.” He point to the sink area. “Water comes out of there. Turn that handle to the left for hot water and right for cold water. See?” He turn the handle and water is jumping out like a angry stream. We have community taps in Ikati, one tap for the whole village, but the water from it be dripping one drop in every one hour. Too slow. He turn it again and the water off. “That’s that. Now, to your room. Follow me.”
We go outside the kitchen to the compound around the house. There is a lot of grass, more palm trees along the path. We turn one corner and we are facing another small house. It have a red roof too, with two windows, one wood door, two flowerpots full of sleeping yellow flowers.
“This is called the boys’ quarters,” Kofi say. “All of Big Madam’s staff stay here. You will use one of the rooms here.”
“Why am I not sleeping inside Big Madam’s house?” I ask.
“Because you don’t,” he say, mouth straight. “I have cooked for that damn woman for five years, and I still cannot sleep inside her house. Right. Here we go.” He push open the wooden door. There is a long corridor, with three more doors along of it. Kofi point to the first of the door, twist the handle to open it. “Here is your room. Rebecca used to sleep here until—” He stop his talking, swallow something. “Step inside.”
“Until what?” I ask. “What happen to this Rebecca?”
“Who knows? Probably ran away with her boyfriend,” he say, shrug. “Your uniform is on the bed. It used to belong to Rebecca. I hope it fits. Her shoes are under the bed. Hope those fit too, otherwise, stuff tissue in them. Go in, get changed, and I will be back to show you what you need to do.”
I enter inside the room. The room is the size of Morufu’s parlor in Ikati. A bulb is hanging on a white plastic rope from the ceiling. There is a open window in the wall with metal gate behind it. A red curtain cover most of the window, but it leave a crack, enough to allow a small breeze and a blink of light from outside, be like red lips parting a little to show two white teeths. On the bed is a mattress of yellow foam, table and chair in one corner, a brown wooden cupboard beside it.
“That is my uniform?” I ask, picking up the cloth from the bed and spreading it out. It is a dress, long to my feets, with red and white square stamp on it everywhere. “Is it for school? This uniform?” My heart is swelling. Maybe it is a good thing that I run away from Ikati.
“This has got nothing to do with school,” Kofi say, dull. “Big Madam expects us, her domestic staff, to wear uniforms. I wear a chef’s uniform, and you will wear a housemaid uniform.”
The dress don’t make noise as it is falling out of my hand and landing on the floor by my feets. “This is not uniform for school? Why anybody with correct sense will be wanting housemaid to be wearing uniform?”
“Big Madam expects us to look professional. You know, like we are working in a proper place. And I agree. I don’t know about yours, but my job is an important job. She has important friends. Rich men and women in the society. Now, did Mr. Kola tell you that Big Madam will put you in school?”
“He say if I am behaving myself,” I say, “that Big Madam will put me in school. So, when I am seeing the uniform, I am thinking Big Madam—”
“Will educate you?” Kofi cut my words and shake his head. “She has never educated any housemaid in my years of serving her. You are here to work. Face your work. That’s that. Get changed and meet me outside your room in ten minutes.”
* * *
“Have you ever used an iron?” Kofi ask.
We are now inside a small room, with a long, triangle-shape table, a basket full of clean clothes by the door, a white iron sitting on top the table that say Philips on it.
“I see one or two of the shops in Ikati are selling irons,” I say, pulling the uniform around my neck to be making it fit. “But it is very costly. I never use it in my life.”
The uniform is reaching almost to my ankles. The arms space is too wide, and I look as if I am making preparations to be flying. Rebecca’s shoe is on my feets. That too is too big, so I am putting toilet paper inside the front, and it is making my toes to curl inside of the shoe and paining me. I think that this Rebecca girl was old more than me. Big too, more than me.
“It is simple to use,” Kofi say as he is twisting one button on the iron. “You just need to plug it in to the socket down there, adjust this dial here to match the label on the back of the cloth. Don’t worry, I’ll show you how to check the labels. All you need to do is this.” He is sliding the iron up and down on the cloth, stronging his face as if the iron is vexing him. “When you finish, always remember to unplug the iron down there,” he say. “To prevent a fire outbreak. If you are not sure of anything, ask me.”
Kofi’s English-speaking and way of talking is sometimes too much, but I am using my brain and picking his words to make sense of it. “I will be making sure that I am unplugging the plug every time. I don’t want fire to be outbreaking.”
“Good,” he say. “Big Madam has a schedule for housemaids. I am sure she will take you through it, but I know she expects you to start work at five a.m. You will mop all the floors in the house, including the tiles on the wall in the five bathrooms. Clean all the windows, sweep the compound, and scrub the paving on the driveway. At night, she expects you to water all the flowers, wipe the mirrors, and dust the beddings in all the rooms.”
“Is okay,” I say, feeling a sadness all at once. “It is plenty work, but I can be working hard. Mr. Kola say he will bring my moneys for me after three months.” Maybe after many months of working here and saving the money, I buy bus fare and go back to a village that is near Ikati. If I am near Ikati, and near Kayus, even Papa, then my heart will not feel like it is full of something heavy.
Kofi pull his eyesbrows back. “You really think Mr. Kola will bring your salary in three months? You believe that?”
I nod my head yes. “He is helping me. I don’t have a banking account, so he is keeping money for me. Why are you stronging your face?”
“I am frowning because,” Kofi say as he is pressing a button and water is jumping out from the iron onto the cloth, “he told Rebecca the same thing. She believed him, and he collected all her salary and did not show up here again until this afternoon when he brought you.”