"Mawin, I know you like to watching me suffer, but isn't it a bit much that even the bathroom and toilet have to be shared with everyone while you're lounging in that sweet room? Where's the justice in that? I'm just a wild child. Half of this hotel belongs to my father!"
I paced the square room, taking three steps to the far wall before turning around again, yelling at my fiancé, who was probably drinking red wine and happily soaking in the hot tub.
[I'm thinking you should have come to boot camp.]
"I didn't come here to serve the nation! On top of the ceiling fan inviting me to swing, I have to deal with shared bathrooms. Not to mention the shower doesn't have hot water. This is too much... too much! I'm tired of the Porsche, I'm tired of the investments. I'll either wait for my parents to grow old and enjoy their nice inheritance, or I'll marry you and wait for my husband to support me."
[Should I support you like this?]
"Yes... husband."
[What a loser.]
"What did you say?"
[What a loser. You can't handle even the slightest criticism. You should be embarrassed in front of Khun Renu.]
"Hey, do you even know that name?"
I pressed the end button because I didn't want to argue anymore before I threw myself on the bed and sit down with my head in my hands. Meanwhile, Arun looked at me silently, not making any comment, until I have to speak first.
"If you want to say something, say it. Don't look at me like that; I can't read it."
"No, I don't."
"It doesn't mean you have anything to say. We have to be together like this for three months, so please speak. I give you permission."
"Really?"
"Ya."
"I just feel like you are such a drama queen, so self-centered. If things don't go your way, you are ready to throw a tantrum. I wonder how you got to this age without ever having a boyfriend. If you did have one, how long did it last? Stuff like that."
I choked on what Arun had just said.
“I may have given you permission to speak, but there are some things you should keep to yourself."
"So that means I’m not allowed to speak anymore, right?”
I sighed in annoyance before replying angrily,
“Just say whatever you want, but please choose your words carefully. I’m sensitive. My parents raised me to be that way. Did you know I came out of my mother’s womb with a silver spoon in my mouth? My mother even had to have a C-section because the baby was obstructing the exit, and she was in a lot of pain."
"Really? Uh… that…”
There was some kind of sound caught in the sweet-faced secretary’s throat. I looked at the person trying to articulate her words and raised an eyebrow when I see she tried very hard to stifle her laughter, covering her mouth with her hand.
"I... I'm sorry. Hehe... hehe."
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing, I just..."
"Don't you believe I came out of my mother's womb with a silver spoon in my mouth?"
"..."
"If someone is born and can walk on a lotus flower for seven steps, why couldn't I come out with a silver spoon? Hmph..."
I bared my teeth before looking at the secretary, who is hiding her face because she don't want me to see her laughing. When I see her do that, I couldn't help but smile too, although I bit my lip to contain it.
"Why are you covering your face? Just laugh if you want. I'm not mad at you."
"..."
"Take your hand away right now. I want to see your face."
Arun obeyed and obediently removed her hand, but her face went back to being expressionless, which irritated me.
"Really, why don't you show any emotion when you're with me?"
"Showing too much emotion makes me look unprofessional. No matter what the boss does, I won’t react, no matter how good or bad I feel."
"Is it really necessary to go that far?"
"Not showing any emotion is safer. I can’t predict what mood you’re in. If you’re in a good mood about something you don’t like, it might upset you. If you’re in a bad mood about something you like, it’ll make you feel even worse. So… it’s better to remain neutral."
People like this do exist…
And so, a life of servitude was born. I fully intended to pack my bags and fly back to Bangkok, but I held back. You could say I was so inexperienced that I wouldn’t even step in chicken poop. Still, I wanted to try the job; one day it wouldn’t be that hard. However, no one told me that I had to wake up at six in the morning to get ready for work. When Arun came to wake me up, I was furious and wanted to scream in Malay.
"This is too much! No hot water, no air conditioning, and now I have to wake up early and wear this uniform that looks like a maid's outfit?!"
"Well, our duty is to learn the basics, and Mr. Mawin briefed you about it yesterday."
"And what's this apron for? Am I supposed to go on MasterChef too?"
I throw my hands up and twirled around like I was dancing ballet, then tilted my head back to look at the ceiling fan.
I'm gonna swing from the chandelier!
"..."
The sweet-faced secretary looked shocked as I suddenly started humming Sia without any warning.
"What? Haven't you heard it? Every time I see this fan, that song pops into my head."
"But..."
"What?"
I complained, still in a bad mood as I looked at Arun, who had a distressed expression as she is about to speak.
"Say whatever you want."
"Are you really not going to take a shower? Are you comfortable? You didn't take a shower last night either."
I touched my body lightly before shaking my head.
“I won’t take a bath because my mind is clear, so I don’t need to. Besides, I can’t stand taking a bath in a shared bathroom. There’s no hot water! My skin is sensitive; I can’t handle it. I came out of my mother’s womb with a silver spoon in my mouth, you know.”
“…”
"You always have something to say, but don’t say it. It’s making me sick… So, what’s next? I’ve changed my clothes now."
"Well… let’s start the first day of work together."
The first day of work mentioned was about making the beds and cleaning the rooms after the guests checked out. Today, the person who trained us was a housekeeper named “Sorn,” who seemed to be in her forties, with a harsh tone like a grumpy aunt who was always in a bad mood, but she kept telling us various things to remember. As for Arun, she remained the same, diligently taking notes to ensure she didn’t forget the order of the tasks, while I stood there with my arms crossed, resting my legs, not asking or probing.
Yes… because I didn’t intend to do that anyway.
"Come on, try making the bed for me to see."
"Okay,”
Replied the sweet-faced secretary, who had tied her hair back today, starting to work as instructed. Meanwhile, Aunt Sorn pointed at me to take care of another bed.
"Why are you standing there?"
"I’m standing here breathing."
"What did you say?"
"I only answered because you asked."
"And what’s that smell?... Sniff, sniff."
The woman named Sorn wrinkled her nose and sniffed near me before frowning.
"Did you put on perfume or something?"
"Yeah, it smells like flowers."
"Why does it smell so weird and musty?"
"Is your nose working? This perfume cost several thousand. Two bottles probably cost more than your salary. Can’t you speak a little nicer when you’re teaching someone? Who hired you to work here?"
"Hey, you’re a newbie and you’re acting all arrogant. Who do you think you are?"
"Who am I? I’m the one who can fire you, so get out!"
"This girl, I swear I’m going to slap you in the mouth!"
Then Sorn raised her hand, ready to really hit me, but Arun slid in front of me, giving the housekeeper a smile I’d never seen before.
"Calm down, okay? Intuorn has a bad mouth; Her parents didn’t teach her well."
"What did you say?"
I bared my teeth, ready to yell at the secretary for calling me by my name without a ‘Khun’ in front of it, and even drag my parents into it.
"How dare you…"
"Well, it’s true that her parents didn’t teach her anything. She looks fine, but she’s obviously useless. Someone who can’t even stand on her own can probably do nothing other than be a lover."
"Oh, wow…"
This time, it's my turn to raise my hand, ready to fight back. Arun, seeing that things getting out of hand, pushed me out of the room to avoid a confrontation. But by the time we get outside, the sweet-faced secretary is out of breath from the effort. What had started as my anger at that housekeeper, now directed at my smaller secretary.
"Why do you have to stop me? Didn’t you see how that woman treated me? And what is this… calling me out because my parents didn’t teach me anything? I wasted my time helping you. Don't forget that I have to work here because of you!"
"I didn't mean to insult you, but I had to agree to avoid a confrontation."
"Even if there was a confrontation, you should stand by me! Why do you have to support that woman?"
"You're wrong, you know? They're teaching you how to work; you just have to move on. There's no need to argue."
"How can I not argue when she talks to me like that? And more importantly, I'll never make anyone's bed! Do you have any idea how dirty this bed is? Have you seen those stains on it? Do you know what they are?"
"I don't know."
"They're the love marks of the guests who come here to indulge themselves after their activities. I can't stand it, not even touching these sheets! And I'll never change the bed linens, no way!"
In my entire life, I've never washed my own clothes. The idea of serving others? Forget it. Arun sighed softly, as if she's tired, but when she sees me looking, she assumed a calm demeanor to suppress any movement.
"Aren’t you complaining anymore?"
"Not anymore. If you don’t want to do it, then you don’t have to. What can I say?"
"I thought you would encourage me to do this or that. Weren’t you the one who said your job is to be a mentor and help me do everything perfectly?"
"Forcing someone to do something they don’t want to do will never end well. It’s better to find something else that you’re better suited for."
"You adapt quickly."
I tossed my hair dramatically, completely forgetting about the housekeeper named Sorn. Then I turned my attention to my sweet-faced secretary, remembering something.
"You smiled just now."
"Hmm?"
"You smiled at her. I thought you said you didn’t like to show emotions. So what was that smile about?"
"A smile makes everything easier. People tend to soften when they receive a little kindness, like a small gesture like a smile. So I have to smile to end things quickly. If I resist along with you, things will only get worse."
"So why don’t you ever smile around me?"
"I already told you why: you’re the boss. Anyway, let’s take a break. It’s almost noon."
"Great! It’s finally time to eat."
I stretched lazily as if I had just made the bed, even though I hadn’t done anything. But speaking of food.
"Even if I’m not tired, waking up so early makes me feel exhausted. This day feels incredibly long. So, I’m going to have carbonara today!"
Just as I'm about to walk towards the corner of the dining hall, Arun gently tugged on my shirt, as if trying to get my attention.
"What?"
"This way, please. This way."
"What?"
I found myself frozen in shock in the dining area where Arun led me. Everyone is standing in line, waiting to get food from the various trays placed around. They are chatting and laughing while I'm still in disbelief. Slowly, I turned to Arun.
"Is this what you mean by eating?"
"Yes, you can choose whatever you want to eat."
When it's Arun’s turn, she poured rice into her bowl and take the dishes she wanted without hesitation. Meanwhile, my plate remained empty as I stared at the food, which looked like garbage, unable to comprehend it.
"I’m not eating this! It looks like dog food!"
The moment I speak, the cafeteria, which is bustling with conversation, fell into complete silence, as if someone had pressed the mute button on a remote control. Arun, who is picking up food, froze, her hand still in the air as she stared at me in shock.
"Miss!"
"What? It’s true! How can anyone eat this?”
I slammed my plate down to emphasize my point that I absolutely could not eat it.
“Don’t mention dog food; I’m not even sure a dog would eat this!”
"Miss, please!"
Jenpob, who had been listening to the commotion for a while, run up to me and whispered urgently.
“People are staring! Please lower your voice…"
"Why shouldn’t I speak loudly? How can anyone eat this? Our quality of life is so bad today that we have to reinforce it by eating this pitiful crap piled up like this?"
"Watch out!"
Jenpob quickly pushed my head down, and soon after, I feel like something flow over my head. When I looked closely, I see that it's a rice ladle, just before I heard a loud voice coming from the cook that I had been listening to for a long time.
"If you don’t want to eat it, then don’t eat it! Get out of here!"
That decisive tone make me growl and grab the plate that's nearby, throwing it back like a boomerang. The sound of the ceramic plate breaking against the wall echoed throughout the room. The cook, who managed to dodge, take out a knife and pointed it at me.
"Today, either you or I will die!"
"Come on, you crazy woman!"
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿