Once Upon a Time ......

A reader wrote to me and commented that it was easy for me to write about being a maid because I was born with a silver spoon! I beg to differ.

If the reader has read my earlier blogs, she would probably know that I come from a poor family. However, being the youngest and having siblings who dote on me, I was still unable to cook rice till I left school.! It was only in Canada that I picked up domestic skills like baby sitting, cleaning, housekeeping, etc.

It was my boss' father, the late Mr. Lim Cheng Ean, who encouraged me to pursue tertiary education overseas, and who gave me a bursary. Not wanting to be a burden to my siblings, I decided to be independent and earn some income to supplement my studies. In fact, I worked part time as a cleaner in a company with the beautiful and most appropriate name of Cinderella Maid.! However, I did not lose any glass slipper, and neither have I found my Prince Charming thus far. Hence, I am now an old maid, but a happy and contented old maid!

I enjoyed my work and whatever that I did not know, I learnt very quickly so much so that my Canadian boss, Mrs. Palmer, doted on me. Now I can still recall some of the interesting experiences as a Cinderella Maid.

Once I was sent to clean the house of four bachelors! Gosh! It was really filthy. The ash trays were filled with layers of ash until they no longer looked like ash trays. I loved challenges and sprang to my feet. After 8 hours of cleaning, the house began to look more like a home. When the gentlemen returned home, they were so pleased that they requested me to clean their home again, this time on a more regular, monthly basis.

On another occasion, I was asked to help to clean the home of a bride-to-be. It was already 2.30p.m. when I arrived. The bride's mother was very angry as my colleague had let them down by not turning up. I reminded them to smile for it was not my fault. I was requested by my boss to help them out. I obliged even though I had a test for my French Paper the following morning. Towards evening, the mother was so happy with the result that she gave me Can$80/- as tips. It was the biggest tip I had ever received. She even invited me to attend her daughter's wedding. I gave the bride and groom a set of Chinese wok together with some chopsticks as a wedding present.

While most of my cleaning assignments were on an ad hoc basis, sometimes, I would be given a regular permanent place to work on. One of them was to clean a church once a week. I had the keys and could go anytime I liked. Hence, I would usually make my way very early in the morning, so that I could be back for my lectures in the afternoon. Once, I was in the sanctuary, and realised that there were many wreaths to be thrown away. There was a church funeral the day before. I must confess it felt kind of eerie after a while, and I remembered leaving the place earlier than usual.

I had mentioned in my earlier blog about my regular baby sitting for the Suvan family. The Suvans lived in a huge mansion. At that time, I was really brave. Now that I reflect on it, it is actually quite eerie to be all alone with a baby in a huge house. My imagination got the worse of me, especially after watching some horror films that usually have very big homes as their setting. Perhaps it is this very reason why I prefer to live in a small apartment where I do not feel so isolated, and where it is easy for me to clean up the place.

Ah! The joy of being a Cinderella maid. The greater joy of being an old maid! :-)

Gan Chau