Agonies Of A Househelp

Episode 3

I lighted the stove immediately and put some water into the kettle and placed it on the stove.

“Hope you’ve put the water?” My madam shouted from the sitting room.

“Yes ma,” I replied twisting my fingers in fear.

“Come and wash off these napkins immediately,” she ordered sending me running into the sitting room.

She handed me the soiled napkins and I zoomed off with it into the bathroom to wash it.

I had barely soaked the napkin into the water when I heard madam’s voice dishing out another instruction.

“I will skin you alive if you continue wasting my kerosene in this house!” She bawled. “Or do you want to tell me that you don’t know that this hot water is boiling?”
“Sorry ma,” I replied.

“Sorry for your stupid self!” she fired back.

I instantly rinsed my hands and rushed to the kitchen to bring down the hot water.

I didn’t know where the pap I was to prepare was, so I went to the sitting room to ask madam.

“Ma please where is the pap?” I asked trembling with fear.

“Idiot the pap is there!” She fumed pointing at the fridge.

I went to the fridge, brought out the pap, prepared it and took it to her in the sitting room.

Then I went to the bathroom to continue with the napkin.

The baby’s cry filled the entire house and I soon heard my madam’s voice calling me.

“Adaeze!” She called.

“Yes ma,” I replied rinsing my hands once again and running into the sitting room.

“Sing for her, sing for her,” she urged.

“Fine baby don’t cry, fine baby don’t cry,” I broke into an unrehearsed song.

Fortunately for me, the baby stopped crying and listened to my song as she gulped down the warm pap.

When she was done, I carried the plate into the kitchen and washed it off and then went to the bathroom to finish up with the soaked napkin.

Soon, baby went to sleep and madam went to sleep too and I had little time to myself…