“New guests will arrive in half an hour. Will you be done by then?” she asked. “I can’t get it out,” Jessica sighed, struggling with a wax stain on the carpet.
Viola kneeled beside her, placed a serviette over the wax, and pressed a hot iron onto it. The wax melted, much to Jessica’s surprise. “Another romantic evening gone awry, I presume?” Viola said with a hint of amusement.
A slow smile spread across Jessica’s face as she and Viola tackled the wax stain together. As they finished, Viola directed Jessica to serve breakfast to other rooms, reminding her of specific guest needs like a certain Mr. Baxter’s medicine and a toast-free order for rooms 6-13.
“How do you keep it all in your head?” Jessica asked, surprised and overwhelmed. “Well, being a maid is not just about cleaning. It’s also about caring for people, knowing their needs and preferences,” Viola replied calmly.
Jessica understood a maid’s job wasn’t just limited to cleaning after guests. She wheeled the breakfast cart down the corridor, a newfound respect for Viola lingering in her heart. While serving breakfast, Jessica encountered both kindness and rudeness from guests, which tested her patience.
She badly wanted to rest after serving breakfast but was immediately sent to clean a suite, where she unexpectedly met her friend, Alicia. “Whoa, Jess! You’re dressed up as a servant?” Alicia mocked.
“I’m a maid, not a servant,” Jessica retorted, pushing past her. Alicia’s mockery continued as she spilled chips on the floor. “On your knees, servant,” she sneered at Jessica.
Jessica lost her cool. “Get out of here, Alicia,” she demanded, asserting her self-respect and authority. “This is my hotel.
I’m going to clean this mess, and you’d better be out of here by the time I’m finished.”
Jessica bent down and swept the potato chips Alicia had spilled. Alicia smirked. “If you don’t do as I say, I’ll tell your father you were expelled from college and how you’re wasting his money,” she threatened.
Jessica froze, hurt evident in her wide eyes. “Yep, that’s right!” Alicia went on. “So shut up and do what you do well.
Isn’t that right, servant?”
Before Jessica could react, a warm hand settled on her shoulder. It was Viola. “Don’t listen to her,” she told Jessica.
“I’ll cover for you here. Go.”
Jessica nodded, but Alicia pulled out one last insult before she could leave. “You forgot your accessory,” Alicia said, holding the bell.
“Didn’t you say you would make this part of the uniform, Jess?”
Jessica couldn’t contain her anger any longer. “How dare you!” she snapped, snatching the bell. “This isn’t funny.
It’s rude and mean-spirited.”
“Oh, come on, Jess,” Alicia shrugged. “You’re being such a drag. Just clean and then go fetch us another bottle of wine.”
Alicia turned away, rejoining the group around the sofa, leaving Jessica standing alone in the middle of the room.
A wave of realization washed over Jessica as she gazed at the group, the people she once considered her friends. “I am so sorry I was ever friends with you guys!” she declared, hurt. Then, she turned to Viola.
“I’m sorry I made fun of you. I’m not like them anymore,” she said apologetically. Then came the to teach her so-called friends a lesson.
“Get out of here!” she yelled, facing the group. Alicia tried to threaten her, saying she’d expose her lie about the college break, but Jessica didn’t care. “Go ahead, tell him.
Dad deserves to know the truth!” she declared boldly. Alicia’s face crumpled, her bravado faltering under the weight of Jessica’s honesty. “Now you better hurry up,” Jessica continued, a playful glint in her eyes, “before I hit the security button.
The hotel security just loves throwing people into the bushes.”
Though she didn’t press the button, the gesture was enough to send shivers down Alicia’s spine. “You wouldn’t…” Alicia stammered, a tremor in her voice. Jessica met her gaze, a steely resolve hardening her features.
“Are you sure you want to test that?” she challenged, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous growl. The answer was clear. The group surged towards the door, shoving past Jessica and Viola in their haste to escape.
Alicia, abandoned by her friends, stared at them in disbelief. “Hey!” she cried, “Who’s going to drive me home?”
But her pleas fell on deaf ears. The group ignored her cries and disappeared into the hallway.
As the door slammed shut behind them, a wave of relief washed over Jessica. After confronting Alicia, Jessica and Viola shared a moment of understanding and laughter, solidifying their bond. Then, in her father’s office, Jessica confessed her failures and lies, including her expulsion from the college and how she’d been misusing money.
Her father listened calmly, encouraging her to speak. “I’ve been humiliating and insulting people, too,” Jessica admitted tearfully. “And lying to you.”
Her father’s response was unexpectedly gentle.
“Go on, Jessica,” he urged. Pouring out her heart, Jessica vowed to repay every penny she’d taken from him. Her father smiled.
“I’m so proud of you, honey,” he said. “Proud?” Jessica asked, surprised. “You found the courage to be honest and take responsibility.
That takes strength, honey,” he explained. Though touched by his words, Jessica still felt unworthy of his praise. “But… after all I’ve done?” she asked hesitantly.
“Everybody makes mistakes,” her father said. “What matters is fixing them.”
Her father suggested she might manage the hotel someday, but Jessica had another idea. “Viola deserves that job,” she said.
“I’ll work part-time as a maid and go back to college. I have so much more to learn.”
Her father beamed proudly. “We all have so much to learn,” he agreed.
Embracing her father, Jessica felt the warmth of his love and support. “I love you,” her father said softly. “I love you too,” she replied, ready to face her future with renewed hope and courage.
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