The Fallen Queen (Winner of the Write Way Award 2013) #Wattys2015 #MyWattysChoice #Featured

Chapter 13: Cinderella

Cleanliness is close to Godliness. The floors, windows, tub, sinks, cupboards, armoires, walls, ceilings, stairs, carpets—everything—was scrubbed, washed, dusted, or polished until we could see ourselves in it. The house had never been so clean. We learned that everything had its place, an order. It was a sin to change the order of things. It was messing with the universe, with our salvation. It was being unappreciative of God's work.

Besides our daily chores, every Saturday was the big duty day. We started washing the house in the morning and we were not done until supper. We used to secretly complain that nothing was ever clean enough for my mother; she always made us redo our work again and again.

"Mom, I can learn how to be a woman later. I want to play."

"You selfish bastard! You think I don't want to pass my time doing other things than cleaning up after you?"

"But the house is already clean. Plus we have plenty of time to become women. I am only eight and Audrey is six."

"It's good that you start training at a young age. That way you have more experience."

"But I already know how to do all that now."

"You don't do it well enough. I will decide when it is perfect."

I felt like I was in military training, but instead of learning how to shoot a gun, I learned how to manipulate a mop.

Then the problems started again.

Maybe it was because Audrey and I were not working fast enough that she asked Jeremy to help. Jeremy did not really need to do this kind of training, he would not need to get married and raise a family.

Jeremy did not have to do as many things as Audrey and I. He only had to wipe the dishes dry and to put them away. My mother also ordered him to wash the kitchen cabinets.

He sat down on the floor, a wet cleaning rag in his hands, and started rubbing the cabinet doors gently, looking around in his usual manner. He stared at the emptiness, lost in his own world.

Jeremy rubbed the cabinet doors so gently that the dirt did not go away. He did not really look where the dirt was either, so he rubbed where his hand led him. Sometimes he got lucky and hit the right spot; other times, he did not at all.

The problem was that he could not tell the difference between what was dirty and what was not. Even when he put the dishes away, we had to make sure he did not grab a dirty plate because, to him, it was all the same.

Our mother came to inspect our work. She saw that the cabinet doors were still dirty. She slapped Jeremy, grabbed his head, and forced him to look at a line of dirt up close.

"Look there! Don't you see it's dirty? You ain't good for nothing. You're fucking stupid!"

Cruel woman, I thought before saying, "He doesn't understand, Mom! Don't hit him!"

"You, Empress, stay out of this!"

"But he did his best! If you're not happy, do it yourself!"

I immediately regretted the last words that left my mouth.

The ogress' face became red with anger and her open palm landed on my cheek, leaving the trace of her fingers on my skin. She slapped me.

"Get on your knees, face the corner, and shut up! I don't want to hear a sound coming from you."

At that moment, Jeremy burped. I guess he wanted to relax the atmosphere. It worked because both Audrey and I started giggling.

"In the corner!" said my mother, showing me the intersection where two walls met.