Loving you underneath

Chapter One

Beep...beep, Beep...beep
"Oh..." Elizabeth moaned. That damned alarm clock. It always reminded her of the fact that she couldn't sleep till she wanted to, like those people living in mansions who were still sleeping in their cotton soft beds with warm blankets for comfort.

She turned over in bed and faced the brightness that was the sunlight seeping through the spaces between the curtains. She slipped out of bed, not that she had a choice anyway. She got ready for the day's work. The morning schedule was to go clean the First Class Hotel in town.
The hourly pay was not large but she was assured that there would be significantly more in tips and her uniform was supplied. Elizabeth's ordeal begun.

She woke up at 5:00 every morning, packed a lunch, took a bus and then a streetcar to the hotel. There, she scrubbed and cleaned the rooms and baths of early risers until noon, where she boarded another bus and ate her lunch whiles riding. At twelve forty-five, she arrived at the house of her second employer, the Osborn's. In time to change and start work.

Stella Carter, her mother, protested but it was no use. She insisted that Elizabeth lived on the family fortune but she refused saying she wanted to be independent. Elizabeth was both tired and exhilarated at the same time but hard work was a great price to pay at the moment. She even found the work at the hotel less unpleasant than she had thought it to be. The rooms were lavishly furnished and she took pride in cleaning and straightening them. She was strong and she worked fast. She loved to look at the beautiful furs and clothes hanging in the closet, although she was amazed at how untidy wealthy people were. Glasses were frequently set on tables where they left rings on the rich wood. Cigerattes were ground into the thick wool rags , and shoes were polished with white terry cloth towels. Toilets were frequently clogged with sanitary napkins and used condoms.
To Elizabeth's disappointment, tips were not as generous as promised. Some guests would leave a dollar or two on the dresser, but most did not. Elizabeth envied the bellhops who were rarely denied their gratuities because they could look people straight in the eye. Maids were, for most parts, invisible and usually forgotten.

One morning, she arrived at the hotel and was told by the head maid that she would have to clean the penthouse suite immediately. A very important guest would be arriving early and everything had to be in perfect order. Elizabeth dragged her cart to the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor. She wished she felt better. Everyone wanted the penthouse detail because the tip there were usually excellent, but she felt wretched. Her period has started in the middle of the night and she'd had to get up and change her pajamas. Her cramps had been worse than usual too and she hadn't slept well. Most of all, however she was simply exhausted from the grind of never having a day off.

She inserted the key in one of the huge wooden doors and pushed her cart of fresh towels and cleaning supplies into the hotel's most expensive suite. The  richness and beauty of the furnishings thrilled her and the spaciousness of the rooms were awe inspiring to young woman who had known nothing but a cramped, cold water flat lately.
She was tempted to spend a few minutes browsing through the rooms, but she knew she had to rush. She hurried into the largest bathroom to begin. As she bent to scrub the hug tub, she could not help fantasizing. She imagined herself soaking in it, luxuriating in a thick white bubble bath. Her hair would be piled on top of her head in big curls just like in movies and her fingernails would be long and red. Of course, there would be a white telephone nearby so that she could talk to her rich suitors.
She imagined herself stepping out of the bath and seeing her reflection in the large gilt-framed mirrors. She stood up and posed and saw a tall, gaunt figure. Her uniform hung on her like a rug. The month of working two jobs had taken their toll off her flesh. She stepped on the chrome bathroom scale. She had lost fifteen pounds!

When she finished cleaning the rooms, she pushed her cart into the hallway and returned for one last look around to be sure she had left nothing out. In the main bedroom, she looked out the huge windows overlooking the park, which stretched out for acres below. Her father used to take her to the zoo there when she was little. He'd hold her hand and tell her stories about the animals and buy her cotton candy. A wave of depression swept over her usually optimistic persona. She begun to cry tears of grief and fatigue and hopelessness. Although he had been gone for a decade now. She sat down on the chaise longue and gave in all the fears and anxieties and anguish she had managed to suppress. She buried her face in the softness of the cushions until she exhausted her tears and her body and she fell asleep.