Nifty had just finished cleaning up one of the rooms of a hotel guest when she heard a slight creak from behind her. She turned, thinking it was just a guest coming from down the hall, or perhaps some pest that she would have to take care of, but she saw nothing. Thinking the old building was just settling, she turned and started down the hall again, going on with her various duties as the cleaning crew of the hotel.
She didn't mind working by herself, she welcomed it in fact. The time alone gave her space to think, as well as giving her some quiet from the hotel's usual noise. Nifty relished the silence she worked in, and it showed through her excellent cleaning. Everything was always spotless, looking as if it were brand new. With Nifty around, the hotel stayed in pristine condition, which made everyone happy, which in turn made Nifty very happy.
The small woman had always enjoyed making people happy...
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"Come on pretty lady, we don't bite~" Said one of the sleazy drunks from the steps of the bar where he and his buddies had been drinking.
"How many times do I have to tell you, my answer is no."
"Don't be like that-"
The young woman put her hands on her hips, long skirt rustling around her ankles as she fixed the man with a scowl. Bright yellow rubber gloves were on her hands, ending at her elbows, scuffed from how much they were used. At the woman's feet, a bucket with various cleaning supplies sat where she'd put it. She'd only stopped walking because she needed a break from carrying her bucket around, tired from the day's work she'd gone through, wanting nothing more than to get back home so she could lay down and get to sleep.
"Carl Jones, we go through at least twice a week now! You know what my answer is gonna be each and every time you try to get me to be around you and your pals, yet you keep asking!"
"H-Hey-" Carl put his hands up in surrender, one hand still holding a bottle of whiskey, "C'mon Darla, we're just asking if you want to have some fun with us. Lord knows you need it with your husband and all-"
"Talk about my husband again, and I'll take this bottle of floor polish and force it down your slimy throat!" Darla screamed, going a bit red in the face, "Propositioning a married woman to go into a bar with you while you're drunker than a skunk is completely vile! You all should be ashamed of yourselves!"
The group of men looked away shamefully, Carl muttering a short apology as Darla huffed and picked up her bucket again. She stopped when she felt a small tug on her skirt, looking down at a little girl with strawberry blonde hair. In the hand not holding Darla's skirt was a small feather duster, old and ratty.
"Mommy, I'm sleepy." The little girl muttered, letting go of Darla's skirt and rubbing at her eyes.
Darla seemed to soften a bit, shifting to hold the bucket with one hand as she picked up the little girl with one arm, "I know Nancy, I'm tired too."
"Are we gonna be home soon?"
"Yes sugarbee." Darla said as she started walking, "We're almost there."
"Do you think Daddy will feel better?"
"I hope so."
"We should clean the house again!" Nancy said with all the enthusiasm she could muster, "I-If we keep everything clean, the yucky germs can't make him sick anymore.
Darla gave a tired sigh, but she smiled a little, "If you really want to, I suppose we can clean the house again for Daddy."
"I can do it myself if you're too tired."
"No sugarbee, we can do it together, okay?"
"Okay, Mommy." Nancy said softly, leaning against her mother's shoulder and whispering.
As Darla had said, it wasn't much longer until they got back home, which was as spotless as it was when they'd left that morning. Nifty got down from her mother's arms, and Darla went to set her bucket of supplies down. She sat in an armchair to take her shoes off, taking a moment to let out a content sigh at finally being off her feet.
"Give Mommy a minute, and we'll clean the house again, okay Nancy?"
"Okay Mommy!" Nancy had put her feather duster with her mother's cleaning supplies, then quietly made her way down the hall, to the door at the very end.
Careful not to open it too fast, knowing the door would creak, Nancy cracked the door open, peaking into the room. There on the bed was a figure huddled under a thick blanket, snoring quietly. The rise and fall of the figure's chest was steady, which gave Nancy some comfort, since that meant that her father was doing alright for the time being. Being as quiet as possible, she closed the door and made her way back down the hall and into the living room.
Darla was still in the armchair, but now she was asleep, her exhaustion from the long day of working as a motel cleaning lady catching up to her. Nancy didn't wake her though, instead getting a blanket from the hall closet and draping it over her mother. She pressed a little kiss on her mother's cheek, taking off Darla's glasses and setting them on the little table by the armchair.
"Good night, Mommy." Nancy whispered, and went to gather up the cleaning supplies she'd need to clean the house.
The young girl had the whole house cleaned again in a couple hours, skipping vacuuming for the sake of letting her parents sleep. By the time she was finished, it was past midnight, and she couldn't go five minutes without letting out a yawn. She checked on her mother, she was still sleeping soundly in the armchair, and placed a cup of water beside her mother, next to her glasses. Nancy didn't want her mother to wake up thirsty and have to walk to get her own drink, knowing how badly her feet would hurt after a day of working.
Flicking out lights and locking the door, Nancy made her way back to where her father was sleeping, entering the room as quietly as she could manage. She slipped off her shoes and went up to the bed, just big enough to crawl up onto it herself. Nancy got under the covers, and turned to get a better look at her father.
He was pale, and thin, with dark bags under his eyes. His breathing was very light, and he shifted a little in his sleep, occasionally letting out a little groan here and there from his aches. Nancy leaned over and placed a little kiss on his forehead, snuggling up to him under the covers.
It was then her father spoke in a soft, weak voice, "Hey there sweet pea..."
"Did I wake you up, Daddy?" Nancy asked in a worried tone.
"Nah, I was already up, just didn't feel like opening my eyes."
Nancy felt her father put an arm around her, and smiled a little, "Were you okay while we were gone?"
"Yeah, Uncle Randy stopped by to make sure I was alright."
"That's good." Nancy said, "How are you feeling?"
"Not so bad, I think I'll be better by next week." This was what he always said whenever Nancy asked this question, but she never said anything about it. She wanted to believe as much as her father that his illness would eventually pass.
"So where's Mommy?" He asked after a moment, turning his head to open his eyes just enough to see her face.
"Asleep in the living room. She was really tired when we got back."
"Yeah...she works to hard."
"I know..." Nancy muttered, "I made sure she had a blanket and some water."
"That was really sweet of you Nancy, you're always so sweet." He smiled, and turned his eyes to look at the bedside clock, looking a little shocked, "Jeeze, it's really late. What time did you two get home?"
"We got home a few hours ago." Nancy said with a yawn, her own eyes closing.
"Nancy, did you clean again?"
"I wanted to make sure there weren't any bad germs to hurt you..."
"Oh sweetie-" His voice caught in his throat, making Nancy look up at him with slight concern.
"Are you okay, Daddy?"
"I'm okay, sweet pea...let's get some sleep." With that, Nancy felt her father relax beside her, holding her close to him. It comforted her, making it easier to drift off to sleep...
------
Nifty finished up the last room, letting out a long sigh as she wiped a bit of sweat from her forehead. She often thought of her parents when she was cleaning alone, remembering those times as a child when she'd clean the house, so intent to get every speck of dirt she found. Things hadn't been so bad until her father had gotten sick, then everything had spiraled.
After he'd finally passed, her mother had followed him not long after. It had been chalked up to Darla overworking herself to the point that her body shut down, but Nifty had always thought differently.
Her parents had been madly in love, she'd seen it even when she was just a young child. Nifty's biggest dream had been to find the kind of love her parents had shared, where it felt as if you'd found the piece of your soul that you hadn't even realized you'd been missing. When you love someone as much as her parents loved each other, losing your partner can feel like a horrible death sentence. It was this that made Nifty believe her mother had died from a broken heart.
After Darla had died, Nifty had been taken in by her mother's parents, a pair of Catholics who were nothing like her mother and father. She'd honestly thought they'd hated each other more often than not, and it was miserable having to deal with the unfair rules and punishments. The only thing she ever felt like they liked about her was her ability to keep the house sparkly clean.
"No use dwelling on it now." Nifty muttered, going back to the cart of cleaning supplies she would push down the hall to the rooms she had to clean.
Her mother and father may not have been around anymore, but that didn't stop Nifty from holding a special place for them in her heart. Deep down, she was still that little girl named Nancy, who wanted nothing more than to see her father healthy, and her mother happy. She wanted to hear her father call her sweet, or her mother say she was doing a good job.
It was like some part of her believed she'd get to see them again if she kept everything clean...