The Replacement Daughter

Chapter 11 - The First Time

Ken informed me later that evening that Jonathan won't be able to make it for dinner. He was stuck in the city having meetings with clients. So I had my dinner alone in my room. 

Afterwards, I went down to the staff quarters to see Mindy. It was my first time down there. I walked past the kitchen and peered inside. Two kitchen maids were wiping down the surfaces while chatting and laughing. They didn't notice me so I quickly continued walking down the hall. 

There were many doors. I didn't know which one was Mindy's room.

One of the doors opened and a young maid came out. She gasped when she saw me. "Madam, what are you doing down here?"

"I'm looking for Mindy," I told her, "Do you know which room?"

The girl still looked surprised. "Um, that one," she said, pointing to a room on the right.

"Okay, thank you," I said to her, patting her arm. Then I went to Mindy's door and knocked. I heard her calling me to come in so I opened the door slowly and peered inside. 

Mindy was sitting on her bed, sewing what looked like a tablecloth. She looked surprised to see me. "Ms Cheong, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check on you," I said, smiling. "Can I come in?"

"Yes, of course," she said and cleared the bed, putting all the sewing things on her desk. "Sit," she said to me, gesturing at the foot of the bed.

I sat down and asked, "How are you settling in?"

"Good," she replied, "May already put me to work mending things." She nodded her head and smiled at me uncomfortably. Well, in this scenario, I am just a stranger to her.

"How far along are you?" I asked, looking at her belly.

She rubbed her stomach and smiled happily. "Eight months now, and large as a whale," she said and shook her head.

I laughed and asked, "Can I feel?"

"Yeah," she said and I leaned forward to place my hand on her belly. She took my hand and led it to the right side. "If you press here, she will kick you." And just like Mindy said, I felt the baby kick.

"OMG! I felt it," I said excitedly and Mindy grinned. "Did you say 'she'?"

"Yeah, it's a girl," Mindy said and I squealed. Mindy chuckled and shook her head, "You know, you remind me of Lily."

The smile slipped from my face and I chuckled nervously. "What? I'm not like Lily."

"You are, a little bit," Mindy insisted. "And I feel comfortable with you, like I've known you a long time."

I chuckled awkwardly and averted my face, trying to cover as much of my face with my hair. "That's really weird," I said.

"Yeah, it is, actually," Mindy said.

I figured I should get going when there was a knock on the door and then it opened. May saw me and she looked surprised. "Madam, what are you doing here?" 

"I was just checking on Mindy," I said.

"I see," May said, "I was about to do the same thing." We both looked at Mindy and she grinned widely.

"Wow, you both are so nice to me, and I barely know you," Mindy said. "And I'm doing great. This room is great. I had the best meal for dinner, even my baby approves. So you don't have to worry. I'll do my best to pay you back for your kindness."

"That's not necessary," I said to her, "I just want you to be comfortable."

"I know it's not necessary, but I want to do it anyway," Mindy insisted. She lifted the tablecloth and said, "One stitch at a time."