WHISPERS OF ENCHANTÉ

42: tides of change

Kaduna State, Nigeria. 

Siyama grumbled as she walked toward the Wambai mansion because, well, her break was over. It felt as though she should quit because this waking up early when there's no school doesn't suit her at all. But she is no quitter. 

Besides, the Wambai family can be generous after a break. She hopes this is the kind of break where they give them milk, groundnut oil, rice, and whatnot. They wouldn't mind having additional groceries in their house for free. 

Doesn't matter that they have one point five million naira as cash in their home.

She entered the mansion with a sigh, then opened her phone to check for any messages from Mahmud. There was none probably maybe because he thought she was still sleeping and she'd forgotten to tell him she was going back to her job today. 

She dropped him a simple good morning message, then went about her day by safely tucking the phone inside her bag to hide it. No one would believe she was poor if they saw the kind of phone she was using. She also didn't want to risk it falling or stolen.

Everything was normal in the mansion, like they never went on break, only that some of the workers from the village looked darker than when they were working. Siyama was sure they wouldn't have agreed to take that break if it was negotiable. 

It was supposed to be a rest but they probably didn't have any.

She greeted the few elderly ones that bothered talking to her and left the half-casts that felt like the world was beneath them simply because Nigerians tend to worship light-skinned people. She rolled her eyes at them as they talked in a foreign language. 

They were all maids at the end of the day! 

She went back to cleaning the fridge, hearing them gossip about how the sons of the Wambai family looked way hotter now and whatever. They kept switching from Hausa to their language, which was how she knew what they were talking about. 

Speaking of the Wambai brothers, she was reminded of the one that wanted to make her life hell. She never expected him to back off or was it because of the break? He sounded earnest about her writing that apology letter to him. 

She swallowed, thinking about him going through with his threat and getting her fired. But would that really change much for her now that she could work and help her sister? Maybe she was also looking for an excuse to quit before time. 

After she finished cleaning the fridge and returned everything to where it was, they were served food. Siyama now remembered why she missed working here... because of the food. They didn't hold back with the protein either. 

She snapped a picture of the food and sent it to Mahmud through Snapchat because he had taught her how to send streaks. She only did that with him and tried with Yasmin, but the girl broke it twice already in three days. 

Rising, she washed her plate and returned it to where it was. She started looking for something to do in the house, but it seemed like everybody was ready to work after the break, and there wasn't much to do. Good, because she was lazy. 

"Everyone to the parlor," the elderly maid that act as the head of the maids announced and left them to follow behind her. 

Siyama happily skipped to the parlor, knowing they were about to be given some groceries at the end of their first day back. As soon as they got there, she was sent to get the foodstuff along with other maids upstairs. 

She carried the ones she could, like milk, a carton of Indomie, cornflakes, and other light stuff. While she was taking the last carton of spaghetti, she passed by another wing of the mansion just so she wouldn't bump into the half-casts.