Loads of fun!

            It was Monday morning and I was getting ready for work. I was sporting my regular work outfit: black pencil skirt and blazer, white shirt, nylons and black pumps. Luke, an Australian, mentioned that he was working at the reception today. He was hilarious so I was really excited to start; though, oddly enough, he didn’t even seem to be aware that I was joining the front-desk team. I had met everyone in Oreo, the staff accommodation where we all lived. Most of them were from Australia, and the others were from various parts of Canada. Luke and James were best friends from Sydney and both equally cute. Everyone worked in different departments of the hotel: housekeeping, reception, reservations, restaurant, etc. Two days ago, when I came home from the internet café, I met Kat, another Australian. She was sitting on the sofa in the common living room watching Sex and the City.

“Hey!” I said as I removed my jacket.

“Hiya!” she waved. “I’m Kat!”

“I’m Joyel” I replied pointing to myself and then looked at the television screen. “Is that the episode where Burger breaks up with Carrie on a post-it?” I said laughing.

“Yes, it is.” She nodded. “What a wanker, hey!” She said in a cute accent.

“A what?” I looked at her confused.

“Oh sorry, umm...a jerk?” She clarified. “You from here? Like, from Canada I mean.”

“Yeah, from the East!” I said pointing East. “Where are you from?”

“Oz!” She replied and stood up to come join me at the table where I was labelling my groceries.

“Umm...where?” I gave her another confused look assuming she wasn’t talking about the same place that Dorothy ended up after a tornado.

“Australia” She said and paused. “Queensland to be exact.”

“Oh, right!” I nodded noting how much Kat looked like a mini, younger version of Kate Winslet, except with shiny, brownish-red hair.

I joined her on the sofa and we got to talking. She and I became fast friends and had a lot in common and we ended up hanging out most of the weekend. That very night, Kat invited me to go to Mel’s, a nearby pub. Trina, Kat’s Aussie friend, had warned me about the altitude and how one drink could make me feel like I had twenty, and she was right. I woke up Sunday feeling miserable. Later that day, Kat and I made our way to McDonald’s and ordered the greasiest food we could think of, hoping it would make us feel better, but it didn’t. So we spent the rest of the day watching reruns of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and drinking tea.

            I walked down the corridor and headed to the lobby. I could see my boss, Rosalie, giving Luke instructions. She was wearing a floral print shirt and a pair of taupe slacks. Her frizzled greying bowl cut hairdo made her look much older than she actually was. She turned to me, giving me an odd look.

“Good morning Joyel, adjusting well?” Rosalie looked at me from head to toe, as if inspecting me.

“Yes, thank you” I replied politely returning the full outfit inspection her way, noting how high the waist of her pants sat on her.

“Great, I assume you are ready to start work this morning?” She lifted an eyebrow.

“I’m ready” I smiled.

“Well, you’re a little overdressed, but we’ll get you a uniform.” She said, scribbling something on a piece of paper. “Will you be working in those?” She inquired, pointing at my shoes.

“Err...yeah.” I smiled politely.

“Well, they hardly look comfortable, and I will have to check the health safety regulations, but I do believe they could be quite dangerous.” She said haughtily.

“I’m sorry?” I gave her a confused look. “This is the uniform I used to wear before transferring.” I pointed out trying to sound polite.

“Well that is hard to believe. I can’t imagine cleaning a bathtub...”

“A bathtub?” I interrupted her. “Why on earth would I be cleaning a bathtub?” I couldn’t help but raise my voice.

“Well you are here for the new housekeeping position, aren’t you?” Rosalie inquired and I could hear Luke giggling behind the desk.

“Housekeeping?” I gave her a perplexed look.

“I’m sorry, but I do believe there has been some sort of misunderstanding, Joyel.” She said, not looking sorry at all. “I was under the impression that you were being transferred to take over the housekeeping position that we had available.” She said matter-of-factly.

“But I don’t do housekeeping” I whined. “I’m a front-desk clerk.” I explained.

“Well unfortunately we do not have anything available at the moment.” She paused and then continued. “Now, let’s get you out of those” she said pointing to my pumps “and into a proper uniform.” She looked over to Luke. “Please call Whitney and inform her we will need someone to train Joyel.” She looked back to me. “Now, follow me.” She instructed.

I couldn’t believe what was happening. Me? A housekeeper? I thought. I can’t let this happen.

“Excuse me, Rosalie, but I think there has been a mistake.” I said speed walking as I tried to keep up with her.

“Yes, well you’re here right?” She said filling out a form at the dry cleaning desk.

“Well, yes – but...”

“Are you need a job, yes?”She interrupted me.

“Yes, but ...”

“Well, then let’s get you changed and ready for work.” She paused. “An X-Small should do.” She said handing me a uniform and pushing me toward the restrooms. “I’ll see what we can do about shoes.” She looked down at my feet and twisted up her face. “A size 6, yes?” She said expecting an answer. I nodded. “Well, get on with it.” She pushed open the door.

OK. Don’t Panic! I instructed myself sternly. It’s just a little blip. I’ll call Steven later on and he’ll fix this. I thought as I buttoned up my navy blue uniform. I looked at myself in the mirror and examined the uniform. OK so it’s not that bad, if you can look past the whole 95% polyester thing.

I heard a knock at the door and Rosalie yelled for me to hurry up. I pulled my hair back and tied it up into a bun. I totally look like a legit housekeeper, I realized. I grabbed my belongings and headed out the door to meet Rosalie, who was standing in the hallway waiting for me with an impatient look on her face.

“I hope you are faster at cleaning than you are at changing.” She said sarcastically as she handed me a pair of shoes. I quickly examined the black shoes and couldn’t help but make a face as I thought about how much they resembled nurse shoes. They were plain and completely unflattering. I went from Working Girl to Maid in Manhattan in less than ten minutes.

“Katherine!” Rosalie shouted. “A moment, please.” She waved her over. Kat was wearing the exact same outfit as I and I couldn’t help but feel relieved as I remembered her telling me she was a housekeeper.

“I’m sure you’ve met Joyel?” Rosalie said to Kat.

“Yes, we’ve met.” Kat gave me a confused look as she saw my uniform.

“Excellent!” Rosalie smiled. “Joyel will be working with you for the next few days. You will show her around and explain the daily routine.” She paused and looked over at me. “Joyel, come!” She ushered me over. “Katherine will be training you.” She informed me. “I will have Whitney check in on you throughout the day.” She said and walked away.

“What happened?” Kat looked perplexed.

“I’m not sure.” I admitted. “Apparently there was some sort of mix up.” I explained.

“Well, despite how shitty it is for you, I’m glad you’re working with me.” She smiled. “It’s so bloody boring cleaning rooms alone.” She continued. “We’re going to have loads of fun.” She said excitedly.

“Well, I doubt that I’ll be doing this for long.” I said lacing up my shoes. “But in the mean time, let’s go have loads of fun!” I said attempting to mimic Kat’s accent.