upstairs to check my makeup and hair.
When I came back down, Heller was waiting for me impatiently.
“Ready?” he
asked with irritation. Without waiting for an answer he shot off
down the stairs, leaving me to follow him, clattering slowly in my
dangerous high heels. I finally made it to the garage and climbed
up into his Mercedes 4WD with some difficulty in my tight skirt. I
started feeling cross. Why should I have to dress up in all of
these uncomfortable clothes while he was free to dress in a way
that made moving actually possible?
We drove out
to one of the affluent, leafy suburbs surrounding the CBD. Heller
pulled up in front of a grand, turn-of-the-century sandstone
mansion surrounded by beautifully kept gardens. I smoothed back my
hair and tugged at my skirt. I was quite nervous. I wasn’t sure if
I was able to pull off this job in the manner that he expected and
I was growing very attached to the perks. It would have been a
devastating blow to be fired and forced back to my old life for
failing at this job. I was feeling the pressure to succeed, but
considering that I had never succeeded in anything else in my life,
I wasn’t overly confident about this venture either.
We walked up
the sandstone path and Heller pressed on the doorbell. As the door
started to open, he pushed me to the front so that I would be the
first person visible. I turned to throw him a puzzled look, but
immediately composed my features into a pleasant mask as the door
fully opened. A large, pale chubby woman, her black hair pulled
back in a tight bun, stood in front of us wearing what appeared to
be a maid’s uniform – a frumpy black dress teamed with a small
white apron.
Wow! It was a
real, live maid! I had never before witnessed such a thing outside
of television or the movies.
“Good
morning,” I said politely. “We’re from Heller’s Security &
Surveillance and have an appointment with Miss Worthy.” We
showed her our staff cards. She threw a hesitant glance at Heller
before hurriedly transferring her eyes back to me, as if he
frightened her.
“Yes Miss,
please come this way. Miss Worthy is expecting you.” We followed
her through the labyrinthine rooms of the lovely, well-maintained
house. The maid showed us into a pleasant, yellow-wallpapered,
brightly lit parlour with a stunning vista out to the beautiful
gardens.
An elderly
lady perched on the edge of an enormous dark blue, Victorian-era
leather sofa reading the day’s newspaper. She turned as we entered
but did not stand up. She was tiny, with elegantly curled white
hair, wearing black slacks and a pearl-coloured, full-sleeved silk
blouse, her arthritic feet covered with soft leather ballet-style
slippers. Discreet but perfect pearls studded her ears and draped
in three strands around her neck. Her pointed features arranged
themselves into surprise when her eyes alighted on Heller, relaxing
slightly when she spotted me.
“Good morning,
Miss Worthy,” I said quite formally, sensing that she would approve
of this approach. “My name is Matilda Chalmers and this is Mr
Heller. We’ve come to discuss your surveillance needs.”
“Mr Heller?”
she asked sharply. “You are the proprietor of the business?”
He opened his
mouth to respond, but I interrupted smoothly. “Yes ma’am. Mr Heller
has accompanied me to ensure that you will receive the best quality
surveillance service possible.” She seemed satisfied with that,
belonging to a class of people who believed that everyone else
existed to support them. I’m not sure why I cut Heller off, but I
had a distinct impression that she was quite old-fashioned and
would prefer not to undertake business with a ‘foreigner’. He slid
me a curious glance, but let me take the lead.
The maid
brought in some tea for us all while Miss Worthy and I chatted
about inconsequential stuff that I couldn’t even remember
afterwards. Although she was conversing with me seamlessly, I
noticed that she was keeping an eagle eye
When I came back down, Heller was waiting for me impatiently.
“Ready?” he
asked with irritation. Without waiting for an answer he shot off
down the stairs, leaving me to follow him, clattering slowly in my
dangerous high heels. I finally made it to the garage and climbed
up into his Mercedes 4WD with some difficulty in my tight skirt. I
started feeling cross. Why should I have to dress up in all of
these uncomfortable clothes while he was free to dress in a way
that made moving actually possible?
We drove out
to one of the affluent, leafy suburbs surrounding the CBD. Heller
pulled up in front of a grand, turn-of-the-century sandstone
mansion surrounded by beautifully kept gardens. I smoothed back my
hair and tugged at my skirt. I was quite nervous. I wasn’t sure if
I was able to pull off this job in the manner that he expected and
I was growing very attached to the perks. It would have been a
devastating blow to be fired and forced back to my old life for
failing at this job. I was feeling the pressure to succeed, but
considering that I had never succeeded in anything else in my life,
I wasn’t overly confident about this venture either.
We walked up
the sandstone path and Heller pressed on the doorbell. As the door
started to open, he pushed me to the front so that I would be the
first person visible. I turned to throw him a puzzled look, but
immediately composed my features into a pleasant mask as the door
fully opened. A large, pale chubby woman, her black hair pulled
back in a tight bun, stood in front of us wearing what appeared to
be a maid’s uniform – a frumpy black dress teamed with a small
white apron.
Wow! It was a
real, live maid! I had never before witnessed such a thing outside
of television or the movies.
“Good
morning,” I said politely. “We’re from Heller’s Security &
Surveillance and have an appointment with Miss Worthy.” We
showed her our staff cards. She threw a hesitant glance at Heller
before hurriedly transferring her eyes back to me, as if he
frightened her.
“Yes Miss,
please come this way. Miss Worthy is expecting you.” We followed
her through the labyrinthine rooms of the lovely, well-maintained
house. The maid showed us into a pleasant, yellow-wallpapered,
brightly lit parlour with a stunning vista out to the beautiful
gardens.
An elderly
lady perched on the edge of an enormous dark blue, Victorian-era
leather sofa reading the day’s newspaper. She turned as we entered
but did not stand up. She was tiny, with elegantly curled white
hair, wearing black slacks and a pearl-coloured, full-sleeved silk
blouse, her arthritic feet covered with soft leather ballet-style
slippers. Discreet but perfect pearls studded her ears and draped
in three strands around her neck. Her pointed features arranged
themselves into surprise when her eyes alighted on Heller, relaxing
slightly when she spotted me.
“Good morning,
Miss Worthy,” I said quite formally, sensing that she would approve
of this approach. “My name is Matilda Chalmers and this is Mr
Heller. We’ve come to discuss your surveillance needs.”
“Mr Heller?”
she asked sharply. “You are the proprietor of the business?”
He opened his
mouth to respond, but I interrupted smoothly. “Yes ma’am. Mr Heller
has accompanied me to ensure that you will receive the best quality
surveillance service possible.” She seemed satisfied with that,
belonging to a class of people who believed that everyone else
existed to support them. I’m not sure why I cut Heller off, but I
had a distinct impression that she was quite old-fashioned and
would prefer not to undertake business with a ‘foreigner’. He slid
me a curious glance, but let me take the lead.
The maid
brought in some tea for us all while Miss Worthy and I chatted
about inconsequential stuff that I couldn’t even remember
afterwards. Although she was conversing with me seamlessly, I
noticed that she was keeping an eagle eye
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