“Me either.”
“If you checked it out, then go for it.”
“I couldn’t get much on the guy who owns the mansion, though. Because she never mentions his name in the ad.”
“Just be careful.”
“I always am.”
“And think about this. If it doesn’t work out, you have to catch a plane back. And plane tickets are expensive.”
“There’s another maid job that’s closer. I’ll call about that one first.”
“Okay,” Madison said, “Keep me posted.”
Bella hung up on her sister and responded to the maid ad in Bentonville. She got an almost immediate cell phone call in response.
“Miss James?” a man’s voice said.
“Yes? I inquired about your housekeeping position. What can you tell me about the job description and hours?”
“I need someone to cook and clean. It’s a three bedroom house and it has a big basement.”
“How many people in the family?”
“Just one. Just myself.”
“I see. What do you want me to cook?”
“I like mac and cheese. You could eat, too, but not at the table.”
“Okay, like in the kitchen? As in, you’d eat in the dining room?”
“No, I prefer you to eat in the kitchen out of a cat dish on the floor.”
“What?”
“And there’s a uniform. That is, I prefer you to wear a black cat suit with a tail.”
“Are you joking?”
“Can you purr? Or hiss? You’ll need to practice that.”
“What is your name?” Bella asked.
“Bruce Wayne. But you can call me Batman.”
“Is this a joke?”
“No. What are your measurements? The vinyl cat suit I got on clearance is 36-26-36. It says on the tab that it’s for women 5’6-5’9. Will you fit in that?”
“No. I will not fit in that. That is the creepiest thing I’ve ever heard and I’m reporting your ad,” she said, hanging up and immediately blocking his number.
Bella put her shoes back on and went down to the Hog N Tater on the corner for a sandwich, and to see if they were hiring. Fifteen minutes later, she had a job as a dishwasher, starting immediately. She put on the apron and the plastic gloves, ready to learn how to load and unload the industrial dishwashing machine.
“No, there’s no machine. It’s you. Washing them,” the manager said, gesturing to
a double sink heaping with greasy pans and dishes. Wrinkling her nose, she reminded herself if she wasn’t too good to pick up someone’s used condoms, she wasn’t too good to wash dishes. No job is beneath me, she told herself sternly, if it will get me to my goal.