How The Other Staff Live

I'm sure how, and I'm not 100% sure why, but it was like she heard me. Anne emerged from the door to the main house walking down the stairs towards my little table. I don't know how she does it but she just knows when her name comes up. "Hello Red, how can I assist?" And now I remember that Madam Odette told her that she was to help me when I needed it. But right now, I don't need help. "Hi Anne, I don't need anything I was just wondering to myself what you do all day. I mean I know you do things but I'm just never around to observe." She seems unfazed but at the same time I catch a small glimpse of confusion so I elaborate, "It's just my idle curiosity. Don't worry about it."

"Would you like to see what I do?"

I feel this could be a trap from Madam Odette but at the same time, I know that from the first time I met Anne she told me that I wasn't able to speak with her as if she was instructed to not speak with me. I'm conflicted but intrigued. I'll bite this time. "I would actually if that is ok with you." She gently nods and motions for me to follow her. We walk up the steps to the door and I follow her inside. I'm still amazed by the sheer size of this place. I keep my eyes fixed and follow Anne down the main hallway keeping to the right side. Half a dozen doors down she steps to the side and enters one of the side doors. I follow behind her and am greeted by the sound of metal clanking and some loud talking. My guess was right, she does work with the kitchen crew in some way.

There are about three people behind the counter moving swiftly back and forth moving things and preparing food. They are making the same sandwich I had but many more. There must be a day-to-day set menu and they just make a lot of it. Anne grabs a large tray and loads it up with six plates. I ask, "Are you going to have to come back for another?" She nods yes. "Do you want me to carry one?" She seems puzzled at my offer. I counter the awkward wait with a smile insisting that it is an honest offer. She shuffles a bit but answers, "Ok, but be careful not to drop it." I grab a large platter and load another six plates. It is heavy but I seem to be built for it.

We head back outside and I follow her off to the left side of the garden instead of the right where I always go. I follow her down a pretty beaten path that is lined with bricks. There's a split that leads off to what looks like cabins much like how Madam Delula's is built. I wonder if that's where everyone else lives. I'll have to check it out later. For now, I'm helping Anne. We arrive at a small section of the garden with tons and tons of vegetable plants growing in rows upon rows. The more I look the more questions I have. She stops around a larger fountain than the one by my shack placing the tray on a table. I find a suitable spot and do the same. Anne yells out to the plants, "Groups 1 and 2! Lunch is ready!"

It could have been a scene out of a horror movie where quickly a dozen people came out from the plants and rushed to the table. The guys up front began grabbing plates and handing them back to the guys behind. Once everyone had theirs they took a seat on the ground and ate. Anne began down the path back to the house as I heard someone else yell "Group 3!" It's neat to see how the rest of the house functions. Anne and I made two more trips carrying two platters each before we had finished feeding everyone. We stacked everything back up and brought it all back to the main house to be washed, sorted, and reused later.

After that she had me follow her to what I could only describe as a study. I helped her dust the room while she cleans the windows keeping everything in pristine condition. We leave the room running into Madam Odette in the hallway on her way to that room. Anne slightly bowed as she passed. I lowered my head in an unusual fashion for me. Must have been because Anne did her thing. We wait as she passes by. I noticed she gave me a funny look as she passed. She entered the room and I see a look of concern go over Anne's face. I think I know why so I put my ear up to the door. I hear her shuffling around then I hear her talk to herself and say, "Smells nice in here." That gave me the reassurance that we did a good job. I quickly usher Anne off before Madam Odette notices me being nosey.

Since most of the day is done it is about dinner time for a lot of people. I follow Anne back to the kitchen and she grabs a single plate and turns to me, "Here you are Red." I stare at the plate and think for a second, "You're not done for the day are you?"

"No, I am not."

"Ok. Hey guys! Can someone keep this plate warm for a while?"

I hear someone from the kitchen yell back, "Yup!"

"There we go, come on Anne, we have work to do."

The fact that she wasn't done means that I'm not done. The action that I took over myself seemed to mess with her. She was genuinely confused by the fact that I passed over my food to help. But she started loading up platters and I assisted in carrying them out to the garden. We ended up making five trips back and forth as more people were done for the day. It was later than I expected when we finished but we were done. Anne and I returned to the kitchen where she grabbed her meal and I recovered mine from the hot case. She put her plate down on the counter and was about to start eating when I stopped her, "Do you want to eat with me by the shed?" She paused for a second thinking, "Sure!"

That was the first time that she wasn't her proper self. The two of us moved over to my shed and sat down at the small table that I have. We began eating and while we ate I asked her more questions about what she does during the day. I learned that she and others get a list of chores that they have to complete each day along with scheduled duties such as lunch and dinner delivery to those who are out in the garden and unable to come inside. They get paid a dollar amount for each day but if they miss a chore they got docked a little bit unless there are circumstances.

Anne told me of a time she had to clean the foyer floor but there was a pipe that burst and ended up flooding the foyer for a little while. She wasn't docked for it but once the mess was cleaned she had to get back on that job. It makes me feel better that Madam Odette is a fair lady and cares about her people. The houses that people live in were made from the wooded area around the house. They keep a very careful balance so they don't disturb the natural order in the area by planting more trees than they take. Some from the garden group take care of them to make sure that this balance is kept. Everything is a lot more organized than I thought and it's amazing that one woman controls and manages all of it.

While we eat she tells me all these stories about all these different weird things that have happened around the area. The best part about this is that she has only been here for one year. Madam Odette has lived here for 7 years so there is so much more about this place. She has all the inside scoops on all these little rumors like hidden passageways behind paintings and false walls. There's been speculation that Madam Odette is secretly an ancient-style of ninja.

Anne seems much more like a person to me now than she did before. I knew she was a person with a personality but she never let it show during work. She's either very well trained like I feel that I am or she's very professional. We hear a familiar voice and our reaction proves that we're both very well trained, "Red, you seem to be having a good time." We both lock up looking in the direction of the voice. Madam Odette is standing there with her weight shifted to one side.

Anna stands up brushing herself off, "Good evening Madam Odette, how may I help you?" I see Madam Odette's eyes shift from her to me, back and forth, looking for an opening. "Good evening Anne, did you complete your chores?"

"Yes, Madam Odette."

"Dinner was served promptly?"

"Yes, Madam Odette."

"My study was cleaned?"

"Yes, Madam Odette. To your satisfaction, I hope."

"…" That pause is killing me. "Yes, you and Red did a wonderful job. But I must ask, why did you have him help you today?"

I see her lock up. I know better than to answer for her as I was not addressed myself. I know what happens. I try and send as many good vibes as I can to ease her. "He… wanted to see what I do during the day."

"Hm? Did he, now?" She looks over at me, "Did you learn anything Red?"

Now I can answer, "Yes Madam Odette."

"What did you learn?"

"Besides that Anne is a hard worker herself; everyone works hard around here pulling their weight and making sure that their jobs are done correctly, and that no one person can succeed without the others. It's a very fine-tuned machine and you should be very proud, Madam Odette."

I think I may have overstepped my bounds. I'm still not 100% sure where my boundaries are. Madam Odette does her shift back and forth looking between the two of us. The silence is nerve-wracking. I can feel my stress but Anne's is just radiating from her. I feel that she's about to crack from the pressure but Madam Odette speaks, "I'm glad you're learning new things Red, even if they aren't what I specify. Glad to see initiative. And I am proud of my people. They work hard and sometimes I wonder if I'm able to keep up with them." Like that, I feel the tension dissipate. "Anne, if you've finished all your work for the day you know that the rest of the time is yours."

"Yes, Madam Odette. The last thing I have is to return Red's plate to the kitchen."

She nods and leaves back into the main house. Anne sits back down with a deep sigh. I start up, "You seem to have adapted fairly well."

"Yes. But Madam Odette always raises her expectations of someone. It's how we continue to grow."

"I can see how that works, which at the same time shows that she cares."

"She does, she really does. Madam Odette came from almost nothing and look at her now. She's one of the most powerful women in the world."

"I keep hearing that and I just for some reason can't see it. It may just be me or that I don't see her full reach but she's a person, with a name, a face, and a story that has some amazing accomplishments. I know they aren't small but think about it for a minute, you have your own goals correct?"

She stops, "I do… But no one's ever really brought it up."

"Well then allow me. Anne, what is it that you want to do?"

I think she may cry. "For the longest time I've watched the kitchen cooks do their jobs and Penny, she's the short skunk, she makes these amazing desserts that I want to learn how to do."

"Have you asked?"

She shakes her head, "I haven't had time. My chore list has me pretty busy so I don't have a lot of time. And by the time I have finished the kitchen is cleaning up."

The gears in my head start turning, "I have a feeling that one day you'll be able to learn. Just keep your eyes on the prize and keep working towards it."

"That's corny."

"Yea I know, but I tried."

"And it was appreciated."

Her smile is warm. "Listen, I have an early day tomorrow so I need to head back."

She goes reaching for our plates but I stack them. "Don't worry about this one. I'll take care of it." She lightly smiles again, "Thank you Red. See you tomorrow."

"Take it easy Anne."

I watch as she walks off. With the plates in my hand, I walk up to the house and towards the kitchen. I lay the plates on the area where we put the others and one of the cooks takes them to be washed. I look around and I see who I presume is Penny wrapping up for the day. "Penny!" She stands up and looks around for who's calling her. I lightly wave letting her know it's me. She comes over, "Hey Red, what's up?"

"How does everyone know my name?"

"Everyone knew you were coming. Madam Odette informed us that we'd need another plate for you. We just didn't think it would take you so long to earn one."

Ah yes, the first few days here. "Yea, that was rough. Anyway, have an odd question for you."

"Ok, how odd is odd?"

"Not that odd. About what time do you guys finish cleaning up?"

"Last plates go out at 6, last plates come in about now so 7ish. We spend another hour or so cleaning up everything and prepping for tomorrow."

"That's not bad."

"There's a lot of us and Max over there does all the heavy work." She points to a rather large bull, "He carries a lot of weight around here."

"Holy crap, I can tell. Good on him. Now for the odd question; Anne, the red fox maid that serves food."

"I like her."

"She wants to learn how to bake pastries and desserts."

She seems shocked, "Really now? That is something I never knew before."

"I want to see if I can help her get done a bit sooner so that maybe you can teach her a few things?"

"I see now. You want me to help Anne learn to bake."

"Pretty please?"

"I'd love to do it but by the time she's done, we're done and cleaning up."

"Ok, on top of helping her, what if I help you when you two finish up."

"Help me clean the kitchen?"

"After lessons, yes."

"Hm, I think that might be doable. When do you want to start?"

"Ideally tomorrow as long as my lessons don't run long."

"You know what, you make it happen where she has the free time, and I will help the girl learn. But! One day I may need a favor from you and know that I will call on you."

"I understand and agree to those terms."

We shake on it. With that agreement, I aim to help someone who feels she'll never reach her dream.