Good And Not So Good Deeds Of Madam Cara

   
    It was a complete sanctuary, behind those golden gates. The old lady who doing the gardening was very fond of the vast garden. She had been successful enough to satisfy Madam Cara in taking care of it. The lady of the house was surely content about the blossoming flowers at every step she took outside. But there was no reason for her to be miserable: The grass was green, the sky was blue and there was not even a male fly inside her precious gates.
    Not even a male fly... Life was wonderful without them. The whole town had got it by then that the mistress of the house was a bit eccentric. But everyone was ok with this because the lady not going out and mingling with the crowd much. She always chose to sit behind a window and watch the street. The maids working 24/7 inside the big mansion got used to her weirdness after some time. Other people who she only saw once a week or so like her hairdresser or the gardener , didn’t mind her being herself as long as they were fully paid.
    “I wanted sugar Laura. Not salt! ARE YOU DEAF?”
    Laura, the newly hired maid blushed red and started mumbling apologeticly with teary eyes. Her mistress who couldn’t stand people crying, got even angrier and ended up throwing the saltshaker at the little maid. She caught the saltshaker up in the air, preventing more chaos and hastily made her way to the kitchen to hide.
    “Who hired that stupid girl? She’s only a sobbing child.”
    "It was you madam who insisted on hiring her for she was beautiful.” Said her assistant who was the only one in the house and in the entire world who could stand up to Madam Cara.
    “Tell me what’s on the program” she snapped at her assistant, changing the subject for she knew quite well that she was the only one who wanted to hire Laura.
    “Well, you have your hairdresser at 9:30. Then a lunch with Madam Adeline. Until late at night you are completely free but at 10:00 your soirée will start and probably you’ll need two hours beforhand to get ready.”
    “Disgusting” she nearly spilled the hot morning tea of hers, forgetting that it lacked sugar. She put the cup back to the small table on the side and started to wait for the maid who seemed to be late.
    “How do you think I should do my hear tonight?”
    “As you wish madam. It’s not to me to-”
    “Stop it; you know your suggestions are always welcome.”
    The assistant was honoured and humbly said “Then I suggest you to wear your hair up. It looks very good on you.”
    “Thank you. I’ll say Emma to do so.”
    Georgia, the assistant, gaining confidence, wanted to explore the pandora-like life of Madam Cara.
    “Why don’t you allow men in your soirées Madam Cara. If the only reason for these gatherings to find yourself a husband-”
    “Don’t you dare!” she growled. “Don’t you dare speaking about marriage under my roof. Where do you get the nerves to ask me about it? I am not a low woman to want to get married to a man. EVEN MARRYING LAURA IS BETTER THAN THAT. GET OUT!”
    In that enormous house, too many people heard her shouting at the highest of her volume. She kept going on and Georgia who after that slowly walked out of the room; left the house delightfully as if she was not the one being yelled at.
When just about to reach the golden gates, she heard Laura calling her name and running as fast as she could on the grey tarmac. Her small skirt was moving briskly as she moved her long, slender legs. She was indeed beautiful.
    “Georgia wait.” Even though all the girls had to call Madam to Cara, they used just their names when they were calling for each other even though they had different status inside the house. This was a way of mutual support they all needed to be able to live with Madam Cara.
    “I heard Madam Cara screaming while cleaning the living room. Are you all right?”
    “Oh yes. Don’t worry.” Georgia laughed whole-heartedly. “You thought I would be upset.”
    “How do you deal with it?”
    “I know how moody and cranky sometimes Madam Cara can get. I am used to it now. It’s not worth being upset. You want a friendly advice?” She put her arm on her shoulder gently.
    “When she starts to yell, think her trying to survive without us; doing the cleaning, cooking, that kind of stuff. You’ll see she’s worthless without you and me and other girls.”
    “Thanks Georgia, you’re right” said Laura with bright eyes. “Thanks for the advice. I’ll try next time.”
    Unfortunately, next time was sooner than the expected. The hairdresser was running late, and Madam Cara was walking up and down the house, bellowing at every little thing she found wrong, be it the place of the cooking pans in the kitchen (which were resting on the table so that the cook would start cooking the lunch) or be it the windows left open or the skirts of the maids being long or the maids over doing make-up, or not doing make at all (The last one was for Laura).
    “Don’t you want to look pretty? Why don’t you do make-up?”
    “I don’t know Madam Cara. I never did.”
    “Well it’s time you learned”.
    Madam Cara pulled her by her arm and took her to her own bedroom. She made Laura sit on the stool in front of the dressing-table, no matter how hard she refused to do so. Madam Cara herself sat near her and grabbed a brush and a foundation.
    “Please madam let me go-“
    “Why do you want to go child? I’ll do your make-up myself.”
    The big, black brush was moving up and down, left to right on her young skin. Then it came to the eye-shadow. At one point, she made her turn her back to the mirror, insisting on that light would be at a better angle so she woud be able to see what she was doing. Something inside her was telling Laura that she had to get out of there immediately.
    “You’ll be very pretty you’ll see.”
    Laura sensed something sinister in her voice and smile.
    “Madam Cara please.”
    “I said NO!” She pressed her with her knees so that she wouldn’t run away and in fact Laura was thinking about running away from her even though that kind of an action could cost her job.
    “You need make-up to look pretty.”
    “But weren’t you the one who told me who beautiful my skin was and how pink my cheeks were and how I would never ever need a lipstick in my entire life?” she said losing her patience
    Madam Cara, who didn’t expect this kind of intervention stopped and looked at her as if that was the moment she really saw the girl with a lousy make-up on her face.
    “There you go. Almost finished.” she said as she put some more lipstick on her face. “I don’t want you to wipe it off. If you do I’ll understand it. Maybe tomorrow you’ll remember to put something on your face.”
    She let her go and Laura rushed out of the room without looking at the mirror, her heart so light being free now. It was until when she reached her tiny little room when she saw her face on the cracked mirror and understand that this was a very heavy punishment.
    She was looking like a clown, with a ghostly-white face and crimson lips. Only a red plastic nose and a funny head was missing. Her eyes were dark ditches, her brightly lit brown eyes looked lifeless. It was minutes when she started to sob bitterly, thinking that Georgia’s advice was like crap and there was no one in this world that could save her from her hell-like life. Tears made black eye-shadow to reach her cheeks and she no more looked like a clown but seemed like a zombie.
Bravely, she refused to get out of her room until the lunch. Luckily Madam Cara had been very busy scolding her hairdresser Emma for being late (She could hear Madam Cara very clearly from her room) so she was unaware of the absence of Laura.
    Emma, being scolded like a little puppy who chewed her master’s shoe- laces, was very patient with Madam Cara and she managed to put up with her while doing her hair. After some time working with Madam Cara, one could just stop listening to what she said; minutes after the hurricane a peaceful silence would always fall on everybody. Madam Cara was never that mean to remember every little mistake of the people around (And even if she tried, well no one had that kind of strong memory- not even the elephants). Her anger was only for the time being and soon she would forget all.
    “Madam Cara, you have to sit still so that I can do your hair!” said Emma giving a break to her singing.
    “I am not paying you to tell me what to do!” snapped Madam Cara at her rather silently and calmly. “Just do what you have to do without complaining.”
For many minutes, none of them talked. Emma was busy trying to find a way to tame Madam Cara’s bushy hair and Madam Cara was doing nothing but just gazing at the antique chandelier.
    “Emma darling, you must be very tired” she smiled at her when finally her hair was done. She touched her hair which was tightly placed high up on her head; looking at the mirror she decided that she liked the outcome of hours of torture. “You deserved a large sum of tip.”
    “Thanks Madam Cara.” She smiled back reluctantly but also happy to get some more money than usual for the money she made by hairdressing was barely enough to keep her living.
    “Not many people can what you do.”
Madam Cara patted on her back and squeezed some monet into her pink palm. Minutes later Emma was on her way out of that house, her tools neatly packed and her hair-dryer on her hand.
                                                        *
    When the wooden antique clock on the hall exactly hit 12, the door bell started ringing a happy tune of singing birds. It was Madam Adeline who was the closest person to Madam Cara, so close that you could almost call them friends.
“Ah, Adeline! How happy to see you!” Madam Cara was quite delighted to see her guest arriving righ on time as agreed.
    “I’ve come a long way Cara, you have no idea how much I can appretiate a good lunch right now.”
    In fact, Madam Adeline was living just a few mansions away however she was out of town for that week and she had just come back. As soon as reaching the city, she remembered her pre-appointed lunch with Madam Cara. It could be a wise idea to cancel it after travelling all those miles in a shaky train and walking on smelly roads and listening to the mumbling of the villagers for the whole week but she knew that canceling an event with Cara was the end of their so-called friendship. No matter how good this idea might sound to her, she had no intentions of hurting Madam Cara. She knew how much goodness Madam Cara had held inside her, (even though this goodness was completely sealed for now).
    They headed down to the dining room which was bright because all of the windows were open. The table was already layed and a few maids were running around it to make sure that the Madams had everything they needed. Madam Cara didn’t realise that Laura was still not there; she was busy with paying attention to her guest.
    “I have been sleeping next to a stable, with those horses whinnying, tossing and turning around.” She got a sour look on her face as if tasting a disgusting thing. “And those villager children never wash their hands. They touch the dirty ball on the street, the go stroke the cat and they expected me to hold hands with them and sing songs. What am I an idiot?”
    “Yes, they are everywhere” agreed Madam Cara as if children who don’t wash their hands was the worst thing one could ever face.
    “I’ve asked my husband whether we could turn back a little early or so but he insisted on staying and playing football with dirty boys. When he came home at night, her shoes and pants were all muddied and he had lost her favorite tie. Yet he was smiling!I suspect he gave it to some boy as a gift! When I said that we argued...”
    “Again?”
    “Ah yes” she sighed, “He never gives up trying to bond with the poor. I can’t take it dear. I’m not born to bear that. I don’t understand from teaching writing to housewives or talking about Jayne Eyre to them. They won’t understand it anyway but he... never gives up. There’s always something new that may help them join together.”
    “You just weren’t careful enough when choosing your husband dear” said Madam Cara, her eyes becoming thin slits with anger. “I had told you when you got married. He wasn’t the right one.”
    “No man is right for you” she was going to reply back, defending her husband but she didn’t have the nerves to get into an argument with her. She was already tired and fighting with Cara always made the situation worse.
    “Well what can I do” said Madam Adelaine silently. “I love him.”
    “You love him”  Madam Cara murmured with fury but instead of continuing this conversation, she concentrated on the tasty chicken lying innocently on her plate.
                                                            *       
    Up in her room, Laura was still crying on and off. In an instant she started hating her whole life again, how she had to stand Madam Cara and her cruel attitude, how she had to work and wear that stupid little skirt to make money. Then her heart filled with void, she didn’t feel anything, only paying attention to little things such as the flower carvings on the wall or the little bird singing outside or the waves of the bed linen and her crying stopped.
    Ophelia, another maid, who had enough experience with Madam Cara had noticed Laura’s absence. Deciding to check up on her, she came in and when she saw Laura, she started to laugh, not to make fun of her but to enjoy the fact that there were indeed that innocent and that open-hearted people around.
    “Don’t worry she won’t even remember. Just wipe it off. I can’t believe you’ve been with that hideous make-up all day.”
    “She’ll see it. Don’t you understand that I can’t affor getting fired?”
    “You wont lose your job. Have some faith in me will you?” she said at last. “Then I’ll do you a fine make-up and if she askes, which I’m sure she won’t, then you’ll tell her that you’ve come to understand your mistake and you’re making it right. Believe me hearing this would make her the happiest woman on earth.”
    So off Laura’s make-up went with the touch of a wiping. Then Ophelia helped her to do a nicer and much lighter make-up. Laura always liked her because she was always the motherly figure inside that mansion. Ophelia was treating the other maid as if they were her own daughters. Just like what she now did to Laura who was downstairs in minutes.
    “Oh look how grown-up you seem with that make-up” said Estelle, another maid as soon as Laura went in kitchen to help others. The rest agreed with her and they all started to talk about their secrets of make-up; how they manage to keep their lips as red as blood all day and how they pluck their eyebrows in a good shape.
As Ophelia suggested, Madam Cara didn’t even relise Laura’s absence when she came out of the kitchen to take the empty dishes and bring the full plates back.
    “So this charity thing’s been wearing you down dear?” Madam Cara was asking with interest. “You know I have intentions of doing some good deeds lately. I should made one of my maids check with your husband. He knows how to do a good donation to keep the attention.”
    Adeline didn’t ask why she was so stubborn not to meet or see or talk to any type of men but again she nodded willingly to close this subject.
It didn’t take more time for Madam Adeline to finally get up.
    “You know Cara, I really enjoyed this but I should be getting home. There are thousands of work to do and I’m still so tired.”
    “Sure dear, get some rest. Let your daughter do the work. How old is she now?”
    “She’ll be 17 next week” sadi Adeline happily and proudly. “You should see how beautiful she became.”
    “Tell her to come to the soirée tonight. She should have been so bored in that God-forgotten village you went to.”
    “I’m sure she’ll be gladly to do so.”
    “Good. I’ll send Laura tomorrow to have a chat with you husband about the donations. Then we’ll see what to do about it.”
    Madam Adeline nodded again and went up. She grabbed her coat from the maid standing politely next to the door and left waving her big hands towards Madam Cara.
    When the maid closed the door behind her, Madam Cara called her.
    “Tell Laura to come see me after she finished the chores in the kitchen. And you go help them to clean up the table. It’s so messy that I can’t bear seeing it like that.”
    She sat on one of the comfy but elegant chairs in the entree until the girls cleaned it all up and told her that their job has been finished ini the dining room. Madam Cara slowly walked to the dining room, inspecting if the things were done properly and whether any details were left out. When she decided that everything was in good order, she went to a sunny, little room to find some peace and continued her patchworking.
    Patchworking was one of the thins she was always interested in since her childhood. The first time when she had picked up a needle and started sewing was when her mother was still alive.
    Madam Xanthe was a very amiable woman unlike her daughter. Everyone was very fond of her in the house and in the whole city. She was a respected member of the charity works and was donating lots of sums of money to everywhere she thought she needed to be it a school, a hospital or just a family who seemed to be in need of using a little extra money.
    Now her daughter was deciding on doing charity herself, maybe because she was halfway through her life.
    “Good deeds are always important. I don’t want to miss my place up in heaven.” She was talking to herself, seeing it pretty clear that she had already a place reserved up in heaven and if she didn’t do charity she could have lose her chances.
    The same time she was thinking about these and her mother, in some other part of the city, the husband of the woman whom Madam Cara had fired because she was badly ill (“Oh no, you cannot stay here if you’re ill. Everywhere will be filled with bacteria and germs you idiot. You want to make me sick don’t you? That is your plan isn’t it? YOU ARE FIRED!”) was swearing at Madam Cara and wishing strongly and deeply for her to go straight into hell.