TRANSFORMATION D'UNE BOURGEOISE - 6

"But Mon.... I mean Madame aren't we moving a bit too fast here? Probably
I should stay at home for a few days to adapt to my new role and then..."

She interrupted me abruptly in an annoyed manner : "Leave that to me
Maria, I'll organise everything for you. I have lots of close contacts
and trusted friends among the Portuguese community of maids and cleaners,
soon you will be part of their world.". She looked at me again and became
more formal : "Now finish what you are doing here and run upstairs and
clean the bathroom I just used, and tidy up the bedroom. I have a few
phone calls to make, then we'll talk again." She turned and walked back to
the Living Room her heels clicking elegantly. She was 'la patronne' now.


CHAPTER 2

She was talking to me fast as I was standing in front of her dressed now
in her old street clothes! That is, I simply replaced the overall dress
with her prisunic cheap outdoors dress. I kept the underwear and black
pantyhose and I added a pair of flat moccasins that belonged to me for
a change.. It was remarkable that being a small person myself, barely
1.70m in height and 70 kilos in weight I could easily fit in Monique's
clothes, something that pleased her immensely because obviouly I was
about to inherit her whole trousseau!

As I said, she was adressing me : "Now Maria, I talked to my friend
Conchita da Silva, she is the concierge in one of those posh buildings
in Passy (that was one of the most expensive inner Parisian quartiers
in the prestigious 16th arrondissement). She is also a hairdresser
occasionally, she is going to fix your hair in a more appropriate manner
for your current station in life, as a Portuguese cleaning woman and
maid. I asked her to perm your hair and dye it a dark brown. Your current
blondish and longish straight hair is too elegant for what you are going
to become." She loved putting me down and indicating my new position in
life. Funnily enough I was getting an excitement out of it as well.

"Instead of paying her she will ask you to clean the public spaces of the
building, entrance and stairs up to the 5th floor. She will lend you some
working clothes, she has a collection of flower patterned nylon smocks
that I am sure you will love. Don't worry, she will tell you exactly
what to do. Now you can put on my old coat, it is hanging in the broom
cupboard by the entrance, inside the pocket you will find an old scarf,
just tie it around your hair and then we are ready to go."

I got panicked, dressed like this and out from the front door in the
middle of the day, it was barely past 1.00 o'clock in the afternoon. It
just downed to me as I was looking at my (ex Monique's} small cheap
wrist watch that it was only three hours ago that I was still my old
self of a bourgeois lady. And look at me now, a middle age low class
woman leaving her employer's house.

Monique interrupted my thoughts as she approached me and adjusted the
scarf in my head : "You must learn to wear the scarf the Portuguese way,
that will be a standard item when you are outdoors and out of your working
clothes. Most women of your status are wearing it, so you better get used
to it. And something else, it hides up to a point your rather refined
upper class lady features, though I am not worried about that, you can
improve a lot there, wait till Conchita finishes with you. Come on let's
go., I'll drive you, this time I'll spare the embarassenment of public
transport for you, but this is only for your first day. 'Allez ouste!' "

(6- a suivre)