Daniel embarked on his chores and stripped the duvet, mattress, and pillowcases, and dumped them in the laundry basket. He grabbed some fresh bedlinen from the airing cupboard on the landing, stealing a glance of his full reflection as he did so. With the bedding done, he set about giving her room a quick tidy, which was just a little dusting and straightening of ornaments, before vacuuming the carpet. He gave the bathroom a thorough clean, wiping down all the wall tiles, the window, and the shower screen, then cleaning the sink and bathtub before getting on his knees and cleaning the toilet inside and out and not forgetting around the back. The floor tiles he scrubbed by hand before drying them with an old towel. He emptied the bin, cleaned to residue from the soap dish as well as the underside of the sink and bath plugs. He made sure the taps, shower head, and flush handle were gleaming before doing the same with the door handle, hinges, and latch plate. He didn’t think that Mrs Haverthwaite would have noticed he’d done those on Tuesday but now she has, he’ll have to keep on top of them. Finally, he finished the bathroom by putting out fresh towels and a flannel. All the while he couldn’t help but glance at his face in the mirror above the sink. The little lacy cap doesn’t cover enough of his head to keep the dust out of his hair and as such, it has no practical use. With that thought, he figures that its only purpose is to denote the servile status of its wearer. After dusting and vacuuming the landing, he makes sure all the doorknobs, latch plates and brass hinges are gleaming, then fetches Mrs Haverthwaite’s laundry hamper down to the utility room and puts the bedding in with the rest of the whites. “Why don’t you stop for a moment and have a tea-break Daniel.” Mrs Haverthwaite suggested.

“Well, I haven’t swept the stairs yet or done anything downstairs Mrs Haverthwaite.”

“That’s OK… you’re allowed to stop and have a tea break,” she said before insisting. However, it was Daniel who made the pot of tea and served it, along with a small selection of biscuits arranged neatly on a paper doily on a posh-looking plate. Daniel sat himself down and smoothed his apron over his lap. “Are you getting used to your uniform?” she asked. “You seem comfortable enough,” she added. As ever, Mrs Haverthwaite’s tone and demeanor are warm and friendly and in her presence, Daniel can’t help but feel at ease.

“It’s not uncomfortable to wear,” he replied. “But every time I catch my reflection in a mirror I think ‘yikes… I’m wearing a dress!‘.” he said.

“Think of it as a uniform rather than a dress,” she advised. “I firmly believe that a uniform gives one a sense of place and purpose, which is why I insisted Jolanta wore one,” she said. “She wasn’t happy about it but if she’d gotten herself of a job in Asda or McDonalds, she’d have had to wear a uniform there.” Mrs Haverthwaite smiled. “Putting you in Jolanta’s uniform hadn’t crossed my mind until you got caught in that downpour and it honestly was the only thing I could think of that would fit you whilst your clothes dried,” she explained.

“Yeah I understand that but…” Daniel replied.

“Good,” she said, cutting him short. “It seems almost fortuitous that it fits you so well,” she added.

“Yes, I suppose.” Daniel glumly agreed.

“I hope it’s not making you have second thoughts about working for me,” she said. Daniel gulped and reiterated that finding work for someone with his background isn’t easy. “Nor is finding someone willing to work as hard and as thoroughly as you.” she complimented.

“Thanks.” he coyly replied. “But don’t you think it’s a bit weird?”

“Would you consider it weird had you been a young woman?”

“Of course not… it’s a woman’s uniform.”

“And some might consider the job you’re doing is woman’s work.”

“Not these days.”

“Then consider it an exercise in gender equality.” Mrs Haverthwaite suggested. “Since I insisted Jolanta wore it, it might be considered sexist if I allow you to work under different conditions based entirely on your gender.”

“Yes, I suppose.” Daniel glumly replied. Not because he agreed with her point, but because he couldn’t really counter it.

Daniel spent a good hour cleaning the ground floor before starting the shortlist of additional chores. Today it was sweeping the patio and cleaning all the patio furniture which took him out of the house and out of his comfort zone. He hardly ever wears shorts in the height of summer so having his calves exposed to a nippy September breeze is something he’s really not used to. He fills a bucket of warm soapy water and washes the bird muck and atmospheric dust off the glass patio table. His leg hairs are on end and his calves are covered in goose pimples. Mrs Haverthwaite checks on him and reminds him to give the table and chair legs a good clean too. “Yes Mrs Haverthwaite.” he replied before crouching and wiping the cast iron frames. He couldn’t help but glance up at the houses that overlooked the garden, then down at his servile attire. This part of the village boasts large houses and large gardens so the neighbors aren’t too close. Daniel hopes that anyone who might see him will presume he’s female, albeit one with short hair. He glances at his mirrored image in the patio doors and gulps at his dainty lace cap. He keeps forgetting he’s wearing it until he catches his reflection. It seems like a strange twist of fate that him getting into that car all those months ago has somehow resulted in him working as a housemaid. He sighs and continues with his chore. Once the furniture is clean and gleaming, he begins to sweep the patio which is bigger than it looks when one only has a ten-inch broom.

Once done, he asks Mrs Haverthwaite if there’s anything else he can do before changing into his ‘civvies’. “No thank you Daniel, but please, have a cup of tea before you change.”

He glances at the time. It’s 1.15 pm. “May I have coffee?” he politely asked.

“Yes of course,” she replied as she sat. “You know where everything is.” Daniel made a small pot of tea for Mrs Haverthwaite and a coffee for himself. She requested a couple of digestives, which he knew she liked served on a paper doily on a side plate. “Thank you.” she smiled as he set them down for her. “You’ve done well today,” she said, before thanking him. Daniel politely thanked her as he sat, smoothing his frock and apron over his lap. “…but I think, instead of aiming to arrive by around five-to-ten, you should arrive a little earlier so you’ve got time to iron your uniform and be ready to begin at ten o’clock sharp… it was gone twenty-past when you started this morning.”

“Yes, Mrs Haverthwaite. Sorry.”

“Oh, there’s no need to apologize Daniel. You weren’t to know that you’d need to iron your uniform.” she smiled.

They chatted about this and that until their cups were drained. Daniel washed and dried them before changing out of his uniform and donning his own clothes. Mrs Haverthwaite handed him sixty pounds in an envelope and bid him farewell. “I’ll see you on Tuesday… about half-nine?”

“Er… yes. See you then Mrs Haverthwaite.”