Kat returned from lunch and saw the red blinking light indicating she had a voice message. Her business partner, Cheryl, had been busy all morning and was still on the phone. Although the two women jointly owned KC Cleaning, they made the decision to take care of their own clientele. That didn't mean they couldn't help each other out, but for the most part, Kat had her clients and Cheryl had hers.
Kat picked up her phone and played the message. She could faintly hear a man's voice in the background, but it was mixed in with various weird noises and sounds. She listened to it four more times and gave up. If the customer really wanted her services, they would call back. Cheryl got off the phone and handed Kat a message.
"Customer called and requested a cleaning two times a week."
"You're not taking them?"
"They specifically asked for Kat." Cheryl smiled. "Someone's building a reputation."
Business started to pick up after a slight change in marketing where she made the switch in professional name from Kathy to Kat. Kat was so fun, fresh, and friendly. It made her more approachable than the older sounding Kathy. Once they met her in person, it always sealed the deal.
Kat searched for the potential client's house on-line and discovered it was secluded in a quiet part of town. The kind of neighborhood for the old and retired. Normally she would decline clients in secluded areas, however the neighborhood had nothing but a good reputation and she decided to at least do an inspection first. There were too many horror stories in the cleaning business because people never did an inspection and only learned after that it should have been a hard pass.
***
Kat drove up the long driveway and pulled up to the house. Whatever she looked at on the Internet was not what she saw before her. In place of the old beat up house was a sleek modern white and black house with floor to ceiling windows throughout the top floor. From the looks of the yard, they also invested in a landscaping service.
Kat had a good feeling about this client. Someone with a house like that must be worth working for. She parked the car in front of the closed two-car garage and got out. Smoothing her skirt out and internally calming the nerves, she knocked on the door. Meeting new customers was an awkward experience. She was an attractive young woman with vibrant blue eyes and long red hair. Every guy, young and old, thought they might have a shot with her. It took a few weeks to get over that hump, but after that, it was smooth sailing with the client.
An older man answered the door.
"Hello. I... sorry, I was expecting someone younger from our conversation on the phone."
Kat squeezed her lips. Not a great start by insulting the client's age.
"The owner is a busy man. Any services related to the house; you will deal with me personally." The man said.
"And you are?"
"You can call me Mr. Wallace. Now please do come in."
Mr. Wallace stepped aside and motioned her in. The inside was exactly how she expected it from the outside. White walls with beige hardwood floors and accents of black in every room. The place looked spotless. Why would they need a cleaner?
"Should you sign our contract, we are obligating you to only clean three rooms at the moment. After four weeks, if we like what you've down, we will include the rest of the house." Mr. Wallace said. "If you follow me, I will show you the first room."
Kat nodded and followed Mr. Wallace. Usually the owner wanted the entire house cleaned, which was sometimes impossible given how messy people could be. The limited rooms and cleanliness were already checking a lot of her boxes off. As they passed the hallway, Kat noticed a large red door at the end. It was so out of place with the rest of the house, she wondered what was behind it.
She turned back and saw Mr. Wallace patiently waiting for her.
"What's behind the red door?"
"Am I hiring a professional cleaner or a detective?
Kat squeezed her lips tight. She really didn't want to lose this job. It twice the money for less work than she normally did. Mr. Wallace and Kat entered the open concept kitchen. Its black cupboards stretched around one corner with a matching island in the middle of the white tiled floor. On the opposite side of the room was the dining table with six chairs around it.
It had become a habit to be vigilant about potential problem areas while cleaning, but Kat couldn't see anything. The counters were clear, the floor was clean and there were no dishes in sight.
"This is the kitchen." Mr. Wallace said in a tone that reminded her of a teacher addressing a class full of misbehaving kids. "Here you will do the dishes, wipe down all surfaces, dust all surfaces, sweep the floor and mop the floor."
Standard cleaning. Except usually when the customer said that, the counter was fully cluttered, and the floor was too gross to even walk on. How would she fill the expected time if everything was already so clean? The only thing out of place was a small red mat in the corner of the kitchen. There were no indications what it was for, but the red color caught her eye and reminded her of the mysterious door.
"Any questions?"
She wanted to ask about the mat, but fearing another sly comment, withheld her question. Soon enough she'd find all the answers once she worked at the house long enough.
"No, sir." Kat said to show some respect. She already called him old and wasted his time, behaving like a true professional, like Kathy, would serve her better for the remainder of the inspection.
Mr. Wallace turned and brought her to the next room. The living room. Again, her mind to went to work searching the floor, furniture, and walls, and again nothing was out of place.
"This is the living room. Here you will vacuum the furniture, vacuum the floor, put away any items, water the plants and dust."
In the middle of the room, Kat noticed a large mirror. It had a red frame which clashed with everything else. Another mystery to be solved.
Mr. Wallace continued the tour to the final spot, the main floor bathroom.
"This is the bathroom. Here you will clean the toilets, clean the sink, clean the shower and scrub the floors."
