THE ISLAND
Part 17: Kady
By Gortmundy.
Bethari sat on the edge of the seat nervously nibbling her nails. She had taken care to dress as well as she could, wearing the kebaya her mother had made for her and her prettiest batik sarong, but she still felt pitifully out of place in these rich surroundings and she fretted self-consciously, knowing she must still look like a poor little island girl.
The man who had picked her up in the car had been friendly enough and had at least smiled at her as he passed her father an envelope. He carried her small suitcase to the car and waited patiently as she bade a tearful farewell to her mother. He had even held the car door open for her but even so, she knew that she had been effectively sold to the rich woman who lived in the big villa.
Her parents were very poor, and she at least hoped the money would make their lives, and the lives of her sisters a little easier.
She looked about the room, it was a plush sitting room filled with expensive things. Obviously, the room belonged to someone important, there was a padded couch and comfortable chairs, a coffee table and a few simple pieces of artwork, A sizeable flat-screen television was mounted on the wall and a sleek laptop sat on the coffee table. Large doors opened out onto a veranda that offered a glorious view of a nearby cove, with golden sand and crystal blue water. A small kitchenette was situated off to one side with a microwave, coffee maker and plate warmer but there did not look to be anywhere to cook properly.
Nervously steeling her courage, she had peeked through the adjacent room. It was a pleasantly decorated and well-lit bedroom and she grimaced when she saw the large double bed. Doors led out onto the same veranda. She was amazed at the size of the walk-in wardrobe though a little curious given it was completely empty. Another door led into a bathroom, and she almost gasped looking at the huge shower cubicle all surrounded by green ripple-patterned glass. She grinned, "
Its bigger than my room back home.
"
Sitting back in the chair she became nervous again, she had few skills that would be of use, somehow, she doubted her ability to sing simple songs, mend nets or cook basic meals would be valuable here. She would probably be used for drudgework, cleaning, and other menial tasks. The only other thing she had of any value was her body and she imagined that was the real reason she was here. Her mother had always said she was pretty, and it was possible she had attracted the attention of a man from the villa and that led to her current situation, to be used in that large double bed until he grew tired of her. Perhaps if she was compliant enough, he would at least be kind to her.
She was startled from her brooding reverie by a light tapping on the door. Rising she somewhat timidly answered, opening the door before stepping back clasping her hands in front of her and giving the two women a respectful bow.
One was a tall blonde, with golden hair and the bluest eyes she had ever seen, the other was a smaller woman, with a dusky complexion shorter brown hair, dark eyes, and a pretty face. Both the women gave her a friendly smile and the smaller one spoke.
"Hello, we thought we'd come by to see if you're getting settled, may we come in?"
Bethari swallowed nervously, "I'm sorry mistress but there's no one here but me. I haven't been able to hide my suitcase, I don't know where to put my things or where I'll be sleeping when I'm not," she glanced at the bedroom door, "working."
A somewhat confused expression passed across the face of the blonde, but the smaller woman appeared unfazed, and she shook her head slowly in obvious annoyance.
"Nobody's explained anything to you have they?"
"No mistress."
"Why do you think you're here?"
Bethari blushed and hung her head, "To work, and to maybe to serve..."
"Do you think you are going to be given to a man to fulfil his... needs?"
The girl nodded.
The blonde girl said some angry words in English and Bethari began to cry, she had tried so hard not to upset anyone and now she was in trouble already.
The smaller one took her hand, "It's okay Bethari, you're not in trouble, my friend here is just a little upset that nobody took the time to speak to you or help you get settled."
The blonde woman smiled and spoke, her accent was strange and her words halting, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I can be grumpy sometimes, it's not your fault."
The two exchanged words in English and Bethari managed to pick out the word 'coffee'. The blonde headed over to the kitchenette and busied herself while the dark-haired woman gently guided her to sit on the couch.
"Gee I've so many things to tell you, but first things first. My name is Natassia, and that is Susan."
At the sound of her name, the blonde gave her a small wave and turned back to the cups.
"You're not here to serve any man's needs, well not unless you want to, I suppose, but that's up to you."
Bethari blushed.
"You have been employed as a maid, just like me."
The younger girl gaped, "You can't be a maid! You're too..." she stopped at a loss for words.
Natassia grinned, "I am, now Susan isn't though, she's a guest, so we have to be extra nice to her, even if she can be a bit grumpy."
The blonde said something in English, Bethari couldn't catch it, but it sounded very rude.
The smaller woman giggled but waved her finger about, "These are your rooms Bethari. This is your sitting room, through there is your bedroom and your bathroom."
Bethari looked about in amazement, "Servants can't live here, it's too much."
"There are no servants here Bethari. You and I are
employees
and our boss, who you will meet later this evening has very strong feelings about how her employees are treated."
"What... what will my duties be?"
"Interesting question. I don't think you will have any specialist household skills as yet, so to begin with you'll be helping with cleaning, making beds, and working in the kitchens until we can get a better fit for you. I wouldn't worry about it, we all did it, well except Miss Poshpants over there."
Susan complained as she carried across the cups, "Hey! I make the bed more often than you."
Natassia grinned, "Don't listen to her Bethari, she obviously spends all her time in front of a mirror while I do all the work. Now eventually, if you find a skill you wish to develop, we can help with that, but first, we need to improve your English. There are a lot of people living and working here, many have come from countries very far away and they all speak their own languages so to make things simple we use English as a common language for when we are working."
Bethari studied her hands and blushed, "My English is not very good."
"That's okay, neither is Susan's. She's from Australia and they all speak funny there."
"Hey!"
The younger woman couldn't help but smile.
"Don't worry Bethari, your English will improve in due course I'm sure of it. Now tell me, is there anything you like to do, do you have any hobbies?"
