The Clean Up Crew(Martha Huett) The view of the estate's grounds from the cut glass window was absolutely breathtaking. The weary servant leading the clean up crew's graveyard shift that evening would often marvel at the reflection of the carefully placed crystalline lights around the huge crystal blue swimming pool. Not that he would ever swim in that pool or lounge under the spectacular display of lights, Geoffrey thought without resentment. He was first and foremost a dedicated house servant, loyal only to M'Lady and her clean environs.

It was a gratifying post and Geoffrey's every intention was to see it through, even if it meant he would always be under M'Lady's thumb and could never leave the estate. He had worked very hard to achieve the position as lead servant of the clean up crew, even beating out Benson and Charles who had experience of a lifetime. It was his conscientiousness to cleanliness that catapulted him to such an exalted position. Not even a crumb was left behind when Geoffrey's crew was done in the mornings. Gratefully, there was always plenty to do, what with the lunches and dinners M'Lady hosted nearly daily. Then, there were the parties every weekend where it seemed all of society descended upon the palace. Under Geoffrey's insistent, but unrelenting good cheer, however, each and every mess left behind was cleaned up perfectly.

Perhaps more importantly, Geoffrey had fine-tuned the crew's schedule so that they were able to thoroughly complete their work and return out-of-sight to their living quarters long before M'Lady was roused for her morning ablutions. He did not want to lose a crew member as Charles almost had when he foolishly extended cleaning overtime into M'Lady's waking hours. When she had laid eyes on one of his most diligent workers furiously scrubbing a baseboard, the usually genteel M'Lady had become unutterably enraged, screaming and threatening to kill the hapless servant. Geoffrey had had to explain that as much as she cared for the well-being of all those under her employ, M'Lady simply cannot see or be seen in the company of said servants. The incident was probably the earliest conception of an uprising among the more disgruntled servants.

Geoffrey often thought the extra benefits offered as part of the job were more than generous, almost luxurious compared to the wretched servants in the neighboring villa. Their lord was rarely home, yet expected only the highest fealty to his hearth. Many of his servants slept in the cold or heat and often went days with very little food. The servants of M'Lady's manor, on the other hand, had vast climate-controlled living quarters complete with nurseries and daycare facilities, even a modern maternity ward. Food was never, ever scarce. In exchange for these indulgences, though, every single servant was expected to clean. Ladies showed up nightly with babies on their backs. Even those who were heavy with child could be seen cleaning walls, floors, ceilings, countertops. The very young were apprenticed and bullied into labor. The work was relentless, but the pay was good. At least for Geoffrey and others like him.

Geoffrey and the other clean up crew leaders were much bigger and stronger than their underlings. He was proud of his masculine physique and considered it his birthright, often flexing and posing his dark, brooding good looks. Lately, he had found himself having to use his size and strength to quell an underlying, but growing discord that was fomenting among the lower servants. What first started as innocent suggestions for a healthier work/life balance evolved into angry demands which culminated in an unbreakable rebellion against M'Lady. The servants were bloody outraged. They wanted better working hours, more access to the grounds and a complete and total cessation of M'Lady's threats and violent reactions against them. Geoffrey was alarmed, especially since the other crew leaders were beginning to side with the lesser servants. Even worse, the rebellious servants wanted to meet en masse for a face-to-face confrontation with M'Lady. Geoffrey was so upset and scandalized, he was climbing the walls. There were arguments, even fisticuffs in the typically well-ordered household. Geoffrey had never been so overwhelmed. When he finally relented to the meeting between the mob of servants and M'Lady, he was reduced to a skittering wreck of nerve endings.


Donna Smith tossed a cigarette butt out her car window as she pulled into her trailer park. After what she had gone through that day as cafeteria lady for a bunch of impudent elementary school brats, Donna could hardly wait to get home, get drunk and get supper on. It being Friday, she was looking forward to having her son's large family visit on the weekend. But first, she had to stop for some more TV dinners, a 12-pack and cigarettes. Unfortunately, she got hung up in quitting time traffic and waited through a long construction lane.

It was dark when Donna pulled her grocery sack, beer and smokes out of the car and headed toward her trailer. She felt a little silly seeing the Christmas lights she had hung up in May, but she liked the sparkles and colors. Besides, the way she had hung them above the cheap blue plastic kiddie pool was pretty cool, too, she thought. As Donna pulled her door key from her purse, she glanced at the cut edges of the broken glass window in front. It was a reminder of all the work and upkeep required to live in an old, worn out trailer. She knew if she didn't tend to her trailer, it would end up looking like her neighbor's. Donna didn't fault her neighbor Gordy; he was an unmarried truck driver who loved the road more than home. She just wanted to have a halfway decent trailer to live in.

Donna turned the door key in the latch and heard an odd clicking, hissing noise. She peered into the darkness of her trailer. Something was making Donna feel uncomfortable, jittery. She thought about backing up and out of the trailer, but silently admonished herself for childhood fears and reached for the light switch.

Hundreds upon hundreds of roaches covered every square inch of the trailer's interior. They were a mass of glistening, rustling bodies. And they were pissed. A particularly large cockroach rose to his full four-inch height as if to say, "Charge!" and with a collective hiss the roaches lifted as one and flew toward their Lady.

Donna's face turned white for all of about five seconds, then it turned an angry, scarlet red. She had never, not ever been so insulted. Felt so betrayed. As she fled her trailer with a thick, billowing cloud of cockroaches behind her, Donna shrieked with fury into the night, "Dammit, Geoffrey! You're fired!"

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