I got a cleaning job

Towards the end of my school year, I decided to look for a job in order to support myself financially because I was not ready to travel home after school. Also, I knew that once the academic session is over, there's no way my parents will be sending me money; instead, they'll beg for me to return home.

After lectures, I would go around hotels and lounges to submit application letter, and some of them called for an interview, which I went attended, but the low salary turned me off. So, I decided to get along with menial jobs with daily pay instead of being pinned down at these hotels and lounges and still getting a penny as a salary at the end of the month.

One day, Mummy Joseph(a church friend), called me, and I went to her house, which was on the same street. They occupy one of the flats in a very big compound.

"You've not seen work, right?" She asked me when we've exchanged pleasantries

"No ma, do you have space in your oil company?" I jokingly asked her.

"Hahaha, oil company keh? The upstairs at the front, the owner, who is our landlord, is coming to Nigeria next two weeks from Spain, and she told me to get someone that would help clean the house. That's why I called you to see if it's something you'd like to do and take the money," she said, looking at my face, expecting a YES.

"Ummmm... House cleaning is normally meant for ladies, but I'd do it if the pay is okay," I replied her with mixed reactions on my face.

Many thoughts began to run through my mind. "Mopping floors and cleaning windows are for ladies." "If I accept this job, hope this woman will not start looking at me as a houseboy?" All these thoughts flashed through my mind within a few seconds.

It's like she was seeing through me and said, "You're a guy, you'll do it faster than a lady and collect the money. Maybe you're considering being seen by passersby; know fully well that this compound is fenced, and no one would see you when cleaning the outside corridor." She finally convinced me with these words, and I agreed to do it. We bargained the price, and it was fair enough.

She went inside her room, brought the key to the house and she led the way to the block. She showed me everything and everywhere, and I told her I'd be starting the next day and would probably finish it in two days time and she agreed on that.

The next day, as early as 6:00 a.m., I left my house to there, she brought out buckets, detergents, a broom and gave them to me and to start cleaning.

The house had not been used for a very long time, so the dirt was thick and everywhere.

As a good cleaning process, I decided to start by sweeping everywhere first before mopping the floor, and as I was sweeping the rooms, I met a big broken mirror shifted under the bed. I wanted to break it more and dispose it, but a thought came to me; "What if the mirror is meaningful to them and maybe that's why it was kept under the bed amidst its broken situation". I thought about it for a while and decided to place it back where I saw it after I had swept.
Again, in one of the rooms, I met a packet of condom, and I assumed that the room was for one of the sons. What should I do with this one? I looked at it, I checked inside, and I saw that it was still full somehow. I decided to dispose it. I should have kept it to use for myself, but I wasn't in a relationship then, and I wasn't into 'bad things'.

On the first day, I was able to sweep the whole four rooms with toilets & bathrooms each, the kitchen, and the big parlour. I also dusted the beds, chairs, and shelves. I just did a little mopping before evening came, and I had to leave it for the next day.
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Although two days were budgeted for the job but I ended up spending three and a half day finishing the work which was more than I calculated.

When I finished the work, I was paid as we agreed, and I thanked Mummy Joseph for bringing such a job my way.

Because Mummy Joseph was pleased with how I did the work, she tried initiating the idea of making me her cleaner in her house but I refused to take the job to avoid over-familiarity and "see finish"😎

Thanks for reading.