“Yes, he said that to me before but I think it’s better to call him as a young master in front of others.,” replied Malee.
“That’s the problem with them. They don’t want him to get too close with people like us.,” continued Michael, putting emphasis on the word “us,”. “We used to be very close when we were younger but they.”
Michael stopped talking, as if remembering the past hurt him. Malee understood why these boys looked close to each other yet so far apart and why George didn’t seem to like his family. They wouldn’t allow him to get close to anyone, especially a mere servant’s son. So they arranged both of them to go separate ways, quietly.
“Did they tell you who was his mother?,” asked Michael.
“No, but I heard his mother passed away when he was young. Who was she?,” replied Malee.
“She was a cousin of a special blood. You will know soon but don’t mention his mother. Mistress doesn’t like people talking about her.,” whispered Michael.
They reached the new garden finally and saw Michael’s father digging the ground to loosen the soil. Malee greeted him and asked if she could assist them with the garden. She was told it was hard work but since she insisted; they gave her a basket of flowers to plant on the ground. So three of them worked under the hot sun in unity. Michael’s father would loosen the soil, Michael would spread the fertilizer around the soil and Malee would plant the flowers on the designated locations on the ground. In no time, they had completed the task and went back to the servant’s house for a well-deserved rest.
The whole place looked empty when they arrived, and Michael whispered to Malee that others were taking a nap. They moved around the dining room, trying not to make unnecessary sounds, and then went up to their rooms to rest. Mary was still not used to having afternoon rests after heavy activity, so she sat on the floor with her legs around her body and her arms and head on top and her eyes closed. It was a while before she went into a nap and wouldn’t remember anything till Mary shook her body gently to wake her up. The young master would have his tuition class in half an hour time and they were to prepare snacks and drinks for him and his teacher.
Mary opened the cabinet to took out the bathrobe she used the day before and took a cold shower before joining Mary at the entrance to the main house’s kitchen. They both went into the kitchen and while Mary was preparing the western snacks, which Malee had never seen before, Malee was preparing the coffee like the way her good friend did so at the stall. Mary said the snacks would take some time to prepare, so she told Malee to bring the coffee cups to the young master’s room, in case the teacher had arrived earlier than usual. Malee placed both the coffee cups on the silver tray that Mary handed over and slowly made her way up the staircase to the second floor. She tried to bring down the handle again, but still it wouldn’t move, so it forced her to knock on the door as before.
Knock. Knock.
The door opened with George rubbing his eyes as if he had just wake up from the sleep.
“Hi Mr… Oh, it’s you. Come in. You can put the tray over there. And I need to give you access to the room. Come here.,” said George as he grabbed Malee’s hand and led her towards to the screen near the bookshelves. It was so sudden Malee had to balance her the other hand from not dropping the cups on the floor and barely managed to placed the cups on the table before George pulled her again. Malee wasn’t weak by any means. She was used to pushing the cart all day long, but it surprised her how strong George was considering the environment he was in. There were servants, and gardeners, to cater for all his needs and wants, and even a dedicated person, Mary, to care for the whole time. It’s a wonder he even needed to lift his fingers at all.