SO WE start a new week. I have a lot of enthusiastic plans to ensure that it goes off as smoothly as possible. Once at work, I put in an order to the main palace for the ingredients I’ll need for the princess’s dinner tonight.
I am served dinner at the villa every night. At four in the afternoon, Lilly collects my tray from the chalet kitchen. The first couple of times I can only stare at all the food in shock. Three trays, one with four different pastas, another heaped with savoury pastries and at least three different salads, and the last tray so packed with meat that it could easily feed 10 people. Grilled chicken, grilled fish, a couple of pieces of steak and lamb kebabs fill the tray.
After a couple of weeks of this, I ask Lilly to be more selective and bring me less food. Yet, with all the good food I still lose five kilograms during my first month in Saudi. The princess laughingly envies my weight loss. I don’t doubt the adjustment to the heat had something to do with it.
I am making chicken pie with a few accompanying dishes. As I position the puff pastry over the chicken, I keep some of the dough aside. In an attempt to pull off the wow factor, as we were taught at the academy, I cut out the letters PA, for Princess Arabella from the leftover dough and place the letters on top of the pie crust. I place a dish of baby marrows in a cream sauce in the oven alongside the pie. So far so good. The girls are bustling around the busy kitchen in order to see the outcome.
The princess lets Lilly know that she is ready to be served. The tray is carried upstairs and I must admit, the food looks scrumptious.
The princess watches in silence as Lilly puts down the towel in preparation as I stand waiting to place the tray onto her bed. As she gets a better view of the tray, she claps her hands together. “Mrs C, that looks wonderful!” she responds gleefully.
I wish her bon appétit and feeling happy, I leave her to enjoy her dinner.
On the trip home, I sit in silence, feeling contented with how the day went but also relieved that it had ended on such a happy note.
Apart from the princess periodically shouting at the staff, the week progresses without any incident so serious that it is deemed to deserve punishment. For that I am grateful.
I dedicate one day to laundry duties. The pieces of the princess’s clothing that need to go to Madam Lorraine, the dressmaker, for alterations are put to one side. Lilly calls switchboard and asks Sultan to collect the clothes. We unpack the many shelves that have become slightly disarrayed and repack the contents in groups. Lilly watches with big eyes as I empty the overflowing vacuum cleaner. I show her step by step how to clean the vacuum bag. Next I show her how to clean the filters in the washing machine and tumble dryer. I am happy that Lilly looks impressed.
On Thursday the princess calls me up to her room. She is in a wonderful mood and I bask in it while it lasts. She has stacked some of her designer handbags in a corner and tells me that I am welcome to them. “They are real designer bags,” she tells me as if that should mean something to me. I have never been a label orientated person but two of the bags are beautiful and I thank her profusely, as she would expect.
Some of the bags have seen better days but it would not be correct to turn them down. A variety of elaborate scarves, also for me, lie in a pile on her bed.
As an afterthought, the princess adds, “Don’t tell Mrs M that I gave them to you.” I feel a surge of irritation and before I can stop myself, I blurt out, “What my employer decides to give me has nothing to do with Mrs M!” I am surprised when the princess laughs out loud and replies, “Mrs C, I like you!”
Anyway, it is not possible to hide such a large stash of goods from Mona as we leave the palace together at the end of the evening. I do however offer Mona the bags I know I won’t use and I throw in some scarves just to keep the peace.
All in all it is a good week and I happily look forward to my day off.