Clara and her widower Dad are close, but his current romance disrupts everything. Clara is wounded and outraged when her Dad labels her the housekeeping to impress his new lover. Clara shows her Dad that this \u201chouse cleaner\u201d can clean more than just rooms to teach him a nasty lesson.<\/p>\n
My \u201cmess\u201d began 10 years ago at seven.<\/p>\n
After Mom died, Dad and I lived in our huge old home. I missed her daily, but Dad needed me, so I kept going.<\/p>\n
I learned to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I sometimes helped Dad fold clothes and match socks or poured cereal and milk for breakfast. To aid him as much as possible.<\/p>\n
Without Mom, the home seemed empty, and Dad did too.<\/p>\n
Loneliness drew Dad and me together, making us great friends. Talking about the day, watching movies, or lounging on the porch were our nighttime activities.<\/p>\n
I adored those times. They made me feel like a team with him. He told me about Mom and I told him about school. Our daily conversations helped us recover.<\/p>\n
Dad was sitting at his computer bewildered one day. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, Dad?\u201d I requested.<\/p>\n
He groaned, \u201cI\u2019m trying to set up a profile on this dating site, Clara, but I have no idea what to write.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed. \u201cLet me help, Dad!\u201d I said. I jumped on his lap to see the TV. \u201cTell them you like fishing and reading.\u201d<\/p>\n
He chuckled. \u201cIs that a good idea?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah! \u201cAnd say you\u2019re a great cook,\u201d I smiled, knowing he could only prepare spaghetti and scrambled eggs.<\/p>\n
Dad followed my advise and made it our game. I helped him respond to women\u2019s messages. I sometimes made stupid ideas to make him chuckle. \u201cTell her you can cook a mean peanut butter sandwich,\u201d I\u2019d remark, and we\u2019d laugh. It was nice to see him grin again.<\/p>\n
Dad and I improved living without Mom despite its challenges. Our dependence on one other increased daily. Helping him navigate dating was one way I showed him I cared. He and I both sought happiness.<\/p>\n
As a team, we could do anything. One night, that changed.<\/p>\n
Just returned from a fantastic night at my buddy Emma\u2019s place. Dad and an unfamiliar lady greeted me in our living room, shocking me. Dad whispered in her ear as they were cuddled on the sofa. I almost dropped my backpack in horror.<\/p>\n
Dad got crimson at me. He leapt like a deer in headlights. Uh, Clara! Hi! Yes, this is\u2026 His stuttering made me feel terrible for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is this, Daniel?\u201d she inquired, breaking the uneasy quiet.<\/p>\n
In anxiety, Dad said, \u201cThis is Clara, my housekeeper\u2026 the maid!\u201d<\/p>\n
Shocked, I widened my eyes. Maid? Seriously, Dad? I felt shocked and betrayed.<\/p>\n
Oh, is she? She said with a wide grin. \u201cGreat! Clara, tidy the bedroom today. We need to clean up after our stay there!\u201d<\/p>\n
My mouth fell. This was unbelievable. Cleaning the bedroom after a night together?<\/p>\n
Dad looked like he wanted to be swallowed by the dirt.<\/p>\n
Mr. Daniels, the bedroom? Asking to manage my wrath.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d he moaned in sorrow. \u201cEnough for today.\u201d<\/p>\n
I eventually answered, \u201cSure thing, Mr. Daniel,\u201d attempting to remain calm.<\/p>\n
I took a dust cloth and walked upstairs, frowning at them. Dad was nothing like this, and I couldn\u2019t believe he called me the housekeeper.<\/p>\n
On entering the bedroom, I noticed a total mess.<\/p>\n
The bed was unmade and clothes were scattered. The woman\u2019s aroma lingered, making me wrinkle my nose. Cleaning was not my thing, particularly after that unpleasant event.<\/p>\n
Sitting there, I contemplated my options. Dad deserved a lesson for making me uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
If his new partner didn\u2019t like kids, she should know I\u2019m important to Dad. For Dad to hide me because of it was unfair to us both. Why would Dad be with someone who rejected me?<\/p>\n
It struck me. I had to approach Dad to reveal his dishonesty without making things worse. I needed to think carefully. He needed something he couldn\u2019t escape.<\/p>\n
I sat on the bed, my thoughts scattered like the debris around me. Then an idea came to me.<\/p>\n
Dad would never forget this \u201chouse cleaner\u201d who cleaned up his mess!<\/p>\n
I returned to the living room and found Dad and the lady speaking, oblivious of what was to come.<\/p>\n
My eyes twinkled as I continued, \u201cIt seems that your last night together was not as hot as the day before yesterday, Mr. Daniel! I spent three hours cleaning up after your night the day before last! I apologize for my language.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her cheeks became crimson with fury. \u201cI was absent yesterday! Your bedroom companion the day before yesterday? She yelled at Dad.<\/p>\n
Dad widened his eyes and seemed to faint. \u201cWhat are you talking about, Clara?\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n
Tilting my head, I pretended perplexity. Sorry, ma\u2019am, but you must be Jessica, right? You were great, Mr. Daniels kept saying!<\/p>\n
Woman\u2019s rage boiled over. \u201cI\u2019m MARTHA!\u201d she cried to Dad. \u201cWho the hell is Jessica?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad opened and closed his lips like a fish out of water, unable to respond. Angered, Martha struck him across the face, reverberating around the room. The door slammed as she fled the home.<\/p>\n
I stood watching Dad stroke his face. He eventually glanced at me, angry and powerless. Why did Clara do that?<\/p>\n
Crossing my arms, I felt satisfied. Dad, you lied about me and made me uncomfortable. Be upfront about dating. Please never call me your housekeeper again. Mr. Daniel, is there anything more I should clean up? I asked with a sly smile.<\/p>\n
Dad gazed at me before laughing.<\/p>\n
We laughed till we could scarcely stand once the chuckle became a full-blown laugh. Our link warmed us, easing the stress.<\/p>\n
Really, Dad, you brought home a lady like her? She\u2019s annoying! You lied about me. Why?<\/p>\n
Dad shrugged sheepishly. \u201cShe disliked kids. Perhaps that\u2019s why I didn\u2019t mention you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rolling my eyes. Dad, don\u2019t waste your time on people who hate kids. Knowing that, right?<\/p>\n
I know, Clara. Sorry for my behavior. I should have told you and her the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
I approached and hugged him. Dad, it\u2019s alright. Remember, we work together. Please stop keeping secrets.<\/p>\n
He embraced me strongly. No more secrets. I assure you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gazed around the living room as we parted. \u201cNow, about cleaning\u2026<\/p>\n
Dad chuckled again, shaking his head. \u201cI think we cleaned enough today. How about ordering pizza and watching a movie?<\/p>\n
I smile. It sounds perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Clara and her widower Dad are close, but his current romance disrupts everything. Clara is wounded and outraged when her Dad labels her the housekeeping to impress his new lover. Clara shows her Dad that this \u201chouse cleaner\u201d can clean more than just rooms to teach him a nasty lesson. My \u201cmess\u201d began 10 years […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30812"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30813,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30812\/revisions\/30813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}