4

Immediately after the meeting ended, Fayrouz headed with Nouran to the room-service supply room.

The room was crowded with female employees, each of them moving quickly between the shelves and carts, gathering everything they needed before beginning to prepare the rooms assigned to the guests.

Fayrouz pulled an empty cart toward her and began arranging its contents carefully.

She placed a stack of clean towels in the lower section, then arranged the neatly folded bed linens on top of them. After that, she placed bottles of shampoo, soap, and personal-care products inside a small box designated for them.

Nouran stood beside her, checking the list the supervisor had given her.

“Did you take everything?”

Fayrouz looked over the cart once more.

“Towels, bed linens, personal-care products, cleaning supplies...”

She paused for a moment before turning toward her.

“Did we bring the garbage bags?”

Nouran lightly slapped her forehead.

“I forgot them.”

Fayrouz smiled.

“I knew you would.”

Nouran went back into the room, brought the bags, and placed them inside the cart.

Once they had made sure everything was there, Fayrouz pushed the cart in front of her, and the two of them headed toward the elevator.

The route to the third floor was quieter than the rest of the hotel, as though management had deliberately wanted to keep this floor away from the usual movement of employees and guests.

The elevator stopped, and its doors opened.

Fayrouz stepped out first, then pushed the cart down the long corridor.

The floor was covered with thick carpeting that muffled the sound of footsteps. The walls were decorated with soft lighting and simple paintings, while doors lined both sides of the hallway.

She stopped in front of the suite listed on their assignment sheet.

She took out the key and unlocked the door.

She entered first, then stopped for a moment.

The suite was enormous.

Nouran followed behind her, looking around in amazement.

“This isn’t a suite... It’s an entire apartment.”

Fayrouz smiled as she wheeled the cart inside.

“Don’t waste time.”

She placed the checklist on the table and began working.

She opened the windows slightly to let fresh air in, then pulled back the heavy curtains covering the glass facade.

Sunlight streamed inside, reflecting off the polished wooden furniture and revealing every tiny speck of dust that might have settled on the surfaces.

Fayrouz said,

“Start with the bedroom. I’ll take care of the living room.”

Nouran nodded.

“Okay.”

Fayrouz got to work.

She lifted the cushions from the sofa, then ran her hand over its surface to make sure there was no dust. After that, she began cleaning the glass table with slow, deliberate movements until every fingerprint disappeared.

She did not work randomly.

She moved according to a routine she had developed throughout her months of employment.

The surfaces first, then the floors, followed by the small details that most people might never notice.

She crouched beneath the table and examined the area around it before wiping it down with a cleaning cloth.

Then she moved toward the small bookshelf beside the window and began cleaning its shelves one by one.

On the other side of the suite, Nouran had already started changing the bed linens.

She removed the old cover, folded it carefully, and placed it inside the bag designated for laundry. Then she unfolded the fresh bedding and began spreading it neatly across the bed.

“Fayrouz, come and look at this pillow.”

Fayrouz left what she was doing and walked over to her.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“I think there’s a small stain on it.”

Fayrouz stepped closer and bent down slightly to examine it.

There was indeed a faint mark on the edge of the fabric.

“Replace it.”

“Okay.”

Nouran took it away and replaced it with another one.

Fayrouz smiled as she said,

“We can’t leave something like that.”

“I know, but I thought you wouldn’t notice it.”

Fayrouz looked at her confidently.

“The supervisor will notice it.”

Nouran laughed.

“And that’s exactly why I never argue with you.”

After some time, they finished the bedroom and moved on to the bathroom.

Fayrouz put on her gloves and began cleaning the large mirror, while Nouran took care of the bathtub.

Fayrouz slowly wiped the cloth across the mirror, stopping every now and then to examine the reflection of the light against it, making sure she had not left a single streak behind.

She then moved to the sink and cleaned it carefully before arranging the personal-care products in their proper places.

She placed the soap beside the towels and made sure there was shampoo, shower gel, and body lotion. Then she opened one of the drawers to check for shaving supplies, a toothbrush, and the other amenities requested by management.

“Everything is here.”

She said it as she placed the final bottle in its place.

Outside, Nouran had begun cleaning the floor.

Once they finished the bathroom, Fayrouz returned to the main room.

She stood in the middle of the suite and looked around.

They were almost finished, but something caught her attention.

She walked toward one of the lamps and ran her finger across the surface of the table beneath it.

She looked at her fingertip.

It was not completely clean.

She let out an exasperated sigh.

“Nouran.”

The other woman looked up.

“What?”

Fayrouz pointed toward the table.

“We’re not finished yet.”

Nouran laughed as she walked over to her.

“I knew you’d find something.”

Fayrouz cleaned the area again, then glanced at the clock.

Cleaning the suite had taken longer than she had expected, but neither of them could leave before making absolutely sure everything was in order.

Nouran rearranged the cushions while Fayrouz closed the drawers and made sure every item was in its proper place.

Then they entered the bedroom one final time.

Fayrouz stood at the foot of the bed and carefully inspected it with her eyes.

The bedding was perfectly smooth.

The pillows were neatly arranged.

There was nothing left on the bedside tables.

The curtains were properly aligned.

The floor was spotless.

She finally said,

“Now everything is ready.”

Nouran breathed out in relief and sat down for a moment on the edge of one of the chairs.

“Finally.”

Fayrouz gave her a warning look.

“Don’t sit down. We just finished cleaning it.”

Nouran immediately stood up, laughing.

“Okay, okay.”

Fayrouz picked up the checklist and went through each item one by one, placing a checkmark beside every completed task.

Then she looked around the suite one final time.

There was nothing left to worry about.

She closed the checklist and took the key.

The two women left the suite, and Fayrouz closed the door behind them before returning the key to the supervisor.

The supervisor glanced over the checklist and said,

“Good work.”

Fayrouz merely gave her a small smile.

To her, this was simply another day at work.

She had no idea that only a few hours later, the owner of this suite would walk through that very door...

And that her story with him would not end simply because her shift had come to an end.