Chapter 9: A Whole Weekend
A few weeks later, the girls had the house to themselves again for a whole weekend. Ludo arrived at their house on Friday evening. Right away, he was dressed in a baby pink satin dress with multiple layers of ruffles and lace, puffed sleeves, and a large bow at the back. He wore matching pink knee-high socks with lace trim and shiny patent leather shoes. A pink headband with a large bow completed his look.
Johanna clapped her hands and said, “Alright, Ludo! Show us your twirls!”
He began to spin around the room, his dress flaring out. “Is this good, Miss Johanna?” he asked, trying to keep his movements graceful.
Mauranne sighed dramatically. “Oh, Ludo, you need to twirl more elegantly! And make sure to hold your curtsy longer!”
He tried to comply but was clearly nervous. “Like this, Miss Mauranne?” He deepened his curtsy, but Mauranne was unimpressed.
Johanna frowned. “No, no, you’re still not getting it. Go practice in front of the mirror. And for this, you get to scrub the bathroom sink tomorrow.”
Next, Mauranne set up a tiny tea party. “Ludo, pour us some tea!”
Ludo poured imaginary tea from the tiny teapot. “Would you like some tea, Miss Johanna? Miss Mauranne?”
Johanna took a sip and wrinkled her nose. “This tea isn’t hot enough. It should be steaming! And, Ludo, you need to dance while serving us. It’s not that hard!”
Mauranne added, “Yes, and don’t forget to curtsy after each pour. You’re really not doing well today.”
Ludo danced around, his cheeks red, and poured the imaginary tea with exaggerated care. “I’m sorry, Miss Mauranne,” he said as he curtsied after each pour.
Mauranne snapped, “You’re still not doing it right. Tomorrow you’ll clean the living room floors.”
Next, Johanna picked out accessories from a box. “Put this bonnet on, Ludo.”
Johanna placed the bonnet on Ludo’s head, and Mauranne added a feathered boa. “Now pose for us!”
Ludo struck a pose, trying to look graceful. “How do I look, Miss Mauranne?”
Mauranne sighed loudly. “You need to do more dramatic poses! And don’t slouch! If you don’t get it right, you’ll have to clean the entire house later.”
Johanna added, “Yes, and make sure you’re smiling. Now, do it again!”
Ludo posed again, trying to follow their instructions. Mauranne and Johanna seemed only marginally pleased but still added cleaning of the entire house for the next day as a punishment.
Then, Johanna and Mauranne set up a runway. “Walk the runway, Ludo!”
He walked back and forth, trying to be graceful. “Thank you, Miss Johanna,” he said with each turn, curtsying deeply.
Mauranne scowled. “You’re still not doing it right. Your walks are too stiff! Do it again. And while you’re at it, you’re going to iron all the clothes in the laundry room tomorrow.”
Ludo redid the runway walk, his face showing signs of frustration. “Is this better, Miss Mauranne?” he asked, hoping to get it right this time.
Johanna and Mauranne only grudgingly nodded, making sure he understood that his performance was still not up to their standards.
After a long evening of having fun and being served, the girls went to bed telling him to clean up the mess he had made in the house.
The next morning, he woke up early, dressed in his French maid uniform and prepared breakfast.
He entered Johanna's bedroom with the breakfast tray. “Good morning, Miss Johanna,” he said softly.
She inspected the tray and frowned. “The juice isn’t cold enough. And the croissants are not arranged properly!”
He quickly ran to the kitchen to add ice cubes and he then re-arranged the croissants. Johanna watched him closely, clearly exasperated. “Thank you for your patience with me, Miss Johanna,” he said, his voice trembling.
She dismissed him without a word.
He entered Mauranne's bedroom with the second breakfast tray. “Good morning, Miss Mauranne.”
“You're late. This is unacceptable!” she scolded him, “Now you need to clean the entire bathroom as well.”
After breakfast, Ludo made the beds, tucking in the sheets and arranging the pillows.
Mauranne inspected the beds and immediately noticed a wrinkle. “This bed is not made properly! And look at these pillows; they’re not fluffed enough!”
Johanna joined in, “This is not acceptable. Go redo it. And you’re also going to clean the windows in the living room.”
Ludo adjusted the sheets and fluffed the pillows again. “Is this better now, Miss Johanna?” he asked, trying to meet their exacting standards.
Johanna and Mauranne sighed. “Finally, but you still need to clean the windows.”
All morning, Ludo cleaned the house, starting with dusting surfaces, vacuuming, and cleaning the windows. Johanna and Mauranne followed behind, inspecting his work.
Mauranne found a spot of dust. “You missed this area. And the windows aren’t spotless!”
Johanna added, “You need to do it all over again. And remember, you’re also going to be scrubbing the floors.”
Ludo re-dusted the surfaces and cleaned the windows again. “Is this acceptable, Miss Mauranne?” he asked.
Mauranne said, “It’s a bit better, but you’re still scrubbing the floors.”
Ludo did the laundry, sorted it, and ironed the clothes. Mauranne checked the ironing.
“This shirt isn’t pressed well enough. And this pair of pants has wrinkles!” Mauranne snapped.
Johanna agreed, “You need to redo the ironing. And for your mistake, you’ll also be cleaning the gutters outside.”
Ludo ironed the clothes again. “Is this correct now, Miss Johanna?” he asked, exhausted.
Johanna nodded with an air of finality. “Yes, but remember, you still have more to do.”
His only “break” was to prepare the lunch. But, when Johanna and Mauranne tasted the meal Johanna frowned. “This salad is under-seasoned. It’s not acceptable!”
Mauranne added, “It isn’t mixed properly. Re-make it, and you’ll also be tidying up the garden.”
Ludo re-seasoned and mixed the salad again. “Is it better now, Miss Mauranne?” he asked, feeling defeated.
Johanna and Mauranne looked at the meal, somewhat satisfied. “It’s better. But don’t forget the garden.”
After lunch, Ludo ironed clothes again. Mauranne found a few wrinkles.
“You’ve missed some spots,” she said with a sigh. “Redo it and make sure you get every wrinkle out. And you’ll also be shining my shoes.”
Ludo re-ironed the clothes and then shine the shoes. “Is this correct now, Miss Johanna?” he asked, hoping for a reprieve.
Johanna nodded reluctantly. “Yes, it’s finally acceptable. But you still have the garden.”
He thought he would never end it. However, in the evening, when his mistresses' meal was ready, he was made to play the role of a little sister again. He was dressed in a pastel-colored, frilly dress with a petticoat, knee-high socks with bows, and a lacy headband.
Johanna and Mauranne set up a tea party with plush toys. “Come on, little sister, let’s play tea party!” Johanna said with a hint of impatience.
Ludo served imaginary tea. “Would you like some tea, Mr. Bear?”
Mauranne sighed. “This is supposed to be fun. You need to be more enthusiastic! And don’t forget to curtsy after serving each toy. And now, you will eat your mixed vegetables unheated.”
Ludo tried to comply, his face showing his growing frustration. “Thank you for playing with me, Miss Mauranne,” he said.
During dinner, for his reluctance to eat his plate of cold mixed vegetables, he was deprived of dessert and sent to bed just after clearing the table and tidying the kitchen.
Johanna and Mauranne still read him a bedtime story. He listened attentively, trying to stay engaged.
Johanna finished the story and said, “Alright, now it’s time to put your baby doll to bed.”
Ludo rocked the doll, singing softly. “Sleep tight, Ludivine.”
Mauranne, exasperated, said, “You’re still not doing it right. Ludivine needs to be more cuddled. And you’ll have to redo all the bedtime chores.”
Ludo re-cuddled the doll and followed the bedtime routine again. “Is this better now, Miss Mauranne?” he asked.
Mauranne said, “Finally, but you’ll still need to clean up your room before bed.”
On Sunday morning, Ludo dressed in his French maid outfit and prepared breakfast. He made sure the meal included pastries, eggs Benedict, and fruit.
“Good morning, Miss Johanna and Miss Mauranne,” he said as they entered the kitchen.
Johanna looked at the table. “The eggs Benedict aren’t warm enough. And the fruit isn’t arranged properly.”
Mauranne added, “You need to redo it and don’t forget to scrub the bathroom sinks.”
Ludo adjusted the meal and cleaned the sinks again. “Is it acceptable now, Miss Johanna?” he asked.
Johanna and Mauranne nodded, though their expressions were still stern. “Yes, but you still have more tasks.”
After another morning of work Ludo prepared a roast dinner for Sunday lunch. He followed the recipe carefully and presented the meal well.
Johanna tasted the food and said, “The roast isn’t cooked evenly. It’s not acceptable.”
Mauranne agreed, “And the vegetables are overcooked. Redo the meal, and you’ll also need to sweep the driveway.”
Ludo re-cooked the roast and fixed the vegetables. “Is this better now, Miss Mauranne?” he asked, hoping for their approval.
Johanna and Mauranne looked at the meal and nodded. “Yes, but don’t forget the driveway.”
After lunch, Ludo cleaned up the kitchen and dining area. He washed, dried, and put away dishes, polished countertops, and tidied up.
Mauranne found a spot of grease on the countertop. “You missed this area. Clean it properly, and you’ll also need to mow the lawn.”
Ludo cleaned the countertop and mowed the lawn. “Is everything correct now, Miss Johanna?” he asked, feeling exhausted.
Johanna finally said, “Yes, it’s acceptable now. You may thank us and leave.”
“I think we deserve a thank you letter after all this weekend,” Mauranne added.