My so-called shared room was practically a mansion on its own. It had three toilets, two showers, a mini kitchen, and five bedrooms. One belonged to the two drivers-Ekow and Kingsley. Ekow was responsible for driving the parents, while Kingsley handled transportation for the children and other household members. However, Kingsley was out of town for a while. Another bedroom was designated for Comfort, the older maid, while two others were occupied by the remaining two maids. I shared a room with Priscilla, who, I soon discovered, was barely two years older than me.
I hadn't noticed the presence of dogs in the house until three of them-a pit bull, a Rottweiler, and a German shepherd, suddenly barked in unison, sensing my unfamiliarity. Startled, I froze, but Priscilla let out a soft laugh, as if trying to reassure me. "My reaction was even worse when I first came here," she admitted, shaking her head.
I took a moment to observe her. She was dark-skinned, short, and slim, with a gap between her front teeth and a rectangular-shaped figure. She wore a pair of black trousers and a long-sleeved white shirt, buttoned all the way up to the collar. She carried herself simply, and she made no effort to hide her lack of formal education-something she openly mentioned while laughing about our shared fear of the dogs.
She explained that the household was fond of pets, especially Elkyena, the only girl among the siblings who partially lived at home. "She has a cup puppy, a hamster, a cat, a Maltese, and she had a Chihuahua, but it sadly passed away," Priscilla noted. Then, with an amused expression, she added, "You know these white people and their obsession with pets."
I chuckled in response, unsure of what to say.
Suddenly, Priscilla urged me to hurry back before Comfort spotted us. "Or else, we'll be in trouble with her," she warned.
As we made our way back, she asked if I had any black-and-white clothing. Luckily, I did, I had gone to Makola Market to shop a week before coming here. She asked me to change, and it was only then that I realized just how much I didn't fit into the world of the rich. My second-hand clothes, which I once thought were decent, now looked dull and worn in comparison to the luxuries surrounding me.