All ten of them woke up around 5:30 am. They left their shared bedroom and walked down the corridor with the other men from the other rooms.
They were all walking towards the shared bathrooms. In the morning, there is always a line outside the bathrooms. On this day, the line was longer than usual because two stalls were out of order. Once done, they all walked back to their rooms. They changed into their wrinkled uniforms. Some had something to eat, but most did not.
Outside the labor camp building, they joined hundreds of other expat workers in their daily march towards the buses. There were always lines outside the buses too. On a hot day like this one, the wait quickly became tiring and frustrating. Boarding did not start until the company’s supervisors gave their approval.
This morning, the supervisors looked more stressed and disorganized than usual. They ran around and pointed at their clipboards and argued. Finally, they selected 35 workers and sent them to a special bus at the far end of the line of buses. This bus looked different from the buses they usually took. It was larger and cleaner.
On the bus, the supervisor explained that they were going to the Emirates Palace Hotel. The hotel had a shortage of cleaning staff and needed some extra hands. Everyone must work quickly and finish their tasks perfectly, the supervisor said. Important guests were arriving at the hotel that night and there was no time for mistakes.
Once at the hotel, the bus went through a back entrance to the service area. Only those sitting on the left side of the bus got a view of the hotel building. It seemed to be from a different planet than the schools and hospitals they usually worked in.
A European supervisor wearing the hotel colors was waiting for them as they got off the bus. His instructions were hurried and firm. It was a unique blend of politeness and condescension. He then walked away and started talking to another supervisor wearing a local kandura.
They were divided into groups, each assigned to a lower-ranking supervisor that they were to follow and obey for the rest of the day. But first, they had to change into the hotel uniforms, crisp and newly out of their plastic packaging.
Ten minutes later, they were spread out all over the hotel doing all sorts of cleaning tasks.
The supervisor opened the door and walked in the room. He snapped his fingers so that the three of them followed him inside. The supervisor told them to stand next to the couches (but not sit on them), while he checked the room. The room was actually not one room, but many rooms.
Two minutes later, he came back. This suite only needs to be vacuumed, he said, everything else is clean. You, do the vacuuming, he said. You two, follow me to the next room. Three walked out and closed the door. One remained, and a vacuum cleaner.
He had never been inside a living place this large. Each room was bigger than the biggest room of its kind he had ever seen. It was a vast expanse of expensive space. The furniture was still normal sized though, seeming like miniatures in relation to the wide space and high ceiling. It's because humans don’t grow larger as they get richer, he thought.
Everything was luxurious. All surfaces were detailed and patterned and painted. He didn’t know it, but he would have had to save his entire salary for two years in order to afford this suite for one night.
The carpet looked clean to him, but nevertheless, he plugged in the vacuum cleaner and started gliding its wide mouth back and forth. He sectioned the area in his mind into a neat geometric puzzle, taking into consideration the pattern of the carpet and the implied boundaries between spaces. He worked his way through the puzzle, one piece after another.
Just under an hour later, he was in the last bedroom at the far end of the long corridor. He looked around before plugging in the vacuum cleaner. A black suit was laid out on the bed.
He stared at the suit without thinking.
He wore the suit.
He looked in the mirror and fixed his tie.
He started walking towards the suite’s door. It took him a while to get there. The corridor was long and there was plenty of time in that walk to reconsider. He didn’t.
Outside, a butler was waiting. He recognized the butler from earlier. He was standing next to the European supervisor. The butler didn’t recognize him though. He probably didn’t make a habit of studying the featureless faces of the cleaners.
The butler bowed politely. Here are the golfing gloves you asked for, said the butler.
He grabbed the pair of gloves and looked at them. His initials were embroidered on their backs. Without a word, he stuffed them in his pocket and walked towards the elevators. The butler followed.
Before he reached the elevators, the butler had already hurried past him and pressed the arrow pointing down. The elevator doors opened immediately so that he didn’t have to slow his gait. He walked right in. The door closed as the butler pressed the ‘G’ button.
He left the elevator and walked confidently towards the center of the atrium. He stood under the huge dome. He owned the place. Where is the gold machine, he asked the butler. The butler pointed. He walked.
At the vending machine, he slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out a thick leather wallet. He selected the most amount of gold allowed by the machine. He swiped the black card and waited for his property. He took the gold pieces out of their black boxes. He handed the butler the empty boxes and dropped the seven pieces of gold in his pocket.
He walked back towards the atrium. At the door of the restaurant, he stopped and looked back at the butler who had followed him. He reached in his pocket, pulled out a piece of gold, and carelessly flicked it in the air towards the butler. Shocked, the butler grabbed the gold and stood speechless. You can go now, he said.
When they saw him at the door, they called their manager, who hurriedly came to greet him and seat him at their best table with the best view.
He ordered more food than seven hungry people could eat. His main criteria was the color. Any dish decorated with golden flakes he ordered. He tried each dish, satisfied with its taste and shine. When he became full, he ordered the check. He placed a few bills in the check pocket and waited for the change. After returning the change to his wallet, he placed a piece of gold in the check pocket. He walked out of the restaurant. Behind him was a chaotic excitement as the waiters realized what happened.
He did the same for this private golf instructor, camel ride guide, and yacht trip captain. At the end each session, he gave each of them a single piece of gold. They did their jobs well, and he had a good time. They had joked with him even when he didn’t laugh, and treated him with the utmost respect even after he replied with indifference. He never smiled. He only thought.
When he returned to the floor of his suite, he saw the supervisor standing outside his door. The supervisor was clearly panicking, afraid to ring the doorbell in case it bothered the suite’s occupant.
Seeing him approach, the supervisor awkwardly stepped away from the door and avoided eye contact. As he walked past the supervisor, he flicked a piece of gold towards him and entered the room. He closed the door without waiting for a reaction.
In the far bedroom at the end of the long corridor, he changed back into his uniform. He laid the suit on the bed the same way he found it. He picked up the vacuum cleaner and headed for the door.
Outside, the supervisor glared at him with rage. What have you been doing inside all this time, he angrily said, you better wish our guest does not report you. He followed the supervisor to the service area of the hotel. The rest of the cleaners were waiting in the bus. Before getting on, he felt a rough yank on his shoulder. Take off our uniform, the supervisor said, quickly.
The driver didn’t wait for him to take his seat before starting to drive them back to the labor camp. He looked out the window at the setting sun and thought about life. He made an important decision, but decided to wait until the next day to execute it.
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