The monotony of housekeeping, the anonymity of an ugly uniform, and the solitude of the work allowed her to achieve two necessary goals. The first was to avoid too many personal interactions because her emotional capacity was spent long ago, and the second was to focus on getting her degree. Her class lectures streamed through her headphones, taking her away from the mundane work. That day, though, her mind wandered from her lecture on the Soviet Union and back to the task at hand. Time ran short as she finished cleaning what had been a filthy room. The bathroom’s toiletries needed to be replenished, and the room still required a final sweep. Even the nicest hotel rooms were subject to the occasional stray condom wrapper. Poking her head under the bed skirt, she said in triumph, “Ah ha!” As she snatched the black foil packet, she heard a male voice say, “I was told this room was clean.” She scowled at the annoyance in the man’s voice.
