Nineteenth Century Woman Tailor

The faint "drip-drip" sound, rhythmic and steady, tapped against the copper pipes.

Every morning, Thomas Zanilon knew that this sound meant Mrs. Romde had arrived at the law firm.

She was currently using the sink in Mr. Lawson's office, washing his teacup and preparing his favorite Panamanian coffee with sugar.

Meanwhile, Thomas opened his eyes to the sight of a narrow little room, with a wire strung across it holding his spare clothes.

The thick walls and windows kept out the biting cold, but they were enough to wake anyone up.

He scrambled out of bed, scratched his head, threw on his coat, shoved his feet into his shoes, and hurried out of the storage room.

Thomas wasn’t the only one living in the basement of the law firm; he shared the space with two kitchen helpers. One of them, a middle-aged woman, was standing by the sink outside the storage room brushing her teeth.

Thomas opened his tin of tooth powder. The boar-bristle toothbrush felt a bit prickly after being dipped in the powder. He noticed the woman was using a white wool brush and thought to himself that he’d buy one with his next paycheck as a Christmas gift for his family.

In two days, his wages would be due.

The law firm had many partner lawyers who arrived early in the morning to handle paperwork. Mrs. Romde had instructed the kitchen staff to prepare enough tea for ten people, and Thomas was treated the same as them when it came to food.

Thomas was just a boy, so no one made coffee for him. Instead, he had hot milk with buttered toast, golden and crispy. Occasionally, the cook would slide him a fried egg from the pan, but always with a task attached:

"Thomas, mop the kitchen later, dry the floors, and wipe the dishes too."

But Thomas thought that perhaps it was because Mr. Lawson was a generous and kind man, despite being demanding, that everyone here was so nice.

Another newsboy he knew had become an apprentice at a carpenter’s shop and still slept by the stove, eating cold leftovers every day.

Thomas stuffed the egg into his mouth and nodded. "Sure."

By ten o’clock, the partner lawyers had finished their early morning work and began trickling downstairs. They sat in the small dining room, stretching their long legs, sipping strong coffee, and discussing plans to dine at a newly opened restaurant that evening.

Thomas, in the adjacent kitchen, eavesdropped as they talked about political elections, stock prices, and other such topics.

He calmly wiped the plates with a white cloth, then grabbed the mop and cleaned both the kitchen and the dining room.

Around noon, Thomas took a dry and a damp towel upstairs to clean the study where the lawyers kept their case files and books. Halfway through, he crouched in the hallway, pulling out a copy of Rousseau’s *Emile* and slowly flipping through its pages.

At twelve-fifteen, Mr. Lawson, having just met with a client, ascended the staircase. As he passed the study, he suddenly noticed Thomas crouched in the hallway like a little mouse.

Earlier that morning, Mr. Lawson had met with Mr. Janertz and his niece. The meeting had gone smoothly, but his mood was complicated.

Now, he knocked on the door disapprovingly, and there was a sudden rustling of pages. When he peeked in, Thomas was back to wiping the cabinets.

Satisfied, Mr. Lawson entered his office.

In the heavy cast-iron pan, the reheated fried dumplings were still crispy. Louise closed her eyes and chewed, her tongue burning so much that her face contorted.

"Hot... so hot!"

"Couldn’t you wait for it to cool? I’m not going to steal it from you..."

Eloise yawned, nearly pricking her finger with the needle. In front of her was a plate of food, but she was too busy sewing to eat.

Their aunt had just left to take Bella to school, leaving the two sisters alone in the house.

Louise shook her head, her expression serious. "I heard yesterday that Manager Pengoli and the higher-ups have decided to reduce the number of standard rooms after the New Year."

"They plan to phase out regular guests entirely by next year and focus on being a VIP-only hotel."

"Mrs. Morrison is planning to lay off some staff before Christmas to cut costs. Our department has the most people, so we’ll be the first to go."

"I don’t want to stay there forever, but I don’t want to be laid off just yet."

Louise chewed her food fiercely, then added, "Once I save enough money, I’ll enroll in night classes for shorthand and typing. I want to work in an office too. I want a better life."

She had always been someone who accepted her circumstances, but recently, things at home had changed. Eloise had started earning extra money, Thomas had gotten a new job, Bella had started school, and their mother was even talking about starting a business.

Louise felt swept up in it all, compelled by a sense of urgency to make some kind of change.

Eloise smiled but didn’t respond. The scissors in her hands clicked away as she worked. There was still a lot to do today, so she simply watched as Louise left the house.

The wooden breakfast tray soaked in a basin of warm water. Eloise carefully cleaned the table, then began unwrapping the paper package she had bought the day before. She spread the fabric out on the table, ready to cut the pieces.

In her designs, Eloise aimed to follow the trends of the time, adding ornate lace and embroidery. After all, many women loved wearing fashionable blouses that revealed a bit of their undergarments.

Balancing style and comfort wasn’t easy. By mid-morning, Eloise was sketching ideas on old newspapers when she heard a knock at the door.

"Are you busy? Terry told me you’ve been doing some sewing," the landlady said, peeking into the room. "Could you mend a dress for me?"

Eloise opened the door to see the landlady’s aged but lively face.

"Of course, I can do it," she replied quickly. "But I’m a bit busy these days. Can you wait?"

The landlady, wearing a pale green blouse, pulled two coins from her sleeve and handed them to Eloise. "I can wait, but I’d like to pay you."

Eloise hesitated but eventually accepted the money.

The landlady hesitated, then added, "There’s something else. Could you pass a message to your aunt?"

"What is it?"

The landlady sighed. "My husband has sold this house."

"Sold it?"

"Yes. He’s run into some financial trouble and needed money quickly, so he listed it with an agent."

"To my surprise, it sold almost immediately."

The landlady was a kind and devout woman. She hated the idea of evicting tenants during the cold winter months, especially so close to Christmas. It would damage her reputation among the neighbors.

But she had no say in the matter. Her husband and son had made the decision.

Eloise didn’t think much of it and asked, “Could you just tell me the latest date by which we need to move out?”

“The latest would be one week after Christmas,” the landlady said apologetically. After explaining, she went to knock on the next door.

The family living next door was in an even more pitiful situation than Eloise’s. Upon hearing the news, the woman next door sighed heavily for a long time.

Eloise could hear everything clearly through the thin wall.

She scratched her head, feeling a bit troubled. Although the small room was cramped and crowded, she had grown used to it, and for the sake of saving money, she could endure it.

But if she had to move, Eloise thought she might as well find a better place to live.