His face went pale as snow. The clients and his coworkers glanced between us, puzzled. One of his colleagues, who’d seen me at company gatherings, spoke up.
“Hold on, this is your wife? What’s she doing here?”
Nora, what’s going on?”
I stood straight, cool as a cucumber, despite the uniform. “Oh, I just followed my husband’s awesome advice! He said my old job was too pricey with childcare and new clothes, so being a cleaner made more sense.
No need for a dress code. Honestly, it’s been a real eye-opener.”
The room went dead silent. Every eye turned to Vance, whose face was now red as a tomato.
His boss, Mr. Harlow, raised an eyebrow. “Your husband told you to be a cleaner instead of picking up your career?”
I shrugged with a sweet smile.
“Well, he said my old job cost too much because I needed new clothes after having our baby. He figured this was a better fit for me.”
Mr. Harlow’s expression hardened as he looked at Vance.
“Sure thing,” I said cheerfully.
“I wouldn’t want to mess up your big meeting. I’ll finish up here and head out. You guys have a great night.”
As I pushed my cart toward the door, I heard Mr.
Harlow say, “Let’s take a fifteen-minute break, shall we?”
I knew Vance was in for a tough chat. But I wasn’t finished yet. This was just the beginning.
Over the next few weeks, I was the best cleaner they’d ever seen. I always saved Vance’s office for last, timing it so his coworkers were still around wrapping up their day. I flashed a warm smile whenever someone asked why I was there, and I made a point of thanking Vance loudly for his “brilliant career tip” whenever we passed each other.
One evening, Vance tried to bring it up at home. “This has gone on long enough,” he said. “You’ve made your point.
“Embarrassing for who?” I asked, staying calm. “I’m doing what you suggested. I thought you’d be proud of me for being so practical.”
“You know I didn’t mean it like that,” he said.
“It was just a dumb comment. I was stressed about money.”
“Funny how your ‘dumb comments’ always make me feel worthless,” I said with a chuckle. “And funnier how my stress about getting back to work didn’t matter, but your stress about money was enough to toss my career aside.”
What Vance didn’t know was that I was having real conversations while cleaning offices.
With people who saw me as more than just “the cleaner” or “the mom.”
One night, Carol from HR stopped me after spotting me reading a report left on a desk. When she heard about my experience in corporate communications and why I was cleaning, she was floored. “We’ve got an opening in the marketing department,” she said.
“Good pay, and the hours work with your childcare. Want to give it a shot?”
I was all in. I was ready.
The final piece of my plan fell into place at the next company party, where spouses were invited. Vance begged me to skip it, saying we should “keep work and home separate,” but I wasn’t having it. I arrived a bit late, rocking a sleek new navy dress I’d bought with my first advance from my new marketing job that would start the following Monday.
It paid way more than Vance’s job. The look on his face when I walked in was worth every second of pushing that cleaning cart. He stared, jaw dropped, as Carol from HR handed me a glass of champagne.Continue reading…
