The Royal Treatment

by Miriam E. Waters

“… and clean up after Mrs. Johnson’s dog!” Miss Konigin shrilly concluded.

“My morning wouldn’t be complete without it,” the doorman muttered to himself once she was out of earshot.  Stewart adjusted the lapels on the front of his uniform as he stood guard before the exclusive apartment house.  “It must be great to be Queen!” he grumbled to the brisk morning air.

Her daily tirades were the bane of his existence.  He wasn’t her lone victim. He shared that honor with the rest of the staff at the Golden Apartments. There were the five of them maintaining the stellar reputation of the complex.  He safeguarded the entry.  The housekeeper kept the apartments spotless.  The super maintained the facilities. The handyman dealt with odd jobs and the concierge ensured that the tenants’ capricious demands were satisfied.  They had all worked together as a team for at least two decades, Stewart calculated. Miss Konigin, however, was not part of this cohesive team.  In her mind, she stood at a distance from and above the others. It was her duty as Manager of the apartments to see that no tenant was left unattended in any way.

Stewart accepted the daily newspaper from the newsboy as he did every morning. “Time to check the ticket.” he murmured to no one.  The team had been playing the same numbers in the daily lottery for what felt like forever to him.  “Today’s the day! It’s got to be!” he thought in desperation.  Stewart paged through the paper to the lottery’s results.   He gasped as he read and then reread the winning numbers. When he regained control of himself, he left his post in a rush.  He had to find the others.

He tracked them down one by one and shared the news.  They’d done it! Their ticket was possibly the sole winning ticket for the mega-million dollar prize. Clustered together in a tight little knot around the concierge’s station, they buzzed with excitement.

Miss Konigin strode up to the group and demanded “Why aren’t you working? If you value your jobs you’ll get back to your stations immediately!”

As a group, they turned to face their tormentor one last time.  The staff members reached for their keys.  As they filed past her astonished face, they placed the keys upon the concierge's station.  Stewart and the others couldn't suppress their smiles as they wondered how Miss Konigin would run the facility without her crown jewels.

December 11, 2014