She was just about finished when Adejo came out from the bathroom to collect the towels. She looked around the bedroom and gave a nod of approval. Emma sighed with relief at the thought that she had done a good job.
While Adejo was putting the towels in the bathroom, Emma collected the linen, ready to make the bed. When Adejo came back, Emma had spread the bottom sheet across the bed. Adejo took one side of the bed while Emma took the other and together it was an easier job. When it was done, Adejo looked at the bed, and then at Emma, and nodded in satisfaction.
‘That was easier with two of us. Now you hoover in here and lock the door afterwards. I’ll make a start on six-one-eight. Meet me in there.’
When Emma had finished, she took out her phone and noted down the time it had taken for the two of them to complete the room. Then she made her way to the next room.
Adejo had just finished stripping the bed when Emma joined her.
‘Do you want me to do the bathroom this time?’ she asked.
Adejo frowned again. ‘I like to do it a certain way.’
‘Okay, well, shall we do it together? You can show me how you do it and I can do it the same way as you?’
Adejo nodded and Emma made sure she mirrored everything Adejo did. When the room was complete, she got out her phone and noted the time it had taken them.
‘You got somewhere else to go?’ Adejo asked.
‘No,’ Emma said. ‘I was just checking how long it takes to do each room.’
‘Are you timing me?’
‘Not you, no.’ The frown had reappeared on Adejo’s face and Emma realised that she needed to tread carefully. ‘I was just wondering how much quicker it is with two people working on each room together.’
‘What? So you can report it back to management?’
‘It’s just an idea I had—’ Emma was about to explain when Adejo interrupted her.
‘I do a good job here and I don’t like being spied on.’
‘I’m not spying on you, I just...’ But Adejo had stomped off to the next room.
They cleaned the next two rooms in a strained silence. Emma was wondering how she could explain when Adejo abruptly spoke.
‘Tea break. Let’s go.’
Emma followed Adejo to the staffroom. When they both had drinks and had sat down at a table in the far corner of the room,Adejo turned to her. ‘I have a saying — “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”’
Emma nodded. ‘I’m not saying anything is broken.’ She sighed. ‘You think I’m a newbie, straight out of college, wanting to change things I don’t know anything about.’
Adejo nodded. ‘Something like that. I’ve been doing this job for ten years and I think by now I should know what I’m doing.’
‘You do, and you do your job really well. I don’t think Mrs Henderson would’ve asked me to work with you if she didn’t value you.’
‘Thank you,’ Adejo said. ‘So why the criticism?’
‘I’m not criticising you. You’re right. I am a newbie and when I was stripping that first bed I wondered how on earth anyone could manage that on their own, room after room. It must kill your back.’
‘Yes, it does. Sometimes it aches so badly the first thing I have to do when I go home is to put a hot water bottle on it. And lots of people call in sick with back problems.’
‘And you said yourself that it was much easier with two.’
‘I did and it was.’
Thinking she was making some headway, Emma rushed on. ‘So I thought that if it was easier working in pairs, and I could prove it saved time as well, then I could do something that would make life easier for you all.’
Adejo nodded. ‘You’re right about the beds, but that’s not the whole picture.’
