Chapter 11

Summary

• The narrator hides a gun in her vacuum cleaner and a ring wrapped in tissue inside her brassiere.
• She cleans rooms quickly with a manual sweeper, meets Sunitha in the hallway, who warns her to be careful, implying the hotel has secrets.
• Sunitha's odd behavior and cryptic message puzzle the narrator, but she focuses on wrapping up her work to leave for lunch early.
• The elevator is repeatedly busy with guests, highlighting the unequal treatment of maids.
• She confronts Cheryl about her right to take a lunch break, asserting herself and referencing her high productivity score.
• The narrator evades Mr. Preston’s inquiry as she rushes out of the hotel for an undisclosed errand.
• She walks past a business presentation and reflects on her own missed opportunities for formal education, but appreciates hotel-provided professional development.
• The narrator recalls a previous staff development day where Mr. Snow, the hotel owner, emphasized the importance of every employee through a "hive mentality" analogy.
• At that event, despite her enthusiasm, her coworkers mocked her, signaling their lack of respect for her.
• After the meeting, Mr. Preston reassured her that the recent critiques from the owner were not directed at her and expressed his respect for her.
• She completes a transaction at a pawnshop, exchanging the ring for a wad of bills now hidden in her brassiere.
• The narrator struggles with guilt over her actions but reassures herself by remembering the pain Mr. Black caused, associated with the ring.
• Keeping track of time carefully, she plans to return to work before her break ends.
• The narrator observes her own reflection and the items in the pawnshop window, including the luxurious ring she just pawned.
• The shopkeeper expresses sympathy, misunderstanding the situation, but the narrator cryptically suggests that things are going better with her "man".