The sun was just begiinning to paint a thin crimson line along the edge of the Northern Irish hills as it began to rise across the narrow channel that separated Inis Fraoih Island from the Western Edge of the Emerald Isle. The island west of the channel was a near forgotton place frozen in time so much that were it not for the fact that it fell below the flight path of International Flights from the America's that could be seen if not heard from the ground, one would scrsely know it was 21st century and not the early 20th. Roads there were scarsely wide enough for two cars to pass and anything but level, lined with wildflowers, and quiet enough to hear a butterfly's wings . Houses were few and simple with a charm that the world had all but completely abandoned. This had been the world in which Eloine had been born to a Catholic miner. and a Protestant bar maid, out of wedlock so that even among the poorest of the poor she was looked down upon.
Eloine could scarsely afford pride or being choosy about how she would spend her life and it was when the Galway linen company opened a new plant in Donnagel and began to hire girls to wash and fold new linens forshipment to the UK, she was among the the first to apply, being very greatful for steady work and a small but reliable wage in such a remote location. It was at the mill that she would have her first introduction to technogy, and her world began to bloom. One day as she prepared to ride her bicycle the ten miles home, a cruise ship first entered Donnagel Harbor, and she paused at the top of a hill to watch in awe as it gracefully pulled up to the dock. She had never seen a ship so beautiful . Overcome with fascination,and curiosity, she turned and headed down the road to the warf. Reaching the bow ofthe great ship, she pedaled along its entire length, noting it was over 130 meters long . As she pedalled back, the the Bosen was setting up a table and and a sign . As it happened, they were hiring Cabin stewardesses and hoping to attract willing young girls with skills at makingbeds, doing laundry, and folding crisp linens with precision, that also posessed inate beauty that might turn a wealthy man's head. In that moment fate had set her humble life heading in a whole new direction. Though she required help in filling out the application, her willowy looks, and the skill she demontrated in foldind linens, when tested, won her an offer at nearly twice her current wage .
Her bicycle felt weightless as she pedalled back up the hill toward home, eager to tell her mother. Even though it meant she would be gone weeks at a time, her mother had often told her it was high time she was on her own. Her mother had thought it would be marriage rather than employment that would pull her from the home but was still eager for Eloine's leaving . Her mother worried that her father's attention to his daughter's blossoming figure was noticably increasing and might soon result in unwanted attention, and so she was glad to see her daughter out of the house. Eloine had agreed to report work the nextafternoon, and had been issued four uniforms , three informal work outfits in black, white and powder blue, and one set of dress whites with black shorts. She was informed that no one wore shoes aboard ship. The chief stewardess, had measured her carefully before issuing her uniforms, and whispered in her ear that the work outfits looked best without bra and panties, and suggested that she go without them because tips were a significant portion of their pay and that making a good impression on the guests improved them. Eloine was shocked by the comment, but exercised discretion, and kept her thoughts to herself.
Later that evening, Eloine tried on the uniforms, and looking in the mirror, was imediately impressed at how thin , stretchy, and translucent they were, particularly the white and powder blue ones. She now fully understood the Chief Stewardess' comment and realised that being fully shaven would be an absolute necessity. Before bed she took a bath and saw to it that her body was hairless. Though she went to bed late she only slept fitfully and woke early the next day and packed a small bag, before dressing in the powder blue uniform and kissing her mother goodbye. She felt almost naked as she rode the bike to the warf, but encountered no one until she arived at the ship and was greeted agin by the chief stewardess, who looked her up and down and nodded her approval before escorting Eloine to the ship's laundy and a mountain of uniforms and dirty linens. She handed Eloine a radio, and showed her how to use it . Nodding to the laundy she said "I believe, you know what to do here, keep your radio on at all times. Do a good job, and we will get along just fine. You will get your cabin assignment at the crew meeting in a couple of hours."
Eloine took a few minutes to familiarize herself with the compact laundryroom, and started sorting laundry.