Of living in gated communities II: Elastic Queen Charlotte

I first met Charlotte at a coffee morning at Annabella's house. Annabella has kindly invited us over to her villa and was going to show us how to make gnocchi. This was a good way for the residents to meet each other, and hopefully make new friends and suss out the neighbours. There Charlotte was sitting prettily at the breakfast table. Sensing that she was new, I thought, why not introduce myself.

And then it was her turn to introduce herself. Within the next 15 minutes, it appeared that she was telling me her life history.

"You know I met the Portugese Ambassador here. He is not the uppity upperclass type. I think he is more middle class rather than upperclass. You know in Portugal there are people who are in the upper class and the middle class and the lower class. I am in the middle class but I am very elastic. I can interact with both the upperclass and the middle class very well."

OK. I get it. She is a very class conscious person. Was it necessary to tell me this on the very first day I met her?

She then proceeded to tell me what she worked as before she came. And how she met her husband an English man. How they got married. And how he came to fetch her. Yada yada she was only interested in her own voice. Not at any time did she ask me anything about me at all.

I was glad when Annabella starting showing us how to make the gnocchi dough. I noticed she didn't come anywhere near the stove but sat just right there at the breakfast table.

Of course, being in a gated community with nothing much else to do, one of the favourite past time here is talk.

"Have you met Charlotte? She is new?" I asked Josephine.

"Ahhh I have been warned about her. Dina was invited to her apartment and she practically forced Dina to see her wedding album. Not only that, she had to explain who every person was in the album and she did that for every page. Dina had a humongous headache afterwards. Dina practically avoids her now."

I smiled. I guess I wasn't the only one who thought that she was a bit full of herself then.

Charlotte is determined that even though we are stuck in a country where there isn't many oppurtunities to work, she would find something for herself. Admirably she did find a job and was looking for an assistant to help her. You can't be bossy if you work all by yourself or you are at the lowest chain of the ladder right?

So Marcie went to see her to ask about the job.

"Did you know how she introduced herself to me?" said Marcie as she recounted the encounter.

"She said, 'Hello, I am Charlotte. I am the best dressed person in the compound." Marcie told us with a smile.

And we roared into laughter. She practially took on the title by herself! The best dressed person in the compound indeed! Whatever next!

And Charlotte does not mince her words when she slags at other women. Apparently she has gone round to accusing Ella of wanting to take her husband away from her.

I don't know if Ella is really prowling for a man, but she's a very nice bubbly and sociable person. I quite like her. I'll take the company anyday over Elastic Queen Charlotte.

But I really have to take my hats off to Charlotte. To hold one's ground and crown oneself as the best dressed person is something else.

Could this be another character for Desperate Housewives?