by C. A. Smith
Chapter 12
Mike arrived at the office. It used to be a fairly relaxed place. So long as the work got completed there was rarely any problem. If people came in a little late they would make the time up. Everyone appreciated the flexibility and were all fairly self managed as far as time went. No one exploited the system as it worked well for them. They all thought that they got on well with their bosses too but it turned out they had a different agenda.
One afternoon they were called into a meeting and told the company was being taken over by a larger corporation. People weren’t thrilled although they understood it was just business, but from that day on things just deteriorated. On the one hand it was good to keep their jobs, but on the other it seemed the soul of the smaller company had disappeared. All the long unpaid hours everyone had put in were never rewarded. It had only served to win them the contracts that made them more desirable to the larger corporation and in turn had made their previous bosses a great deal of money. All of the bonuses that were unofficially promised never came to fruition, instead it turned out that the bosses had paid themselves large bonuses prior to the sale that also made them a very substantial profit. They didn’t even come to say goodbye.
If that wasn’t enough, Mike and his colleagues had only recently heard some moral destroying news about Jim, an engineer who would do anything for anyone. A few months before the takeover he’d suffered ill health and was admitted to hospital where he stayed for many weeks. This was a guy who’d given most of his personal time to the company working masses of unpaid hours and travelling at the drop of a hat to dig them out of trouble time after time, so everyone had assumed there would be a place for him when he’d fully recovered. During this time they were all informed that he’d left the company by ‘mutual agreement’. Of course they’d assumed he’d been looked after and had probably made the right decision until one of the team closest to him went to visit one evening. It transpired that he’d been almost forced to take a meagre payment equating to little more than the minimum statutory redundancy amount. The team were still raw and let down from these revelations but done their best to stay positive.
All things considered, Mike’s day went pretty averagely for a Monday. He dropped his bag and coat off at his desk then started up the computer. It seemed like an age waiting for the login screen to appear. Once he’d typed his password and logged onto the network he left his machine while it completed all of its usual time consuming procedures. He’d added a few of his common applications to the auto start too. It saved him from the more monotonous tasks, and, even though trivial, it all helped.
Now time to head off to the kitchen. This was a standard gathering point and used for much more than just preparing hot drinks and food, it allowed everyone to bond a little too. Mike said hello to his colleagues and everyone caught up on each other’s weekends. For a brief moment they all forgot it was Monday morning. He waited for a clearing near the kettle and made himself a cup of tea, white, no sugar. He preferred the skimmed milk as it had hardly any artery clogging fat in it, until they find out skimmed milk is also bad for you anyway.
The morning kitchen crowd dispersed along with Mike who was making his way back to his desk with his tea in hand. He sat down and placed his cup on the freebee CD left by one of their customers. He kept it logo side down since an awkward and slightly embarrassing moment last year when a customer visited and spotted their precious CD covered in tea stains with Mike’s cup sitting on top of it. The guy seemed to take it as a direct insult to his company!
By now his applications were all up and running. Mike started catching up on his emails and sighed as he noticed some of the outstanding work that he was so eager to forget about at 5:30 on Friday had clearly not gone away.
The office was now in full swing. Telephones rang and keyboards rattled. Mike had cleared all of Friday’s outstanding work and replied to his emails. He was partway through the creation of a new system and was struggling on the class design when his mind went blank. This sometimes happened when he got too deep into a problem. Experience told him all he needed was a break for a few minutes. It was normally enough to allow his mind the space it needed to see the bigger picture. This was the perfect time to stretch his legs and go for a coffee.
John, one of Mike’s colleagues walked into the kitchen. “Are you still on that weird milk Mike?”
Mike smiled and patted his one pack. “Ah, you don’t get an Adonis figure like this without watching what you eat.”
”Yea I know what you mean. I’ve been training for years to get this gut. My wife doesn’t appreciate the amount of training I have to put in down the pub.”
Another conversation was going on between two of his other colleagues from purchasing over the other side of the kitchen.
“Have you heard how old Jim’s doing lately?”
Trevor, the other purchaser nodded.
“Yea, I went round his place over the weekend. His health seems a lot better now. I think his wife’s making him take it easy.”
“Good job too, poor bloke. I wonder if he’ll work again?”
“I think so, he just needs to make sure he doesn’t push as much anymore.”
Mike listened with interest. It was something that had taught him to stick to a fair day’s work and keep a proper work life balance. It wasn’t only poor Jim’s misfortune, he’d once experienced it first hand himself but luckily recognized the invisible attacker before it went too far.
He left the others talking in the kitchen and took his coffee to his desk. Another hour had passed quickly as it did when he was busy. He was engrossed in a problem when he felt a friendly tap on his shoulder. It was Ted, one of the salesmen who Mike often met outside of work for a game of snooker.
“Bloody hell Mike. You were working on that last week,” he said referring to the current conundrum Mike was facing. Of course Ted had no idea what Mike was really looking at, but it’s his way of commencing the banter.
The people all seemed to get on and regularly engaged in conversation throughout the day. There was a fair amount of friendly sarcasm among the closer colleagues. Those that weren’t really comfortable with this type of niche humour weren’t pressured into participating, and sometimes looked on in amusement as Mike and the others engaged in this strange art.
“I‘d have sorted that by now mate. Still, you took twenty minutes trying to pot the red the other night.” Ted was referring to Mike’s lousy game of snooker he played on the previous Thursday evening when they met.
“Yea whatever,” said Mike laughing it off and playing for time until he constructed his counter attack, “it’s about time you got your finger out and sold some bloody systems. I write this world changing quality software and you just go out wining and dining pretty customers all day.”
Ted pointed jokingly at Mike’s monitor, “You see mate, that‘s what you’re doing wrong. If I could take time out of my busy schedule I’d sort this out for you in five minutes.”
They continued discussing their weekends for a few minutes and Ted broke off with:
“Anyway, I haven‘t got time to talk to you all day. I‘ve got sales to make. Someone’s got to pay your wages.”
They both laughed as there had always been this argument between the sales and development about who was more important, but really one without the other was useless for a business and it was this awareness of equality that allowed them so much scope for sarcasm.
“Have a good day mate”, Mike said.
“Yea see you later Mike”, replied Ted as he headed off to his first meeting of the day.
Mike, still smiling from Ted’s injection of wit got back into his work. He still enjoyed writing code, much to the bemusement of his colleagues and friends outside of this area and preferred to just get on with it. Lately, like many others, he’d been finding it harder and harder to get into his work due the low morale but tried to remain posit
ive and push forward. He was only too aware how people could talk themselves into a worse situation than really existed purely by moaning about it, and as much as he moans to his wife about the normal taxes and state of the world, he tries not to engage in it at work.
Chapter 13
Sarah stepped out of the taxi at Heathrow’s Terminal 3. The weather wasn’t the best to welcome someone from Spain, but her excitement soon made her forget that. She handed the driver the fare and let him keep the change. It wasn’t much, but he was a pleasant man and she was in a good mood today.
She checked her watch, ‘10:45’. “She’ll be landing soon.” Sarah had arrived in good time and felt a sense of calm. Heathrow always seemed busy no matter what time of day or night.
She walked through the doors and into the charged atmosphere and buzz of so many people, some excited, others stressed. Parents queuing with their excited children, business men and women carrying their telltale laptop cases. Sarah looked at a young couple holding hands and imagined them waiting to fly off to some romantic destination in the sun. Just being in this place gave her a buzz, especially after coming in from such a dreary day outside. Somehow the atmosphere seemed to rub off on any visitors.
She walked past the queues of outward-bound travelers and the children riding on trolleys like a scene from Ben Hur, then toward a more open space full of people sitting on shiny aluminum chairs in the al fresco style dining areas. The smell of fresh coffee bathed the nostrils of every passer by and the array of pastries displayed inside a glass cabinet proved too much of a pull to the many holidaymakers who wandered past. Even though Sarah had eaten her breakfast only a short while ago, the fantastic aromas were already causing her to plan what cake she would have with Maria in a few minutes.
The time passed quickly, and halfway through the inspection of a fantastic silk dress, Sarah realized she had to leave now if she was to get to arrivals in time. As she made her way over to wait for Maria she could already see the crowds coming out. She had only just reached the area when she spotted a smiling young Spanish lady looking directly at her. Sarah couldn’t believe how Maria had changed since they last met. In front of her stood a beautiful young woman.
Chapter 14
Lunchtime arrived and Mike decided to take a walk down to the bakers for some food. He put on his coat and looked over to his colleague on his right.
“See you in a while Dave.”
Dave was currently sitting next to him running some tests on the spare PC.
“Yea, Ok Mike. See you in a bit mate.”
As he walked to the bakers he passed the tree that was earlier surrounded by the weird crow and dove gathering. Glancing over, he noticed a couple of crows and an assortment of starlings and sparrows, which prompted his memory of the sight earlier this morning. Mike shrugged it off as just unusual and continued on his way to the bakers.
His thoughts were then changed by a car’s wheels screeching as it pulled out of a junction with the stereo blasting.
“Tosser!” Mike mumbled to himself starting another chain of thought. The event caused him to drift off wondering if ego were essential to life or a just a defect? Is it something we need in order to attract a partner. The human equivalent of a male peacock fluffing up his feathers to attract a mate? Maybe it’s just a defect in humans? He thought about one of the so-called ‘deadly sins’, vanity. If it were a sin, then this would suggest it is a fault, but, he wondered, why can we so often see this display of vanity/ego throughout the animal kingdom? Isn’t it just a way of proving you’re a good catch to members of the opposite sex? Maybe the basic feather fluffing is natural. It could be only when the ego is allowed to go beyond this natural stage that it becomes bad. He wondered if it could become an unnatural addiction? It would explain why so many now crave cars that only mountain rangers would really have need for or the latest phone that does more than most know what to do with. Are we becoming a world of souls clinging onto material possessions to allow us to feel good about ourselves and prove our worth in this material world.
Maybe the social decay of the developed world has reached such a low that decent, hard working people are no longer respected and are now seen as belonging to a lower social set if they don‘t show off. Even if you don’t want to associate with such shallow people, you may no longer have a choice but to play their silly, yet damaging games because these people have somehow attained prominent positions in life. How? Maybe their priorities in life are only about power. Those who crave it are normally the ones least deserving of it.
Yet again, another walk had passed without him realizing, masked by his ever-increasing intense thoughts. He pushed apart the hanging multi coloured trailing streamers that formed the fly screen on the outside edge of the baker’s door and walked into the shop. He kept looking at the people in the queue wondering what stories they had to tell and if they had found a way to balance their lives.
Mike consumed most of his cheese and onion pasty on his walk back to the office via the old duck pond. He often crossed the road and walked past the pond on his return journey, it was a change of scenery. Just glancing over at it and watching the calm water being broken by the angular shape trails of the ducks as they paddled over in anticipation of food relieved a little stress.
A voice called out from behind him, “Hey Mike! Hold on!”
Mike turned around and noticed a familiar face. “Hi Dave. You decided to take a break then?”
“Yea, I had to, I couldn’t concentrate any more. You feel guilty just stopping for your lunch these days. Dja know,” the talk of lunch jogged Dave’s memory, “I had an email from my daughter’s school the other day moaning about homework. They’re saying if it isn’t in on time then they’ll face a detention during their lunch break.”
“Your daughter! She’s only about nine isn’t she!”
“Tell me about it. Unbelievable. Even the schools are pushing them at such an early age. I mean, I don’t mind the odd bit of homework but it’s getting ridiculous. It’s as though they aren’t allowed to relax and play anymore. Even the lunch hour is used for extra study!”
“It’s no wonder we’re all getting stress related problems. I’m sure all parents want what’s best for their children, but the pressure put on them nowadays is sometimes robbing them of a childhood.”
“We’re both knackered at night and then we have to push a tired child into doing homework. Sometimes it ends in an argument because she’s too tired to do it and then she just gets stressed because she’s frightened her teacher will tell her off in the morning. I mean, come on give the kids and families a break.”
“I tell ya Dave, I wonder if this modern life is getting too much for everyone. I’d love to find a way out of it all. I’ve been talking to Sue about clearing off to France. Trouble is even if you learn the language, you’ve still got to earn a living.”
“Mate, we’ve talked about it too, less of a mortgage, less stress and a simpler life. The trouble is over here you have to pay a fortune for a house if you want to live in a decent area. It’s not about snobbery, it’s about safety and better schools. If we could live in a basic house over here then I would, but with a cheaper property in this country comes a dodgy area. I don’t want my family growing up in a place where I’m frightened to leave them in the morning when I go to work.”
“That’s the problem. Most people have to work their balls off just to keep their family in a half decent area. That’s why France is so appealing. I was looking on the net and you can get some cheap properties in decent areas. From what I read, the schools seem to be decent in most places over there.”
“Yea, but I bet the crime is the same in the cities. I’d imagine it’s the same most places you go.”
“Oh well, once again into the breech.” Dave held the office door open for Mike.
“Cheers Dave. Are you still testing the Denand software?”
“No, it’s al
l done now. That’s why I was a bit late for lunch.”
Monday felt as though it would never end and by the time five thirty arrived Mike was ready to go. A few of his other colleagues felt the same and were showing signs of packing in for the night. This wasn’t how he really liked working as he still had some work he wanted to finish, but the way things were going in the company nowadays made him force himself to leave it until tomorrow. Many a night he had stayed late without any acknowledgement, then, a week later when he needed to leave half an hour early he would see a comment in the company calendar noting it. They even had the cheek to ask him to make the odd hour up for a doctor’s appointment after he had just put in a 50-hour week!
The drive home was uneventful. It was one of those mundane drives where he wondered if he had paid any attention after arriving home. Of course he was fully aware at the time, but it was something so mundane it wasn’t worth his brain wasting space for the memory.
Chapter 15
Emma hurried through the front door in anticipation.
“Hello! Anybody home?”
“We’re in here!”
She walked into the kitchen to see Sarah smiling while holding Maria’s hand almost presenting her.
“Emma, this is Maria. Maria, this is Emma.”
The wine was on the table and the conversations were already in full swing before Emma could even remove her coat. Maria had been thrown into the deep end of the English language and struggled to stay afloat. It wasn’t until she tried to answer that Emma realized how much she needed to slow down.
“Maria, I’m so sorry. We’re so pleased to see you we forgot you could only speak a little of our language.”
Maria just laughed and took it in her stride. Her mother told her she would experience the full language and she certainly agreed with the comment now.
Chapter 16
Mike got out of his car, double locked it and meandered into his house leaving the dark evening behind him. “Hellooo!”
