Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 82767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
After the gauntlet, the dragon. Sean. I will never know where he lurked waiting for me, but it was rare that I would make it into the safety of my own office without him ambushing me and listing a string of my failures and weaknesses. This morning, he was already in my office sitting at my desk, playing with my stress ball. I resisted the urge to ask him what he was doing in my space, choosing instead to completely ignore him as I took off my jacket and checked my voicemail.
It wasn’t long before the barrage started.
“Marketing hasn’t got your figures. They needed them two days ago. The Design team didn’t see you yesterday at all. Do you understand how busy we are? How critical this time is? How careful we need to be?”
“Marketing will have the figures when they are ready. I’m actually waiting for an email back from you about a few things for the report. The Design team didn’t need to see me yesterday. And yes, I understand how this animated game is fundamental to the continuation of life on Earth. Are you fucking done?”
“Look,” he spat out as he got up to walk around the office, straightening pictures and moving piles of paper around on my credenza. “I know you’d rather be back in Ireland chasing farm animals and getting drunk, but some of us actually care about this company. Do not mess this up.”
“You’re right,” I agreed, looking up at him with my very best nonchalant smile. “I would much rather be back home living my own life, but here I am, stuck living yours. But whatever you might think, I have no intention of fucking anything up. If you have a problem with my actual work, then you can raise it with me in a meeting with the shareholders. Until then, kindly fuck off.”
I waited until he was out of sight and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. He was always a pain, but lately he was unbearable, watching my every move and sectioning off the company so that we were overseeing different departments. At least it meant I didn’t have to work directly with him. The numbers on my screen were a welcome escape, and I let myself become totally immersed in them. Numbers were safe, they were reliable. A two never turned into a six. The total column only changed when it had to.
Although this was not what I have envisioned for myself as a child or even a decade ago, I had a talent with numbers and spreadsheets and found that my work stood up to scrutiny.
The minutes ticked by, and the hours followed. I sipped my water and took pleasure in the jumble of spreadsheets merging into one unified work of art. A tap on the glass door made me jump, and I braced myself for more flak from Sean. Instead, it was Beverly, the janitor. I gave her a wave, and she came into the office. Lovely Beverly with her warm smile and wonderful dry humor. Beverly was my only ally in the Clover House world. She was in her sixties, but there was no faster worker. She couldn’t care less that I was supposedly her boss, and I’d lost count of the times I had been told off by her. I pretended to put up with it, but really I enjoyed being put in my place by her sharp Irish tongue. She reminded me of my late grandmother.
I like her so much that she came on Friday mornings to my condo and cleaned, even though I didn’t need a cleaning lady for myself and she didn’t really need the extra cash.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes, Beverly,” I smiled.
“I’m sure I am. Look at the state of this place,” she tutted, busying herself with the recycling bin and the surrounding pile of scrunched-up pages where I’d missed my target.
I looked around. I hadn’t seen the mess, I had been so absorbed in my work. I also hadn’t seen the time. It was almost a quarter to seven. I swore under my breath and snapped the laptop shut. I stood up, tore off my tie and untucked my shirt. The blind date was tonight!
“We’ll have none of that!” Beverly gasped with mock outrage, before continuing her work laughing softly to herself.
“I haven’t time to go home. Will I do? For a date?” I asked, tucking my shirt back in, undoing the top button, and trying to adopt a casual pose. She looked at me with one eyebrow raised.
“Well, young ones these days haven’t much in the way of standards, so I’d say you’d be grand,” she sniffed.
“That’s good enough for me,” I laughed, and swung my jacket over my shoulder.
As I made for the door, my phone vibrated in my pocket. It was Mick calling from Ireland to make sure I was on my way to the date he had arranged.