the oddest looking and rather phallic hand-held food blender which sent us into hysterics. ‘Why has someone bought a food blender to work?’ Ayesha asked, genuinely puzzled. ‘It looks like a vibrator?’ she giggled. ‘Do you think it’s Juliet’s or Doris’s?’
‘Juliet’s probably.’ I snorted. The champagne had gone to my head and I’d had no lunch. ‘She must have lost it, that’s why she’s such a bitch. She’s sexually frustrated.’ We were literally rolling on the floor laughing now. For a minute. Until we realised Juliet was standing at the kitchen door, with her arms folded watching us. That’s when things started to go horribly wrong.
‘A word, Fiona.’
Juliet asked us to wait in her office while she fetched herself a drink. ‘So it’s okay for her to get a drink when it’s not break time. What a cow,’ said Ayesha, arms folded back in the chair. She seemed so relaxed, whereas my hands were trembling and I felt like I was going to be sick.
‘Oh God. Do you think she’s going to sack us?’
‘I’m not bothered if she does, I already have another job. Only come here for something to do.’
I sat up and looked at her ‘Really?’
‘Yeah, I do drinks promotions every night, get more in a night sometimes than I do here in a week – and on Fridays, Sugar Town pays me to dance by the DJ box, so seeing as I go there anyway and do that, thought I might as well get paid.’
‘So what do you do with all your money, Ayesha?’
‘Spend it,’ Ayesha said and shrugged.
‘Are you not worried about the future?’ I asked her.
Ayesha shook her head. I couldn’t understand how she was so blasé about it all. Why didn’t she have a five year plan?
The door opened and I looked down again. My stomach turned as Juliet began reading us the riot act – the business speak version.
‘Ladies, you both need to consider how committed you are to working here and consider your futures in the organisation. You need to seriously consider your motivation for staying here.’
Ayesha thought for a moment and then said ‘Yeah, well, I’m not really that committed, so I’m going to leave.’
She turned to me and said ‘Text you later, babes, yeah?’
‘Where are you going?’ demanded Juliet. ‘I haven’t finished with you. You can’t walk out.’ I had never, ever seen her so cross. She was purple and looked like she was going to explode.
‘Er, yeah I can, watch me,’ said Ayesha and left.
‘And
you
, Fiona. I wanted to appoint you to Doris’s role, but I can’t possibly do that now, it seems you are too… irresponsible.’
If I didn’t have Doris’s job, there was no way I could save the extra money needed to live in the Millennium Apartments, and my thoughts were racing as I tried to look for solutions. It seemed that just as I had got my plan back on track, here was Juliet trying to take it away from me. I had worked here for so many years, barely having a whole weekend off. All these years of my life I had given to this boring job and I hadn’t been given one opportunity. I was frustrated with myself and wished I had the courage to leave like Ayesha – but most of all, I was furious with Juliet who was pulling my future away from underneath me. I attempted an apology.
‘Sorry.’ I muttered. ‘We were joking. We didn’t really mean…’
But Juliet waved her hand in front of me to stop me.
‘Please, Juliet.’ I said. I was humiliating myself now, like one of those X Factor contestants who you know has no chance but they just can’t let it go. But I couldn’t watch my plan fall to pieces, I had to try.
‘Forget it Fiona. It’s clear you are not management material.’
I felt hot tears well up in my eyes and roll down my face.
Juliet took another drink from her mug. And that’s when I saw it wasn’t her mug. It was my mug. I suddenly felt so much anger welling up inside me that it felt like pressure was building up in my head. This mug was the one thing I had
‘Juliet’s probably.’ I snorted. The champagne had gone to my head and I’d had no lunch. ‘She must have lost it, that’s why she’s such a bitch. She’s sexually frustrated.’ We were literally rolling on the floor laughing now. For a minute. Until we realised Juliet was standing at the kitchen door, with her arms folded watching us. That’s when things started to go horribly wrong.
‘A word, Fiona.’
Juliet asked us to wait in her office while she fetched herself a drink. ‘So it’s okay for her to get a drink when it’s not break time. What a cow,’ said Ayesha, arms folded back in the chair. She seemed so relaxed, whereas my hands were trembling and I felt like I was going to be sick.
‘Oh God. Do you think she’s going to sack us?’
‘I’m not bothered if she does, I already have another job. Only come here for something to do.’
I sat up and looked at her ‘Really?’
‘Yeah, I do drinks promotions every night, get more in a night sometimes than I do here in a week – and on Fridays, Sugar Town pays me to dance by the DJ box, so seeing as I go there anyway and do that, thought I might as well get paid.’
‘So what do you do with all your money, Ayesha?’
‘Spend it,’ Ayesha said and shrugged.
‘Are you not worried about the future?’ I asked her.
Ayesha shook her head. I couldn’t understand how she was so blasé about it all. Why didn’t she have a five year plan?
The door opened and I looked down again. My stomach turned as Juliet began reading us the riot act – the business speak version.
‘Ladies, you both need to consider how committed you are to working here and consider your futures in the organisation. You need to seriously consider your motivation for staying here.’
Ayesha thought for a moment and then said ‘Yeah, well, I’m not really that committed, so I’m going to leave.’
She turned to me and said ‘Text you later, babes, yeah?’
‘Where are you going?’ demanded Juliet. ‘I haven’t finished with you. You can’t walk out.’ I had never, ever seen her so cross. She was purple and looked like she was going to explode.
‘Er, yeah I can, watch me,’ said Ayesha and left.
‘And
you
, Fiona. I wanted to appoint you to Doris’s role, but I can’t possibly do that now, it seems you are too… irresponsible.’
If I didn’t have Doris’s job, there was no way I could save the extra money needed to live in the Millennium Apartments, and my thoughts were racing as I tried to look for solutions. It seemed that just as I had got my plan back on track, here was Juliet trying to take it away from me. I had worked here for so many years, barely having a whole weekend off. All these years of my life I had given to this boring job and I hadn’t been given one opportunity. I was frustrated with myself and wished I had the courage to leave like Ayesha – but most of all, I was furious with Juliet who was pulling my future away from underneath me. I attempted an apology.
‘Sorry.’ I muttered. ‘We were joking. We didn’t really mean…’
But Juliet waved her hand in front of me to stop me.
‘Please, Juliet.’ I said. I was humiliating myself now, like one of those X Factor contestants who you know has no chance but they just can’t let it go. But I couldn’t watch my plan fall to pieces, I had to try.
‘Forget it Fiona. It’s clear you are not management material.’
I felt hot tears well up in my eyes and roll down my face.
Juliet took another drink from her mug. And that’s when I saw it wasn’t her mug. It was my mug. I suddenly felt so much anger welling up inside me that it felt like pressure was building up in my head. This mug was the one thing I had
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