receiver.
"Can you put it through to my office? Okay, thank you." Helen replaced the receiver and an immediate ringing sounded from another room nearby. "I've got to get this. She's been trying to call me all day. She probably wanted me to be at the other site for the rest of the week. Start without me." Helen winced as she passed Michael.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Just my knee again. Bite your tongue and let me know how it goes," she whispered, as she left the room.
It was only four minutes into the staff meeting and Catherine had formed the reddest, angriest expression upon her face. Her jaw was jutting forth so much Michael was becoming transfixed by it.
"I don't really feel it's necessary for you to be here at these meetings, Patricia. It's like you're a spy for senior management. No. I dislike it. I should be the only one making telephone calls to the parents and children and foster parents and social workers," Catherine said, abruptly.
Michael instantly defended Patricia. "I can understand what you're saying, Catherine. You are the Manager and do need to know, however, to be fair to Pat, she is the first face the children and parents see and the first voice they hear, and, oddly enough, Patricia has liaison in her title."
"Oh, so we're throwing titles out now are we? Well, as your Line Manager, Michael..."
"But you're not my Line Manager, Catherine. You're the Manager of this Department, not my Line Manager," Michael blurted.
That infuriated Catherine further. Her face reddened and it spread down her neck as she bellowed out, "I AM YOUR LINE MANAGER!"
Everybody jolted.
Patricia edged away. Any further and she would be part of the wall.
She exchanged a look with Paul.
Michael raised his eyebrows and smiled, with shock. "Catherine, you're not my Line Manager. Don't worry about it. We're straying away from the initial subject."
"I am your Line Manager. Who do you think controls you?" Catherine asked.
"Nobody controls me. How do you mean, Catherine?" Michael frowned.
Riverdale searched the eyes of Patricia and Paul who each sat awkwardly, waiting anxiously for the conversation or even the day to be over. "I control you. I control you."
"No, you don't. Quit the power trip, Catherine, and let's move on."
"Who do you go to if you have a problem in work? Me. You go to me, Michael."
"Er, no, because most of the problems I have at work are you, Catherine, so I am hardly going to discuss my concerns with you and vent because you're not a neutral party. To lay down a fact, I'm managed by Helen. She's my boss. She took me on and we set it up together. Patricia then came on board, followed by Paul. You were next, and, being on a temporary eleven-month contract, you are not my Line Manager. Whoever your successor is, once the contract ends, you or someone else, they won't be my Line Manager either."
It was an arrogant move and he knew damn well Catherine could be his line manager with the click of a finger if the bosses said so. He had never warmed to her and the feeling was mutual.
Catherine stared at Michael. "I think you have an issue with authority," she said.
"Absolutely not," Michael said, calmly.
"Then maybe it's a female thing," Catherine nodded her head.
"Because I have an issue with Patricia or Helen or any other female colleague?" he said, sarcastically.
"Like our client group, I think this briefing has gone wayward," Paul chirped. He got to his feet and made for the door. He raised his hand, attempting a wave. "See you tomorrow," he said, leaving the room.
"See you, mate," Michael stood up and headed to his room.
"See you tomorrow, Mikey," Patricia called out.
"Safe journey home, Pats," Michael replied.
Catherine sipped her cup of tea and tilted her head. She gazed around the empty room.
Michael entered Patricia's office in a lower part of the school.
She smiled at him as he sat on a spare chair next to her desk, exhaling a weary sigh.
"That woman drives me nuts," he said.
"Oh Michael,
"Can you put it through to my office? Okay, thank you." Helen replaced the receiver and an immediate ringing sounded from another room nearby. "I've got to get this. She's been trying to call me all day. She probably wanted me to be at the other site for the rest of the week. Start without me." Helen winced as she passed Michael.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Just my knee again. Bite your tongue and let me know how it goes," she whispered, as she left the room.
It was only four minutes into the staff meeting and Catherine had formed the reddest, angriest expression upon her face. Her jaw was jutting forth so much Michael was becoming transfixed by it.
"I don't really feel it's necessary for you to be here at these meetings, Patricia. It's like you're a spy for senior management. No. I dislike it. I should be the only one making telephone calls to the parents and children and foster parents and social workers," Catherine said, abruptly.
Michael instantly defended Patricia. "I can understand what you're saying, Catherine. You are the Manager and do need to know, however, to be fair to Pat, she is the first face the children and parents see and the first voice they hear, and, oddly enough, Patricia has liaison in her title."
"Oh, so we're throwing titles out now are we? Well, as your Line Manager, Michael..."
"But you're not my Line Manager, Catherine. You're the Manager of this Department, not my Line Manager," Michael blurted.
That infuriated Catherine further. Her face reddened and it spread down her neck as she bellowed out, "I AM YOUR LINE MANAGER!"
Everybody jolted.
Patricia edged away. Any further and she would be part of the wall.
She exchanged a look with Paul.
Michael raised his eyebrows and smiled, with shock. "Catherine, you're not my Line Manager. Don't worry about it. We're straying away from the initial subject."
"I am your Line Manager. Who do you think controls you?" Catherine asked.
"Nobody controls me. How do you mean, Catherine?" Michael frowned.
Riverdale searched the eyes of Patricia and Paul who each sat awkwardly, waiting anxiously for the conversation or even the day to be over. "I control you. I control you."
"No, you don't. Quit the power trip, Catherine, and let's move on."
"Who do you go to if you have a problem in work? Me. You go to me, Michael."
"Er, no, because most of the problems I have at work are you, Catherine, so I am hardly going to discuss my concerns with you and vent because you're not a neutral party. To lay down a fact, I'm managed by Helen. She's my boss. She took me on and we set it up together. Patricia then came on board, followed by Paul. You were next, and, being on a temporary eleven-month contract, you are not my Line Manager. Whoever your successor is, once the contract ends, you or someone else, they won't be my Line Manager either."
It was an arrogant move and he knew damn well Catherine could be his line manager with the click of a finger if the bosses said so. He had never warmed to her and the feeling was mutual.
Catherine stared at Michael. "I think you have an issue with authority," she said.
"Absolutely not," Michael said, calmly.
"Then maybe it's a female thing," Catherine nodded her head.
"Because I have an issue with Patricia or Helen or any other female colleague?" he said, sarcastically.
"Like our client group, I think this briefing has gone wayward," Paul chirped. He got to his feet and made for the door. He raised his hand, attempting a wave. "See you tomorrow," he said, leaving the room.
"See you, mate," Michael stood up and headed to his room.
"See you tomorrow, Mikey," Patricia called out.
"Safe journey home, Pats," Michael replied.
Catherine sipped her cup of tea and tilted her head. She gazed around the empty room.
Michael entered Patricia's office in a lower part of the school.
She smiled at him as he sat on a spare chair next to her desk, exhaling a weary sigh.
"That woman drives me nuts," he said.
"Oh Michael,
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