Victoria Line, Central Line by Maeve Binchy Page B

idea about choosing a holiday from your stars in the zodiac and that worked, you thought of having a travel agents’ conference in that railway station which suited them all since they had to come from all over the country and go back againby train. You thought up the scheme of having children write the section for children’s holidays, so I think that this is what you should be doing really. Thinking. And let me handle the routine things, you know, the letters about “Can you trace what we did about Portugal two years ago?” If the filing system works properly then anyone will be able to do that for you. I’ll set it up so that at least four-fifths of your incoming mail can be handled by any competent secretary. That should give you a great deal more time to do what you are really good at.’
    Sara looked hopeful but not convinced.
    ‘Me just sit in here with a chair?’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t think it’s on Eve, I really don’t. You know they’d think I’d gone mad.’
    ‘I wasn’t suggesting a chair. I was going to suggest a long narrow conference table. Something in nice wood, we could look at auctions or in an antique shop. And about six chairs. Then, for you a small writing desk. Again something from an old house possibly, with your telephone and your own big diary and notebook, a few periodicals and trade magazines or directories you need, that’s all.’
    ‘Eve, in God’s name, what is the long conference table for. Eve, I am the assistant promotions manager, not the chairman of the board. I don’t give conferences, call meetings, ask my superiors to come in here with the hope of blinding them about policy.’
    ‘You should,’ said Eve simply. ‘Listen,’ she wenton. ‘Remember that children writing the brochure idea? It was marvellous. I’ve been looking through the files, you got not one word of credit, no letter, no mention, no thanks even. I would not be at all surprised if you, Mr Edwards and I are the only people who know you thought it up, and the only reason I know is that I see entries in your diary about going to schools and talking to children and spending a lot of your free time working on it. Edwards got the praise, the thanks and the job, for not only that but for everything you did. Because you didn’t do it right.’
    ‘It worked, though,’ said Sara defensively.
    ‘Miss Gray, of course the idea worked, it was brilliant, I remember seeing those brochures long before I ever knew you, and I thought they were inspired. What I mean is that it didn’t work for you, here within the company. Next time, I suggest you invite Mr Edwards and his boss and the marketing director and one or two others to drop in quite casually – don’t dream of saying you are calling a meeting, just suggest that they might all like to come into your office one afternoon. And then, at a nice table where there is plenty of room and plenty of style, put forward your plans. That way they’ll remember you.’
    ‘Yes, I know, in theory you’re right, Eve . . . but honestly, I’m not the type. I’m jolly old Sara Gray, with a nice, jolly, hopeless lover who comes and goesat home – and who is gone at the moment. And they all say to themselves, “poor Sara, not a bad old thing” – none of them would take me at a rosewood conference table for one minute Eve, they’d either corpse themselves laughing or else they’d think I was having a breakdown, they’d fire me. And you.’
    Eve didn’t look at all put out. ‘I wasn’t suggesting calling a conference tomorrow, I was suggesting having the furniture right. If you are someone who is valuable to the company for her ideas, you should have a space to think up these ideas, a platform to present them on, and the just recognition for them.’
    ‘You’re right,’ Sara said suddenly. ‘What else?’
    ‘I think you should get into the habit of having Mr Edwards and others coming to this office, by appointment of course, rather than you rushing