A Servant of the Company (16 page)

‘With the allowances, I can accept that. It makes sense to cover yourselves should there be a drop in business levels and you couldn’t afford to keep staff. There would be no redundancy payments to make, I had better make sure that I don’t get into that position hadn’t I?’ He had assumed the reason for self employment, it was of course the wrong one. The company wanted where possible only cash return on its investments without any ties, controls or written returns to the authorities. There would be exceptions, but this was not one of them.

‘I’m sure it won’t happen, but there are some very clever people working for us and they like all the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed. A pleasure talking to you Henderson, I’ll be in touch in the near future. Goodbye for now.’ He was satisfied. The contact had gone well. He must now get in touch with Mr. P. for the next phase to begin.

‘Could I have your name?’ But Steve was too late, his mystery caller had already ended the conversation.

He didn’t know whether to be elated or bemused by the conversation. Money was on offer, for what? He didn’t know. For who? He didn’t know. Yet he had accepted. The only thing he did know was he would soon be living in Manchester. He hadn’t expected a telephone offer of a job so hadn’t prepared himself as well as he should have. Where would he live? Was there any commuting? Who was doing his job at the moment? Somehow he realised that answers would not have been forthcoming today even had he asked them. So what. He had a job offer at last, and it was better than he had ever hoped for. He would have to be very careful talking to Anthea. She would want to know everything and this would be his first test. He would play the whole thing down, it was just a trainee marketing job in Manchester. Taking it would be a starting point on the job ladder and he would not mention the starting salary, saying the offer had come from a management consultancy business on behalf of a client. Things were just getting off the ground and privacy in a competitive business had to be honoured. She would understand, and with luck would not see through his deception. He hated doing this to her, but to commit himself fully to the future it had to be done. She had been a true friend and he would regret leaving the flat and the security he felt being there with her. Once confirmation of the job came through, he would contact his mother. She still thought he was in the Army and he had not disillusioned her. She would have been shocked if she heard the news of his dismissal.  As far as his mother was concerned, he was still the dashing young soldier. The new job would give her more reason to have pride in him. He would be a young executive with a suit and briefcase, or so he thought.

His discussion with Anthea did not go at all well. She appeared shocked that he was leaving her and going so far away. She didn’t take in anything he said but managed to congratulate him before dashing off to her bedroom and dissolving in tears. In her heart she knew it couldn’t last but had always hoped that a job would appear from a local source. He may not have stayed in the flat, but she would at least have seen him at the O.U. lectures, and maybe their post lecture drink would still have been possible.

He had sensed her mood. She was never as quiet as this and it did not surprise him when she had suddenly dashed off to her room. He gave her half an hour before knocking on her door.

‘How about joining me for a drink down at the Crown?’ He hadn’t been there since the dreaded drug fiasco, but now he had to lay ghosts to rest. ‘You don’t have to change, you look great just as you are.’ Knowing Anthea, she would ignore that and choose a different outfit, she would never go out in the clothes she wore for work. ‘Come on love, let me give you a treat.’ The confidence he had felt earlier was slowly disappearing, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt the girl who had been so good to him.

‘Give me ten minutes.’ Her voice sounded cheerful but she was far from it. Steve’s success had brought with it a dreadful emptiness. She had got used to him being there, always the same regardless of his problems, and she thought they made a good team. With luck it might have developed further. Now there wasn’t much chance of that.

While she was getting ready, he wondered how he could soften the blow which she had obviously felt. Soon she joined him looking beautiful in a short skirt with a matching top. ‘How do I look?’ she asked turning round so he could admire her.

‘Good enough to eat. Now what is a beautiful girl like you doing with an unemployed scruff like me?’ He laughed as she pulled a face at him in response.

‘Not so much of the unemployed thank you. You are now one of us rem
e
mber.’ She still felt sad at the prospect of him leaving, but this was his night, one to celebrate.

He looked at her seriously, ‘Anthea, would I still be welcome if I come and visit from Manchester whenever possible?’ This would soften the blow. Things would almost be the same again for her if he was able to make the journey from time to time.

She smiled at him. ‘I suppose I could put up with you for the odd weekend, if I haven’t got married in the meantime. A new husband would certainly not approve.’ She felt better. It may not after all be the end of Steve. He may even get a car with the job. It would only take him a couple of hours on the motor way. She suddenly felt a lot better and taking his arm said happily, ‘Come on then, let’s go and celebrate.’ The doubts she had been harbouring about the people offering Steve a job temporarily out of her mind.

When they reached the Crown, she looked carefully at Steve, ‘Are you quite sure this is the place you want to be?’ He didn’t show any signs of wanting to change his mind, but she had to be sure. Would anyone inside recognise him, would fingers point and loud whispers carry so that he would hear? She felt protective towards him and wanted to avoid at all costs any incident that might adversely affect his confidence.

This return to the place which had been the starting point in his fall from military grace had been on his mind for some time. It was a pleasant meeting place under normal circumstances and he had spent good times here with Anthea, so what was the big deal? If it hadn’t been tonight, the time to face up to it would have come soon. Now it was here, Steve felt vulnerable. Without pausing, he opened the door, held it for her to follow him, and headed straight for the bar. ‘What are you drinking Anth?’ He didn’t look at the barmaid, just in case she might recognise him and he would then lose his composure. He was sure it was the same girl behind the bar.

‘Could I have a half of lager please.’ She avoided mentioning his name in case the barmaid put a name and a face together and recalled a situation. She need not have worried, the barmaid smiled at them and cheerfully got Steve’s order before turning to the next customer at the bar. Steve was anonymous in here, he felt it, and savoured the feeling. The slate in the Crown had been wiped clean. Nobody took the slightest bit of notice of him, although some of the men gave Anthea appreciative glances.

They found a table and settled down together as they had done after their Open University lectures weeks before. So much had happened in such a short space of time. And it was here it had started. Facing each other they sat in silence for a while then Anthea raised her glass, ‘Here’s to your future Steve, I know you will succeed at whatever you do.’ She was still wondering what sort of company he was joining. The job offer by someone he hadn’t seen was very odd. Unlike anything she had ever heard of. She just hoped for his sake that it would turn out to be a reputable company, but she had serious doubts. Steve hadn’t given her the whole picture, she was sure of that. Once he had a couple of drinks, she would diplomatically raise the subject. Something wasn’t right. Her initial delight in him receiving the offer had now become a fear that he might again be hurt. When she mentioned it to her father, his response had been that they would want money from him before letting him start. To cover administration costs was the usual excuse. He wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole.

‘Well that was fairly painless wasn’t it?’ Steve smiled, a look of relief on his face. From time to time he still glanced round at the customers, checking that no-one was looking and pointing at him. He had dreaded the moment, now the fear was going and he could get on with his life.

‘Can I ask a favour of you Steve,’ she had to start somewhere in her quest to find out about this job of his, it had been difficult to come up with something that would not arouse his suspicion. Before he could reply, ‘Can I come and visit you in Manchester soon after you start the job, I have a friend who lives in the city and I have been meaning to visit her for ages. Of course if you’re too busy I will understand.’ He would make time for her she was sure of that, not because she had given him shelter when he needed it but because he was the man she knew him to be.

‘The minute I get accommodation, you will be the first to get my address. I can’t guarantee that I will have a spare room but you will be welcome anytime. I’ve slept on the floor before and can do it again, especially for you.’ Was she mothering him? He couldn’t be sure. Anyway it would always be a pleasure to see her no matter what her motive was.

‘It will be a weekend, so you will be able to show me where you work.’ She tried to sound casual but wasn’t sure she had succeeded. His expression showed no sign of suspicion, so maybe her doubt was unfounded. How would he respond? She waited. He did not reply immediately but picked up his drink to finish the last few drops in the glass.

He felt sure she was trying to find out more about the job. She hadn’t said so outright, but her comments had been thinly veiled. There were two loyalties to consider, one to his friend, and another to the company which would be paying him for his services. He had thought the company’s rules rather strong at the time, but the job offer had wrapped up his fears and buried them. There was no doubt in his mind which one got his vote. Anthea would be told what she wanted to hear, and if it meant the odd white lie, so be it. A good opportunity had been offered, and in his unemployed state, there had been no way he could compromise his future. Yet he did have suppressed doubts, the word retribution the caller used was to Steve’s mind extremely strong. Not one normally used in an employer employee relationship, he was sure.

‘I was scanning job vacancies at work today. The jobs most frequently advertised appeared to be in I.T., human resources and marketing. So you are in the right area. When my father markets cars he always does his homework before advertising. He’s there checking circulation figures, catchment areas and how many As, Bs, C1s and C2s read each paper. It’s amazing how much work he puts in. Time of the year, time of the month, weather forecasts, you name it he does it. So there’s an awful lot of research in marketing so it could be very interesting. Depending of course on what it is you’re selling.’ Praise the profession but sow seeds of doubt about the product, this might get him to open up a bit. The approach was straightforward, no questions just a subject for discussion.

‘It’s almost time for this year’s course work to arrive. The O.U have your flat as my address so you’ll have to redirect them once I can tell you where to. I don’t want to miss out on anything, it would be so easy to get behind with the course.’ He sat back in his seat looking at nothing in particular. This was the place he had wanted to be, now he wanted to escape from her verbal probing. That’s what she’s doing, he thought, and it was a game he didn’t want to play.

‘What’s got into you, you’re miles away. I don’t think you heard a word I said.’ She regretted the impatience in her voice, but that was how she felt. It was a reasonable topic for discussion, after all it was a marketing job he was going to do. Why couldn’t he talk about it? Why ignore it altogether? Surely he wasn’t experiencing the uncertainties which were now the cause of her own anxiety.

‘Sorry Anthea, I’m afraid I was drifting a bit. There is a lot to think about and every now and then some idea comes into my mind. I don’t know why but rented flats settled themselves on my brain.’ He smiled, hoping she would join him in a new, safe subject for discussion and forget Marketing.

‘I’ve been fobbed off,’ she said to herself. ‘He knows something but won’t talk about it. Has he, what’s the term? Yes, been got at?’ It was no good, he wasn’t going to talk. ‘Once you’re settled, I’m checking your company out.’ It was a silent promise she made to herself. Her peace of mind was disturbed and that had to be overcome.

‘Shall we get a carry out on the way back?’ he yawned stretching his arms out and placing them behind his head. He’d had enough, time to go. The Chinese restaurant would be his first point of refuge. The meal wouldn’t take long once they were back at the flat, then he could escape to his room. No more questions. Brilliant.

He was very odd tonight, there was something on his mind and he was putting himself in a state of denial. A good soldier he might have been but she thought his knowledge of the workings of the female mind left much to be desired.

Her preparation for Steve’s move would start tomorrow. It would mean contacting her friend Sue’s mother to get Sue’s address and telephone number in Manchester. She had holidays to come and if Sue didn’t mind, she might be able to stay with her and see Steve in the evenings. Once there, she would have a base from which she could investigate and hopefully erase her doubts. If the results were of the worrying kind, she would make plans accordingly. This plan she would keep to herself.  If Steve heard about it, the effect could be at the least, unfortunate. His confidence had been knocked too much already and she would hate to add another blow, but somehow the female sixth sense kept coming to the fore.  Her doubt about the methods being inflicted on Steve would not go away. If it came to it she would play their game too, she didn’t know how but she would find a way.