think she was just an easy target for my loathing. I wonder what I would’ve done in her position, and I wonder how much Dan would’ve bent the truth to make himself look like less of a dick in the scenario we’d found ourselves in.
Lexie is just a girl who had a guy fall in love with her; perhaps I should stop being so hard on her in my head, because even though I never act on those thoughts or find myself being rude to her, those negative feelings are still there. Still underlying every encounter we have. I’m aware that if I don’t make a conscious effort to pause and reflect, they might linger on forever and snowball into something unmanageable.
Lexie didn’t break my heart – she just caught hold of someone else’s when they were in the midst of doing the smashing.
Dan is an entirely different matter, though. I still think he’s a twat, but for the moment, my heart is telling me to pop a lid on my attitude towards Lexie. She’s not perfect, she’s as flawed and vulnerable as the rest of us and, ridiculously, I now find myself feeling maternal towards her.
It’s a notion that sticks with me throughout the morning as I sit quietly at my desk at work getting on with my daily chores like Cinderella, wondering if I’m ever going to be allowed to the ball – or, in this case, the boardroom where all the dreaming happens.
‘Sarah, could you come in here for a minute?’ Jonathan asks, popping his head around his office door, then giving Julie a little wink before heading back inside.
It took precisely seventy-one hours and eight minutes for Dominique to further mull over her offer (from when I’d overheard of its existence while sat on the loo – not doing a number two) before handing in her notice to Jonathan and Derek. Which happened one hour and twenty-three minutes ago.
Since then I’ve been daydreaming about Jonathan dancing over to my desk, with a big fat cheque, taking me by the hand and guiding me through the office to my new spot on the Development team … but so far that hasn’t materialized. In fact, this is the first time Jonathan has spoken to me since Dominique walked out of his office with a smug look on her face, now one hour and twenty-four minutes ago.
‘Coming,’ I breathe, pushing out my chair and skipping
in with speed, wondering if this is the moment I’ve been hoping for – the big promotion.
‘I’ve been thinking about what you said the other day,’ he says slowly, getting back into his chair.
It is!
It’s THE big moment!
I’m about to WIN at life!
‘Oh?’ I say coyly, trying to suppress my excitement.
‘Yes. Obviously you’ve heard that Dominique handed in her notice this morning?’
‘Yes, I did,’ I say, trying to squish my excitement and sound sad about her departure.
‘A total surprise,’ Jonathan says, shaking his head in confusion. ‘Didn’t see that one coming.’
‘No. Me neither,’ I lie.
‘So, as luck would have it – I’m now looking at replacing her when she leaves next month,’ he continues with a frown, looking at me from underneath his bushy eyebrows.
‘Right,’ I say, my eyes widening as a grin pings on to my face.
I can’t help it.
I am.
I’m about to WIN at life!
‘I have to follow normal procedures and interview you, of course,’ he grumbles in a formal manner before picking bits of sugar and crumbs off his sweater vest and flicking them on the floor.
‘Yes, of course – that’s what I thought. I never assumed you’d just hand me the – ’
‘And in the interest of fairness and out of respect to how it’s always been done,’ he cuts in (naturally), ‘I’ll also have to open the door to other candidates.’
‘Oh.’
Well, that stops my excitement with a punch.
‘Nothing to worry about, I’m sure.’
‘No … ?’
‘Just routine,’ he says flatly.
‘Really?’
‘Good business, that’s all, and hiring has to be something Derek and I both agree on.’
‘Of course.’
‘Interviews will
Lexie is just a girl who had a guy fall in love with her; perhaps I should stop being so hard on her in my head, because even though I never act on those thoughts or find myself being rude to her, those negative feelings are still there. Still underlying every encounter we have. I’m aware that if I don’t make a conscious effort to pause and reflect, they might linger on forever and snowball into something unmanageable.
Lexie didn’t break my heart – she just caught hold of someone else’s when they were in the midst of doing the smashing.
Dan is an entirely different matter, though. I still think he’s a twat, but for the moment, my heart is telling me to pop a lid on my attitude towards Lexie. She’s not perfect, she’s as flawed and vulnerable as the rest of us and, ridiculously, I now find myself feeling maternal towards her.
It’s a notion that sticks with me throughout the morning as I sit quietly at my desk at work getting on with my daily chores like Cinderella, wondering if I’m ever going to be allowed to the ball – or, in this case, the boardroom where all the dreaming happens.
‘Sarah, could you come in here for a minute?’ Jonathan asks, popping his head around his office door, then giving Julie a little wink before heading back inside.
It took precisely seventy-one hours and eight minutes for Dominique to further mull over her offer (from when I’d overheard of its existence while sat on the loo – not doing a number two) before handing in her notice to Jonathan and Derek. Which happened one hour and twenty-three minutes ago.
Since then I’ve been daydreaming about Jonathan dancing over to my desk, with a big fat cheque, taking me by the hand and guiding me through the office to my new spot on the Development team … but so far that hasn’t materialized. In fact, this is the first time Jonathan has spoken to me since Dominique walked out of his office with a smug look on her face, now one hour and twenty-four minutes ago.
‘Coming,’ I breathe, pushing out my chair and skipping
in with speed, wondering if this is the moment I’ve been hoping for – the big promotion.
‘I’ve been thinking about what you said the other day,’ he says slowly, getting back into his chair.
It is!
It’s THE big moment!
I’m about to WIN at life!
‘Oh?’ I say coyly, trying to suppress my excitement.
‘Yes. Obviously you’ve heard that Dominique handed in her notice this morning?’
‘Yes, I did,’ I say, trying to squish my excitement and sound sad about her departure.
‘A total surprise,’ Jonathan says, shaking his head in confusion. ‘Didn’t see that one coming.’
‘No. Me neither,’ I lie.
‘So, as luck would have it – I’m now looking at replacing her when she leaves next month,’ he continues with a frown, looking at me from underneath his bushy eyebrows.
‘Right,’ I say, my eyes widening as a grin pings on to my face.
I can’t help it.
I am.
I’m about to WIN at life!
‘I have to follow normal procedures and interview you, of course,’ he grumbles in a formal manner before picking bits of sugar and crumbs off his sweater vest and flicking them on the floor.
‘Yes, of course – that’s what I thought. I never assumed you’d just hand me the – ’
‘And in the interest of fairness and out of respect to how it’s always been done,’ he cuts in (naturally), ‘I’ll also have to open the door to other candidates.’
‘Oh.’
Well, that stops my excitement with a punch.
‘Nothing to worry about, I’m sure.’
‘No … ?’
‘Just routine,’ he says flatly.
‘Really?’
‘Good business, that’s all, and hiring has to be something Derek and I both agree on.’
‘Of course.’
‘Interviews will
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