suit.
‘You’ve made the shortlist at the insistence of Mr Martin,’ Mr Maxwell says, almost begrudgingly. ‘It isn’t for your work here that you’ve been nominated, Harry, but Mr Martin insists that you have a raw musical talent that we rarely see, and therefore that makes you a unique EMI employee, eligible for this award, and a particularly suitable candidate for the prize.’
‘Wow!’ is all Harry can mutter.
‘And that completes the list of nominees. Now I’d like to hand over to Sir Joseph to announce the winner.’
Sir Joseph Lockwood stands and Mr Maxwell steps down from his stool to make way for him. But Sir Joseph waves a dismissive hand at it.
‘I think you’ll agree, everyone mentioned thus far has contributed to the company in very different and very special ways of late. But our winner has gone above and beyond all of the other nominees’ achievements. Not because they’ve made a significant difference to the company’s profits, nor have they done something out of the ordinary. No, they’ve simply helped and assisted everyone else, quietly and without fuss. It’s those people that we need to recognise more in life, and the sort of person who we at EMI House would like to recognise today.’ He pauses for a moment just to make sure he has everyone’s full attention. ‘So, the winner of employee of the month and the person who will be going to the gala lunch with the Beatles is…’ He looks between all the nominees. Then his glance falls on me. ‘Jo-Jo McKenzie.’
I stare at him for a few seconds before my voice eventually stutters into action. ‘What? How… I mean, why me?’
‘Because you, Jo-Jo, keep this company moving at the grass roots level. You’re the person our clients see when they first come into our building, and we’ve had some very favourable reports about you recently. But more importantly than that, I believe you helped out Cynthia when she was struggling up in accounts one day with some strategies about how she could make her department run that little bit more productively, am I correct?’
I nod. Last night when I’d come back for the guitar, I’d gone upstairs to deliver some files before going home, and found Cynthia getting herself in a complete state about how she was going to cope with half her staff off sick, so I’d suggested a few ways an accounts department might run a little more smoothly. But it wasn’t a big deal – accounts were my speciality.
‘And if I’m not mistaken,’ Sir Joseph continues, ‘you were also the person who helped Ellie bake the first of her cakes?’
I shoot a quick glance at Ellie. She always did have a big mouth.
I nod again.
‘
And
you were the person responsible for making sure Harry was discovered by Mr Martin the other evening. Am I correct, Jo-Jo?’
Blushing furiously now, I look up at Sir Joseph. ‘Yes, yes you are. But I didn’t do it for any credit, really I didn’t.’ I glance around the room. ‘I didn’t help James with Cliff Richard, did I?’
No way am I taking any blame for anything Cliff Richard does now or in the future
.
‘No, indeed you didn’t,’ Sir Joseph agrees. ‘But your efforts with the other three, and with the rest of the staff and clients in the company recently, haven’t gone unnoticed, and as a result, Jo-Jo, have earned you the title employee of the month and the prize that goes with it. So, everyone, I think that deserves a round of applause.’
Clapping, interspersed with the odd cheer breaks out in the foyer of EMI House.
‘Who are you going to take with you, Jo-Jo?’ someone shouts across the room. ‘Who will be your special guest at the luncheon on Monday?’
I look from Ellie to Harry. How on earth am I going to choose between them?
But luckily I don’t have to answer that question right then because both Sir Joseph and Mr Maxwell come over to congratulate me.
‘Well done, Jo-Jo,’ they say as the foyer begins to empty and the others begin to filter
‘You’ve made the shortlist at the insistence of Mr Martin,’ Mr Maxwell says, almost begrudgingly. ‘It isn’t for your work here that you’ve been nominated, Harry, but Mr Martin insists that you have a raw musical talent that we rarely see, and therefore that makes you a unique EMI employee, eligible for this award, and a particularly suitable candidate for the prize.’
‘Wow!’ is all Harry can mutter.
‘And that completes the list of nominees. Now I’d like to hand over to Sir Joseph to announce the winner.’
Sir Joseph Lockwood stands and Mr Maxwell steps down from his stool to make way for him. But Sir Joseph waves a dismissive hand at it.
‘I think you’ll agree, everyone mentioned thus far has contributed to the company in very different and very special ways of late. But our winner has gone above and beyond all of the other nominees’ achievements. Not because they’ve made a significant difference to the company’s profits, nor have they done something out of the ordinary. No, they’ve simply helped and assisted everyone else, quietly and without fuss. It’s those people that we need to recognise more in life, and the sort of person who we at EMI House would like to recognise today.’ He pauses for a moment just to make sure he has everyone’s full attention. ‘So, the winner of employee of the month and the person who will be going to the gala lunch with the Beatles is…’ He looks between all the nominees. Then his glance falls on me. ‘Jo-Jo McKenzie.’
I stare at him for a few seconds before my voice eventually stutters into action. ‘What? How… I mean, why me?’
‘Because you, Jo-Jo, keep this company moving at the grass roots level. You’re the person our clients see when they first come into our building, and we’ve had some very favourable reports about you recently. But more importantly than that, I believe you helped out Cynthia when she was struggling up in accounts one day with some strategies about how she could make her department run that little bit more productively, am I correct?’
I nod. Last night when I’d come back for the guitar, I’d gone upstairs to deliver some files before going home, and found Cynthia getting herself in a complete state about how she was going to cope with half her staff off sick, so I’d suggested a few ways an accounts department might run a little more smoothly. But it wasn’t a big deal – accounts were my speciality.
‘And if I’m not mistaken,’ Sir Joseph continues, ‘you were also the person who helped Ellie bake the first of her cakes?’
I shoot a quick glance at Ellie. She always did have a big mouth.
I nod again.
‘
And
you were the person responsible for making sure Harry was discovered by Mr Martin the other evening. Am I correct, Jo-Jo?’
Blushing furiously now, I look up at Sir Joseph. ‘Yes, yes you are. But I didn’t do it for any credit, really I didn’t.’ I glance around the room. ‘I didn’t help James with Cliff Richard, did I?’
No way am I taking any blame for anything Cliff Richard does now or in the future
.
‘No, indeed you didn’t,’ Sir Joseph agrees. ‘But your efforts with the other three, and with the rest of the staff and clients in the company recently, haven’t gone unnoticed, and as a result, Jo-Jo, have earned you the title employee of the month and the prize that goes with it. So, everyone, I think that deserves a round of applause.’
Clapping, interspersed with the odd cheer breaks out in the foyer of EMI House.
‘Who are you going to take with you, Jo-Jo?’ someone shouts across the room. ‘Who will be your special guest at the luncheon on Monday?’
I look from Ellie to Harry. How on earth am I going to choose between them?
But luckily I don’t have to answer that question right then because both Sir Joseph and Mr Maxwell come over to congratulate me.
‘Well done, Jo-Jo,’ they say as the foyer begins to empty and the others begin to filter
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