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Take A Step Back Chrystal chapter 1
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Take A Step Back Chrystal chapter 1 |
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Marsha
since 2000-07-10
Posts 7423Maidstone Kent England 
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Chrystal “Chapter 1 “David,” Chystal snapped into her phone, she took several cleansing breaths and then reduced her speed. “Gem?” David’s’ voice sounded in her earpiece, Gem was his nickname for her. “I know I promised you four whole uninterrupted days David but this really and truly can’t be helped.” Chrystal was doing her best to keep her temper under control, but what she had just heard had really annoyed her. “Do you know what that worm has done now,” she almost screamed at him. David held the phone away from his ear and said, “No Gem I don’t? Look why don’t you pull over before you run yourself into a tree?” Suggested David quietly, “if you calm down, slow down, preferably stop the car, and then tell me what the problem is!” She could hear voices in the background, “Oh! Look tell Bree I’m really sorry about this.” “She understands,” pacified David, “have you stopped safely? Not like that time you stopped in the middle of a cross-roads?” He queried. “It wasn’t a cross-roads, well it was, but it was in the middle of nowhere,” she said crossly. “Yes Mum! I’ve stopped in a nice safe place. That worm…” “ Gem it was not, it was a very busy rail crossing, I know you’re a pain but we both love you, better the devil you know and all that.” He scolded, “anyway do you mean Matherson?” He interrupted. “Who else? You know any other worms that are causing me problems, of course Matherson. Well that worm has called a meeting of the board for tomorrow,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “Anyway I need those figures like yesterday, but first thing tomorrow will do if you can’t manage it tonight. Can you please sort them out for me and then patch them through as soon as.” She pleaded. “I hear and obey, oh master!” He quipped, “but how do you know about the meeting. It’s a bit late for any of the normal staff to be about isn’t it? They normally scurry for the door dead on the dot. It’s only sad little souls like you with no social life who are still there.” “Don’t nag me,” she moaned. “Oh well! Did you know that Matherson’s secretary is off sick?” “Yes!” “Well that dolly day-dream Gloria is standing in…..” “Gloria is a very nice girl,” interjected David. “I’ll tell Bree that you have the hots for that blonde bimbo,” she threatened. “Bree is here and knows that she is my one and only,” he added, “now stop wandering from the point and tell me what happened?” “Where was I? Oh yes! Dimbo bimbo right, do you remember when she attempted to cover for you that time when you were on that course? She said she felt that she and I connected, and that I was a perfect mentor for her. She said, that she thought I could help and guide her. God only knows what flannel you told her, she was so useless for that whole week, I only let her take messages, and she got those wrong.” “Gem, she did not, you just don’t like her,” he replied. “She did okay, now didn’t she? You scared the poor girl half to death. You do know she thinks you are wonderful, she told me she wants to be just like you, although if she knew you as well as I do she’d find herself a much smarter role model. One with a better temper too,” he added as an afterthought. “I thought she sounded a little awe-struck. What do you mean, better tempered, I’ve been all sweetness and light for hours? Some people,” she threatened, “don’t know when they’re well off, anyway I hope you told her that I am just as wonderful as she thinks I am, else I might just find myself a serf who is suitably servile. Well okay she’s not you, but she wasn’t that bad.” She admitted in resignation. “Anyway she phoned to ask me for help in setting the meeting up, how many and et cetera. So that’s how I found out.” “Okay boss! I’ll get those figures done but Bree says you owe us big time. I told Gloria that you were the most demanding exacting person I have ever met. I told her that you were a slave driver and if she had any sense she would steer clear of you. I didn’t tell her that the only reason you are so good is because you have a fantastic secretary because modesty forbids, but.. ” “Watch it kid, or I might just show you how good I really am, no honestly just don’t encourage her David, I want my staff with their eyes on their work not fantasising about some little air head. Besides which she’d be bad for office discipline. Tell Bree I’ll spring for a weekend in Paris for the two of you, and dinner at a decent hotel, but not the Ritz,” she laughed, “I know Bree has a taste for the luxurious life.” “Speak to you later Gem, I’ll just finish my dinner and then get straight to it. Bye.” “Bye, love and thanks.” Chystal was considerably calmer now. As she prepared to continue her journey home she thought how lucky she was to have David as her P.A. It wasn’t many people who were prepared to work as hard as he did, nor who would put up with her vile temper. He also didn’t take advantage of their friendship, or the facts that he was both older than she was and a man. People like him were very thin on the ground. If it hadn’t been for Bree though she wouldn’t have him as her P.A. She had been at university at the same time as Bree, and they had rented flats in the same building. Although Bree was a few years older than Gem they had become firm friends. Then Bree had met David and all her lofty goals had evaporated into thin air once true love had entered her life. Not that Gem could blame her, David was one of those rare breeds who think of others before themselves. It was Bree who suggested that Gem employ him as her P.A. and although it was still rare to have a male secretary she had never regretted her decision. David was a real treasure, discrete, efficient and able, he was so much more than a P.A. he was a friend. It was because of him that she had the nickname Gem. He said it was because she had the qualities of a jewel. There were a few of her colleagues who said that he meant she was hard and cutting, he said that he meant she was incisive, sparky and expensive. She had said she much preferred David’s definition. Occasionally it was difficult having such a close friend as her P.A. he tended to nag her, about her poor eating habits, her tendency to overwork, and her complete lack of social life. She had taken to calling him Mum, which was confusing to anyone overhearing their conversations. People were often surprised when they first met her, she didn’t look anything like an accountant or an office executive. She certainly looked far too young to be David’s boss. In fact several times visitors had asked her for coffee and expected David to run the meeting. She had a deceptive air of fragility about her, she looked as if a strong wind could blow her away. David had been heard to say that she was as tough as old boots, but he didn’t mean it really. He knew she had a softer side it just wasn’t prudent to show it at work. She had found it necessary to adopt a rather severe persona to people, who were not well acquainted with her, because otherwise she found it difficult for others to take her seriously. For one thing she was only five feet tall, added to that she looked younger than she was, a lot younger. She wore her long chestnut hair in a severe pleat, she’d even taken to wearing glasses, large glasses with clear lenses, in an attempt to appear responsible, straight talking and serious. Sometimes though it was an advantage that she didn’t look as if she were up to scratch. If people were deceived by her appearance they wouldn’t be on their guard when she was negotiating. If they were wise they soon learnt to stop judging her on her appearance. In fact the only person who consistently underestimated her was Matherson. Wasn’t she looking forward to showing him how bad a mistake that was. David said it was because he couldn’t see past her sex, she said that was so much the better, because if he didn’t see the threat he wouldn’t be expecting her to pounce. She had told Bree that she enjoyed tremendously being underestimated by some men, because she did enjoy demonstrating the advantage of brain over brawn. David would laugh with Bree when he told her that yet another unsuspecting victim had gone into Gem’s office expecting a kitten and finally emerged looking as if a tiger, a tiger with very sharp claws, had savaged them. In fact in recent months her nickname had been changed to Dragon Lady because she breathed fire, but no one had dared to tell her and that included David. Chystal worked in the finance department of a large union. It was her job to ensure that the various departments stayed within their budgets, and that income was invested in ethical and moral companies. Their immediate boss Joshua to test them for a promotion had given both she and Matherson a particular project. Matherson had obviously finished his project sooner than the date set by Joshua and hoped to throw her off balance by springing a meeting before all her figure work was completed. If she ever got hold of that worm Matherson she would wring his neck. She knew as certainly as she knew her own name that none of his schemes would fit the unions criteria. Why because he wasn’t either moral or ethical? She knew that unless she could access his personal computer records she’d never be able to prove it. He was far too good at covering his tracks, after all he’d been doing it for a long, a very long time. That was why she wanted this promotion, well it was one of the reasons, she wanted to take him down. If Matherson got this promotion he would be able to wipe his records. Every crooked stunt he had pulled in the last five years, every election he had bought, none of his misdeeds would be traceable back to their source. She had first got wind of his creative style of accounting about three years ago. Each time she thought she had nailed him he’d managed to wriggle out of trouble. His superiors might suspect that his methods weren’t strictly kosher but without proof no one was prepared to stick their neck out. His personal life was not up to close scrutiny either, she knew of at least one young girl who after tangling with him had been badly hurt. That was the real reason she wanted the promotion, she wanted to sort Matherson and his sleazy behaviour out. People like him gave the union a bad name. Joshua had told her when she’d first started in her department that the union was expanding, and that it wanted to reflect the membership in it’s top executives. The membership of her union was predominately female, and she was the only woman executive, no wonder then that she felt both isolated and alone at meetings. She wanted to get this promotion so that she could help open up the way for those others who would come after her. She had come up with a scheme that combined fair trade with viable profit margins, it was based on something that Oxfam had started in some third world countries. She was sure that with enough initial investment it would be perfect. It would be great but, she needed to get her proposal on the table at the same time as Matherson, or she and her scheme would be history. So she had valid reasons for working so hard for this promotion. Yet another example of how Matherson worked, he thought if he sprung a surprise meeting on her she would concede before the contest began. David said that powder room gossip was that someone else had actually done the work that Matherson was going to present as his own. There again gossip, no actual proof, though David was working on a couple of Matherson’s assistants. According to hints that they had given David, they would if absolutely necessary point him in the right direction to some documentary evidence that would prove to be the undoing of Philip Matherson Esquire. David had told her though that they were extremely reluctant to get themselves involved. Reluctant was an understatement they were quite frankly scared and keen to keep their names and identities a total secret. They had indicated that they were anxious that if Matherson discovered that they were involved in any way in his downfall that there would be some very nasty repercussions. She had told David to tell these wimps that they would enjoy the fallout when Mr Matherson’s chickens came home to roost even less. As to what Matherson could do to them, it would be purely academic, if she got the promotion then he wouldn’t be around long enough to cause them distress, and if he got it they wouldn’t need to worry. What she didn’t tell them was that if he got the promotion there wouldn’t be a department far enough away to shield them from him, she didn’t want them running for cover too early. She told David to tell them that the sooner they nailed their colours to her mast the better for them. Still negotiations were going very slowly indeed, and she doubted that anything these men could either show or tell her would help her by the time she went into tomorrow’s meeting. To give light to them that sit in darkness..... to guide our feet into the way of peace Luke 2:79 |
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| © Copyright 2002 Marsha Grace Melody Todd - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Kethry Member Rara Avis
since 2000-07-29
Posts 9082Victoria Australia |
Mushy, you've rewritten this how lovely of you to re-vamp it. Kethry Here in the midst of my lonely abyss, a single joy I find...your presence in my mind. Unknown |
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