Broke-Ish [Completed]

Chapter 24

PROSECCO PEASANTS

Yaz, Jasmine, Kara, Liv

Kara: Aww that's so sweet

Yaz: I know yeah, I've always liked your Dad

Liv: How do you cash a cheque? Do I actually have to go into the bank? ugh its full of old people

Yaz: Naa you can do it on your phone my girl. Internet banking!

Jasmine: Can you really? And aww that's so nice of him, how much did he give you?

Liv: Not enough to clear everything but most of it. He said that it was from the sale of his car but he must have had some money saved as well as there's no way anyone would pay more than 50p for that car

Ahhhh I feel like I can actually breathe properly you know

Yaz: So what have you been doing all this time if not breathing lol

Liv: Yazz!!

Kara: Yeah must be a big weight off your shoulders Liv. Now you can stop all the sugar nonsense can't you?

Liv: Hmm

Jasmine: You're not seriously continuing with it Liv

Liv???

Rob offered to help me with my application, but Rob also offered Reena my promotion so accepting his help would be a bit like a chicken taking up a foxes generous offer of helping them to escape the coop. I wouldn't be surprised if he's offered it to not-so-new girl Lydia and the maintenance man who fixed the drinks machine as well. I'm a bit ashamed to say that his little obvious scheme to get us to compete against one another for the role has worked as I haven't spoken to Reena since. She turned her head away when I walked past her taking down expired cartons of tomato juice from the shelf. I sank my head deep into the freezer when I saw her strolling down aisle 17 on her way to check into till 21. She bent down and reached into the fridge in the breakroom when I entered and messed with an imaginary object before mumbling something to nobody about her needing a wee for ages, then left. Then came the betrayal of the decade, I spotted her in the smoking shelter with Brenda, a flip notepad, a purple pen with a feather on the end and her listening ears. But it's not as if we aren't speaking, we just haven't spoken.

It was at this stage that I realised I had to up my game if I had any chance of getting this promotion that I still wasn't sure I wanted but absolutely had to have. I did start the application myself but stumbled on the first question which was weird as why would I not be able to Think of a time you last dealt with an angry customer. Describe how you resolved the issue? It happens daily, multiple times if it's a weekend but to single out, analyse, present and give a solution to one specific time nearly frazzled my little brain. Gee happily came to my rescue. Gee who once participated in a CV workshop for the long term unemployed (yes, she does that too) had lots to say about how to highlight my existing and transferable skills specifically my interpersonal skills, being as the role involved an aspect of people management, something I had not done before but needed to be able to prove I am capable of doing. She told me I could use examples from my experience at The Norton as that too was a customer facing role with arguably more challenging (annoying) customers, and that I could even exaggerate (lie about) situations (within reason) to prove my point being as there was no way of any of it being verified. I liked her last idea, it showed that she had her thinking cap on but if she'd ever stepped foot in The Norton she would know I had no need to exaggerate a thing. Anything bad that could have happened did happen, birds flew through windows, drugs were brought, sold and taken, glass bottles got smashed on the stairs and across heads, beds were 'accidentally' set on fire, lamp shades, light bulbs and on one occasion door handles were stolen and then there was the time a dog walked in from the car park heavy breathing and wet and sat across the 2nd to last step on the only staircase in the building for seven hours. It didn't bark, didn't budge, barely blinked. Just sat there existing and starring, very cat like behaviour.