There's No Accounting For Love

Chapter Nine

It was a bright Monday morning and today Clare was starting her new job. She was nervous, but happy. Although she had been with Prendergasts for two years they completely ignored her leaving and hadn't even signed a card and wished her all the best. Hal was very angry and called them an ungrateful bunch. Clare only laughed. "I don't care. I'm just so relieved to be out of there, it's like leaving prison." she replied.

"Will I do?" she asked as she prepared to leave the house. She was wearing a new black skirt with a dark blue silky top and the sapphire ear rings Hal had bought for her birthday. "Sweetheart, you look good enough to eat!" he replied. He hugged her, kissed her and wished her well. Then he told her he loved her and kissed her several times more, just to prove the point and off she went, wearing her dark red winter coat. Again she took the bus into town as she wasn't sure where to park her car. If she had to, she would catch the bus every day. As long as she was happy,what did it matter?

Angela was waiting to greet her in Reception. She looked very striking wearing a long brown skirt, with a white top; her hair wound into small plaits with bright blue beads.

"Hello Clare, welcome to Dixon and Halfpenny." she said, smiling broadly and holding out her hand.

"Hello Angela, I'm so pleased to meet you again, I can't quite believe it."

"I'm delighted they gave you the job, Clare and you can call me Angie if you like, everybody does. Come on, I'll show you around."

Angie led the way into the downstairs corridor. "Bob and Alan are at a conference in London today, so you won't meet them until tomorrow." She held the door open for Clare. "We call this the Partner's Corridor. It once linked this building with the smaller four storey building on the side. Both buildings belonged to the Government at one time, but the smaller building was sold and the corridor blocked off at the end. When we moved in, we added the offices here on the right and as we grew in size, we also took over the office on the first floor."

She led Clare through the long corridor and into the office where she showed her again the desk where she would be working. It was a spacious room for two people. Angie's desk was beneath the window and it faced the door. By the side of Angie's desk, on the right hand side, were two filing cabinets. Clare's desk was against the left hand wall next to the adjoining door to Bob Dixon's office and near to the door into the corridor. Opposite Clare's desk was another, which Angie called the post desk. Angie sat here each morning to open the post and it was also used for packing up the post at night. There was also a small stationery cupboard and another filing cabinet alongside it.

"They're lovely offices," said Clare.

"That's Alan's influence." Angie remarked. "We had a complete refurbishment a few months ago and Alan took charge of it. Bob was tied up at the time. It is nice isn't it? We were all pleased. By the way, Alan is coming down here to work with us shortly in Bob's office. Bob has offered him a Junior Partnership and as Mr Halfpenny left last Friday, Bob is moving into his old office, across the corridor. I will be Bob's P.A. and you will be Alan's, but we'll probably mix and match."

"Oh," said Clare "Are those the changes you mentioned before?"

"Yes, but it's happened sooner than we thought. We're all relieved Edward Halfpenny has left. I know I shouldn't say it, but we won't miss him, he's a very ignorant man. I think even Bob was glad to see the back of him."

"I worked with someone like that once, I know what you mean." said Clare.

"Unfortunately, his wife had a pretty bad stroke a while ago," said Angie "So he'll be working from home. He's going to work around the area where he lives. At least, I think that's the plan."

"What a shame. How old is his wife?"

"He's about 62, I think, she's roughly the same age. It is sad. You never know what's going to happen next do you. Life is so unpredictable."

"Yes, you're right there." said Clare.

Angie changed the subject. "You grew up together then, did you, you and Alan?"

"Yes, but it seems a long time ago now. You know what it's like, you lose touch, but I must admit he seems to be exactly the same as the Alan I remember. My mother was delighted to hear that he was working here. She's arranging a re-union with him and his brother. She always had a soft spot for Alan, although he was a mischievous little boy. You'd never believe the things he did!"

"Oh, yes I would, I know Alan very well. He's got a wicked sense of humour!" said Angie.

Angie showed Clare around the rest of the offices. First of all they went upstairs into the large open plan office and Angie introduced Clare to the staff working there. Mostly, they were middle aged men, but there were two younger women and the youngest was about twenty years old. She was introduced as Jessica and she wore a very short skirt and high heeled shoes. She seemed stroppy and abrupt, but Clare could sense sadness simmering beneath her hard exterior.

They walked past Alan's desk, Clare remembering it from her interview. Alan had always been obsessively tidy and it seemed he hadn't changed. Everything was arranged so neatly, she imagined him with a ruler, measuring the distance between each item, to set it all squarely in place. Even his pens were in a neat, tidy row and Clare smiled inwardly.

"They all like working up here." said Angie "as they've got the best view." Clare glanced out of the window. The office block was in a corner position next to the river, which today, looked dark, cold and uninviting, but she imagined it would be lovely on a sunny day.

Angie moved to the desk nearest the door. "And last but not least, this is Geoff. He's our First Aider. If you need the kiss of life you come to him." Geoff chuckled at Angie's remark. He was an older man, short and tubby, nearing retirement.

"She always says that, she's a right case she is. I hope you'll be nice and happy with us Clare," he said offering his hand for her to shake. "We work hard, but we do have a nice laugh too, sometimes." He lowered his broad Bristolian voice. "That is if old Ha'penny ain't in!" As Angie had already mentioned, nobody seemed to like Edward Halfpenny. Angie gently patted Geoff's bald head and said affectionately,

"I'm madly in love with Geoff, but don't tell his wife!"