The Air We Breathe

2009- Nora

When Y2K hit and the clocks turned over from 1999 to 2000, nothing went wrong. Except there had been no fireworks! It was an anti climax to the next nine years that hadn't really panned out like Nora had hoped either. But then she hadn't really known what to expect. She certainly didn't imagine falling in love with a guy who fell out of love with her in a matter of years- twice! Surely this wasn't going to be her pattern, it really sucked. The first break up had hit her the hardest being her first love but the second guy she said 'I love you' to was something out of a nightmare. An author couldn't even write this shit! Nora had fallen for a recovering addict who turned manipulative and conniving towards her, and dabbled with an online relationship with a 16 year old girl in another state. Yet he had fallen out of love with her?! It was too much to bare. Nora wasn't happy at work, hated living in the house she had tried to make into a home with the 'gas-lighter' and just needed OUT.

Nora wasn't going to think about her past right now as she stormed down the hill, late again, trying to make her stride longer and faster with each step she took. She was always the last to arrive by the skin of her teeth but no one ever said anything. Only her own thoughts were loud and clear arguing both sides: 'You need to be more professional and start getting there earlier. Oh don't worry about it, they just think you are busy in your office and pop in last minute.' It took her only five minutes to walk from her front door in the staff village to the main office in the resort which was a curse and a blessing. She hadn't had a coffee, or breakfast, yet so her head was cloudy and after the exertion of the speedy walk to work, promptly tuned out the statistics of the day as soon as her backside hit the chair. Her pen was poised awaiting her turn but she felt half-hearted about contributing today. She caught on that 55% of guests said something about the restaurants but she didn't need to understand all of these details. As the Human Resources Manager, she was responsible for hiring and firing the staff. If she worried about everything else at the resort, her head would explode.

"Nora. How's the staff situation today?" the CEO turned to face her as well as the other Heads of Department. Game time! Nora sat up a bit straighter.

"We have three new arrivals today for Food and Beverage and one departure from Housekeeping. I'm talking with Stu in Cairns this afternoon to see who he has found for the Spa. I've got meetings all morning with Jack about the behaviour by the pool last night and I think it would help if you all spoke to your teams in your daily briefing about the pool policy."

Jack interjected "Do we need to update the policy?"

"Everyone needs a reminder about what's expected but the policy is very clear. The guests come first. The only thing that would change is that the staff get a full pool ban and they won't want that." Nora raised her eyebrows with the implication and looked around at the other Managers with the challenge.

"We'll just be firing more staff", Jack filled in the gap.

"No, we don't need to change anything just yet. Talk to your teams. Tricia, how's the numbers in the Spa?" the CEO moved on around the circle.

There were seven Heads of Department to get through in under half an hour- Food and Beverage, Kitchen, Front Office, Human Resources, Spa, Activities, and Housekeeping. Nora's part was done. She started imagining lifting a cup of coffee to her lips and her head clearing with the hot, bitter jolt it gave her to get through the morning. She didn't enjoy a coffee in the thick and damp muggy weather outside but if she got back to her office without being stopped along the way, she would have ten minutes of bliss to herself to luxuriate in the smell of the coffee beans under her nose, in the air conditioning, before the disciplinary meetings started. Nora was lucky today and she managed to do just that.

Nora stared out of her office window on the second floor and audibly sighed. She had enjoyed this view for almost a year now. Was she really going to leave it? She thought back over the progression of her positions and the offices she had sat in as she sipped her coffee. Nora had briskly grabbed it off the counter as soon as it was made at the bar with the excuse 'Busy day today Tara, have a good one' and rushed back in stealth mode, willing 'no one stop me, no one talk to me.' This was by far the best office she had and would ever get. There was a door at the bottom of a flight of stairs that took you up to two offices: Human Resources and the Staff Facilities Officer. Nora always got a one minute warning that someone was coming up to see her so she could prepare herself for the onslaught of what ever dumb action one of the staff had taken. Nora had worked on the island for the last year in Far North Queensland. She could see the ocean through the palm trees and the sandy walk that would take only a few metres to get to the shore line and the warm water. She could see her partial reflection in the glass as she gazed out and imagined her toes in the sand. Whilst the view was amazing, the window was kept tightly and forever closed to the humidity with the aircon whirring away in the background from the moment she walked in to the end of the working day. Whenever that might be.

Nora couldn't see the fine lines that had appeared in the corner of her eyes or the grey streak in her otherwise natural brunette hair but she knew they were there. She saw them in the bathroom mirror after work. Freshening up on the island meant feeling clean for no longer than five minutes. There was a short period straight after a shower before the muggy air found you again. Heading out into the night air also included bathing in insect repellent so it was hard to feel sexy in this environment. Looks aren't as important when you are always hot and sweaty, and lived with the same people that you worked with! She'd cut her hair shoulder length on one of her first breaks off the island earlier that year. Nora liked having longer hair but there just wasn't any point when she needed to tie it up in the heat. Perhaps she'd grow it again back once back in Melbourne. 

Nora had arrived on the island as a 28 year old and as she was preparing for her 29th birthday, felt she had experienced more than one year on these sandy shores. Every day was like three so she'd really packed in three years experience in one. It was reflected in her eyes. She was worn out by it all and had decided to return to Melbourne. Whilst she wasn't getting any younger, it was time to face reality again and make a life for herself there where she had family and friends that truly knew her. Most of the hundred or so islanders were friendly but there seemed to be only two types of residents: the 'lifers' who had made the decision to live and work on islands and remote areas for the foreseeable future and the 'holiday makers', there for a good time, not a long time. The lifers had lost touch with reality, leaving their families or lack of a family to make other lifers their family. There were no conversations with them about current politics, housing, income, gender equality or education as they had made a choice to leave all of that behind! The holiday makers didn't care for that either as they were there to party and make memories on the island. Nora had sort of run away but just for a short time, not a long time.