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" There's force majeure, and then there's just slackness. Well, it's okay, you're a responsible girl. The main thing is not to get involved in the fight and don't talk too much."
I nodded in agreement. I had no idea to get involved with my slippers in the local shithouse.
" If you have any questions, come on in."
" Thank you."
I wondered if I looked so pathetic from the outside, or if they needed to close the job so badly that they cared about me so much. Sighing, I made myself a coffee and returned to my desk to continue looking through my contacts. There were several visits to the reception area, and all the visitors were quite satisfied with the offer to leave their documents with me. Only once one of the girls gave me a strange look.
Andrew turned out to be a terribly punctual man. Exactly two hours later he left his office and left silently. I was glad to have a temporary respite, so I went on the Internet and looked for an inexpensive cafe nearby. I didn't dare to go to the local canteen on the first floor. Most likely, Dimitri would be down there in the company of his colleagues. I wouldn't want to meet him in front of the whole office. In fact, it would be better to postpone our meeting a little.
After hesitating a bit, I opened WhatsApp and looked at his last message.
"Babe, has something happened? Where did you disappear to?"
Suddenly I felt cold and lonely. And really wanting to cry to switch gears, texted Ramila, asking how she was doing. I got a lot of smiles and raptures in response. Glad that at least someone was doing well, I headed for the exit. I need to eat lunch, preferably something tasty and sweet. I also need to buy sugar. There was hardly any left in my locker.
Chapter 2
" Are you going to the dining room?"
Julia jumped out of a box and ran toward me. I couldn't help but look away.
" No, there's a little coffee shop across the street called Orange. So many experiences, I wished I could sit in a quieter place."
And there was a more "star" place nearby, where I hoped the whole management would go. Which meant Dimitri wouldn't have to go to the Orange.
" That's a great idea. I'll keep you company. We'll have a little chat. I'll tell you more about the rules."
" Come on," I smiled.
I began to guess that Julia is a big fan of our boss. And wants to be friends only to glimpse more often in front of his eyes. Besides, what can I say, she looks much more spectacular against my background. But I didn't claim to be the boss, but the information about the company interested me.
***
"The orange turned out to be a nice place, besides, the owners wanted to create a private effect, and the sofas had high backs. I sat down in a corner by the window and ordered a business lunch and coffee. The worst thing for me in Moscow turned out to be the need to get up at half past six. And then, forty minutes to wash up, almost an hour on the bus to sleep. And then a fight in the subway for survival. And as a result, half an hour to catch my breath after a morning of "relaxation" on the road. So I felt like I'd just been woken up and forgotten to wake up.
" You must think I'm weird. I'm all over you, running around, asking you to join me for lunch."
" Oh, come on. Not at all," I lied.
" Oh! " Julia laughed. " Don't, don't lie. I can imagine how it looked from the outside. If I were you, I would start fleeing, and in the corridors running over… running over."
Imagining this situation, I supported Julia with laughter. Really, it would be funny.
" I won't lie to you, I have a vested interest."
" Honestly, " I grinned.
It turns out that someone has had a vested interest in me all my life. This one, at least, honestly confesses, without any love and friendship.
" Tell me, did you translate the letter? You know, from Chinese?"
" Yes, it was hard, really. I don't know the language very well. I taught myself. I took a few lessons at the center."
" That's a lot more than me or any other manager. And it's my first contract with them. No specialists. I only got this case because no one wanted it."
" Well, I'm glad I helped you."
" So, uh."
Julia moved closer to me and smiled. I moved a little away from her in surprise.
" Help me…" Julia purred in her Garfield voice.
" How? " I was surprised.
" The Chinese have a tasty project. A new tracker for training. We will represent their program in Russia. Well, there's adaptation, launch. The bonuses from this endeavor will be so… I'll tell Ms.Adams that we're working together, you as a translator, and we'll split the bonus between the two of us."
" If we split the bonuses, they won't be so tasty. Not for you. Why would you do that?"
" All right, the whole truth, so the whole truth… Our boss Natalia is going to America to visit her children. They studied there and stayed there after they got married. So she's going there for two months. I saw a signed vacation request on Galina's desk. We'll take over the project, get it off the ground. Andrew will officially put me in charge…"
" And when Natalia leaves, you'll take over. And in the long run, the position will be yours for good."
" There! You got it right away!"
" What if Andrew hands it over to another manager?"
" Who? Everyone in the department is busy. If only Dimitri. But Andrew doesn't like him. He would have fired him if Dimitri hadn't married the daughter of his father's friend," Julia snorted."
" Dimitri? " I whispered in a strangled voice. " Who's that?"
" Oh-oh! He's a goose! He came to work " very modestly. Now he thinks he's his father-in-law's successor. He doesn't want to work, he only gets a salary. And that's what's strange. He always has money. He even bought an apartment!
I made an expressive frown. He got the money for the apartment from a fool in love. It was a pity that it happened and I was the one."
" I'd hate to see him," I mumbled.
I suddenly had the idea that it would be better if he saw me when I had already established myself as a specialist. Then he wouldn't be able to get me fired.
" And I don't have to! He doesn't look at Andrew, " Julia snorted.
" You know, I agree. I too do not want to always sit in the waiting room. But to move to the department of translators."
We looked at each other and smiled smugly. Ramilya was right, we should have gotten out of our shells a long time ago.
***
After sitting in the Orange, discussing all the nuances of future work, I was fifteen minutes late for lunch. I had to run back. All the way I prayed that Andrew had not yet returned. I was lucky, instead of the boss in the waiting room I found a girl unknown to me. A blonde with bright scarlet lips, false eyelashes, in a perfectly fitting beige dress-flats and open light coat, frowned unhappily and swayed on stilettos.
" Good afternoon," I greeted her cautiously.
The blonde gave me an attentive look, and it was clear that we didn't like each other. Nevertheless, I smiled as friendly as I could. First of all, I didn't know who she was, and secondly, I was really late.
" Where is Andrew ? " she asked coldly.
She looked as if she was overpowering herself by talking to me. As if I am dirty, ragged and on the porch, not a secretary in the reception.
" Andrew is at a business lunch, will be later, " I kindly replied.
" Later! " snorted the blonde. " Call him and tell him that I'm waiting for him!"
" I'm sorry, Andrew told me not to disturb him. Negotiations are very important.
In fact, I didn't even know where my boss was going. And I couldn't call him, I don't have his cell phone number."
" You want to work here?! Tell him Camille's here right now!"
" Tea, coffee? " I smiled.
" You're fired! " The girl shouted and ran out of the reception area.
I sank exhaustedly into a chair, trying hard to suppress the urge to burst into tears. They say there are people who are energy vampires. This Camille was clearly one of them. We'd only talked for a couple minutes, and it was like all the energy had been drained out of me. Like air out of a balloon.
After I managed to blink and not ruin my makeup, I stood up, deciding to get my own coffee. Honestly, I didn't know what to do. The documents were taken away, there were no calls, and I was promised to be given assignments later. The only thing I could occupy myself with was familiarizing myself with office equipment. In fact, there wasn't much of it: a computer, a selector, a printer and a scanner. Well, also a coffee maker, which was hardly the most important of all the previous.
After making coffee, I turned around and almost ran into my boss. He flew into the reception area like a hurricane. I squirmed inwardly, waiting for the blonde to complain.
" Coffee, that's not a bad idea! Come to my office!"
The boss disappeared into the office, I had to follow him, remembering what kind of coffee he likes, and whether I brewed it correctly.
Andrew , carelessly threw his coat on his shoulders, sent his jacket there, and sat down at the table, rolling up the long sleeves of his shirt. I put a cup of coffee in front of him and froze half a meter away from the table. All the TV shows said that a secretary should keep that distance. But I didn't know how it really was " I didn't have any experience.
" Sit down," the boss said.
I sat down on the edge of the chair and looked at him fearfully. Andrew was looking for something on the table and did not pay attention to me. Finally, he pulled out a whole pile of stickers glued together and some notebooks.
" Look through these and make a schedule."
I scooped up the post-it notes and quickly glanced through them to make sure I could make out his handwriting.
" Excuse me, you have a meeting at three on Ramensky Boulevard, and half an hour later on Preobrazhensky Boulevard? How are you going to make it in time? These are different parts of Moscow!"
" Yes?!"
Andrew jumped up and looked over my shoulder. I froze, not knowing how to react to his behavior. This morning he seemed to me even too cold.
" Indeed. So, review and in such controversial moments, call back and reschedule the meeting. Or no, highlight them and show them. I'll tell you which is more important."
" Okay," I nodded.
The addition to the instruction appealed to me. I didn't know anyone yet and could inadvertently offend an important person.
" Andrew , while you were away, you had a visitor …"
It was pointless to hide this event from him. I'm sure the blonde just couldn't get through or wanted to cry from resentment at a personal meeting.
" Who?"
The boss returned to his chair and sipped his coffee. With a satisfied nod, he looked at me, waiting for an answer.
" Camille," I explained. " She wanted me to call and summon you …"
" And you didn't?"
I nodded dejectedly, belatedly feeling guilty. Maybe I should have gone through my notebooks and found the supervisor's phone number. There are records of all the employees!
" I just… didn't know your phone number… or the staff's…" I started to justify myself
" What are you mumbling about?"
I stammered and squeezed inwardly.
" Remember, I can't be distracted in negotiations. No matter who comes and no matter what they demand. Unless it's not OBOP in half with the tax came to gut our documents. Then you can let me know."
At the end of that sentence, he got a little funny. I realized it was a joke. Although with such things and structures, jokes are bad. He's probably sure that his company's documents and law are in order and he won't be visited.
" Encrypted? " I asked in a tone of voice.
" That would be very kind of you."
I allowed myself a smile, managing not to laugh. The boss's sense of humor was on the level. More importantly, he managed to lighten the mood.
" Can I go now?"
" Go ahead," I was told.
As I stepped out into the reception area, I managed to dodge in some unimaginable way. Camille was back, ready to tear me down and walk across the carpet of the secretary's body. I belatedly jerked back to follow and tried to stop her.
" I have to report to you!"
I was ignored. I had to run after her back to the office.
" Andrew , I…!"
" Honey! Fire her!"
