I’m pleased to see Lucy; despite the fact that the last time we talked it was like being spoken to by Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction. I have a lot of respect for her in a number of ways, and she’s gorgeous to boot. Her comment that she was hopeful of seeing me has really intrigued me. “You were hoping to see me? And why is that? I thought you had it in for me Lucy?” I am honestly not sure where this conversation is going to head. She is going to try to repair the bridge she burnt or alternatively see if she can relight the smouldering ashes. I’m prepared for either result, but hope it’s the former. The promotion I was given over her was strictly business, not personal, and I hope she realises that. As soon as I finish speaking, I spot Ian and Lauren coming out of the lift.
My young colleagues both wave at me and I nod back at them. I’m still tempted to have a word with Ian about his tie, but I’m not going to say anything while Lauren is around because I have no interest in hearing about her latest weekend away in the Hunter Valley, or wherever else she has been lately. Ian and Lauren never worked with Lucy, and so they shouldn’t know who she is. Despite that, and probably because of that, it will not stop Lauren gossiping about it.
There is one in every workplace, the office gossip king or queen, and Lauren undoubtedly wears the crown at Invest Co. I try to avoid talking to Lauren whenever possible for numerous reasons. The fact that I know that anything I say to her, despite how unimportant and insignificant, will find its way into the ears of most of my colleagues is an extra incentive whenever I do find myself speaking with her to tell her I need to go because I have left the iron on. Lauren must believe I am the world’s most forgetful and tardy person due to the number of times I have used excuses like these to get out of a conversation with her. I’m pretty sure I saw her sniffing herself once after I excused myself saying that I forgot that I had to take my nonexistent dog to the vets again. The fact that the poor girl has resorted to assuming I’m offended by her personal hygiene did make me feel bad for a fraction of a second, but only a fraction. She even sent me an email once with techniques on how to remember things, tying a knot in my handkerchief and such.
Sometimes gossip can give you interesting and humorous pieces of information, like who has slept with whom and how much your colleagues earn (a true rat racer knows exactly what their colleagues earn without the need for gossip). Gossip, by nature, is rumour and hearsay, meaning it may well be untrue. This in turn means that gossip is often all fun and games until you are the subject of the gossip. Lauren is an expert at taking mundane pieces of information and sensationalising them. I can hear her report on my conversation with Lucy now, “I’m telling you, it definitely looked like they were talking about something important, I think he may be looking for a new job” or “the way they were looking at each other, I’m pretty sure they’re having sex.” And there you have it; the gossip is that I’m looking for a new job and/or sleeping with a mystery woman. Like most things, what goes around comes around, and the office gossip baron will eventually get their comeuppance, usually in the form of complete distrust and contempt from their colleagues.
Lauren and Ian walk by and I divert my attention back to Lucy. “Yes, I was hoping to see you here, and no, I don’t have it in for you anymore.” Good. “I want two things from you.” Interesting, she said ‘want’ and not ‘need’. “Really Lucy, and what might they be?”
No comments:
Post a Comment