Taxis, Shoes And A Shared Chocolate Bar (Part 3)

Monday Morning Money

Afresh, anew, a broad day’s arising. This, our new week cometh not a wink too soon or foregone. It was with my awakening at 5:45 a.m. that I felt the summons was upon my broil to sleep some more. Thereto I did reset my alarm for 6:00 p.m. in which I had some more shuteye. Waking myself up as eagerly as one would for a Monday morning, I was rather calm and energetic for a Monday morning.

Somehow less sleep seems not to deprive my eyes until they are wary with vague monotony, as is on the train. Before anything in the morning I decided to check my bank account praying that my money had arrived but already I was confident. Dialing up the auto-bank service I found my money to be in there and deciding to place $27 in my Credit Card so that I could take out a clean $140 I done so and then went on with my normal sparkling duties.

Having a shower, getting dressed, spraying Chrome perfume and then putting on my tired shoes (Already worn out ridiculously from one and a half weeks), I headed out for the bus. Strangely, it was colder in the first week or two of winter and now the winter freeze has calmed itself down a fair bit. Not feeling too uncomfortable in the colder weather I caught my bus and then my train in which I slept most of the way.

Petty Cash With Thalia

Arriving at Wynyard with a couple of minutes to spare I headed for the mailroom, collected the mail and was off in a race upstairs. Before heading to work I remembered that there were a couple of things I had left to be done for Monday, some briefs, updates and a horde of incoming mail. The incoming mail was actually handed down to Najla who took that portion of the workload off my hands and allowed me to concentrate on the more important briefs.

The morning was a restless one and as I have found with this job (To be pleasing), there is never a moment of peace. Completing two brief updates in the morning I decided to help out Najla with the incoming mail as we had an errand to run. Jana wanted Thalia to show both Najla and I where to head if we were to obtain a petty-cash cheque. When the mail was finished regarding both our effort Thalia grabbed some cab charges and we headed outside to hail a Taxi, Thalia having the honors.

On the way to Bridge Street’s office in the AMP Building we chatted about ‘Austin Powers’ and mimicked most of the parts we adored about. Najla hadn’t seen it yet so we didn’t try and ruin it for her but Thalia and I were having a good old laugh. Whilst in the cab Thalia also mentioned my poetry to Najla because somehow it came up in conversation. Although Thalia only took a quick browse through my book of poetry she noted that it was really good but of course, she was to say that with me around.

Bridge Street Offices

Arriving at the Bridge Street HIH Offices we headed up to the second floor as per our offices and made our entrance to the exuberantly furnished office. Thalia took us down the corridor to a section in which she thought was accounts but it turned out that we were talking to a bunch of temps who didn’t really know what they were talking about. Referring us to the new area where the accounts people had moved to Thalia handed in the petty cash receipts which one of us would have lost our heads if we had lost it.

Handing in the receipts was all we had to do in the meantime and heading back outside we hailed another taxi. In both trips I was riding shotgun simply because I was asked to fill out the cab-charge. The trip back home was a bit tricky as we confused ourselves by thinking we had confused the driver. We ended up driving just past Kent Street in which we were supposed to be dropped off at and as we decided to jump out at the red lights halfway down a side street the lights turned green.

Thalia and Najla were already out of the car and as I filled out the cab-charge quickly I also jumped out. Soon my realization came true, the driver was going around the block simply because Kent Street was a one way street. Thalia corrected her belief and making our little stroll to the office we headed back upstairs and to our work. Back in the office I created another brief and being the senior in administration because I’ve been there a week longer I decided to take the reigns and send out for photocopies to be done.

It seems that I’m the one making the plans and running the errands in our department while Najla is still busy learning. It’s a good thing that I have found my confidence so early to excel because if I was still lost both Najla and I would be extremely behind in our work with no guidance or patting on the back for our good work.

Lunch Alone In Centrepoint

Najla went out for lunch at noon and as she left I started to get a little light-headed due to my light breakfast in the morning. In this time I chatted to Linh (The Asian Guy) and I also talked to Jonas, the one whom I saw at Chevy’s. They were rather brisk conversations but with each chat I am building more of a work relationship with them. It has come to the fact where we are getting comfortable and I can sense that they want to head out to lunch with me or something on the likes of that.

I’ll tell you something, I wouldn’t mind the company but eating alone isn’t that tedious, just a forlorn feeling. When it was my turn to head off for lunch I decided to make my way to ‘Tarocash’ in Centrepoint, where I had seen the good looking gray shirt and greater combination tie. Buying some sushi on the way I ate so as not to be so hungry and then tried on the clothing I had seen the week before.

The shirt and tie didn’t look too outstanding but they suited me and made me look unduly preeminent. I almost got away with paying less for the tie but in the end I paid $80 for the shirt and $50 for the tie. Having looked at all my shirts and my more loved electric blue work short, I’ve realized that the fashion which best suits me at work is a microfiber, light stretch shirt with no pockets, excellent look.

Shoes Falling Apart

Before heading back to work I thought to show my degrading shoes that I had bought for $180 to another Politix store on Pitt Street’s shopping complex. I was amazed to find there were three Politix stores within close proximity, one was for women the other two for men. In addition, clothes by Politix were sold in other places I have shopped at so it’s truly up there. Anyway, the state of my shoes after one and a half weeks of wearing them are atrocious.

They already have a large crease where my toes bend from walking and it has gotten to the point of wear in which they have torn on the sides. What’s more, there is some white powder around the torn areas which looks sort of between salt and flour, how it got there is a mystery. Figuring that the shoes must be faulty the staff at this other ‘Politix’ and held the same view.

However, they asked me to head to the store in which I bought them from but I wasn’t too sure if I could get any sort of exchange after having thrown my docket out. Heading down to the proper store on my way back to work I noticed that there were people in there shopping and the guy who sold the shoes wasn’t in so I decided to skip blasphemy for a day.

Taxis With Najla

Heading back to work I done some more work, some more photocopying and then Najla and I were sent back out to collect the cheque from the Bridge Street Office of HIH. Despite having a heap of work to do we were sent out figuring we could get back and work together and collecting some cab-charges both Najla and I headed downstairs. As I hailed a Taxi I made a joke that Najla should show some leg and as she broke out into laughter she gave me a playful tap on the shoulder as all girls do in these situations.

The Taxi driver that we managed to snag looked depressed or angry with the world in some way. He just didn’t look like he wanted to be there and no amount of small talk was going to get him out of his mood. In addition, he took the most infested streets to arrive at our destination. At one stage we were waiting on the lights for at least three to five minutes and the next street didn’t fare any better as it was packed with cars.

Taking his time and choosing not to be aggressive he wound up the bill and I was just glad I didn’t have to pay it with my own money. Jumping out of the car Najla and I made comments about the Taxi driver and headed upstairs to collect the cheque. Acting like I had been there a hundred times, I walked straight to the accounts section, spoke directly to the lady in charge and as she handed me the petty cash cheque it was time to head back to work.

Catching ourselves another Taxi from across the street we found this one to be more economic and efficient. Chatting to both Najla and the driver as we headed back to work I had Najla sit in the front to fill out a cab charge so she could get used to it, simple. Nevertheless, her inexperience caused her to try and fill it in quickly as we took off and then as we were heading out she took a little more time than usual filing out the blank spaces.

Sharing A Chocolate Bar

Sensing the urgency to buy a drink as I never had a chance in my shopping hour of lunch I invited Najla to buy herself something on me. Najla was too polite for such a gesture as she kindly thanked me but as she commented that she used to eat a certain chocolate with her boyfriend I couldn’t resist but to be persistent. “Ill have that chocolate as well” I exclaimed to the man behind the counter and as Najla kept saying it was fine I kept making the guy behind the counter laugh with my tenacity.

Finally, my pertinence prevailed as I also bought the chocolate bar and as we headed upstairs I jokingly hid it in my suit pocket so no one else would see. I figured that company policy would have been ‘If you bring something along, make sure you bring along for everyone’. Najla kept insisting that she didn’t want any but I was also persistent and in the end we both had half of the chocolate bar. That seemed to break some more of the ice we weren’t really experiencing but it was good to place that sense of surety between us.

Filing For David

The outgoing mail had already been completed before we left for Bridge Street at 4:00 p.m. so there was nothing much to do but briefs and filing. However, Kelsey had given us a bunch of files to get photocopied so I done a portion of that for the last part of the day. At one stage David came over looking for two files and as he didn’t have the time or urgency to look for them himself he handed me the task.

Vowing to find them quickly as to enthuse his thoughts of me I was lucky to look and pick out almost instantly, the files that David was looking for. Within seconds I passed them on to him and though he didn’t show much surprise I knew subliminally he was awestruck, not… For the last half an hour of work I completed one more brief to be sent out and in the whole day there was a horde of briefs completed.

Najla couldn’t wait to head home as she was counting down the minutes in her head and as our time arrived we both walked to the station together as usual. Anyway, the time is now headed almost to 11:40 p.m. and sadly I am having another late night. It seems that in the last week and a half I haven’t slept before 11:30 p.m. for work and as I am working out tomorrow it looks like another long night on the computer.

Nevertheless, I am catching up with my chronology as all I have to talk about now is the loose scraps of Monday night and then today’s story. For now I must be off to sleep as I have just had myself a soothing shower with the body wash. I’ll see you when next I meet these pages tomorrow…