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31/08/2011

Kaylah Dawson

2:14 pm

Board meeting is the right name. I'm bored. Suits and inflated egos as far as the eye can see, not a single smile that isn't painted on or an opinion that isnt biased. The only problem we seem to be resolving here is insomnia.

We'd been here for hours, the plain white walls giving me a dizzying headache, and all the different languages adding to the confusion. Hayden was up to speak next, she was talking about how to resolve the upcoming energy crisis. I don't know why I was so nervous, all I had to do was repeat what she was saying in French for the portion of the audience who didn't speak any of the other translated languages.

Yet my palms were clammy and my ears were ringing as Maya's name was called to stand and deliver her speech. "Hello, my name is Maya Carter." She began, before turning to look at me - my cue to begin translating.

"Bonjour je m'appelle Maya Carter." I repeated.

"We built the wind turbines with a skin that was solar, so the blades harnessed the wind and the sun..."

"Nous avons construit les éoliennes avec une peau solaire, donc les pales exploitaient le vent et le soleil.."

It went on like this for the minutes that Maya spoke. She would speak a few sentences, then I would repeat them in French. I was nervous at first but the nerves soon left me as we got into a comfortable routine and by the time we were nearing the end of his speech my voice had become more confident.

"By doing this we found the end of dirty energy. We expanded our imaginations and the answers tumbled from our brains as if we were kids who had plucked enough courage to open the cookie jar. Thank you."

"En faisant cela, nous avons trouvé la fin de l'énergie sale. Nous avons élargi notre imagination et les réponses sont sorties de notre cerveau comme si nous étions des enfants qui avaient eu assez de courage pour ouvrir le pot à biscuits. Merci" As the last words left my lips a round of applause erupted around the seats, I guess Maya's speech was a hit. That was to be expected though, she always did have a way with her words.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins as we went to go sit back down in our assigned seats, I almost wanted to do it again. Who knew translating infront of an audience could be so exhilirating? I looked across at Maya with a smile on my face, forgetting the anger and tension there was between us, but the smile quickly dropped from my face as her met mine, a dark frown plastered on it. "What are you smiling at like that, huh?" She hissed, before getting up and striding briskly past me and out the doors at the back.

Any trace of excitement had been completely and utterly taken from me by Maya's behaviour, what was her deal? The rest of the meeting I sat in silence, all the other speakers had their own translators so I only had to translate for Maya.

This gave me a lot of time to think. To think about Maya and this job, and how I was still yet to find something I truly enjoyed about it.

To think about the reason I took this job, and how my mother was somewhere sat in a hospital bed right now.

To think about why I had been left with the responsibility of medical bills, and how my sister was gone, for good.

One thought led to another, minute after minute passed and my mood worsened and worsened.

For the second time in 2 days the thought of quitting crossed my mind, but I pushed it away again. Fuck Maya and her bloody negativity, I will find a way to enjoy this job, there's no reason for me not to.

As I watched the next speakers go up I tried to put on a more positive face. They were talking about the water crisis.

I must say some of these topics were quite interesting, and I'm not even into politics like that. Listening on the speakers I drowned out my own thoughts and put all my focus on them and their speech about energy efficient desal plants, whatever they were.