The Subordinate

Faded Glory

'Have you ever questioned the usefulness of your job?'

I uttered over coffee, with the mid-twenties paralegal of the law firm two floors up our office in a high rise office building.

'Most of my friends don't even know that I have a day time job, because all they know is that I am writer and occasionally contributing articles to couple of international newspapers - just to give myself an ego boost about the usefulness my law degree.' Nancy sighed upon saying the word usefulness,  justifying the lack of purpose. Writing for writing sake, a degree for the degree's sake.

'What made you ask?'

Pretty much, I haven't much encountered many kids my age asking the purposeful usage of their jobs to society.

'My boss is helpless in grammar, to the point that the purpose of my job is correcting his punctuation, diction and articulation. So much for his macho streak of former national athlete for the country which he still highlights even when it happened forty years ago.'

I rolled my eyes, as I wasn't sure how long am I able to put up with a boss who is a faded glory athlete and still couldn't find his footing in business - other than giving the illusion of power and knowledge. When his knowledge normally comes from the subordinates, who attended good quality research intensive universities.

'Tell me about it. The trainee lawyer spent his week giving much priority to a trespass case which falls under torts, and our firm is a criminal law firm.'

'Didn't he go to law school for him to know?'

Nancy raised her eyebrows, and burrowed herself in her cup of coffee. It is as if the highlight of our work lives are based around the cups of coffee we drink.

'He did. It wasn't a shabby one either, I can only think of two things. Either he fancies me and couldn't have the balls to asking me out, or he's trying to win attention for his retention. Regardless, it is just pointless. He cannot find it in any criminal statutory book, as it under civil.'

She grimaced. 'My boss hired this new guy, a receptionist in fact. Just to make it seem to the client that we have a concrete office.' I sighed, 'and the phone didn't even ring a single day.'

'How so?' Her frown was very telling.

'The boss forgot we don't even have a landline, to make it seem his consultancy and marketing guru is legit.' I took a deep breath, and with so much will power try not to think of putting a bullet in my head.

'Seems like we are rocking the same boat of this pointlessness.'

'Oh, I heard from Paula. She's been promoted to private relations manager.'

Nancy crinkled her nose, 'what does that exactly do?'

'She basically just manages her colleagues ensuring that they all get on well and if maintenance failed to show up, she needs to make sure that the employees in the building are all right and will apologise on the behalf of the maintenance team in case the utilities people don't turn up or is being needed by another department.'

'Okay,' she intended sarcasm.

'At least her boss isn't the kind of person who spends eighty per cent of his time making sure people knew he was in the national team for some aquatics sport forty years ago. And pushing that he is an expert in markets, marketing and mergers.'

I was very unconvinced about the services we sell as I was that pragmatic my boss is exactly that person he projects himself to be. Athlete, yes - but not an Olympian. Handsome, no - he only works out.

'Sounds toxic, I know but he pays well. I mean for what I'm doing - pay is good.' I let a long sigh out. Who am I to complain, I thought. I get paid £60,000 to make clients believe they needed post-mergers, mergers networking and marketing services they really do not need at all.

'Being paid to turn up work, for free heating ten hours a day in winter and free air conditioning ten hours a day in summer. Endless coffee. Occasionally flirting with other lawyers. Literally having more snack breaks and longer lunch breaks than actual court work - it is a dream scape.'

Despite our potent, dark roast Arabica coffee - we cannot hide the boredom and demise that we have in our "purposeful" careers, that it actually makes us sleepy.