The End

Monday, 8th March 1993

Finally positive news besides the women's day.

That morning I was welcome by Vanessa, the black girl met during the preliminary stages of my recruitment.

Vanessa explained to me that the week before, just after our encounter, she left for Rome to support the organization of an important customers event. She thanked me so much for having contributed to the management of the switchboard and of the door phone, otherwise her responsibility. If someone had given me that news before, the first working week of my life would have been more serene.

My nice colleague immediately switched off the switchboard, redirecting all its calls in her office, then she set off also the second door phone, it was so beautiful not to seem true.

Besides being freed from the front office slavery, there were other important novelties; Vanessa immediately gave me a new desk, to be freely chosen between the next ones. Fantastic!

Last but not least, within a couple of hours I was equipped with a personal computer, linked to the company net and all its contents necessary to my graduation thesis, while the next day I'd have also benefited of a personal e-mail account.

Vanessa insisted for a common tour of the offices still unknown to me, that is, those located on the other floors, and even though there were still few people around, when we intercepted someone new she happily took care of the necessary presentations, always describing me as Miguel's personal selection, not a common case according to her words. She then told me where I could find the stationery, but unfortunately I already knew that little room very well, the fridge with all its content necessary to survive until the evening, the break area still never visited, and finally the infirmary, for sure in the future I'd have needed it.

My sparkling colleague then innocently wondered out loud why all that hadn't done the previous week. My first desk wasn't the right one for me and for anybody, just a common shelf available to all. She was so sure to have given precise instructions to Luca, both written and verbal; I, absolutely not surprised by those revelations, preferred not to intervene leaving her to her candid arguments.

Finally, having fought for Romina's half friendship, I had a real colleague.

I did well to resist, everything was going to the better.

*****

While I was taking full possession of my new corporate assets Fosca came.

"Follow me" she ordered again without greeting, not only me, but all the others nearby. A true master of ceremonies. And I wasn't the only one to notice that:

"Good morning Fosca" Elio called her while she was exiting from the open space. She got almost bothered by that hint of courtesy.

As soon as I got in her office I noticed several piles of folders against the wall, a diabolical smile stirred my lips.

I sat down, in the meantime she closed the door. Incoming troubles.

Fosca felt more comfortable with me by sitting, finally at the same height, at least physically. It wasn't so when we were both standing, as I was at least twenty centimetres over and all that seemed to put her under stress. Regained parity of view of the scene, she started her outburst:

"I didn't like what happened last week. Woe betide you if you'll do it again" she said with hysterical voice, the veins of the thin neck so visible and her nude skin towards a red fire shift.

I knew it was better to keep silent, I simply looked at her with a questioning face.

"The next time you don't like your job, speak directly to me."

Her sharp and dry tone bothered me but I didn't lose heart:

"I didn't refuse any work, nor I allowed myself to make any comment with anyone."

She was upset, a lot; with the right hand she continued to reset her eyeglasses, holding the right lens between the index and the thumb and bringing it back to the eye. I had the opportunity to look at her nose closer having the confirmation it was a fake. Meanwhile, the other hand was resting on the shelf, in the pose of a fluttering and tinkling fist, adorned with too many noisy bracelets.

"Really? So why did you make me look so bad with Miguel?!" she yelled, now fully lit.

"He came through by chance, asking what I was doing, I just told him the truth. And I didn't mention your name, nor the one of anyone else."

"Anyway, learn to make it alone!"

It was really too much, but I had my own methods too:

"Sure."

"Stop it!"

"As you wish."

"Giulia, you're really making me nervous! You're just an internship, no one is interested you're here! Neither today nor ever! Learn how to behave accordingly!"

"Thank you very much for your advice. However I'm not an internship but a temporary contract, didn't you know?"

"However, if you go on like this, you'll stay here little!"

"May I help you in any other way?"

"Know your place. And if you want to learn something new, look Eleanora or Romina, they know a lot more than you!"

Those last sentences were the hardest to digest.

"You'll have to support them in the next days; unlike you they're so busy and never complain. In the meantime, learn how to behave! I've never seen such an insolence before!"

"May I go?"

She didn't answer. As in the previous days I found the answer to my legitimate questions alone.

I didn't do well resisting, nothing was going to the better.