BIG Chapter 1
Without Prejudice
I was hired as a Purchasing Officer at a Site In Clayton by two former bosses of mine, one from Holden, G and One from Holden Special Vehicles, K, Big Men. important men and they both had liked working with me. So they asked me to "come on board"
I had texted one of them before I left Queensland to see if there were any jobs going. K had helped me enormously , in the past. I had worked in a Contract position with him and he taught me everything about OE Purchasing, which I had not done before.
And I needed to be stretched, as all the other work I had done before, was beginning just slightly to not challenge me any more.
G I had worked with at Holden, GMH Fishermens' bend, a historic and prestigious place to work. Once again I was in a limited contract.
The history of the building was impressive, the new hybrid Commodore wheeled down the wooden hall way, every inch of it covered and the men rolling it along, gowned and masked, almost like doctors in an operating theater.
I was there months cleaning up a mess. People who had been employed as Purchasing Officers and had no experience what so ever, it was a nightmare. All the People there being let go soon and they knew it, so they weren't too happy.
But I had worked like that before. One place the Big Boss came over from Singapore and told the Department heads to sack one person from every department, 73 in total. It was a nightmare and I started that day.
People packing up desks and tears and threats, it was awful. but I was a temp and was told not to get involved in Office politics.
And at Maxi Cube when it was finally announced the long rumoured shift to Ballarat was actually happening, there were forklifts driven into doors deliberately and the people were furious, some of them being there 20 years. Nightmare.
So with two men who I respected very much, asking me to join them on board at the new place I was excited and wanting the challenge and the money.
I knew when I walked in I would love the place. I was a smoker in those days and was sitting outside haven a sneaky cigarette when a friendly man approached me from the Car Park,
"First day?", he questioned.
"Yes", I replied
He busied himself with keys and a lock and I politely waited behind him.
He ran up the steps two at a time, me trailing him, huffing and puffing.
"You're very fit", I commented,
and he disappeared. I saw Keith and George and we greeted each other effusively and that was that, I was sat at a desk and logged in and there I was, little Miss Purchasing Officer.
Later that day, I called over to George and Keith's desks and heard what I thought was an old woman, screaming at some one else in the boardroom, on a phone. The voice reverberated all over the office.
"You left the fucking glass in the toilet, now if I had wanted the fucking glass left in the toilet I would have said so"
"Now pick up the fucking glass in the toilet", the voice was shrieking by now, so loud it shook the partition next to me.
A bit taken aback, I said to the "Boys",
"Is that a woman's voice?"
"No", answered Keith, "that's Mick.
" Who??" I Asked.
"Mick T. the CEO."
" Is he always like this,"
" Like what?"
" Like screaming his lungs out at someone, and scaring people half to death"
"Oh, this is a good day !"
Later that afternoon I was introduced to the CEO, Mick T,
Lo and behold it was the friendly man that had let me in that morning. I had thought he was the cleaner. But now, realised, the cleaner was who "The Voice" had been screaming at.
I smiled faintly and thought,
"Wow, hope I don't get on the wrong side of him."
I never did, I ended up liking the holy terror and once he went through the office, getting rid of desks and "stuff" and pointed at me.
"She can stay", I was pleased.
It had been mentioned at the interview, that the place was a "Blokey", sort of place and there were profanities and foul language going to be used.
I was Ok with all that having worked in mainly man operated paces before and being a bit of a tomboy as a child and growing up with mainly brothers.
So I settled in and was told a little about the company history, the place was run by 6 directors and I was able to meet most of them on the first day.
About a week later, Lorena, the receptionist rang me at my desk and asked me to ask Keith if I could help prepare the company barbecue. If I work for the "Boys", I have to ask permission from one of my bosses to cut up salads in the kitchen.
So I did. I asked Lorena, the receptionist, a plump delicious funny morsel of a woman, Indian and wicked with it.
"Who's this BIG I keep hearing about?, he's one of the Directors on my list! I asked.
Lorena just laughed and her whole body shook. I stood watching her waiting for her to enlighten me on the joke.
"BIG is the oldest man here", she said.
He's really old.
"Really!", I said.
Mick put on a really good BBQ for is "boys", 72 men and 4 women. We had alcohol. which I was secretly shocked about, knowing consumption of alcohol in work hours is frowned on.
But it was a fun event and a very well catered one. Only the best of meat was purchased, brought in to us, Lorena and I, by a slimy little toad of a man that I had decided I didn't like.
He was large and ethnic and lazy as all let out and I have worked with those sort of men before. They tend (not all, thank God!) to be absolute little arse holes. they run to the boss, they pretend to work and leave on a Friday at 2pm, after piling you with their work.
He knew I didn't like him, too but kept trying to get on my good side. He had no hope of that after repeatedly approaching me directly to do his work instead of following strict protocols and ask my bosses, first.
And I noticed if I wore anything vee necked he would appear and I would see BIG on the phone at the same time, so I realised they were ringing each other, the two gay divorcees.
I used to wave him away like an annoying gnat and had a few spats with him and the more I did, the stronger he came on.
I wasn't worried, I had been dealing with freaks like that all my life. They treat women like idiots and forget I have a fairly decent brain and I am old enough to not have to tolerate fools real easily.
He tried to approach my bosses in a "Blokey" sort of way to get their permission to do his work and they waved him on his way too.
Lorena would do his work for him, willingly, she was a good natured soul and loved everybody and I wasn't about to bother to inform her any differently.
He could also be very good, the toad, telling us about his devotion to his Mum and Dad and son, but I always had the feeling it was just for show.
"Look what a good bloke I am, but meanwhile will you do a full days work for me so I can leave early Friday ? "
He seemed to fool the bosses for a while by being his blokey self. The big Boss called him Kung Fu Panda, how cute !
Anyway back to the oldest man in the building. I saw a man sitting a way away from me, grey haired and grey beard.
"Is that Him" I asked, "the other director"
"Oh, no", Lorena said and tapped a tall man on the shoulder and said, "this is him "
The man,, turned around and the earth stopped on its axis for a moment, just a milli second really, but it was there. I looked up at this man and thought
OH My God!
He looked familiar and I felt like I had met him before, I had. B, my ex husband.
I mumbled something and looked at my pumps that I hadn't polished that morning and I turned tail and ran. I took the stairs two at a time, calling out to Lorena, convulsed behind her keyboard.
"You'll keep", I whispered and this cracked her up even further. God. I was livid.
I stomped back to my desk and buried myself in work. God just what I needed another Bob like creature and here was me.
"Yeah, good looking like that, rich and powerful,
"probably a good looking, powerful, spoilt, arrogant prick. , I thought.
So I thought " Best to avoid that one, no problem"
So the next morning I was in the office before anyone, so I furtively got on Google to look for a house. { I had recently moved out from a domestic situation with a lovely man, who I just didn't happen to fancy anymore.) And if that sounds shallow, I was with him for all the wrong reasons and basically he just didn't "do it" for me.
He had been left by his wife for the next door neighbor eons before. A man she had eventually married and was quite happy. The man was so hurt and betrayed by this he was still letting it affect him all those years later.
He wanted no commitment of any kind. he also had a psychotic jealous 22 year old unemployed son who had lately taken to slashing my clothes, so I thought a nice amicable separation was on the cards.
My daughter was having problems in her own marriage so I moved in with her, left and flew to Qld for six weeks, to house sit my Sisters place while she was away Overseas and do some writing.
When I flew home my nice ex had texted me and said he was moving in with another woman after 6 weeks of our separation. I wasn't happy but I got on with cleaning up the house we had shared and applying for jobs.
Then I got the call from K saying there could be something at where he was working. So there I was at the the new job and from day one I knew I wouldn't have enough to do.
But I needed the money and the distraction. I was on Google looking for a new home, for me, my possessions and my own sanity.
I loved living with my daughter, as I do with all my girls but I wanted no man, space, peace quiet and somewhere to settle down in. Just me and a cat.
So the next thing I hear a voice behind me.
"Sprung"
and there standing behind me, hand on my shoulder is my Bosses Boss, ultimately my Big Boss, BIG
"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKKK", I thought.
He leapt up next to me on the bench and I kept my eyes firmly ahead on the computer. I just kept typing and he kept talking. I just typed and listened.
"We're not anal about things like that", he said, referencing my Google Search.
He was the cocky rebel, he wore an earring, he was immaculately groomed to perfection. Everything about him exuded confidence, power, suppressed rage and scary scary stuff.
And he was deigning to sit beside me and chat, I was still mad at myself for my sneaky looking on Google.My cheeks burned for ages, right up to my ear tips.
One day as ever, I was in early and I made my way to the kitchen, ignoring him over the empty office.
I walked into kitchen and behind me I heard this voice, say,
"So, How was your weekend?'
I whirled around, it was, him Big.
I turned away and pulled a cup out of the cupboard.
"Devastating,!" was my short reply.
He hesitated, probably not expecting that answer.
"Why;", he asked.
"I stayed at my daughters house and her dog ate the back out of my favourite shoes. " And I looked down, yep, same 50's vintage leather pumps I wore the first day I met him. Cleaner.
"You could trim them ", he said.
"What?", I replied.
"Trim the leather at the back and that would fix them, with a pair of scissors", said he the clever engineer.
"OK, thanks" I replied
A few days later he was going past with some big contingency of the powers that be and I called him back. he of course in front, the perfect Alpha Male.
"Hey Big"
He turned in around in front of all the big wigs and smiled,
"Yes,", the Big Boss said, indulging my casual greeting
"It worked," I said.
"What?"
"The trick with the scissors"
It Worked, and I still don't believe I did this, I gave him a thumbs up. This was a man that could crush me like a bug, metaphorically, anyway.
And then I extended my ankle out, not giving a shit.
He smiled like he wanted to bite me, hard, and left.
Round one to me. I felt like high fiving someone but instead got back to work, reasoning that was what I was there for. He punished me later, for my insolence, I knew he would, but I didn't care.
But this time he brought a "mate", Kung Fu Panda, who was also going through a divorce and so was Big, leaving him with a with a little girl, aged at the time 2. I assumed it had been not that long ago. But you could see he was still shell shocked.
They both decided to give me the poor man, bad woman shit and I had an answer for everything. Everything. even down to the comments, why were all women gold digging bitches to why does a woman leaves a man, I decided to play out the moment and then leaned in close to both of them.
"A woman leaves a poor man because of the money"
AND, she leaves a rich man, because of the sex"
And gold digging is apparently built into some women's DNA, wanting the best for her progeny. or not wanting to work.
They both looked a little uncomfortable and left. Good, I thought, now they would leave me alone.
Mostly marriage is a lot of hard work and sometimes holding on when there is no reason to. And I didn't get the idea either of the men had been married for very long.
And I knew I had worked at mine, for 20 years and it was for the kids a lot of the time, they say you shouldn't, but in that era, we did.
There's nothing going to make you feel more than a failure that a Marriage breakdown and men hate failure.
Women don't like to leave marriages, not when they have kids. I know so many fine hard working devoted Mothers and Wives, who have put up with too much crap and shouldn't.
A woman does not give up easily if she has invested lots of time to trying to make things work. She sometimes loses herself in the relationship.
It's interesting, who we love and why and having had two abusive relationships, I decide I am not a great "Chooser" of partners and decide to leave it all to someone else and not worry about it. Someone better at it like my sister Jackie.
I realised I was a "fixer" and I liked to "fix " people. So I didn't want to "fix" anyone else.
I realised BIG was quite isolated by all that power, so I used to talk to him. And one day I walked in and he was sitting there all alone, the black panther at his desk.
He didn't walk he stalked, ready to pounce. So instead of turning right to the kitchen, I turned left to Big's desk and plonked myself down in front of him.
He took a while to acknowledge me, finally stopping what he was doing and deigning to look at me, little pleb.
I was ready to bolt but I stayed the course, waiting in silence. He looked up at me and smiled,
"Yes?"
And I just started talking, like I would to anyone, and he thought I was funny. and probably very rude.
"Where are you looking for a house?" he said, apropos of nothing.
"Noble Park", I replied.
"I'm a Noble Park Boy," he said, I was gob smacked at this but pulled my jaw from the floor and soldiered on.
We talked for ages, interruptions coming thick and fast but still we kept on talking. Like friends and I thought,
"Good, can't hurt.!
He was very like Bob, a workaholic, vain, big ego, powerful,
and as a Famous Actress"s Dad had told me,
"There is no aphrodisiac stronger than Power, None."
( The famous Actresses Dad was a lovely Man and I felt so sad for him. He had been a high flyer and was "flying high", on the phone to Agents and managers and then right at the table at a Power Lunch he had a stroke and was left with a paralysed arm.
And other disabilities, And I asked him how long did the "Friends" hang around ??
He just smiled. )
And it didn't, hurt being friends with Big, and I decided he wasn't like the others, rude psychopathic bosses I have at times, worked for, that certainly don't belong in the work force, but often dominate it.
It seemed he was concerned more with his daughters well being than anything else, all the other stuff he just managed, was well like and respected, especially, by his Lovely Lorena. And he was very good to me.
I found I like talking to him as he had no idea, no clue, really what it was like for the plebs, and I'm always working for the down trodden or I was.
He thought labels were everything, he thought that squid and chips would take over from fish and chips. He thought everything in your life was controllable and there was no excuse. None.
He had everything in his life buttoned down pat and I didn't.
I was a mess, he told me,
"I didn't like myself that much"
He told me I didn't ,
"Make enough of myself for some reason."
Maybe that was because I didn't like myself that much!!!!!
He asked me out and I made some mumbling reply. Not while your my Boss, I thought.
That afternoon I received a call, from a car,
"What are you doing tonight?"
"I'm busy"
"Doing what?".
God did this man have any manners ?????
"I told you I am looking for a house, and I'm meeting a Real Estate tonight, at one"
Hang up
Next day, same phone call at 4.30,
"What are you doing tonight??''
"I'm busy"
"Doing what?'
"None of your business and I'm busy right now, actually"
And I hung up.
And he rang me back and it's the only time he pulled rank on me,
:Did you just hang up on me"
"Yes"
"I'm your boss!"
"I realise that, but I told you I was busy and I'm busy right now, actually" and I hung up again.
No more calls, and I really thought,
"Shit he's going to sack me tomorrow." And I panicked a little
But he didn't, he just ignored me, mostly.
And I left the job, resigning on the spot after G was gone, there had been a lot of unrest and lots of sackings and I thought I was next, so I went to another interview, rang BIG and he begged me to reconsider and I was adamant.
I was way too upset about G and it seemed the right thing to do, having gone for another interview, and I was tired of trying to look busy.
I caught up with the lady from accounts unfinished work in an Afternoon and to her it was months of work. I was used to manufacturing Purchasing which is like a hungry beast and you work fast, you have to.
I'd also done Accounts Payable and loved it, such a change from credit. loads of data entry and cheque processing and lots of queries and checking accounts.
I had just done a 3 month stint in Accounts Payable at Camec and it was heads down, bum up, for 8 hours a day. the man that had been in the position before me, deciding filing was beneath him and left eight months worth of filing on the floor.
That was fun and the time flew. I hate filling eight hours with not enough work, trying to look busy. I hate that.
I had other bosses like BIG, serious, good at their job, loved their work, fair and decent men that taught me carefully the secrets they knew.
All boy stuff but I used to lap it up. Steele Warren at Bombardier was a fantastic boss, fair, decent, no fool and for that sort of boss you will work your butt off.
His compliments will be few but sincerely given. Steele telling me that all engineers are truly psychotic, himself included.
He had kids and grand kids he called Klingons. Peter Vexler at Maxicube was a shy tall diffident man, who was funny and could never look at me full on, just giving me shy glances.
I was the first female purchasing Officer they had ever had. And it was a hot bed of gossip and innuendo and Peter grabbed me by the elbow and steered me through. I adored him.
My first boss at Myers was a youngish bookish man who was recently engaged. You can imagine my surprise one day, when he swept up my plump, ugly-uniformed body to him and planted a big fat kiss on my mouth.
I was a virginal girl, my thick glasses steamed up, so did my cheeks. I pushed him away.
"You're engaged", I blurted out, wiping my mouth surreptitiously with a tissue.
"Who cares?", he said making another lunge. I ducked his outstretched arms and ran.
He was always overly polite after that and he married and moved away. I heard of him years later by my friend Gayle Froud. We talked of him and as we had a drink or five I told her about the lunge.
She had similar experiences to relate and we laughed together and then she said he had recently died, of cancer, aged under 50, and then we were both sad.
And raised a glass to the sweet letch, gone too soon, who found us dowdy little shop girls attractive and tried to make us feel like women.
It helps every female to have a male mentor in the workforce. As long as it remains within the boss employee relationship it is a great thing to have and it gives other females the shits, haha only joking.
I never took my good relationships with my bosses, lightly. They were people I respected and wanted to make money for and work hard for, not for the money, nor their praise but for their respect.
And I had several ask me out and I never would. Never.
And I am fairly outgoing so they liked me as I could work and have fun with it. One of the best places I ever worked was at Brash's, Southland, a Music , TV, Stereo,Piano, just about everything musical store.
My Dad had had a music store in The Lido Arcade on the Gold Coast years before and although I wasn't old enough to work there. I loved to go there.
Ian and Jackie and Mum all worked in the shop and it was fabulous. The Brothers Gibb came in and......... I'll leave that story for another time.
I worked At Southland, Brash's, Thursday, Friday nights and Half day Saturday, as part time Manageress. And my boss there had to be one of the best men I ever worked for.
He was an English guy happily married, happy with himself and he loved us all. He was funny and witty with a great sense of humour, dry.
He introduced us all, the record bar girls, the young sales boys, Pino, the piano sales guy, to his music and his favourites. Khe Sanh, came into being then, and James Reyne and The Fureys, all our best sellers, and people were buying this new thing, the video recorder hand over fist.
David, my boss, taught me everything about profit and retails and sales figures, he was shrewd and clever and a an affable man.
And every Saturday Morning as we were locking up, he would play his favourite songs, up high. War Of the Worlds by Jeff Wayne, The Moody Blues, The Secret Policemans Ball ( I lapped up the English humour. )
He and i would banter back and forth, back and forth about the deafening music and humour. Still working, mind.
And a jealous sales manager girl said to us both a bit harshly one day,
"God, is there anything you two don't , "LOVE"
"It's I love this song, turn it up, every 5 fucking minutes with you two"
And it was true, must have been annoying, so we shut up a bit and as soon as she had gone went straight back to critiquing the songs.
We just couldn't help it, delighted as we were at our shared love of music. And every Saturday as I was cashing up, after that, and Dave had to wait for me, while I counted and tallied every cent, he would play me, always..
"Eye In The Sky", By the Alan Parsons Project.
Full volume, the song bouncing around the walls of the empty store as it was his favourite of all, then in ascending order,
Peter Gabriel, "Don't give up", Dan Fogelberg and "Old Lang Syne", the Fureys, "Sweet Sixteen, and James Reyne's "Fall Of Rome". He was fixated on those ones.
He would peek around the corner at me beavering away and say "Like that One?" I know he didn't like to be in such close proximity to a woman, as he was shy of them but he somehow managed to overcome it with me and we were good mates.
Never, ever a sleazy word, not even a hint, So grateful, because women really don't like it. he was happily Married, Dave and his wife was a delight, just like him.
Keith was a great mentor at Holden Special Vehicles, unbelievably kind and hard working, he had a brain like a computer. I always admired the engineers, the workers, there.
They obviously all loved, almost worshipped, cars and I could understand that. I understood and liked their dedication to their craft. And when the tough times came, like they always do, they would kick your arse just like a man.
They demanded quality and wanted it in spades.
And loyalty only to them, no one else. I have great brothers, like that, that work hard, expect a lot and take no prisoners. They are tough!
And they will not let me get away with anything. You "write", they say and bless them, and one Saturday morning they sat down and read my stories and cried. The BIG girls. Love all you boys, you know that !
Love Janette
I was hired as a Purchasing Officer at a Site In Clayton by two former bosses of mine, one from Holden, G and One from Holden Special Vehicles, K, Big Men. important men and they both had liked working with me. So they asked me to "come on board"
I had texted one of them before I left Queensland to see if there were any jobs going. K had helped me enormously , in the past. I had worked in a Contract position with him and he taught me everything about OE Purchasing, which I had not done before.
And I needed to be stretched, as all the other work I had done before, was beginning just slightly to not challenge me any more.
G I had worked with at Holden, GMH Fishermens' bend, a historic and prestigious place to work. Once again I was in a limited contract.
The history of the building was impressive, the new hybrid Commodore wheeled down the wooden hall way, every inch of it covered and the men rolling it along, gowned and masked, almost like doctors in an operating theater.
I was there months cleaning up a mess. People who had been employed as Purchasing Officers and had no experience what so ever, it was a nightmare. All the People there being let go soon and they knew it, so they weren't too happy.
But I had worked like that before. One place the Big Boss came over from Singapore and told the Department heads to sack one person from every department, 73 in total. It was a nightmare and I started that day.
People packing up desks and tears and threats, it was awful. but I was a temp and was told not to get involved in Office politics.
And at Maxi Cube when it was finally announced the long rumoured shift to Ballarat was actually happening, there were forklifts driven into doors deliberately and the people were furious, some of them being there 20 years. Nightmare.
So with two men who I respected very much, asking me to join them on board at the new place I was excited and wanting the challenge and the money.
I knew when I walked in I would love the place. I was a smoker in those days and was sitting outside haven a sneaky cigarette when a friendly man approached me from the Car Park,
"First day?", he questioned.
"Yes", I replied
He busied himself with keys and a lock and I politely waited behind him.
He ran up the steps two at a time, me trailing him, huffing and puffing.
"You're very fit", I commented,
and he disappeared. I saw Keith and George and we greeted each other effusively and that was that, I was sat at a desk and logged in and there I was, little Miss Purchasing Officer.
Later that day, I called over to George and Keith's desks and heard what I thought was an old woman, screaming at some one else in the boardroom, on a phone. The voice reverberated all over the office.
"You left the fucking glass in the toilet, now if I had wanted the fucking glass left in the toilet I would have said so"
"Now pick up the fucking glass in the toilet", the voice was shrieking by now, so loud it shook the partition next to me.
A bit taken aback, I said to the "Boys",
"Is that a woman's voice?"
"No", answered Keith, "that's Mick.
" Who??" I Asked.
"Mick T. the CEO."
" Is he always like this,"
" Like what?"
" Like screaming his lungs out at someone, and scaring people half to death"
"Oh, this is a good day !"
Later that afternoon I was introduced to the CEO, Mick T,
Lo and behold it was the friendly man that had let me in that morning. I had thought he was the cleaner. But now, realised, the cleaner was who "The Voice" had been screaming at.
I smiled faintly and thought,
"Wow, hope I don't get on the wrong side of him."
I never did, I ended up liking the holy terror and once he went through the office, getting rid of desks and "stuff" and pointed at me.
"She can stay", I was pleased.
It had been mentioned at the interview, that the place was a "Blokey", sort of place and there were profanities and foul language going to be used.
I was Ok with all that having worked in mainly man operated paces before and being a bit of a tomboy as a child and growing up with mainly brothers.
So I settled in and was told a little about the company history, the place was run by 6 directors and I was able to meet most of them on the first day.
About a week later, Lorena, the receptionist rang me at my desk and asked me to ask Keith if I could help prepare the company barbecue. If I work for the "Boys", I have to ask permission from one of my bosses to cut up salads in the kitchen.
So I did. I asked Lorena, the receptionist, a plump delicious funny morsel of a woman, Indian and wicked with it.
"Who's this BIG I keep hearing about?, he's one of the Directors on my list! I asked.
Lorena just laughed and her whole body shook. I stood watching her waiting for her to enlighten me on the joke.
"BIG is the oldest man here", she said.
He's really old.
"Really!", I said.
Mick put on a really good BBQ for is "boys", 72 men and 4 women. We had alcohol. which I was secretly shocked about, knowing consumption of alcohol in work hours is frowned on.
But it was a fun event and a very well catered one. Only the best of meat was purchased, brought in to us, Lorena and I, by a slimy little toad of a man that I had decided I didn't like.
He was large and ethnic and lazy as all let out and I have worked with those sort of men before. They tend (not all, thank God!) to be absolute little arse holes. they run to the boss, they pretend to work and leave on a Friday at 2pm, after piling you with their work.
He knew I didn't like him, too but kept trying to get on my good side. He had no hope of that after repeatedly approaching me directly to do his work instead of following strict protocols and ask my bosses, first.
And I noticed if I wore anything vee necked he would appear and I would see BIG on the phone at the same time, so I realised they were ringing each other, the two gay divorcees.
I used to wave him away like an annoying gnat and had a few spats with him and the more I did, the stronger he came on.
I wasn't worried, I had been dealing with freaks like that all my life. They treat women like idiots and forget I have a fairly decent brain and I am old enough to not have to tolerate fools real easily.
He tried to approach my bosses in a "Blokey" sort of way to get their permission to do his work and they waved him on his way too.
Lorena would do his work for him, willingly, she was a good natured soul and loved everybody and I wasn't about to bother to inform her any differently.
He could also be very good, the toad, telling us about his devotion to his Mum and Dad and son, but I always had the feeling it was just for show.
"Look what a good bloke I am, but meanwhile will you do a full days work for me so I can leave early Friday ? "
He seemed to fool the bosses for a while by being his blokey self. The big Boss called him Kung Fu Panda, how cute !
Anyway back to the oldest man in the building. I saw a man sitting a way away from me, grey haired and grey beard.
"Is that Him" I asked, "the other director"
"Oh, no", Lorena said and tapped a tall man on the shoulder and said, "this is him "
The man,, turned around and the earth stopped on its axis for a moment, just a milli second really, but it was there. I looked up at this man and thought
OH My God!
He looked familiar and I felt like I had met him before, I had. B, my ex husband.
I mumbled something and looked at my pumps that I hadn't polished that morning and I turned tail and ran. I took the stairs two at a time, calling out to Lorena, convulsed behind her keyboard.
"You'll keep", I whispered and this cracked her up even further. God. I was livid.
I stomped back to my desk and buried myself in work. God just what I needed another Bob like creature and here was me.
"Yeah, good looking like that, rich and powerful,
"probably a good looking, powerful, spoilt, arrogant prick. , I thought.
So I thought " Best to avoid that one, no problem"
So the next morning I was in the office before anyone, so I furtively got on Google to look for a house. { I had recently moved out from a domestic situation with a lovely man, who I just didn't happen to fancy anymore.) And if that sounds shallow, I was with him for all the wrong reasons and basically he just didn't "do it" for me.
He had been left by his wife for the next door neighbor eons before. A man she had eventually married and was quite happy. The man was so hurt and betrayed by this he was still letting it affect him all those years later.
He wanted no commitment of any kind. he also had a psychotic jealous 22 year old unemployed son who had lately taken to slashing my clothes, so I thought a nice amicable separation was on the cards.
My daughter was having problems in her own marriage so I moved in with her, left and flew to Qld for six weeks, to house sit my Sisters place while she was away Overseas and do some writing.
When I flew home my nice ex had texted me and said he was moving in with another woman after 6 weeks of our separation. I wasn't happy but I got on with cleaning up the house we had shared and applying for jobs.
Then I got the call from K saying there could be something at where he was working. So there I was at the the new job and from day one I knew I wouldn't have enough to do.
But I needed the money and the distraction. I was on Google looking for a new home, for me, my possessions and my own sanity.
I loved living with my daughter, as I do with all my girls but I wanted no man, space, peace quiet and somewhere to settle down in. Just me and a cat.
So the next thing I hear a voice behind me.
"Sprung"
and there standing behind me, hand on my shoulder is my Bosses Boss, ultimately my Big Boss, BIG
"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKKK", I thought.
He leapt up next to me on the bench and I kept my eyes firmly ahead on the computer. I just kept typing and he kept talking. I just typed and listened.
"We're not anal about things like that", he said, referencing my Google Search.
He was the cocky rebel, he wore an earring, he was immaculately groomed to perfection. Everything about him exuded confidence, power, suppressed rage and scary scary stuff.
And he was deigning to sit beside me and chat, I was still mad at myself for my sneaky looking on Google.My cheeks burned for ages, right up to my ear tips.
One day as ever, I was in early and I made my way to the kitchen, ignoring him over the empty office.
I walked into kitchen and behind me I heard this voice, say,
"So, How was your weekend?'
I whirled around, it was, him Big.
I turned away and pulled a cup out of the cupboard.
"Devastating,!" was my short reply.
He hesitated, probably not expecting that answer.
"Why;", he asked.
"I stayed at my daughters house and her dog ate the back out of my favourite shoes. " And I looked down, yep, same 50's vintage leather pumps I wore the first day I met him. Cleaner.
"You could trim them ", he said.
"What?", I replied.
"Trim the leather at the back and that would fix them, with a pair of scissors", said he the clever engineer.
"OK, thanks" I replied
A few days later he was going past with some big contingency of the powers that be and I called him back. he of course in front, the perfect Alpha Male.
"Hey Big"
He turned in around in front of all the big wigs and smiled,
"Yes,", the Big Boss said, indulging my casual greeting
"It worked," I said.
"What?"
"The trick with the scissors"
It Worked, and I still don't believe I did this, I gave him a thumbs up. This was a man that could crush me like a bug, metaphorically, anyway.
And then I extended my ankle out, not giving a shit.
He smiled like he wanted to bite me, hard, and left.
Round one to me. I felt like high fiving someone but instead got back to work, reasoning that was what I was there for. He punished me later, for my insolence, I knew he would, but I didn't care.
But this time he brought a "mate", Kung Fu Panda, who was also going through a divorce and so was Big, leaving him with a with a little girl, aged at the time 2. I assumed it had been not that long ago. But you could see he was still shell shocked.
They both decided to give me the poor man, bad woman shit and I had an answer for everything. Everything. even down to the comments, why were all women gold digging bitches to why does a woman leaves a man, I decided to play out the moment and then leaned in close to both of them.
"A woman leaves a poor man because of the money"
AND, she leaves a rich man, because of the sex"
And gold digging is apparently built into some women's DNA, wanting the best for her progeny. or not wanting to work.
They both looked a little uncomfortable and left. Good, I thought, now they would leave me alone.
Mostly marriage is a lot of hard work and sometimes holding on when there is no reason to. And I didn't get the idea either of the men had been married for very long.
And I knew I had worked at mine, for 20 years and it was for the kids a lot of the time, they say you shouldn't, but in that era, we did.
There's nothing going to make you feel more than a failure that a Marriage breakdown and men hate failure.
Women don't like to leave marriages, not when they have kids. I know so many fine hard working devoted Mothers and Wives, who have put up with too much crap and shouldn't.
A woman does not give up easily if she has invested lots of time to trying to make things work. She sometimes loses herself in the relationship.
It's interesting, who we love and why and having had two abusive relationships, I decide I am not a great "Chooser" of partners and decide to leave it all to someone else and not worry about it. Someone better at it like my sister Jackie.
I realised I was a "fixer" and I liked to "fix " people. So I didn't want to "fix" anyone else.
I realised BIG was quite isolated by all that power, so I used to talk to him. And one day I walked in and he was sitting there all alone, the black panther at his desk.
He didn't walk he stalked, ready to pounce. So instead of turning right to the kitchen, I turned left to Big's desk and plonked myself down in front of him.
He took a while to acknowledge me, finally stopping what he was doing and deigning to look at me, little pleb.
I was ready to bolt but I stayed the course, waiting in silence. He looked up at me and smiled,
"Yes?"
And I just started talking, like I would to anyone, and he thought I was funny. and probably very rude.
"Where are you looking for a house?" he said, apropos of nothing.
"Noble Park", I replied.
"I'm a Noble Park Boy," he said, I was gob smacked at this but pulled my jaw from the floor and soldiered on.
We talked for ages, interruptions coming thick and fast but still we kept on talking. Like friends and I thought,
"Good, can't hurt.!
He was very like Bob, a workaholic, vain, big ego, powerful,
and as a Famous Actress"s Dad had told me,
"There is no aphrodisiac stronger than Power, None."
( The famous Actresses Dad was a lovely Man and I felt so sad for him. He had been a high flyer and was "flying high", on the phone to Agents and managers and then right at the table at a Power Lunch he had a stroke and was left with a paralysed arm.
And other disabilities, And I asked him how long did the "Friends" hang around ??
He just smiled. )
And it didn't, hurt being friends with Big, and I decided he wasn't like the others, rude psychopathic bosses I have at times, worked for, that certainly don't belong in the work force, but often dominate it.
It seemed he was concerned more with his daughters well being than anything else, all the other stuff he just managed, was well like and respected, especially, by his Lovely Lorena. And he was very good to me.
I found I like talking to him as he had no idea, no clue, really what it was like for the plebs, and I'm always working for the down trodden or I was.
He thought labels were everything, he thought that squid and chips would take over from fish and chips. He thought everything in your life was controllable and there was no excuse. None.
He had everything in his life buttoned down pat and I didn't.
I was a mess, he told me,
"I didn't like myself that much"
He told me I didn't ,
"Make enough of myself for some reason."
Maybe that was because I didn't like myself that much!!!!!
He asked me out and I made some mumbling reply. Not while your my Boss, I thought.
That afternoon I received a call, from a car,
"What are you doing tonight?"
"I'm busy"
"Doing what?".
God did this man have any manners ?????
"I told you I am looking for a house, and I'm meeting a Real Estate tonight, at one"
Hang up
Next day, same phone call at 4.30,
"What are you doing tonight??''
"I'm busy"
"Doing what?'
"None of your business and I'm busy right now, actually"
And I hung up.
And he rang me back and it's the only time he pulled rank on me,
:Did you just hang up on me"
"Yes"
"I'm your boss!"
"I realise that, but I told you I was busy and I'm busy right now, actually" and I hung up again.
No more calls, and I really thought,
"Shit he's going to sack me tomorrow." And I panicked a little
But he didn't, he just ignored me, mostly.
And I left the job, resigning on the spot after G was gone, there had been a lot of unrest and lots of sackings and I thought I was next, so I went to another interview, rang BIG and he begged me to reconsider and I was adamant.
I was way too upset about G and it seemed the right thing to do, having gone for another interview, and I was tired of trying to look busy.
I caught up with the lady from accounts unfinished work in an Afternoon and to her it was months of work. I was used to manufacturing Purchasing which is like a hungry beast and you work fast, you have to.
I'd also done Accounts Payable and loved it, such a change from credit. loads of data entry and cheque processing and lots of queries and checking accounts.
I had just done a 3 month stint in Accounts Payable at Camec and it was heads down, bum up, for 8 hours a day. the man that had been in the position before me, deciding filing was beneath him and left eight months worth of filing on the floor.
That was fun and the time flew. I hate filling eight hours with not enough work, trying to look busy. I hate that.
I had other bosses like BIG, serious, good at their job, loved their work, fair and decent men that taught me carefully the secrets they knew.
All boy stuff but I used to lap it up. Steele Warren at Bombardier was a fantastic boss, fair, decent, no fool and for that sort of boss you will work your butt off.
His compliments will be few but sincerely given. Steele telling me that all engineers are truly psychotic, himself included.
He had kids and grand kids he called Klingons. Peter Vexler at Maxicube was a shy tall diffident man, who was funny and could never look at me full on, just giving me shy glances.
I was the first female purchasing Officer they had ever had. And it was a hot bed of gossip and innuendo and Peter grabbed me by the elbow and steered me through. I adored him.
My first boss at Myers was a youngish bookish man who was recently engaged. You can imagine my surprise one day, when he swept up my plump, ugly-uniformed body to him and planted a big fat kiss on my mouth.
I was a virginal girl, my thick glasses steamed up, so did my cheeks. I pushed him away.
"You're engaged", I blurted out, wiping my mouth surreptitiously with a tissue.
"Who cares?", he said making another lunge. I ducked his outstretched arms and ran.
He was always overly polite after that and he married and moved away. I heard of him years later by my friend Gayle Froud. We talked of him and as we had a drink or five I told her about the lunge.
She had similar experiences to relate and we laughed together and then she said he had recently died, of cancer, aged under 50, and then we were both sad.
And raised a glass to the sweet letch, gone too soon, who found us dowdy little shop girls attractive and tried to make us feel like women.
It helps every female to have a male mentor in the workforce. As long as it remains within the boss employee relationship it is a great thing to have and it gives other females the shits, haha only joking.
I never took my good relationships with my bosses, lightly. They were people I respected and wanted to make money for and work hard for, not for the money, nor their praise but for their respect.
And I had several ask me out and I never would. Never.
And I am fairly outgoing so they liked me as I could work and have fun with it. One of the best places I ever worked was at Brash's, Southland, a Music , TV, Stereo,Piano, just about everything musical store.
My Dad had had a music store in The Lido Arcade on the Gold Coast years before and although I wasn't old enough to work there. I loved to go there.
Ian and Jackie and Mum all worked in the shop and it was fabulous. The Brothers Gibb came in and......... I'll leave that story for another time.
I worked At Southland, Brash's, Thursday, Friday nights and Half day Saturday, as part time Manageress. And my boss there had to be one of the best men I ever worked for.
He was an English guy happily married, happy with himself and he loved us all. He was funny and witty with a great sense of humour, dry.
He introduced us all, the record bar girls, the young sales boys, Pino, the piano sales guy, to his music and his favourites. Khe Sanh, came into being then, and James Reyne and The Fureys, all our best sellers, and people were buying this new thing, the video recorder hand over fist.
David, my boss, taught me everything about profit and retails and sales figures, he was shrewd and clever and a an affable man.
And every Saturday Morning as we were locking up, he would play his favourite songs, up high. War Of the Worlds by Jeff Wayne, The Moody Blues, The Secret Policemans Ball ( I lapped up the English humour. )
He and i would banter back and forth, back and forth about the deafening music and humour. Still working, mind.
And a jealous sales manager girl said to us both a bit harshly one day,
"God, is there anything you two don't , "LOVE"
"It's I love this song, turn it up, every 5 fucking minutes with you two"
And it was true, must have been annoying, so we shut up a bit and as soon as she had gone went straight back to critiquing the songs.
We just couldn't help it, delighted as we were at our shared love of music. And every Saturday as I was cashing up, after that, and Dave had to wait for me, while I counted and tallied every cent, he would play me, always..
"Eye In The Sky", By the Alan Parsons Project.
Full volume, the song bouncing around the walls of the empty store as it was his favourite of all, then in ascending order,
Peter Gabriel, "Don't give up", Dan Fogelberg and "Old Lang Syne", the Fureys, "Sweet Sixteen, and James Reyne's "Fall Of Rome". He was fixated on those ones.
He would peek around the corner at me beavering away and say "Like that One?" I know he didn't like to be in such close proximity to a woman, as he was shy of them but he somehow managed to overcome it with me and we were good mates.
Never, ever a sleazy word, not even a hint, So grateful, because women really don't like it. he was happily Married, Dave and his wife was a delight, just like him.
Keith was a great mentor at Holden Special Vehicles, unbelievably kind and hard working, he had a brain like a computer. I always admired the engineers, the workers, there.
They obviously all loved, almost worshipped, cars and I could understand that. I understood and liked their dedication to their craft. And when the tough times came, like they always do, they would kick your arse just like a man.
They demanded quality and wanted it in spades.
And loyalty only to them, no one else. I have great brothers, like that, that work hard, expect a lot and take no prisoners. They are tough!
And they will not let me get away with anything. You "write", they say and bless them, and one Saturday morning they sat down and read my stories and cried. The BIG girls. Love all you boys, you know that !
Love Janette
