The Dead Ex by Jane Corry

Author:Jane Corry
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780241981757
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2018-04-10T04:00:00+00:00

26

Helen

27 November 2017

It’s my first day in the office. The place is massive; big and white and modern. There are even security guards on the door. I’m both terrified and excited! According to my research, Tanya started off in a junior role just like this.

Mind you, I have an intuitive feeling that Perdita, David’s glossy-lipped assistant, might be after her position. She flushes every time someone mentions his name. Like now.

‘You mustn’t, under any circumstances, bother Mr Goudman. Your job is to follow me around and take photographs – providing the subject matter is not confidential. Is that quite clear, Helen?’

She emphasizes my name as though I’m not paying attention. But I am. Very much. It has taken me a long time to get in here, and I intend to get as much as possible out of it. Including the boss himself. Posh Perdita might not know it, but she has a rival.

We are walking down a wide corridor with bare walls on either side. No chance of that in my Deptford council block. Any space – no matter how small – is immediately taken up with brightly coloured graffiti.

‘Frankly,’ murmurs Perdita, tossing her flame-red hair, ‘I don’t know why you’re here at all. Still, David does pride himself on his community work.’

The last sentence carries an ironic tone. Clearly my new boss hasn’t told her about being ‘shamed’ into giving me a break thanks to the journalist.

‘When am I having my meeting with Mr Goudman?’ I ask as we turn another corner.

I receive a cool look. ‘Ah, that. I’m afraid he won’t be able to see you personally after all. He’s busy all week.’

‘But he promised to give me some one-to-one time for career advice! And besides, the Standard is doing a piece on us.’

She consults her iPad. ‘The journalist is coming in on Friday to interview you. Mr Goudman will email him a quote.’ She opens a door. ‘This is the design department. You can take some pictures here, if you like.’

I am still reeling from this bad news. Somehow I have to engineer a face-to-face with the man I’ve been pursuing for so long. He’s got to appear sometime. But meanwhile, I must pretend I’m only here for the job.

A woman is sketching on the desk. It looks like the design for a house.

‘This is Helen,’ says Perdita with another hair toss. ‘She’s a work-experience photographic student.’

She speaks in a heavily sarcastic tone, as though I have made it up.

‘Mind if I photograph you?’ I ask nervously.

‘Sure. Go ahead.’

I concentrate on her right hand and the way it cradles the pencil. ‘You have an eye.’ That’s what my tutor told me.

‘What will you do with your pictures?’ asks the woman.

‘They’re going in my portfolio. But they could hang on the walls in the corridors here.’

There’s an ‘in your dreams’ sound from the PA. ‘That’s news to me.’

It will be news for David too. I was going to suggest it to him, hoping it will show initiative. But if he’s too busy to see me, how is that going to happen?

By my third day, I’m getting panicky.

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