Читать книгу The Map of Us - Jules Preston - Страница 14

‘It’s about the Bearing Foods presentation,’ Trish said.

Nuts.

I tried not to shrug. I do a lot of shrugging. Especially when I’m about to get told off. I shrug at other times, too. Maybe it has something to do with hanging out in old French cars for so long.

Trish was wearing a cap sleeve shift dress with wide pink and white vertical stripes. She looked like a deckchair. A small deckchair. I could hear her blow-up cushion protesting as she squirmed in her chair and straightened to her full height. I could still barely see her over her laptop.

‘I’ve just had Daniel Bearing on the phone,’ she said.

Daniel Bearing was the CEO of Bearing Foods. We’d met, briefly.

‘Yes?’ I said.

No shrugging.

‘He’s not happy.’ She said.

‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ I said.

Must not shrug.

‘He said that there was some problem with the new Seedy-Pea-Nut-Slices?’

‘Really?’ I said.

I could feel my shoulders tighten and lift slightly.

‘Something about squirrels,’ she said.

‘How odd,’ I said.

Shrug averted. That was close. Now I just had to stop myself from smiling. Trish had drafted a policy document about smiling in the workplace. It was stuck on the wall in the kitchenette. In her view, smiling was the sign of an idle mind. She thought it looked unprofessional and insincere. She wanted her team to remain impassive and focused. She did her very best to lead by example. Apart from the whole wasp in the ear thing.

‘I thought that Helen was helping you?’ Trish said.

‘Helen was great,’ I said, suddenly aware that I shrug when I lie as well. Too late.

‘Sort it out,’ she said.

‘I will,’ I said.

And then I was dismissed.

I was glad. Trying not to shrug had really taken it out of me. I was exhausted.