The Boss - 3 of 8 — Duplication

My jaw dropped; they appeared to be twins. They both finished their coffee and got up to go. The one who had answered to Debbie gave a little smile and finger wave in our direction before they went.

I turned to Chrissie and said, “Do you know those two?”

She laughed. “Oh yes, that’s Nikki and Debbie; didn’t you know?”

“Nikki and Debbie?”

She laughed. “Nick’s alter ego and his sister.”

The light-bulb finally went on. “Nick, as in Latham?”

“That’s the one.”

That told me a lot. She obviously knew the Misses Blonde; she appeared to be comfortable with the idea of working for a boss who, on the face of it, spent his weekends as someone else, and the other twin knew, and accepted, Nick Latham’s other self.

“I had no idea, although Nick always struck me as a bit effeminate. But…?”

She laughed again. “Effeminate? I suppose you could say that. We’ve known them both for a long time. Nick makes no secret of Nikki, although he doesn’t rub our noses in it, so to speak, and he doesn’t seem to let it interfere with his work. He’s a brilliant manager — even if his hobby is a bit unusual. He treats us like human beings, doesn’t hit on us and talks his team up to the bosses whenever he gets the chance. That makes him okay in my book. And have you ever had a boss who couldn’t keep his hands to himself?”

I nodded in an understanding way. Chrissie, like me, was quite well endowed. I remembered Ben Chapel after my interview for the job; he looked... well, he looked. I suspect that he’d have touched if he could have got away with it.

“Well, Nick can, and does.”

I was completely taken aback; I didn’t know what to say. I again did my goldfish impression until one of the others said, “Come on, time’s a-wasting and we’ve shopping to do.”

We all drained our cups and headed for the door.

I couldn’t keep my mind from straying to what I’d just learned, and then it immediately flashed back to my previous sightings of Miss Blonde; had they been of the sister, Debbie, or of Nick/Nikki? Or was it Nikki and Debbie on different occasions?

We had quite a successful shopping expedition despite the crowds and eventually returned, knackered but satisfied, to catch our train home. Armed with several bags of Christmas gifts each, we struggled to find seats in a packed train whose main occupants seemed to be most of a football team fan club, noisily celebrating a win over their arch-rivals.

I couldn’t get Nick out of my mind; it didn’t appear that senior management had an issue with his hobby, assuming that they knew about it. After all, it’s not something you could keep secret for long. He obviously didn’t let it affect his work and what he got up to outside the office was none of their business — unless it brought the company into disrepute.

Oh yeah, I knew all about that: senior management had closed ranks around Eddie and ‘disrepute’ had been one of the arguments used to force me out of Carlisle Associates. It was all bullshit, but what chance did a mere secretary have?

All too soon, Monday again found me outside Nick’s office. “Hello Nick, coffee” I said brightly after knocking on his office door and entering.

“Good morning, Jackie. Thanks.”

I contented myself with few words and left him to his planning or whatever. He had again been sitting, legs tucked under him, and working on a clipboard. Sheets of paper were strewn all over his coffee table and it looked as though he’d been there for hours. I felt that something had changed between us but wasn’t sure exactly what it was. All I did know was that I couldn’t get them out of my head. Nikki, Debbie, Nikki, Debbie. The names had played over and over all day yesterday and most of the weekend, resulting in a feeling this morning of running on autopilot.

We were in the playpen, as Nick liked to call it. We’d just had a team meeting and everyone else had gone. I was gathering my papers prior to typing the minutes of the meeting, when Nick brought me up short.

“Debbie would like to meet you.”

“Pardon?”

“My sister Debbie would like to meet you.”

I was stunned. “But…why?”

“She knows the rest of the team and you and the gang were in the coffee shop when we were in London.”

“But what about…”

“Yes?” He smiled.

“Does she know all your team?” It wasn’t what I really wanted to ask.

“Yes, Debbie’s the company’s legal expert.”

“Where does she work?”

“She has an office on the first floor, but spends most of her time at her practice in King’s Court.”

I sighed; now I had to mention ‘That other thing’. “And when you were in the coffee shop…”

“Yes?”

This wasn’t going to be easy. “You…You and …Nikki?”

“Nikki. Do you have a problem with that?”

“Er….”

”Many of the staff are members of minorities.”

To give myself time, I asked, “Wh…what do you mean?”

“When John Andrews started the company, he determined that staff who are members of minorities wouldn’t have to go through what he’d suffered when he started work. Now, the company actively recruits members of minorities — assuming, of course, that all other factors are right. You know, can do the job; have a pleasant personality; accept others as they are, and so on.”

“Why did he have a problem?”

“John Andrews is an engineer; he’s also gay. His partner, Billy, is the Chief Designer. When John first started work, after his apprenticeship, his employer wasn’t good with minorities, to say the least; his colleagues sabotaged his machine and nearly killed him. They also managed to have him blamed for things he didn’t do. The company turned a blind eye to the harassment and literally drove him to resign. His family took the company and some of the staff to the legal cleaners.”

“Oh, that’s dreadful!”

Nick continued. “Shortly afterwards, he had his big idea and used the money to start GSD. He vowed that nobody who worked for him would ever suffer the same fate. He’s very focussed as far as that sort of thing is concerned.” He paused. “So will you meet Debbie?”

“I suppose I could.”

“Right then.” He looked very decisive.

“Where and when?” I asked.

“Well, we can either meet in the staff restaurant or you could come to dinner — that is, if you don’t mind Nikki being there. Shall I ask one of the other girls as well? Would you feel more comfortable?”

I said I’d think about it and we both went back to our work. I couldn’t concentrate; I realised I didn’t have much of a problem with meeting in the restaurant — it seemed like neutral ground — but I wasn’t sure about going to dinner; that was a whole new ball game — and I wasn’t sure how I felt about playing on their turf. At least in the restaurant he should be normal.

I presume he must be gay to dress in women’s clothes. Or is he one of those fetish people? You know, does it because it gives him a sexual thrill? Euch! He surely can’t have a partner; I can’t imagine any woman putting up with that sort of thing.

I then shivered at the thought that he might have a male partner; now that I just couldn’t understand. Then again, the Big Cheese has one; so does my mate Richard. I shuddered, and tried to think of something else. I failed.

Nick seemed always to keep himself to himself, he didn’t come on to the women in the office — nearly all of his team were women after all — and he didn’t give the impression of being interested in the other blokes. Was he interested, but didn’t have the confidence? He didn’t look gay, if you know what I mean; all limp wrist and affected speech. I thought of Richard, who was obviously gay, and Anthony, who was gay but wasn’t obvious, and realised that he didn’t seem to behave like either of them. Nick was an enigma.

I walked into the staff restaurant and recognised Debbie straight away. It wasn’t difficult; there was no doubting that they were twins.

Nick greeted me. “Jackie Oliver, meet Debbie Latham, my younger sister.”

We shook hands, and I noticed that she was a little taller than Nick but, otherwise, identical. Then I mentally smacked myself on the head; of course she was taller — she was wearing heels!

“You are a bitch, Nikki! I’m only a few minutes younger than you are, as you well know. Jackie, I’m so pleased to meet you at last; I hear you’re doing great things in marketing. Don’t mind the sibling rivalry; we do it all the time, but we’re best friends really!”

She called him a bitch? And Nikki? I forced a smile. “I’m sure we’d all feel disappointed if I slowed down the runaway train.”

Debbie laughed, and we went to queue for our meals. “Are you happy at GSD? You’ve not been here long, have you?” she asked me, when we’d settled ourselves at a table.

“I love it, and I just love the house that I live in now. It’s only a few minutes from here by bus and so convenient for shops and so on. And I get on really well with Judy, my housemate. I’m certainly glad that I came to work for this company.”

“Are you and Judy…?”

“Just friends and housemates,” I said, hurriedly, not wanting to leave her with the wrong impression.

“I’m sorry, I’m not hinting at anything, just.…”

She seemed to be good at that. I guess it’s the lawyer coming out; ask half a sentence and let the other person hang themselves with the other half.

“You appear to be comfortable with Nick’s, um….?” It was my turn to not finish the sentence, as I waved in Nick’s general direction.

“Nikki’s my sister; of course I’m comfortable with her.”

She called him Nikki again? And her sister?

“Well, it came as something of a surprise. I kept seeing you heading for a train and knew that you reminded me of someone.”

“It wasn’t always me.”

“Er… Oh? You mean, um...? And in the coffee shop in London.…”

“Yes, I can imagine that threw you if you had no idea.”

I changed the subject; I wasn’t too comfortable talking about Nikki and her travels. “Nick said that you wanted to meet me. Why?”

“Well, I’ve met all the others in the team and I thought I’d like to get to know the latest recruit. Sorry it took so long but I’ve been on holiday and then very busy with work. I try to meet everyone in the company as soon as possible after they join us; and we like to think we’re a happy family here. People aren’t taken on unless they give the impression that they would fit in. And as the company legal representative, I am available to the staff for consultation on legal matters. These range from buying a house to problems due to being a member of a minority. I have a brief from the company to look after staff interests. It benefits the company, of course, because everyone just gets on with everyone else.”

“Oh,” I replied, “What problems do minorities bring to you?”

“Well, not exactly problems, more issues. For example we have people who get around on powered scooters; our Premises Manager was a refugee from Uganda; our post room supervisor lost an arm in an industrial accident; there are at least two people who were transsexual; a number of our staff, including the MD, are gay; we have people from a dozen different countries around the world and there are adherents to several faiths and none. Oh, and the Marketing Manager you know about.”

They both grinned.

“What does transsexual mean? Is that like on ‘Jerry Springer’? Very high heels and big hair?” I asked.

“Rarely. It’s a word to describe someone who lives, or needs to live, in the opposite gender role from that which they were assigned at birth. So a woman who appeared to be a male baby is, or was, probably transsexual. It’s not always the case; bear in mind that everyone is different. And don’t forget; it’s not exclusive to females. We have men who were registered as female babies as well, and in most cases you just wouldn’t know.”

“Oh.”

Well, the post room supervisor, and the people with the powered chairs should be obvious, and I presume that the Ugandan woman is black, but what about the others? Surely a gay man should be obvious, shouldn’t he? If he’s like Richard, he would be but, if what if he’s like Anthony? A bloke in a mini-dress and high heels should be obvious as well. But then, Debbie said that Nikki.… And I’ve seen Nick out and about — well I think I have, but then just what have I seen? I’m confused.

I settled for “You seem to have your work cut out.”

“Not really; GSD is one of the friendliest places I’ve seen. Everyone just seems to get on with everyone else. It’s the outsiders that are usually the problem; our people try not to put themselves in the firing line.”

“How long have John and Billy been together?”

“About twenty years.”

“Crikey, that’s longer than many marriages.” I winced as I thought of how short mine had been — and why.

She smiled and nodded, not asking me to explain my facial expression, thank goodness.

We talked for a good hour after we’d finished lunch and I felt a little more comfortable with them both as we left the restaurant. Debbie’s parting shot threw me.

“Would you like to come to dinner one evening?”

I hummed and hawed. Debbie was as good at dropping you in the brown smelly stuff as Nick was; I presumed that it was a twin thing, or maybe one had learned from the other.

“I thought we’d have a little dinner party, just us girls.”

“Us girls?”

“You could bring Judy and we could make up, say, eight.”

I felt a little relieved that it wasn’t a one-to-one occasion but asked, tentatively, “Who did you have in mind? Do I know them?”

“You’ve almost certainly noticed Angela Bradfield, one of our Security Officers; ex-army PTI, very tall and fit, brown hair, used to manage the gym where I go for aerobics and things. Her partner is Suzanne Fletcher, who works in IT.”

Angela’s a lesbian? I never knew. Mind you, she could probably flatten me with one blow. I can imagine her dominating Suzanne, who is a timid, mousy girl with glasses, and who doesn’t say “boo” to a goose. I’d wondered about Cathy Hungerford, though she doesn’t give anything away in the office. Maybe she isn’t - you know…?

“I suppose I could,” I said, not very certain at all. “Who else?”

“Well, how about you and Judy, Angela and Suzanne, Joanna Madeley and Theresa Vernon, Nikki and I?”

Joanna? Theresa? And Nikki?

I looked quizzically at her.

“Joanna is a designer and married to Kevin, the Head Office Building Manager; Theresa is my junior partner. Joanna and I have been friends for years; we went to school together.”

How do I get myself into these situations?

I wasn’t entirely comfortable, and tried to get my thoughts together.

Debbie took my hesitation for acceptance. It looked like a done deal. “Next weekend okay? Friday or Saturday?”

I nodded weakly. “I’ll speak to Judy; she might be out with her boyfriend.”

Judy was dating another Kevin, a tall, well-built auto fitter with large but gentle eyes and huge hands. If the rest of him was in proportion, it was no wonder that Judy walked around most of the day with a smile on her face. They’d been an item for quite a while and if I read the writing on the wall correctly, I’d need either a new housemate or new accommodation in the near future.

But Nikki?

I don’t know what Nikki looks like. On second thoughts, of course I do, Nikki looks like Debbie, and I’ve seen her and heard her speak in the coffee shop, haven’t I? I guess I’m going to find out soon enough if I can cope with Nikki being there. But what do I say to Judy? Does she know about Nick? I suppose there was only one way to find out.

Judy’s Kevin was away on a course for a few days - something about new electronic auto testing equipment. Anyway, that left Judy “up for a little adventure on Friday evening”.

I confirmed with Nick and he said he’d tell Debbie. He looked pleased; I don’t know how I felt. Then there was the inevitable ‘what do I wear?’ Nick said “girls’ night; posh frocks” when I finally plucked up the courage to ask.

It still doesn’t seem quite right, asking your male boss what you should wear to an all-girl dinner party. Well, sort-of....