At last ‘A life’
By Julie D Cole
Chapter 42 Explanations

I was pleased to get the chance to go with Kate and wondered who we were going to meet for lunch but she just said it was someone who I hadn’t met before but who knew me.

Then we discussed about some of the work I’d been doing for her and my opinions on what I’d read. After that it was my chance to ask Kate anything that I wanted.

I asked how long had I got and she smiled and said ‘You are the PA how long have I got?’

I smiled and said she had 15 more minutes before her next meeting. ‘I’m all yours then.’

I asked what had happened with her previous two PA’s because they’d both left and it concerned me that I make the same mistakes. She said neither were qualified enough to enjoy the job and the opportunity and acted more like secretaries or personal assistants so they soon got bored.

‘But did you fire them?’

‘No we more or less reached a stage where they realized they didn’t like working for me so they looked for other opportunities.’

‘Does that mean you are hard to work for.’ ‘What do you think, am I?

‘Well not really but your reputation is a bit scary that made me wonder if I was doing the right thing or not.’

‘Am I difficult to work for?’

‘No, not at all. Well not so far but it’s early days.’

‘So I haven’t been approved yet then?’

I smiled and said ‘I’m sorry I didn’t mean it like that I just meant that my personal circumstances were unusual and that she hardly knew me and that the job was new to me.’

‘Chrissy, it is nice that this opportunity came and it wasn’t exactly an accident.’

‘What do you mean since I just bumped into you one day in the lift?’

‘Yes that was a co-incidence and not an accident.’

‘But you called Jessica after I met you and she said that you’d asked about me.’

‘That’s true because I thought that I knew all my girls but I didn’t recognize you.’

‘Oh.’

‘Chrissy do you like the change in circumstances that have occurred? Are you thinking that you’d like this to be a permanent change?’

‘Well so far each day I wake up and think that it was a dream and that the situation will revert back and then I rub my eyes and I’m happy to see it’s not a dream.’

‘Good so whose idea was this in the first place?’

‘I can’t remember. Sometimes I felt that I wanted to be a girl but I tried to be as masculine as possible and I guess I preferred to keep my feelings to myself. Then in the lift you called me Christine and I didn’t dare say anything to correct you. After that they joked with me in the office and then encouraged me to go with them on a hen night as one of the girls.’

‘Who asked you to do that?’

‘I can’t remember exactly. Oh it was Jessica.’

‘What do you think of Jessica? Were you angry that she was put in charge?’

‘Not angry just a bit annoyed because I felt that I was better qualified but I was too frightened to take on responsibility.’

‘But you don’t seem frightened to me, you seem like a confident young lady.’

‘Mmm, I do feel more confident, but then maybe it’s because you give me confidence.’

‘No I gave you opportunity just like I’ve given Jessica opportunity. You are going from strength to strength but she is struggling a bit.

Will you help me to help her improve?’

‘I don’t know because sometimes she acts strangely towards me and she can be nice one minute and then quite bad the next minute and do hurtful things.’

‘Yes that’s because she is unsure of herself and lacks certain skills.’

‘But she seems to get very jealous and aggressive and she’s upset my friend Sally.’

I told her about the problem with the apartment and that Sally had moved to my house rather than risk a confrontation. Then I told her that she seemed to try to stop Sally and I becoming friends and that she’d wanted me to stay there.’

‘That was her mistake and she didn’t manage the situation very well. I’d asked her to watch out for you. Now I’m asking you to help me to help her’

‘But I’m not sure since I think she went too far.’

‘Chrissy just be patient with her and let her come to terms with your friendship with Sally and I’ll help too.’

‘Why? She was nasty to me last week and said that I deserved everything that was coming to me. Then some awful things happened and I told you about Gran.’

‘But she wouldn’t wish that on you, that was sad but nothing to do with her.’

‘I know but also I’d had another problem with my bank and my credit card.

‘Are you saying that she wished this bad luck on you? What problems did you have?’

I told her but I didn’t say that it might have been anything to do with Jessica. Kate asked me if the bank were dealing with it and did I need her help. I just said thanks I’d reported it and the bank were investigating.

‘Look Chrissy let me explain a little bit about Jessica. Her mother asked me to try to help her because she’d had a hard time and she couldn’t help her and had let her down.’

‘But Jessica was adopted do you mean her mother or her step mother?’

‘Her mother.’‘Do you know her mother?’

‘Yes of course. So will you help me?’

‘Yes of course.’

To be continued…………………