The only positive thing about sitting through a double shift at work was the extra cash.
Another day, another dollar.
Bailey sighed as he closed the notebook in disgust. He looked across the lunchroom table to Richard. “Do you ever wish you were doing something different?” Bailey asked.
Richard looked up from his magazine. “Different how?”
“I don’t know. A new job? A different career? Living somewhere else? Just doing things differently.”
“I suppose so.” Richard shrugged. “Most people have goals, things they’d like to do in the future. Me? I’m putting as much money aside as I can to do some travel. I want to take the big world trip, you know? And I’m studying computer programming.”
“You are?”
“It’s only an online course. This job fits in well. I have time to study and it pays the bills until I’m ready to head off. It doesn’t hurt I’m living back at home.”
“So working here is a stopgap?”
“Sort of.” Richard put the magazine back on the table. “What’s going on, Bailey?”
“Nothing,” Bailey said. Richard folded his arms and stared at Bailey, unblinking, until Bailey gave in and started talking again. “I’m just feeling a bit lost at the moment, I guess. As if I should be trying for something more.”
“There’s noshouldabout it, no rule book you need to follow. Not everyone has or needs a plan.”
“But I’m twenty-three and only working part-time at a job I hate. I’m not like you. I’m not working towards something better.”
“Look, there’s nothing wrong with working a call centre job. Some people do it all their lives. Like Ryan. He loves the industry. Whatiswrong is doing something you don’t enjoy. Being a call centre agent is only not good enough if it isn’t something you want to do.”
“I know.” Bailey slumped in his chair and sighed. “I don’t mean to put down the people who do the job. It’s just not for me.”
“What is for you then?” Richard asked.
“I don’t know. That’s the problem.” But he did know, didn’t he? Tom had put those thoughts in his head about teaching, or helping people, or any one of the things he could be doing instead of what he was doing now.
“Well, only you can answer that one, Bailey.”
Any further discussion was cut short when Monica popped her head into the room. “Guys. The meeting starts in two minutes.”
Bailey looked at the time on his iPhone. Yep, he’d managed to spend nearly all his lunch hour working on his budget and whinging to Richard and he was no closer to any answers—budget-wise or career-wise. He pushed back his chair, pocketed his phone, and picked up the remains of his lunch, depositing the garbage in the bin on the way out of the break room.
The meeting area was packed. The bifold doors between adjoining rooms had been opened to increase the space and fit the entire customer service department into the room.
“Jesus. They’ve got us all here. It must be important,” Richard whispered.
Bailey nodded as his stomach fell. “Definitely not good.”
The low murmur throughout the room died down as the Customer Service and HR directors entered and stood to the front.
“Wow. They’ve brought in the big guns,” Richard said in a low voice.
The sick feeling in Bailey’s stomach intensified. He swallowed heavily. Whatever the announcement was, it was serious. “Fuck.”
“Shh.” The guy next to Bailey have him the evil eye.
“Everyone, if I could have your attention please.” The last of the mumblings died down as the people in the room focused on the Customer Service director.
The tension in the room was palpable. There were rarely occasions to bring the whole department together, and usually if there was, there was some sort of advance notification. The last such meeting that Bailey could remember was the communication of the company’s annual results, which had been combined with an announcement of the merger with another electricity provider. It was a celebration of the expansion of the company, followed by drinks. Bailey didn’t think there’d be much celebration this afternoon.
“Thanks for joining me here today. You’re probably all wondering the purpose of the briefing and I’m not going to keep you in suspense. Unfortunately, the news I have to impart…”
