Zodiac's toy - John Jones (bill gates best books txt) 📗

over Ray, and he tapped at the keyboard as if he wasn't doing any proper work, more like playing games, but Ray could see the monitor, and it wasn't games, but emails.

Allan sighed and turned to Ray. Before his keyboard was a sheet of paper with several names on. Some were crossed off. There were also several sheets of paper that looked like some kind of document.

"Ray, is it?" Ray nodded, looking around the tiny office.

"Basically all it is, is that I'm putting you on to a zero-hours contract". He picked up two of the documents and placed them before Ray. They were the same.

"If you could read this and sign them thanks. A copy for us and one for you". Ray just glanced at it, not really reading, seeing lines such as:

'It is hereby agreed...' 'pursuant to the employment rights act...' so he just picked up a pen and poised it over the signature line.

"This means you will need a phone Ray," said Allan. "I was trying to contact you but now that you'll be on zero hours you will need a phone on you at all times". Ray nodded, knowing he would have to either buy, or persuade Lee to get him a new one considering it was him who broke it.

"It'll also mean you could be working anytime during the week. Not just weekends. Nights maybe. More hours than you work, or less, but I need you on-call. So get a phone or we won't be able to contact you. No phone. No work. Understand? get it into your stupid brain. No phone no money". Ray just stared at him, not knowing how to reply, but signed both papers with a nearby pen. Allan continued. He put both hands flat on the table and leaned forward.

"What's your star-sign?" he asked. Ray could do nothing but continue to stare.

"Pisces," he said after around five seconds. Allan nodded.

"I'm Sagittarius. In fact, I'm going to show you something". He picked up Ray's contract and exposed his left wrist.

"Ever give yourself paper-cuts? hurt don't they?"

"Sorry, why are you..?" asked Ray, but it went unheard. Allan sliced at his wrist with the edge of the paper, but it didn't cut the thin skin. He tried again. It didn't work. A third time he cut and a few drops of blood spurted onto the table. He had cut it just enough for the droplets he wanted, and held his wrist over the blood on the desk where more drops landed.

After a few seconds, he clamped on his wrist to stop the dripping.

"Look at that," he said, looking at the drops of blood on the desk. Ray could do nothing else but follow his eyeline.

"See the arrangement of the droplets. That is the exact constellation of Sagittarius". Ray just nodded.

"Alright..."

"Now take your contract and leave". Ray did so, quickly getting out and hurrying away.

Allan, still stemming the drops from his injured wrist, wondered why on earth he just did that.

 

Ray could think of nothing else as he made way home. What the fuck did he do that for? he asked himself.

Eventually he entered his own premises and stood in the kitchen between the fridge and the kettle, trying to decide between the two. Cold can of beer, or hot cup of tea.

He prepared a cup for his tea and turned on the kettle. The zodiac cards were there, and he spread them out, thinking of Allan, and of the other times he was reminded of star-signs.

I don't believe, he thought. It's all nothing but coincidence. What else could it be? He nodded, satisfied with that. Coincidence. That's all it was. He convinced himself as the kettle boiled.

 

 

Chapter 19

 

"Take your job then, and shove it up your bleeding jacksie," said Leanne to her boss in his office, the office of a small vets where she had worked as a receptionist for eight years. She was trying not to cry, to show resolve, to show they can't treat me like this and get away with it.

"You won't get away with this you know, I'll be seeing my solicitor".

"You won't have a leg to stand on," said the man, ten years older than her, always wore unironed shirts and trousers with a trendy earring in one ear. "We're restructuring, downsizing and making changes".

"You're still going to need a receptionist".

"We've got Mrs Alexander until we get your replacement".

"Well now let me guess. It's not going to be some fat old man is it? some pensioner".

"Mrs Alexander's a pensioner".

"Yes, and she works part-time, and you haven't got the guts to let her go because she's married to a judge".

"We don't need to let her go, as I've said we're having to make redundancies, we're down-sizing. It just happens. There's nothing I can do about it". Leanne just stared at him for a few seconds.

"But you're still going to replace my job though arn't you? How is that down-sizing? Let me guess. Little bimbo who'll flutter her eyelashes at the big boss. Yes sir yes sir". There was a weighty silence, then:

"I'd keep you on if I could. You've been a good worker. We're having to let one of the vets go as well, so it's nothing personal. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do".

"Yes there is, and you know it". She walked out in to the reception area where Mrs Alexander was jotting down notes. It was quiet. There was only one person waiting with a sad looking Border Terrier at his feet.

"I'm going now," she said, and Mrs Alexander stood up and gave her a hug.

 

She soon found herself wandering aimlessly through the streets, apprehensive of calling her parents which she knew she would have to do soon. They were both veterans of activism. If something wasn't right they would badger away until it was. They knew their rights. Solicitors knew of them well, so to fight Leanne's corner was something they would unconsciously 'enjoy'. He can imagine her father reading the riot-act to her boss.

'She's got rights...you can't do this...you'll be hearing from a solicitor...I'll see you in court'.

Yes, she thought. Chances are I'll be back working there soon, and...

For around half an hour, her brain cells burned with the implications and ructions of what she could foresee, and ended up sitting on a bench in the paved shopping area, but still her brain whirled on:

'There's no way I can sign on. I'd be ashamed. I've never signed on once. I'll be definitely going to an employment tribunal. They're not getting away with this. Didn't give me any notice. That's not right. I've definitely got a case here'.

She took out her mobile phone and rang her father, who answered after two rings.

"Dad, I've been made redundant..."

Two hours she sat there, talking to him.

'...can't do that to you..', '..solicitor', '..rights', 'they won't get away with this..' then her mother joined in the conversation, taking the phone off her father and continuing talking while some passers-by looked in her direction. Her voice was rather loud but she didn't notice, such was her focus.

Eventually the call petered out, but her brain was still on fire, and she called Caroline, but only got through to voicemail.

"Hi Caroline, it's Leanne, guess what? I've been made redundant, and..." There was a time-limit on the message she could leave, and Caroline had never changed it, so it was set at a default sixty minutes. Leanne used every second.

"...so when I see my solicitor and..." There was a beep, and Leanne looked at her phone and realised what had happened. Without hesitation she called Mandy who answered after several rings.

"Mandy, guess what you'll never believe it. They've only made me redundant..."

Forty-five minutes later she had 'vented her spleen' to Mandy who wasn't particularly offay with the legalese and simply listened to Leanne mostly, offering what she could. She immediately rang Sandie, who answered quickly:

"Sandie, you'll never believe it, I've been made redundant. I'll tell you what, there's no way they're getting away with it..."

One and a half hours later the call petered out. Sandie was of a similar frame of mind, and offered her some good advice, and she did half of the talking and wanted to be kept updated. She'll back her all the way.

Still angry, she noticed her phone battery was on thirty percent. Enough for another call, she thought.

"Vanessa, you'll never guess what's happened..."

Thirty percent lasted two hours and twelve minutes, but Leanne managed to catch it before it went off.

"...new receptionist...sorry Vanessa my battery is about to run out I'll let you kn..". The fire in her brain was slowly going out, leaving her rather exhausted. Vanessa also offered her sound advice and was a good person to talk to if you had problems. She seemed to have advice on most things and you would come away from a conversation with a feeling of satisfaction. She seemed to know something about everything, and had a good grasp of the legal system, so for good portions of the conversation Leanne was quiet, simply listening. Had the conversation continued, Vanessa would have steered the conversation to her new boyfriend, and Leanne would not have been able to wrestle it back again.

Across the paved area, opposite where she had been sitting for hours, was a private gym, and she had barely noticed people coming and going. However, somebody angrily crashed a door open and stormed out. A woman who looked younger than Leanne marched away followed by a smaller man in a suit.

"Go on," he shouted, "You've been warned a hundred times, don't be coming back, you're fired!".

The woman turned and waved her arms around in protest.

"...told you I've got a kid to look after..I'm gonna go the citizen's advice.. you've got no right to sack me.."

"Yes I have. You can't carry on doing that. Go on, out!"

"This isn't the last you'll be hearing from me. I'll see you in bloody court".

"Ye whatever, go on," said the man, making a dismissive gesture. Passers-by slowed to gawp. Leanne watched the woman storm away into the pedestrians, and the man turn and walk back into the gym.

She was kind of in two minds. Maybe the woman had been unfairly dismissed, like her, and she could go and help her and offer advice.

Or...

There was a job vacancy in the gym.

The prospect of winning all her legal battles and getting the vet's receptionist position back was appealing, but it meant working with her sarky boss who she ignored most of the time, and he seemed to avoid her.

It was just an ordinary position, but she would miss the animals. The vets and the other workers there all seemed to feel the same way.

It was just a job.

She had not made any real friends there, just acquaintances. People who should you see them outside of work, just reminded you of the job. All the employees were just in it for themselves. So a better job, even if it meant less pay, might be a considerable option.

She stood up and walked across and entered the gym. The man was talking and pointing animatedly at the entrance to a receptionist who was just nodding as he spoke.

Leanne hesitated, but slowly walked across until the man saw she was looking at him and could do nothing else but acknowledge him.

"Hi, do I understand there is a job vacancy?"

"Absolutely," he said. He gestured to an empty chair besides the young man who was being spoken to.

"It's a receptionist," he said, "Can you do it?". Leanne nodded.

"I've been a receptionist," she said.

"Well, as long as you're not late all the time, swear at our members, smoke in the building like Tanya out there, then the job's yours".

"Really?" The man, who looked to just be over five feet tall, was smaller than her and looked like he didn't do that often, as if anger was not becoming of him. In fact, he looked like one of those people, one of those strangers that 'looked' trustworthy the moment you set eyes on them. They gave