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lot of other offices had she reluctantly conceded that what was being
demanded was fair enough.
Even so, it had taken a lot of persuasion to get the agent to defer the
first fortnight's payment in advance. Her smart choice of dress had
helped, she decided, since the agent had kept sizing her up while she
talked. Undoubtedly he had mentally assessed the cost of her clothes
and her home address and decided to take a chance. The question of
a lease had been provisionally deferred. But he had made her sign a
document like an IOU until such time as her solicitor could examine
the legalities. Toni didn't mind that. She was used to signing for
things. She had been doing it all her life.
Perhaps the agent was desperate for a tenant. Any tenant. Anyway,
she had somehow convinced him that what she was doing
constituted the best day's work he had ever done.
As an office, it would do. She didn't really need to impress anyone
with it, since she was the only one who had to work there. All her
important contacts would be by telephone. The agent had promised
to have that reconnected first thing tomorrow, and he had agreed
that she didn't have to pay anything until it was operational.
He had looked a bit dazed by the time she had finished talking to
him. But he had returned her parting smile, albeit a little weakly,
and Toni was sure he would continue to be a very understanding
person. Not at all like her ex-husband.
'Did you find an office, Antonia?' Ray asked over dinner.
'Yes. It's near Central Railway, just off Broadway. Easy for people
to come to me,' she explained.
It needn't stay dingy, she thought. She could paint it yellow, a nice
hopeful colour for people down on their luck. Maybe a touch of
green. Green was very restful for anxious minds. And if she put
some interesting motifs on the walls... brought in a couple of lush
pot-plants.
'What do you want an office for?' Jocelyn asked.
'Antonia is starting a business,' Ray informed her, while Toni's mind
dwelled on that bright inner vision.
'What kind?' Jocelyn persisted, her eyes alight with curiosity.
Toni clicked back to the present. 'It's sort of an employment agency.
Re-careering. That kind of thing,' she answered airily. 'I have a few
other ideas as well.'
Jocelyn shook her head incredulously. 'Why?'
'Because I want to,' Toni replied.
Which stopped all questions. Both Jocelyn and Ray were well aware
that, short of earthquake, fire or cyclone, there was no stopping Toni
when she wanted to do something. And, of course, she did not want
to go over the matter in any depth, as it could be taken as an implied
criticism of Ray's decision to sell the company.
After a short silence while her family pondered where this new
move might lead to which was totally unpredictable anyhow
Toni asked Jocelyn whether she had seen Noah Seton today.
'No. He had some business to see to,' Jocelyn answered distractedly.
It confirmed Toni's opinion that the man had no soul. How else
could he have spent such a glorious day on business? It was
different for her. Her sense of humanity had necessitated what she
had done. But Noah Seton wouldn't have needed to do business. He
just couldn't let that computer stop running. She would teach him a
thing or two tomorrow.
To ram the first lesson home, Toni did not go to the transport
company offices at all on Monday morning. She went straight to her
own office, only delaying her arrival there by an hour or so while
she requisitioned a fine rhododendron and two splendid hanging
cacti which Ray wouldn't miss at all from the fern-house in the
garden then stopped briefly at a hardware store to pick up several
paint colour-charts and a couple of cheap wall-brackets on which to
hang the plant baskets.
Her timing was perfect. The Telecom man was actually in her office
fixing up the telephone for her, and he had the tools to put up the
wall-brackets, which he obligingly did, admiring her choice of
plants and wishing her well in her new venture. In fact, he was so
keen to be helpful to her that Toni ended up having to usher him out
of the office so she could get to work on the telephone.
She got her notebook and biro out of her handbag and started off by
ringing the transport company. She spoke to all the retrenched
employees who were still working out their notice, telling them
where her office was, making appointments for them to come to her,
and promising to place them in good jobs as soon as she could. One
of the old hands in the trucking division promised to collect her desk
and chair which Ray had bought especially for her and which
certainly didn't belong to Noah Seton and bring it right over. She
finished up this first round of calls with a courteous chat to Noah
Seton's secretary, leaving her name, telephone number, and office [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]