2008 November 04

With me having come to an actual decision the previous evening I was settled in a way I hadn't been after first coming back from the meeting after lunch. As such I managed to almost catch up on those things I had failed to deal with properly the prior afternoon which was surprising, there should have been work needing done from that morning. I was in a good mood though so I didn't really give it any thought and just did what was there to be done until lunchtime finally came around.

I hadn't been given any specific instructions as to how I was to let Kevin or the others know my decision, nor did I have their internal numbers, so I went for another work after the others in the office had headed downstairs to the café. The walk seemed quicker that time, familiarity and a lack of concern as to what was going on both no doubt contributing to my nerves being far less stressed.
The receptionist seemed to be expecting me, at the very least instructions had been left for what to do if I came by, I wasn't to go to the same part of the factory as I had the day before, this time I was to head around the outside for a while until I came to an office with my name on the door.

I was expecting a piece of paper written on with a vivid or the like. Someone had actually got one of those embossed name plates for the door though. Expecting some sort of joke I spent a while looking around the hallway instead of just heading into the office. Even when I decided I should go in I knocked first, a habit I kept for a least a week. The computer on the desk was quite obviously not new at all, it reminded me of the PC my parents had purchased the year before I started at High School. The fact there were network connections for it made it obvious I was expected to use it on occasion at least, probably to leave reports with Kevin or one of his underlings. Of course the other idea would be I'd get instructions left for what I should be trying to figure out or look into or whatever.

The only other noticeable item in the room, besides the ubiquitous desk and chair (and I wondered at the significance of there only being 1 chair in the room) was the folded paper almost exactly at the middle of the desk surface. It was a note from Kevin letting me know a few more details of our soon to be formal arrangement. As long as I was to take the second piece of paper (which was with a list of initial readings in the top drawer of the desk) to the lady at reception as I was leaving the factory for the main offices I would start drawing what amounted to an extra 10% of my weekly pay. I had been thinking I'd simply get paid (overtime?) for extra hours I did and wondered if I'd missed something in the contract I'd signed the day before.

I was also 'allowed' to keep the photo-frame upon my desk, I should have realised that there would be 'objections' to it staying if I hadn't agreed to help the project. Any day I came in to find it on a pile of paper I was to take at least some of my lunch break to come through to the factory and get more instructions or let them know what I'd been thinking. If it was on my keyboard I was to return that evening, which made it clear how much warning I was going to be able to give Veronika if I had to cancel plans.

It seemed I had all the instructions I needed at that point in time so I made my way out of the factory, almost turning the wrong way out my door. The first thing I did upon getting back to my 'normal' desk was move the photo-frame so it was at the corner furthest from the computer. The second was to ring Veronika and see whether she was going to be coming by my place again after work. I figured it would be good to see her when I gave her the news about very limited notice being the expected norm for me working nights, and of course, I wanted to spend time with my girlfriend. She told me that she would like to spend another night at my place, apparently the last of the repair work was going to happening the next morning so she was still going to be without an alarm.

My thoughts in the morning about getting used to someone else permanently in my home with me took a more pleasant turn as I walked into the house that afternoon. I could smell food cooking and immediately felt that someone else living with me would be a good thing, especially if they were to cook. Apart from putting stuff in the hall cupboard I went straight through to where Veronika was, walked up behind her and put my arms around her. After nearly burning us both the first time I tried to hug her like that I'd learnt to make sure she wasn't holding anything at the time and on this occasion I was only just quick enough to prevent her picking up a pot first.