For the Love of God and the Arab Rising

  Chapter Three: Back in the office. No windows and no air conditioning, it’s a typical engineering office in the basement of a very large office block. The telephone is ringing; one of the engineers is rushing to a client call and its freezing cold as usual. Sitting at my desk in a suit, I pull on my beany hat to keep my head warm and hit the keyboard, my laptop leaps into life, It’s all go as usual. My admin assistant smiles and then promptly reminds me of what requires my attention. As if to say: you were away far too long, now please get on with some work. The folder that Ray left behind is dumped on my desk and I catch a glimpse of it as I get on with my day. There are 50 emails to get through and maintenance instructions to issue to the shift engineers. Barbara, my admin assistant: gleefully informs me that the client is after me for an update on the Fire System upgrade, and the repairs to the sprinkler system, oh joy of joys, what a lucky guy I am. Just when I am about to call the client to arrange a meeting the phone rings. ‘Good day, Sustained Engineering Maintenance, how may I help you?’ ‘Steve, it’s me Ray’. My body and mind freeze, what the hell does he want now? I regain my composure and calmly reply. ‘What’s up Ray, how can I help?’ Ray continues. ‘I know we have just had a few words, but it’s important; did you see a black leather business folder on the chair next to where I was sitting? In fact it’s really important’. My upbringing puts me into auto pilot to be honest and helpful, but I resist and lie. ‘No Ray, I didn’t see a thing, if it was on a chair, possibly hidden by the table, I would not have seen it. Have you been back to the cafe and checked the place out? Have you asked the shop assistants?’ ‘Yes, and its gone, I am sure I left it there, are you sure Steve?’ ‘Yes, we fell out, we agreed to move on, we still have issues, but I would not lie to you Ray’. His tone softens and he appears resigned to the situation. This is good; I do not feel under threat and maybe its way of getting my own back. I decide to leave things as they are for now and get on with my day.