Going Green - Nick Spalding Page 0,8

I’m out on my arse, and there’s no point in trying to think anything different.

Don’t be such a defeatist! my brain says, trying its hardest to rally the troops. Just get through the rest of this meeting without doing anything else stupid, and maybe we can think of a way to make up for the bad first impression.

Yes, brain! I like your thinking.

Thank you. Now say something nice about the logo. That’ll be a good start.

‘The serif font is great,’ I remark, nodding my head at the smartboard. ‘Feels quite timeless, but with a hint of the modern.’

Nolan points an excited finger at me. ‘Exactly! That’s just what I was after. I told Andy the graphic designer that’s what I wanted, and he definitely came up trumps.’

Oh, thank God for that. I’ve contributed something worthwhile at last.

I might not be in Nolan Reece’s good books as yet, but at least I might have done something to start climbing out of the bad ones.

The meeting carries on for a little while longer, with Nolan continuing to sell us on the concept of Viridian PR. It all sounds lovely and quite exciting, but there’s an ongoing tension in the room that can’t quite be broken by all of this apparent good news.

The fact of the matter is that two of us will be losing our jobs very soon, and none of us knows who yet. It’s a little hard to get super enthused about a company you might be thrown out of in the very near future.

Proceedings conclude with Nolan telling us he’s going to be sending us all an extensive email proposal, outlining everything in detail.

‘It will tell you everything you need to know,’ he says. ‘Everything I’ve probably missed out today, for definite.’ He pauses for a second before continuing. ‘Look, I know this has been difficult, and given how up in the air things are currently . . . I thought it might be nice for you all to have some time off. Starting now.’

A pleased murmur goes up. Nobody minds when they get told they have a surprise couple of days off, do they?

‘You should all go home, read the Viridian PR proposals, and get back here on Monday, ready to start work with the new focus in your heads.’ His smile fades a little. ‘I’ll also be able to say more on who will unfortunately be leaving us. I’m so sorry to leave you hanging, but we just need a little more time on it.’

‘I’m sure they all understand,’ Peter says, reminding us that he’s still in the room. Our focus has been so lasered in on the man who will decide our futures that the man who used to no longer seems to matter. I find that very sad.

My mood is as bleak as a winter moor as the meeting concludes, and we all troop back out on to the main office floor. The general atmosphere appears to be one of supreme ambivalence as we all gather in small groups to discuss what’s just happened. Everybody else feels pretty unsure about their future, but muggins here is convinced she’ll be looking for new gainful employment by this time next week, given the performance she’s put on today.

I get the feeling the other Stratagem – sorry, Viridian PR – employees agree with me, as I’m being treated with a lot of sympathy, like the axe has already fallen. I guess I can’t blame them. If they think I’m a goner, then that at least improves their chances a bit.

‘I’m sure everything will turn out okay,’ Amisha remarks, ostensibly to the three other people standing with her, but I can tell she’s talking to me more than anyone else.

‘Absolutely,’ Joseph agrees. ‘Whoever has to leave, I’m sure they’ll find work elsewhere quickly. We’re a talented bunch here.’

Okay, Joseph, you don’t have to look directly at me while you’re saying that, you know.

‘No doubt about it!’ Nadia adds, in a slightly hectic voice. ‘I’m sure it’ll all be fine, like Amisha says.’

‘Mmmm,’ I half-heartedly respond.

Oh God, I do wish they’d stop looking at me like that. I feel like a dog that’s going to be put down.

I can only take ten or so minutes of this before I decide it’s time to leave for the day. The others seem happy to hang around for a bit and continue to indulge in a combination of speculation and navel-gazing, but I’ve decided that I need to go home and climb into

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