My work life started not long after returning home from University, which is how I met...
THE OFFICE WOMAN (1982 ~ 22)
Much to my mum's joy, my first job out of Uni was in a pharmaceutical company a few miles away in Blackburn. I had learned to drive and I'd got my first car, a small mini, from a mate of my dad's. So that's how I got to work starting at the end of summer/early autumn 1981.
I started working on a 9am-5pm "swing" shift in the Computer Operations department, learning what was what; how the systems and processes worked; as well as many of the users. After two months I switched to the two shift patterns 6am-2pm (early) and 2pm-10pm (late). In the December, we had the works Christmas party at which I met one of the voices I'd spoken to often but had never met, Janice. It turned out she was with her husband, Bobby, who was in the Royal Navy. He was expecting to be away on tour for almost six months from March time, a few weeks after Janice's 27th birthday. I had driven to the Party and offered to drive them home as they lived not too far from work, and I passed it on my way home anyway.
Bobby went to sea in late March and luckily didn't get involved in the Falklands Naval Task Force, spending his time in the Indian Ocean.
Janice, or Jan as she preferred, was a "Designated User", to whom we had to pass on a system generated Quality Reference Certificate (aka QRC) by telephone twice a day, morning and afternoon. Prior to actually meeting her at the Christmas do, I'd only spoken to her over the phone. Since late March there had developed an element of banter over the passing on of this QRC. Things like:
Me: "I've got a long one for you today",
Her: "Oh Good. Just what a girl needs in the morning",
Me: "I look forward to giving you one later",
Her: "Well, Bobby's away so that'll be fine",
Me: "I've only got a small one this afternoon",
Her: "Thank goodness for this morning's big one then",
Me: "Can I give it to you now?",
Her: "That'd be nice but it might be a bit awkward in front of all the office."
... and so many more.
In mid April, the banter from Jan became decidedly more intense. She said,
"It's when social intercourse becomes physical intercourse that things get really interesting. And I like really interesting."
I could sense there was more than just banter going on!
I was working the 2-10 shift that next Friday when I had to contact Jan regarding a query over a Certificate. She sounded croaky and rough voiced.
"Got a cold or something coming on" she said.
"I'd suggest taking to your bed with some whisky and honey," I replied.
"OK but what about my cold?" she quipped back.
In reply I said, testing, "A good stiff one for you, I think."
"A good stiff one sounds right up my er... street. It would give me an injection... of energy."
It sounded like an invite to me!
The following Monday, I started the 6-2 shift and found that Jan was not in work that day, but as I left at 2pm and drove past her home, I had this urge to stop and see how she was. I parked up and as I walked up to the door she must have seen me because she opened the door slightly. Sounding a bit snuffly, she said,
"This is a surprise! Come in, but I'm full of a cold."
"That's OK", I replied, "I'm not planning on kissing you anyway."
"You're no fun sometimes" was her response.
As she closed the door and moved ahead of me into the back living room, I could see that she was only dressed in some kind of knee-length nightie. She made me sit down in the chair opposite to her. Conversation ensued about her health and what was going on. She added,
"Following your suggestion, I've spent most of the weekend in bed. Alone."
"Did you take the whisky and lemon?, I asked.
"I did, but it wasn't a stiff one."
"I could take that statement a number of different ways," I said back.
"Could you now? "
"Yes, but I'm a gentleman."
"Pity." she answered.
"Maybe, but I'm not one to take advantage of a lady in an unwell condition."
"Mmm, I thought you might be bringing me a Certificate, when I saw you," she mused.
"If I were, you know it would be a long one!"
"So you say," she said, "I've yet to see any evidence. I'm thinking you're all talk and no trousers."
I replied, "I think if I had no trousers on, you'd probably see how long it was."