Silver Wedding Read Online Free Page A
Changed utterly. It wasn't the same breed of men in business these days.
Anna felt weary. It was always the same, Father's version of the story. The truth was that Father had been sacked over what Mother called a personality conflict. But it was a secret. A great secret nobody was to know. At school it was never to be mentioned.
Anna's first great habits of secrecy must have begun then, she realized. Perhaps that was when the secrecy all began. Because a year later Father was employed again by the same firm. And that was never explained either.
Ken Green didn't mutter agreement about the world in general and the ways of businessmen in particular.
'How did you manage to survive the rationalization? Were you in some essential post?'
Anna's hand flew to her mouth. No one had been as direct as this before in this household. Anna's mother looked with alarmed glances from one face to another. There was a short pause.
'I didn't survive it; as it happens,' Desmond Doyle said. 'I was out for a year. But they brought me back, when there was a change of personnel along the line, when some personality differences had been ironed out.'
Anna's hand remained at her mouth. This was the first time that Father had ever acknowledged that he had been a year unemployed. She was almost afraid to see how her mother had taken it.
Ken was nodding in agreement. 'That often happens, it's something like putting all the pieces into a paper bag and shaking a few of them back on to the board. Though the pieces aren't always put back in the right holes?' He smiled encouragingly.
Anna looked at Ken Green as if she had never seen him before. What was he doing, sitting in this room interrogating her father about forbidden subjects? Was there the remotest possibility that Mother and Father would think she had discussed private business with him?
Mercifully, Father hadn't taken it at all badly; he was busy explaining to Ken that people had indeed been relocated into the wrong positions. He himself who should have Operations Manager was in fact Special Projects. Special Projects meant as little or as much as anyone wanted it to mean. It was a non-job.
'Still, that leaves it up to you to make what you will of it, that's the thing with non-jobs. I have one, Anna has one, and we try in our different ways to make something of them.'
'I have not a non-job!' Anna cried.
'It could be called that, couldn't it? There's no real ceiling, no proper ranking or way of getting recognition, you make it a good job because you're interested in publishing, you read the catalogues, you understand why books appear and who buys them. You could stand filing your nails like that colleague of yours with the purple hair.'
Anna's mother giggled nervously.
'Of course you're right when you're young, Ken, people have chances to make something of their job, but not when they're old .. .'
'So you were all right, then.' Ken was bland.
'Come now, don't be flattering me . . .'
'I wasn't.' Ken's face showed that nothing was further from his intentions. 'But you can't be more than forty-six, can you, forty-six or forty-seven?'
Anna fumed 'at her own stupidity, inviting this lout home.
'That's right, forty-seven next birthday,' Father was saying.
'Well, that's never old, is it? Not old like fifty-eight or sixty two.'
'Deirdre, can we make that steak stretch to four pieces? This young fdlow's doing me good, he has to stay for supper.'
Anna's face burned. If he said yes she would never forgive him.
'No, thank you, Mr Doyle, no, I mean it Mrs Doyle. I'm sure it would be lovely but not tonight. Thanks again. I'll just finish my drink and let you get on with your evening.'
'But it would be no trouble and we'd like to ...'
'Not tonight, Anna wants to talk to you, I know.'
'Well, I'm sure if it's anything.. .' Anna's mother looked wildly from her daughter to this personable young man with the dark hair and dark brown eyes. Surely Anna couldn't have come home with some announcement
Anna felt weary. It was always the same, Father's version of the story. The truth was that Father had been sacked over what Mother called a personality conflict. But it was a secret. A great secret nobody was to know. At school it was never to be mentioned.
Anna's first great habits of secrecy must have begun then, she realized. Perhaps that was when the secrecy all began. Because a year later Father was employed again by the same firm. And that was never explained either.
Ken Green didn't mutter agreement about the world in general and the ways of businessmen in particular.
'How did you manage to survive the rationalization? Were you in some essential post?'
Anna's hand flew to her mouth. No one had been as direct as this before in this household. Anna's mother looked with alarmed glances from one face to another. There was a short pause.
'I didn't survive it; as it happens,' Desmond Doyle said. 'I was out for a year. But they brought me back, when there was a change of personnel along the line, when some personality differences had been ironed out.'
Anna's hand remained at her mouth. This was the first time that Father had ever acknowledged that he had been a year unemployed. She was almost afraid to see how her mother had taken it.
Ken was nodding in agreement. 'That often happens, it's something like putting all the pieces into a paper bag and shaking a few of them back on to the board. Though the pieces aren't always put back in the right holes?' He smiled encouragingly.
Anna looked at Ken Green as if she had never seen him before. What was he doing, sitting in this room interrogating her father about forbidden subjects? Was there the remotest possibility that Mother and Father would think she had discussed private business with him?
Mercifully, Father hadn't taken it at all badly; he was busy explaining to Ken that people had indeed been relocated into the wrong positions. He himself who should have Operations Manager was in fact Special Projects. Special Projects meant as little or as much as anyone wanted it to mean. It was a non-job.
'Still, that leaves it up to you to make what you will of it, that's the thing with non-jobs. I have one, Anna has one, and we try in our different ways to make something of them.'
'I have not a non-job!' Anna cried.
'It could be called that, couldn't it? There's no real ceiling, no proper ranking or way of getting recognition, you make it a good job because you're interested in publishing, you read the catalogues, you understand why books appear and who buys them. You could stand filing your nails like that colleague of yours with the purple hair.'
Anna's mother giggled nervously.
'Of course you're right when you're young, Ken, people have chances to make something of their job, but not when they're old .. .'
'So you were all right, then.' Ken was bland.
'Come now, don't be flattering me . . .'
'I wasn't.' Ken's face showed that nothing was further from his intentions. 'But you can't be more than forty-six, can you, forty-six or forty-seven?'
Anna fumed 'at her own stupidity, inviting this lout home.
'That's right, forty-seven next birthday,' Father was saying.
'Well, that's never old, is it? Not old like fifty-eight or sixty two.'
'Deirdre, can we make that steak stretch to four pieces? This young fdlow's doing me good, he has to stay for supper.'
Anna's face burned. If he said yes she would never forgive him.
'No, thank you, Mr Doyle, no, I mean it Mrs Doyle. I'm sure it would be lovely but not tonight. Thanks again. I'll just finish my drink and let you get on with your evening.'
'But it would be no trouble and we'd like to ...'
'Not tonight, Anna wants to talk to you, I know.'
'Well, I'm sure if it's anything.. .' Anna's mother looked wildly from her daughter to this personable young man with the dark hair and dark brown eyes. Surely Anna couldn't have come home with some announcement
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