Surprise, surprise!

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from the book i-Land – A double Irish and a Dutch – Chapter 3 – Escape to Cork

Tonight, she couldn’t care less; she was ready, set to party and joined Harry, whose daughter and boyfriend had meanwhile arrived and who were already dancing on the dance floor. The music was playing and she felt like love was in the air. Harry, looking at Avoka, had seen her smile on her face while she was texting, was now jeering at her.

“Who was it, the sexy ghost lover or the hot rugby player?” Avoka looked up with a grin.

“Both.” Harry said, “Well, what a great combination; maybe I should also get a ghost dancer for the nights my girlfriend is off.”

Avoka giggled, “Well, the ghost is not always appearing at exact the moment you wish.”

Harry replied, “Oh, damn, if they both appear at the same time, that’s trouble, of course.”

Avoka said, “Well, with a Whatsapp ghost it’s good to handle.”

They all laughed out loud. Avoka said, “Maybe I should have another drink; let’s see who else appears then.”

She wasn’t finished with her sentence and this drunk girl from the Fruit of the Loom “farm”, the one Avoka once had worked with on the team, is standing right in front of her.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were gone.”

Avoka said, “Does it look like I’m gone? Maybe you are seeing a ghost “buh”. Or are you so drunk that you don’t really know who is standing in front of you.”

A voice behind the girl appeared. “Oh, my God!” Avoka was thinking, the other asshole, the same duo, just like last night’s party. Would they stay here?  That would ruin the whole night. But he was shouting after the drunk girl that she should come now, they had to go to another party. The drunk girl actually tried to make her way to the shouting guy but somehow missing the door, she walked the wrong way. The exit was on the other side or was she thinking she could walk through a glass wall? Both were already on an alcohol level that made it damn hard to understand what they were saying, and one was wondering how they even could still stand or walk. But Avoka just felt lucky that they both made a U-turn and found their way through the crowd and out of the bar. She was feeling relieved when in a blink of her eye, at the same moment, someone entered the door–someone who looked quite familiar. This someone, looking damn good, was moving toward her; it was Ian.

Avoka was surprised; that was the last thing she had expected, him coming here to Cork. He walked through the crowd then stopped in front of her with a cheeky smile. She smiled at him, looking into his eyes, asking, “Did you get lost on the way from London to Dublin?”

He laughed. “I needed an emergency landing, well, I heard there was a party in Cork tonight with some special guests which could be worthwhile.”

Avoka winked. “Oh, something could be worthwhile, hey?”

He smiled. “Yes, something very worthwhile, and I just couldn’t resist taking that Cork flight.” 

He opened his arms and wrapped them around her shoulders, giving her a long kiss. It was some time ago she had last been together with him but there was no better place to be right now than in his arms. Her hands around his neck, she is whispering, “I see, yes, this could be something very worthwhile.”

And they kiss again in the middle of the dance floor. The music is playing Wicked Wonderland.

A half hour later they all sit at the river window, having a good time, drinking champagne, and whisky, sharing old stories and fresh ideas how Avoka can overcome her job dilemma. Harry is creating ideas how they also can fight back the Fruit of the Loom giant who had played this sneaky game on her by pretending her figures weren’t good enough and making her sign this additional paper and pressuring her with legal consequences that could lead to dismissal. Always with this “could” and “we’ll give you another chance” thing. But Harry already knew how they would just play with those statistical figures, as he had seen and experienced it himself how quick and easy they were about dispersing the figures just as it suited them and how the manager would make manual adjustments. So, neither of those employees who were shown how bad their results were nor the employees who always had the continuously consistent 90% rate over months were reliable. Also, they were using more than two different systems that always showed huge discrepancies in their metrics. He was quite good friends, or kind of, with one of the Managers, who sometimes told him on that after-work drinks in the Pub what jobs he had to do, so he knew how they manipulated things.

Harry had heard a lot and he knew how unfairly this was played and that they had done that just to have the possibility to put pressure on Avoka whenever they needed to. Harry was saying, “If there was anything about the job you do that would be really bad or not good enough, you were quicker gone than you came. They employ almost 150 new people every month. Especially while you are on probation period there wasn’t any need to keep someone if the person wouldn’t do a good job. They love doing this; they played the same on a guy in my team and this went on and on they would always make him sign some additional paper to give themselves the opportunity of dismissal, mostly for having the freedom to put pressure on the people whenever they liked to or to have a ‘buh-man’ whenever they need one.”

On one side Harry liked working for that giant, as he was interested in their whole business construct, but the way they played those games on employees was also against his work ethics and he assured Avoka he would help her to fight back. Avoka had seen a lawyer but she had told her that there were not many chances, to prove that the figures had been manipulated. So Avoka simply had looked for another job and had than quit, but was again in the same situation in the new company who had a similar work style. Harry gave in.  “Yes, I know that they love playing this on you; you are too much for them.”

They all laughed. Most people said exactly the contrary and would say, “Yeah, there must be something that you do that annoys them that they all act that way.”

But Harry added, “Yes, in my company in Germany I had experienced the same thing. There was one girl, more that kind of beauty if you know what I mean, keen, quiet, resourceful, who really brought in good ideas. One would think that she would be popular with those others and that this would improve the work productivity and effectiveness. But they all tried to put her down, spreading lies, both men and woman—in, particular one, who really was good and you would think he is not in need of acting like that. But wrong. He saw her as too much competition. And in your present job where you are, Avoka, with those young guys, especially with such a strong cultural macho background like Latin and Indian, you as a woman–you think they like that?”

Again, the whole corner table laughed. Harry’s daughter threw in. “Well, Honey, they are not against you, they are for themselves. So, you better fight for yourself, too.” She shows a bittersweet smile, flashing her white teeth, then adding, “We’ll find a way to turn that around. On both companies, we’ll turn that bullying into gold. My boyfriend’s father is a lawyer who works in a well-known law company who has dealt with those companies before. I’ll talk to him to make an appointment for you.”

Everyone supported this idea and they kept on making plans on how to fight those sneaky giants back. Harry agreed, “Yes, the best is their 8-minute-desk-absence-policy for the toilet!”

Ian looked up questioningly. “Eight-minute-desk-absence-policy for the toilet?”

Harry nodded. “Yes, every employee has to put himself on a menu with a few options like available, unavailable, meeting, coaching, break and idle. And apart from anything that you are scheduled to, you are allowed 8 minutes of idle time a day. And if you need to go to the toilet in between you are allowed, to put it on idle but the maximum daily idle time is eight minutes.”

Harry’s daughter said, “Fantastic because the toilet is something that can be scheduled so well.”

Ian bursts into laughter. “Seriously? And what happens if you’re over?”

Harry said, “Well, they have a set percentage of discrepancies on those figures but anything else counts as an incident. The same as if you are more than five minutes late–it will be reported and no matter what reason for, it counts as an incident, the same as being sick. And in general, if you have more than three incidents within six months you’re getting kicked out. Of course, they play with this policy; there are many who are sick all the time like Avoka’s team-leader who are far beyond three incidents and who are still there.”

Avoka agreed, “Yes, actually the time I used to work there, when I had moved to my flat, the neighbor girl had told me that before me a Spanish girl had lived in the flat and she had been kicked out of the Fruit of the Loom company because she had been late three times.”

Avoka continued, “This was funny anyway as she said the Spanish girl now worked for Voxgo. This was the same company who had made me an offer and where I had been in March for three days but decided not to sign the contract because of the unprofessionalism of the team leader and organization. This company actually, had worked on the project I’m working on now, but their quality wasn’t good enough, so they took it away from them.”

Ian threw in, “And they gave it to that so professional Indian outsource company you are working with now?”

He shook his head. “As if they do a better job on the project, seriously?”

Harry agreed and burst into laughter. “This is unbelievable, but quality has a different definition here. It is not like our understanding of delivering the best solution for the customer but for the company’s most benefit, of course.”

Ian nodded. “Ah, so solving the customer’s problem is not really asked for.”

Avoka said, “Exactly, just making him feel like you are understanding and bringing across how you can’t help him in a friendly way.”

Harry said, “But it’s funny, Avoka, that with each company you end up with the same project and the competencies get worse and worse with those people.”

Avoka added, “And actually it’s not just the same project. I also meet the same people again, the Voxgo team-leader and some other girl I had met again at the Fruit of the Loom company they work there, too, now.” Harry said.

“No, seriously? It’s really hard to understand how they get so successful with that.” Avoka said.

“Yes, but it seems to work for them. The company stands as damn successful–at least it looks like it.” Harry mused, “But if they build their business on the same figures like they manage the figures in the systems we work with, you can be sure that 90% from the one person compared to 90% with another are based on totally different grounds. Just like yesterday, one of the guys came back from a two-weeks holiday but had consistently a 90% rate on his stats. I wonder how he managed this with not answering a single chat–that’s impressive, isn’t it?”

Everyone laughs. Ian said, “Yes, who knows if those financial figures they put out are real and their brand value or maybe it’s just kind of overrated just like they did with the real estate bubble?”

Harry agreed, “Well that would be a point but we’ll see. We must find a way to prove it.”

Ian said, “All right, I put my menu on idle time for the 8 minutes for now.” He laughs and stands up, walking to the toilet.

Harry said, “Well, yes, I think it’s time to put mine on unavailable.”

Avoka laughed, “Oh, I think that’s the one we’re not allowed to set.”

Harry said, “Oh, damn. So, what will this get me now, an incident?”

Avoka said, “Maybe.”

Harry replied, “Anyway, I think we should count the incidents. I’m with you, Avoka. I will try to get some more people involved. If we go for suing them together we stand much better chances. What do you think?”

Avoka agreed. “Yes, that’s a good idea, I guess, and we can bring much more awareness to how these companies really work and who takes the profit out, including their mysterious tax strategies they use.”

Harry said, “Yes, but that’s another issue but we’ll keep an eye on it, too. I know they are running claims in the US, too.”

Ian returns to the table. “Hey guys, I have an idea for another point that’s certainly not on one of your company’s menus and would cause another incident.” He’s flashing a smile towards Avoka.

“Ah, and I guess it’s one worthwhile incident, isn’t it?”

Ian is nodding and Harry says, “Oh, I’m sure it’s one that’s never getting on the menu, and certainly not by law.”

Harry’s daughter says, “Well, well, but that’s the one I thought about already the last 30 minutes and I like that one! Let’s go!”

They all get up, pay at the bar’s till and leave the Electric. Harry takes a cap home. His daughter is spending the night with her boyfriend at his place and Ian and Avoka walk over to the Imperial hotel where Ian has booked a suite.

Avoka wakes up in the morning with sweet kisses on her face and Ian holding her tight, flashing his bright smile into her face, and they enjoy breakfast in bed.

Two hours later they take some time to the Escape, the Hotel’s spa, having the pool all to themselves. It’s an incredible atmosphere swimming those long lines. The pool is built in an old traditional Roman style with high marble columns. Ian is hanging at the pool’s edge; Avoka is swimming toward him. He wraps his arms around her, lifting her up and kisses her lips. Than they both sink into the water, skin on skin. Even when they are drowning it feels like they are becoming one and it feels like they are each other’s air. In this moment, she knows he must be the one.

Late that afternoon they take a stroll through the Crawford Gallery and then make their way back to Dublin. They arrive at about ten o’clock. Ian drops Avoka at her flat at Marlborough Road No 6. Avoka is happy, feeling like she is on cloud number seven but coming down quickly when she opens the door. 

At the corridor stands a crowd of people, the two guys from the ground floor and three friends. They wink at Avoka, who walks over to them.

One of the guys starts, “The girl from the front flat was screaming for help. When we asked, the boyfriend came out saying everything was okay.”

The couple in the front flat must have had a bitter fight and the guys were wondering what to do. Now it was quiet. One was suggesting to call the police but everyone was afraid the boyfriend would put it on them and might beat them off. So, they all decided when she screams again to go in and call the police.

Avoka was a bit shocked but then went upstairs. You never knew how they would react; the guy was from Tunisia and the girl she hadn’t seen before.

She gets her bed ready and then a good night message from Hunt arrives. She sends a sleeping moon back, wishing sweet dreams.