The Joys of Redundancy - Stage 5

By JAB

Different day, different idea.

“I’ll take a year off,” I decide out loud.

“Six months,” says Husband.

“Year,” I say.

“Maybe one day a week, perhaps at the local surgery,” he says.

Yeah right.

Next thing, I’m redoing my resume and swanning into a big city shoe shop, one that I’d scorned a few weeks ago when I’d heard it was Hiring Mature Sales-people. I’m sort-of dressed up, for a change, and forcing a brave face.

As it happens, the hiring manager, whose name I recognise from my frantic-googling for company information while travelling in on the tram for this purpose, and the assistant manager are both standing at the main counter. They get straight on with the business of screening me there and then.

“What are you looking for,” she says?

“Oh, one or maybe two days a week,” I prevaricate.

“We don’t have anything at the moment,” she says as she jots my availability onto the unopened envelope enclosing my-brilliant-career.

“Will let you know if anything comes up?”

I figure I’ve missed the bus here too but at least she sort of noted my availability and Spring is here and Christmas is, after all, only months away and show me a women who doesn’t need new shoes then…

“I am a customer of yours,” I throw in, thinking it might just turn the tide. The hiring manager is unmoved but the nice assistant smiles warmly at me.

As I leave, I ponder the hiring sign still in the window. What did I say wrong, I wonder? Maybe I didn’t say anything wrong. Maybe she wanted full time. Maybe it’s my hair. Maybe it’s just not for me.

Perhaps the recruitment outsourcing service will unlock some new tricks to winning over these powerful people because it’s different now. I am older.

I wander into the chocolate shop next door and gaze vacantly over the exotic choice.

Perhaps it is time to follow my dreams: finish writing my dad’s memoirs, finish my Cert IV, sell some copy writing, begin the volunteering to write-aged-biographies program, work for the Victorian Writers Centre and The Wheeler Centre, visit my ageing parents at my leisure, play more golf. At the very least, start a TO - DO List.