Made In Hull: Stories 1969 - 2005 Part 2 (3/3) By Rich Mills

(1/3), (2/3), (3/3), Part 1,

I sauntered back to the Halifax, a spring in my step and a song in my heart. Approaching my manager I confessed to the little white lie, and explained about the new job. At first he seemed pleased, as I expected he would be. Then things changed, as I explained about how they wanted me to start tomorrow. He spluttered, he coughed, he went red in the face. He grabbed the huge Staff Manual from off the shelf and began flicking through it, as he mumbled things about how I can't just leave.

I repeated that today would be my last day of work, and that I was not losing this job for anything. He spluttered something about a month's notice.

I said it wasn't happening, and what were they going to do to stop me? Chain me to my desk. He spat something about losing my last month's pay, I said I didn't give a shit. He went into meltdown, his lobotomy scar throbbed. None of this computed for the small minded middle manager. He went and got the top boss, the head honcho, the big cheese. He asked me between panting breaths to explain it all again to him. The top boss smiled and congratulated me. He said that I could write a letter of resignation there and then, put it on his desk, and go when I liked. I did just that. Halifax in Hull.

Probably one of the only times I actually did what I was told during that hellish five years working for the

The Intervening Years (From East Hull to the Latin Quarter, via The Boulevard)

Married far too young, a child on the way, just scrapped out of being another of Hull's teenage statistics. Family pissed off to Australia, left me here to fend for myself. A crazy couple of years ensued, a big learning curve for a young adult all alone in the world. From naïve youth to battled hardened adult. All of it my own stupid fault. Fell in with the wrong sort. From homeless, jobless, directionless, pointless life to company director things took a new vector. Why did I tie myself down again? Not so fucking clever was I! Drugs, depression and Dee. A single short sentence sums that one up. What the hell was happening to me? I had to pull myself up.

University and a philosophy degree. Just about scrapped that one with any major fuck-up. Youth and community work, that will do me. A light at the end of the tunnel? Surely it would be plain sailing from here. Mixing my metaphors, just couldn't help it. Always knew this chapter would end in pain, just didn't know how and when. When she finished university I had said time and time again, that would be it. Self fulfilling prophesy? Maybe! I was right though whatever the truth. Never wrong. Wasn't prepared though. What a fucking stupid asshole I was.

Copyright © Rich Mills 2005

Continued ...Part 2,

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