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‘But they’re taking the mickey, Deborah. I thought that, if we refused to accept incorrect goods, they might get the message and step up their game.’
‘I’ve told you before,’ she hisses. ‘I have negotiatedextremelyfavourable terms with Williamsons, and if you continue to upset them, you’ll be putting other projects at risk and I will consider it a disciplinary matter. Am I making myself clear?’
I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
‘Perfectly,’ I tell her, being careful to keep my voice calm. ‘But let me reiterate what I think you’ve just said, so there’s no misunderstanding. I place the orders, Williamsons deliver whatever the hell they like, and I just suck it up. Is that right?’
‘Don’t press your luck. I don’t need to remind you that you’re on probation, do I? Consider this a verbal warning.’
I’m shaking with rage as she disconnects. I can see clearly why Andy resigned. I’m sorely tempted to ring her back and tell her where she can stick both her attitude and her job.
‘You don’t look very happy,’ Noah observes as he wanders into the office a while later. ‘I thought you’d be in a good mood, having sent all of that stuff back.’
‘The Bitch Queen rang and tore me off a strip.’
‘Really? Why? What did she say?’
‘Basically, although I’m the customer, I have to kiss the arse of whomever I speak to at Williamsons and accept whatever shit they choose to deliver. Oh, and she gave me a verbal warning, just to make sure I got the message.’
‘Bloody hell,’ he whispers. ‘It does make me wonder whether there’s something dodgy going on, do you know what I mean?’
‘Go on.’
‘Well, I’ve been in the trade for a while, and this is the first time we’ve been so tightly tied to a single supplier. It just seems odd to me, particularly when they’re so useless. There are loads of building material suppliers around here. This whole town is practically a building site. Why use a single company in Leeds?’
‘All I know is that I need this job. So, from now on, we go back to just unloading the trucks and doing the best we can with what we get. I might as well kiss any prospect of a milestone bonus goodbye, because I can’t see how I’m going to hit any milestones with my hands and legs tied like this.’
‘The boys will be disappointed. They weren’t sold on the idea of checking everything to begin with, but I think they quite enjoyed seeing the truck leave with all that stuff still on it. It was like a small act of rebellion.’
‘Yeah, well, the revolution is over.’
* * *
Thankfully, the rest of the week passes much more peacefully. The morning stand-ups are helping me to get a feel for where we are and who everyone is. Noah was right that the guys were disappointed my new delivery regime was crushed so quickly, but it seems like the message might have got through anyway, because the remainder of our deliveries have been broadly correct. I’ve done exactly as Deborah instructed, and mailed details of any discrepancies to her, although she hasn’t seen fit to dignify my reports with any kind of response. That’s probably for the best; now that I know what she’s really like, I want as little contact with her as possible.
‘Are you coming to the pub?’ Noah asks me at lunchtime on Friday, causing me to give him a nonplussed stare. ‘POETS day, remember? The guys are starting to pack up already.’
‘I’m not sure,’ I reply. ‘I wouldn’t put it past the Bitch Queen to ring later, just to check I’m still here. I don’t want to give her any more ammunition to use against me.’
‘Fair enough. Got any plans for the weekend?’
‘Oh, yeah. It’s going to be a rollercoaster of excitement. I’ve got food shopping, a trip to the laundrette and I might even have a look at the ladder training. You?’
‘I’ll be working on my house. I’m in the middle of repointing at the moment. Actually, I’ve just had an idea.’
‘Do I want to know?’
‘Yes. If you do your ladder training, you could come round. I’ve got scaffolding up at the moment, so you could practise going up and down without all the lads watching.’
‘Hm. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think I’d rather drill holes in my head.’
‘I’ll give you the address in case you change your mind. I’ll be there all weekend, and you have my mobile number if I’ve popped out for anything.’ He grabs a piece of paper off the desk and scribbles a few lines on it. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to come to the pub?’
‘I’d better not, but thanks.’
Sure enough, I’m working my way through some paperwork when the phone rings. I glance at my watch before answering. Half past four.
‘Ella, it’s Deborah,’ she announces, as if I don’t have caller ID. ‘I just need you to check a couple of lines on a delivery note for me. I assume you’re still in the office?’
