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“Anyway, we released Tiki Terror II, it went absolutely insane overnight, and that's when CMD Inc. came into the picture. They paid the guys a stack of money for the company; on the proviso they stick around for at least six months. By the time the six months was up, Charlie, Michael and Andre were already on board, and Craig was appointed as Project Manager not long after. They set us up here, and we've been here ever since.” Noah shrugged his shoulders, as if the success of the company was no big deal.
“Why weren't you made Project Manager if you were the one who had been around the longest after the original three?”
“I was offered the position, but I like programming. They wanted to keep me on, so they told me I could have whichever position I wanted. I took Lead Programmer, and I'm happy with what I'm doing.”
“Fair enough,” Allee nodded in understanding.
“The team was pretty well set-up, and the company had appointed Craig as the Project Manager once they'd finished restructuring, so we started working on Tiki Terror III. When it came time for its release, they sent Gareth Pengelly up for a couple of days, and I was 'elected' to run him through the game, characters and storyline. He was a really nice bloke, with a sharp mind and a keen sense of humour. When I read the copy of the recommendation he wrote for you, I wondered how much of it was the truth, and how much of it he'd hyped. I can see now that there wasn't that much hype.” Noah chuckled, his admiration for Allee clear in his face and laughter.
Allee grinned back at Noah, “Well, I'm glad that I passed muster, at least with you. I think Charlie would disagree, though. She hates my guts and makes no bones about the fact either.”
“It's not that she hates you,” Noah sighed, “it's just that Charlie thinks Head Office shafts us whenever they possibly can. We deserved that bollocking over the state of the kitchen. But Charlie can't see past the fact that Head Office sent you at the moment.”
Allee shrugged. “Well, I'm not going anywhere, so she'll have to get used to me eventually. I've had enough mean and spiteful people in my life,” Allee stopped herself, seeing Noah's curious look. She'd said too much, and she wasn't ready to open herself up like that to strangers. Allee thanked Noah for the conversation and told him she'd let him know when to expect the new furniture and glass boards for his team.
After Noah left, she sat there, staring into space, her mind going back over the last hour's conversation and the implications it could have on her future happiness, both inside and outside the office. Allee shook off her musings and got back to work. She sent an email to the finance department and submitted an order through the office furnishing company where she got the furniture for her office. She would do her damnedest to ensure that each staff member was comfortable and happy in their working environment.
As she left work that evening, Allee smiled and waved to several different team members. Except for Charlie and some of the QA team, everyone else at least acknowledged her, if not sending her a friendly and cheerful farewell in return.
She got back to the apartment and was greeted by Piddle sitting like a statuette in the entryway. The cat yawned, then stretched, first arching her back, then extending her front paws, so her back dipped her chest into the ground. Piddle finished by stretching one hind leg at a time, the toes on each paw spread wide, her tail trembling as the muscles contracted. She then resumed her original position with a blink and an almost imperceptible meow. Allee smiled at the cat, bending to scoop her up and lavishing attention on her. Piddle aggressively head-butted Allee's hand, pushing her head into each scratch and caress. Allee had been so busy lately that she had been neglecting the poor feline, and she swore that she would spend more time with her, as only Piddle really knew what Allee had been through. Piddle was Allee's rock, and she needed to remind herself that the cat had suffered just as much as she had.
The weekend was forecast to be grey and dismal, but Allee still needed to get out and look for more permanent accommodation. She also needed to do some shopping. Since her bonding session with Piddle the previous night, Allee didn't wish to spend both of her days off out running errands, so she had planned to do it all on Saturday. She got up early, as she had made another list of rentals to look at, this time widening her search to suburbs that were further away.
As she was getting ready to leave, her phone rang. It was one of the agents she'd spoken to the week before, the one who managed a small complex of town houses. She had rung Allee to notify her of an upcoming vacancy in Eight Mile Plains and organise an inspection that day. Allee was grateful for the information and told the agent she would be there at the allocated time.
When it was finally time for Allee to inspect the town house at Gaskell Street, she had begun to despair at ever finding a suitable place. Nothing had seemed right, and some were in an abysmal state yet were asking a high price. Allee got out of the car and wandered over to the agent waiting outside of the gated complex. Allee wasn't sure about the location, as the complex was situated opposite a large and popular pub, but she decided to see the inspection through, as she had no other option.
Allee approached the woman, a small smile in answer to the agent's welcoming grin.
“Allee? Great, thanks for making it today. Ready to have a look?”
“Hang on, what about the other people who are coming for a look? Don't we need to wait for them?”
“To be honest, I called you so you could have a look before anyone else. I know you said that you were in temporary accommodation and wanted to be in somewhere quiet and secure as soon as possible, so I thought I'd get you to have a look and see if you were interested before I advertised. Shall we go in?”
Allee didn't argue. The agent inserted a key into the small side gate and gestured Allee in.
As they walked to the town house, the agent talked, “Now, I know that you're thinking 'It's opposite a pub, it's going to be rowdy!', let me tell you that I have yet to experience any complaints regarding the noise at the pub from any of my tenants here. Yes, there will be times when there is noise, but it's not every night, and it's not at all hours either. The unit I'm showing you is actually one of the rear ones. It's tucked away in the corner.” The agent pointed towards a pair of town houses, and Allee saw what she meant. The complex housed eight pairs of homes, with six of them spread out in a U-shape, three on either side and the other two doubles sitting at either side of the key-coded gate. Her prospective house was on a diagonal to the ones situated on the right-hand side of the gated entry, and there were plenty of hedges and trees to muffle any sounds of traffic or custom from the tavern.
As they arrived at the front door, Allee saw that the front of each town house had a garden with a hedge, to give further privacy. The windows all had security grilles and flyscreens, as did the front door, and they all had a key lock mechanism. The garage had a heavy lockable door, and as Allee walked inside, she was impressed by the sense of space.
The garage jutted out, so as you walked inside, there were doorways on both sides of the hallway. On the left was a laundry with a toilet off to one side, and on the right was the connecting door to the garage and a small bedroom. Beyond that, the hallway opened into a large living and dining area, separated from the kitchen by a breakfast bar. The lounge was tiled, and there was a glass sliding door, complete with security screen and grille, which led out onto a rear paved courtyard, which flowed into a lovely, if somewhat small, grassed and shady yard.
Between the kitchen and laundry was the carpeted stairway, which turned around in on itself to save space. Upstairs held another bedroom at the rear of the house, this one larger than the one downstairs, and a bathroom and a large linen cupboard and small storage closet. The front of the town house was taken up with the master bedroom, which also had an en suite and a small balcony that sat over the front door. All three bedrooms had built-in wardrobes, as well as carpeting. Allee was amazed.
She went back downstairs to have a look at the backyard. It was fully fenced, with tall timber fenceposts giving her security and privacy. Although there was access to the backyard via a side gate, it could be securely locked with a padlock. Allee loved it. She turned excitedly and made her way back inside to the agent.
“If I was to apply, when would I find out if I was accepted? And when would I be allowed in? You do realise I have a cat, is that allowed?”
The agent grinned at Allee, “Several of the tenants here own either cats or small dogs, so pets are fine. Technically, the tenants still have another ten days on their lease and to hand the keys back, so you wouldn't be able to sign before then. As for whether or not you'd be accepted, I can probably let you know by the end of the weekend, if not by the end of today, so long as you submit your application now.”
The agent pulled an application for the town house from her satchel. Allee quickly filled in all the necessary details, the agent assuring her that they still had the rest of the required information and documentation on file back at the office.
As they walked back out to their cars, Allee took one last look at the complex and sent a silent prayer out to the universe that she would be allowed to live in such a space. It was perfect, and she could only hope that it would become hers.
Sunday was just as gloomy, but Allee didn't care. The fridge, freezer and cupboards were stocked for the coming week, and all that was on Allee's to-do list for the day was her washing. Due to the dark and dismal weather, Allee decided that it would be a 'pyjama' day for her; she would lounge around all day with Piddle, watching television and eating popcorn. The washing had been done and was drying, and Allee was lying lengthways along the couch, flicking through the channels on TV, Piddle curled up on her lap fast asleep. She found an old Cary Grant movie and settled in to watch it.
Her mobile rang. Allee reached for where it sat on the coffee table, managing to grab it without dislodging the slumbering cat. Although she did not recognise the telephone number, she could see from the area code and first couple of digits that it was a local number.
