Julia had the management team in the palm of her hand. They sat around the board table, transfixed, as she presented her business case. Julia had her PowerPoint presentation, her Gantt charts, and plenty of supporting facts and figures. But more importantly, she knew how to subtly guide them towards the outcome she wanted so that afterwards, they would think it was their idea. A black pencil skirt and tailored jacket showed off her toned physique but also projected a very professional image. Julia knew that many men let their guard down when confronted by an attractive woman. With this bunch of stubborn, testosterone-filled businessmen the twenty-eight-year-old project manager needed every advantage she could get.
Reading their expressions, Julia could tell they were about as receptive as they were ever going to be. Well, except for the operations manager. Bob had a rather pained expression on his face but she suspected that had more to do with his ulcer than her presentation. With perfect timing, she went for the kill.
"So you see, we can meet our client's needs and provide a healthy boost to the bottom line. All we need is a few extra resources on this critical path," she pointed at a red bar on the Gantt chart. She held her breathe and waited for their reaction.
"What do you need?" asked the chief financial officer, frowning slightly. Considering that last week he had threatened to axe a project that went over budget, Julia took this as a good sign.
"A ten-percent increase in developer hours will be sufficient," Julia replied.
"Isn't the R&D team already fully committed?" asked the marketing manager warily.
Derek, the R&D manager, sat up straight as he became the center of attention. He cleared his throat. "Actually, my team is on target with their other projects. In fact, a couple of guys have asked if there will be any overtime available this quarter..."
Julia hid a satisfied smile. She knew very well the developers were happy to do overtime. She had casually asked a few of them just last week and suggested that they make their preferences known to their manager.
"Well, that's settled then. You and Derek can work out the details and then I'll approve the budget variation," said the CFO. He then closed his leather-bound diary and the rest of the group took that as a sign the meeting was adjourned.
Julia walked out of the meeting with her head held high. She allowed herself to savor the satisfaction for a few moments. This was the biggest project she had ever been contracted to manage but so far she had proven herself up to the task. The project involved upgrading billing and financial software which was used by some of the largest companies in New Zealand. Her employer, Gensoft, was a software development firm with approximately two hundred employees in Wellington. Sometimes it seemed a daunting task but it was just a matter of keeping your eyes firmly on the goal and tackling the obstacles one at a time.
She spotted a familiar head of frizzy blond hair waiting in the corridor. It was Steven, one of the younger developers. "Hi Julia. Um...how'd it go in there?" he asked hesitantly.
"Very well, thank you. I got approval for the variation." She grinned at him and noticed how he stood up straighter and unconsciously returned her smile. He was in his early twenties and she'd heard he was quite good at his job. His social skills weren't very polished though, and his wardrobe seemed to be limited to long-sleeved t-shirts and corduroy pants. He seemed like the harmless sort, a stereo-typical computer geek.
"That's great news," Steven replied. "You're really good - at doing business cases I mean." He blushed unexpectedly. Julia looked at him curiously, wondering whether he had been waiting for her or standing there for some other reason. She often noticed he was nearby but he never talked to her before. Steven wasn't even on her project team, so it wasn't like they had much reason to interact.
Steven started to look a little panicked, as if he didn't know what to say next. Julia suddenly realized a potential explanation for his odd behaviour. Perhaps the younger man had a crush on her. If that was true it would be flattering but a little embarrassing. She didn't really want to encourage his attention. He wasn't the kind of guy she would normally date, and there was also their age difference to consider. She decided it would be best to limit contact with him.
She put on a professional, but disinterested, smile. "Thanks Steven. Well, I had better get back to work now. Have a nice day," she said brightly.
"Ok... you too," he stammered. Julia walked away and hoped he wasn't still watching her. She put a lot of effort into earning respect and even admiration from her colleagues, but a crush was taking things a bit too far.
Julia returned to her office. It was scarcely bigger than a supply closet but it was sufficient considering she was a contractor and not a permanent employee. She had a couple of motivational posters on the walls, a potted fern in the corner, and a door she could close when she needed to have a difficult telephone conversation. Most of the building was open plan so she was quite lucky in that respect. She sat down and started checking progress reports and scheduling meetings for tomorrow.
---------------------
Julia arrived at her home in Kelburn a little after 6pm. She dumped her laptop, slipped off her heels and padded into the kitchen to cook a quick healthy stir-fry for dinner. The phone rang just as she was cleaning up the dishes.
"
Hi babe. How are you doing?"
asked a familiar masculine voice.
"Mark, hi. I'm fine thanks. How are things in Sydney?"
Mark was her boyfriend. Well, not exactly her boyfriend anymore. It was complicated. He had moved to Sydney for a job six months ago. A successful corporate lawyer, he asked her to go with him but Julia loved Wellington and didn't want to leave. At first she had missed him terribly and flew across the Tasman almost every weekend to be with him. But he kept making excuses for not visiting Wellington in return. As months passed they met less frequently and sometimes weeks passed even between phone calls. With a start, Julia realized she hadn't even thought about him since the last call.
Mark rambled on about his current project arranging a merger between two companies and Julia had to stifle a yawn. He was thirty years old, handsome and successful and everything she thought she wanted in a man, but she just wasn't willing to rearrange her life for him. Too independent for her own good, as her mother would say.
She interrupted him as diplomatically as possible. "That's great, Mark. How about we talk about it more when you visit this weekend?"
There was an awkward silence on the phone and Julia had a sudden sense of déjà vu.
"I don't think I'll be able to fly over this weekend after all,"
he said apologetically
. "I need to meet with some clients on Saturday afternoon. I hope you understand..."
"Don't worry about it," Julia said politely. "I guess I'll see you when I see you."
"
