EPILOGUE
June, two and a half years' later
On Lauren Taylor's first day, her very first day working for the Environmental team at SandRock Construction, she was instructed to report to a maintenance depot on the far side of the M25. She travelled up on the A23 in her reasonably new secondhand car. SandRock were the leading company in this field, not just a road and bridge design and construction company, but were very careful about surveying the environment and taking positive actions before, during and following construction of new roads, extensions, improvements and replenishment.
The advertised job was somewhat oversubscribed, with promises that the appointee would be encouraged and given time off to obtain a masters degree and a PhD. Several of her fellow students had applied and interview places were limited. Lauren was reluctant to apply, in the knowledge of how awkward it would be if they ever found out she had once been a member of WWAG. However, her tutor encouraged her to apply, as his best student, she owed it to herself to try. Even after she explained her problem of involvement with a heavily criticised protest group, he still believed she should go for it.
She knew from friends' comments on Facebook that no-one of her acquaintance even managed to get first interviews, so she was quite surprised to get one. Lauren thought she did extremely well to get through that initial interview, then the intensity of questioning through the next two interviews, as the search narrowed, were bonuses as far as her confidence in her interviewing techniques had developed.
However, the last interview was with only one extremely relaxed and chatty interviewer and conducted with all the feeling that the meeting was simply low-key and had the air of a formality and Lauren assumed that she had not quite made the final cut. It was clear to Lauren that the company had already made their choice and were only going through the motions with the also-rans.
So the offer of appointment letter that arrived in the post a couple of days later, therefore, came out of the blue. She hadn't thought it possible that she'd be offered the job, as that fourth interview was so very relaxed that no notes were even taken. Yes, she was told at the first interview that all the candidates would be informed of the appointment or otherwise within a week. In fact she heard within three days and, in addition, the letter informed her she could start as soon as she was available. She jumped at the chance to start the beginning of the next week.
The reply to her formal acceptance of the offer said she would normally be based at the new offices in the depot at Worthing, but throughout this first week she would be required to join the team that were visiting schools in Kent and Essex. The meeting point was at their Kent depot just off the M25. Protective clothing would be supplied on that first morning, but she would need to bring some comfortable outdoor boots or sensible shoes to wear inside the schools, as the boots that the company supplied would probably need a period of breaking in.
Lauren had grown up somewhat in the last couple of years at college. She was much more confident in herself and had learned to become independent and self reliant. She had enjoyed her studies, especially the field trips, and wanted to work outside in the environment rather than use her degree to be based in a business office. She thought it was quite exciting to work with schools from time to time educating conservation as well as surveying wildlife and protecting the environment.
Since hearing she had secured the job she and her fiancé were searching for a place to rent in or around Worthing and had a couple of possibles that they were considering.
At the gates to the depot she announced on the intercom who she was and she was instructed to report to Environment Director Daniel Medcalf himself.
Oh, she thought, that could be awkward, really awkward. She had assumed she would meet her immediate boss, Samantha Golding.
She knew Medcalf worked for the company, now that the motorway currently under construction was on a sensible route close to the centres of population, and that he was the director ultimately responsible for the department she had joined, but she doubted their paths would ever cross. She felt reassured though, when the efficient voice at the end of the line welcomed her to the depot and informed her that "Daniel was expecting her" and told her clearly where to park and the location of the reception building, where she could collect her temporary pass. As she walked to the building, she thought that, although it was an ugly old prefab building, it was neat in its recent repainting and there were bright flowers in planters near the entrance, making the most of what was probably already to be a more cheerful working environment. Another intercom was encountered before she was immediately let into the reception area.
Lauren easily recognised Daniel Medcalf from the last time she saw him, some two years earlier. She doubted that he would know her, of course, as he had been standing in the witness stand then while she had watched proceedings anonymously from the public gallery.
He was leaning against the reception counter, much less formerly dressed in highly visible waterproofs than the last time she had seen him, when he had been dressed in a smart blue suit. Other than that, he looked unchanged and as soon as she was through the door he walked towards her wearing a big smile and holding out his hand in greeting.
"Hello Lauren, welcome to SandRock," he smiled in welcome. "I'm Daniel, you're in my little group this week, touring the schools, and you'll be with Samantha doing your real environmental work starting next Monday. Hope you have an enjoyable time with us over the next few days, these trips to the schools are always lots of fun, and we are trying to pack as many in as poss before they break up for the summer. You have arrived nice and early, did you have a good journey up from home?"
"Yes, no problems at all," Lauren replied, pleased that he had got her name right, she was used to being called 'Laura' more often than not on first meeting and she hated having to correct strangers all the time; it was nice when someone cared enough to get things right. "So where are we off to today?"
"We've got schools in Essex and Kent all this week, just two schools in Kent today, one a primary, the other a secondary school" replied Daniel, "the younger ones are really great fun, they have all the best and most unexpected questions," he continued as he beckoned Lauren through several sets of doors until they reached a small office. "We also have a treat, a TV crew meeting us at the primary school, too, for a Breakfast News live outside broadcast. That will add a bit of excitement to our day, as well as getting our message across to a much wider audience."
Lauren must've looked unnerved by this revelation, so Daniel quickly chipped in with, "No need to be nervous, the camera crew and interviewer are not only really good at what they do, they're great friends of ours, in fact two of them were married by special licence in our back yard a couple of years back."
Inside the office was a desk piled high with hi-vis clothing and plastic bags and boxes of clothing, gloves, boots, socks, hard hat and goggles.
"Grab what you can and we'll take them out to your car, this is all your stuff," said Dan, picking up a large bundle, which included most of the bulky stuff. "It's amazing how the Environmental team get through gear. Imagine five days of rain and you are out in it every day, yes? That's why there's five sets of everything, except only one hard hat and two pairs of boots." Outside, they dumped the stuff in the boot of her car, Lauren wishing she had cleaned up all Colin's litter in there beforehand.
"In the office we've left a jumper for you with the SandRock logo on, plus some lightweight hi vis trousers, which you can put on, as we really don't need all the heavy hi vis gear for the schools. I'll leave you for a few minutes while you get changed and in the meantime I'll fetch a couple of cups of tea or coffee, what do you prefer and how do you take it?" said Dan.
"White tea, no sugar, please," smiled Lauren, feeling relaxed in Daniel's easy-going company as they walked along the corridor.
"Excellent choice," laughed Dan, "The coffee from the machine is not very good! We've got two more people to come, Allison and Ben, they've both been with us for a couple of years now and know the school visit ropes backwards. Let them take the lead for today and watch how they get on, but you can dive in any time you feel comfortable."
