You get home at around seven in the evening after another hard day at work. Your wife Emma has prepared your diner but is sat on an armchair sobbing; she has her face in her hands, unaware you have arrived home. You quietly walk over to her and with a hand on her shoulder you ask her why she's crying. She tries to speak but she makes no real sense.
You try and lift her head as you ask, "Emma, what's wrong, what's up, why the tears?"
She lifts her head and the tears streak down her rosy pink cheeks from her blue eyes. Her blond curly hair in a mess; she tries to talk but again makes no coherent sense. You sit beside her and place an arm around her to comfort her. You allow her to come round and tell you in her own time.
You have been married for just over a year; it was a wedding not attended by her parents, because they could not afford the flights from Jamaica. Emma's parents were not very happy saying you were both too young.
Although you were twenty five and she was twenty two when you got married, you both felt it was the right future for you both. But it has not been easy financially to break away and set up home on your own. You both liked the street you lived in and as a mixed race couple you were both accepted happily into the neighbourhood.
You stand up and fetch some tissues for Emma's watery eyes. You kiss her forehead with a couple of tender kisses. She looks straight into your eyes and says, "The place burnt down and I've lost my job."
Emma worked in a small family run business, where she helped out with the orders. She is a friend of the owner. But because of the disaster, the owners cannot afford to rebuild and restart the business; more so that the elderly owner was thinking of retiring soon anyway. He told Emma that the insurance money he would get will be his retirement fund, and unfortunately not for a rebuild.
You are not that well off and you both need each other to be bringing in money. You already work long hard hours as a labourer at a building site, a new job for you there. The next couple of months are very difficult to get through, only having money to pay for essentials, no luxuries, not that you and Emma indulged in anything extravagant.
At work you hear a position for a secretary has become available. But you think it's already been allocated to a friend of the boss. This was a new boss there too, he only started last week. But you wonder if you could put Emma's name forward, not that you were on any special relations with the boss. But you want to help Emma as she feels so low.
You go into work as usual and as you pass the site office your boss is pulling up in his car. You put up your hand and say, "Morning."
But he just looks at you and grunts while he gets out of the car and walks to his Porto cabin office. You walk on and wonder if it's a good idea to bother him with your problem. The morning goes by and every time you pass the office, all you hear from within is him shouting at someone; either someone in the office with him, or on the phone. You can make this out through the dirty office window.
Lunch time and he has come out of the office and is stood in the open doorway. As you are passing he shouts out, "Hey you come here."
You walk up to him and say, "Yes sir can I help you?"
He gives you some money and says, "Here get me a bacon sandwich and a cup of coffee. Be quick I haven't much time."
You take the money and go to fetch him what he requested. On your return, you knock on the door with your hands laden with his items. He shouts out, "Come in."
You open the door and walk in; he looks up with a very stern look on his face and says, "Put it on the table over there."
Your boss is white, he is older than you at forty one; he's not slim but not that fat, well-built fairy tall and always with a very serious look. His face looks weathered, his eyes very steely, his tone very strict, and his attitude was always harsh.
You place his lunch on the table and take a deep breath, you swallow. He has his head down and going through some papers. You just stand there and he looks up and says, "That's it you can go."
You still stand there not knowing what to say, how to ask. He looks up again and with a sterner tone says, "Well what is it, I said you can go."
You want to ask about the position for Emma, but you choke and hold out your hand and say, "Your change sir."
He grunts and says, "Just leave it there as well, on the table."
You turn sideways and put the money on the table and slowly turn again to face him. You take a step closer to his desk. Your heart races, you feel hot, your palms perspire. He looks up and almost shouts at you, "What is it now."
You know in your mind you need Emma to have a job, some money coming in, just to pay the monthly bills so that you both can survive. You again swallow and say, "Sir...I was wondering..."
You cannot finish the sentence; he stands up and again very loudly says, "What the hell's the matter with you, can't you speak."
You think to yourself, 'If I don't ask now I'll never have the opportunity, come on, come on, ask.'
You make eye contact and he scares you to the bone, but you manage to utter out in almost a whisper, "Sir the position for secretary, my wife would be interested."
He stares at you, you feel utterly weak. He thinks and then says, "It's filled."
You know in your mind that it's not; he's got this other person already lined up. You know you are desperate. You almost plead with him, "Please sir, please give her a chance."
He still stares with a stern expression and says, "I said it's filled."
You almost have tears in your eyes but know that would be a very weak signal to him, your mouth is dry, but you swallow. You know that Emma's not happy being at home, not working, and you both need the money. She has had several interviews and not got anywhere. And lately even the interviews have not come along.
Again you say, "Please sir just a short interview, you don't have to spend too much of your time."
Your boss looks down to his desk and you say, "Please see her, you'll be happy with her, she works really hard."
He looks up very slowly, he sees you with your hands clasped in front of you, not crying but do look very sorry for yourself. He says, "Look here... okay, I'll see her for a chat... tomorrow lunchtime ask her to come in, ten minutes, that's all."