"What am I even doing here?" Sandra queried as she walked into the office as Brian hung up his beloved coat that held more sentimental value to him than a photo album. He looked at her with a puzzling expression, as if there was something different about today, compared to any other.
"It's not even eight O'clock! I'm in at the same time as you Brian! Normally, you have set up shop for the day before I even wake UP!" She exclaimed.
"Well," Brian started in response to the defensive and rather snappy explanation he had received but it was going nowhere. He had nothing else to say really. It was actually quite nice for him to have company for the first hour of his average work shift before the rest of the team arrived.
"Suppose I better just get on with it." Sandra sighed, walking into her office to settle in for the day.
"Have you found Charles Hashaback's address?" She shouted through from her little cave.
Brian sighed. He was in an argumentative mood but knew too well that he wouldn't be there to tell the tale of the conflict if he got on the wrong side of Sandra without back-up.
"Sandra, I've just logged on. What do you think?" He bravely answered back.
There was a pause before she peered around the corner of her room and Brian's heart stopped momentarily. Thankfully, for him, a smile crept onto her face. She came walking out and sat on the sofa nearest to his desk.
"The other two dinosaurs don't need to know that we were in so early." She started. Sandra was a book that could be read, if the code could be cracked and this code was guarded by super ninja lasers: she was mysterious even to Brian and hand been for the past 8 years.
"Fancy going out for a coffee?" She asked him.
He nodded, smiling at this kind gesture. It puzzled him how Sandra could go from 'miserable cow of the century' to such a nice person in such a cheery mood within five minutes.
Christmas was officially within the month and London's high streets had grasped this opportunity to sell off anything that they could all at once, competing with, literally, their next-door neighbours.
"Oh, Christ!" Sandra ducked as someone hauled a large cardboard box on their shoulder, oblivious to any other pedestrians in the firing line. This manic swarm of people confused her before realising that it was possibly the worst day that they could have chosen to venture out, even this early. "Sorry Brian. I completely forgot. It's Black Friday." She shouted above the racket of screaming as the next great department store opened their doors.
They returned to the car, disappointed at their misfortune. This was a once in a blue moon opportunity timed wrong- very wrong.
"Next week, I promise!" Sandra guaranteed as she slumped into the driver's seat.
They returned to UCOS at ten past ten, due to the chaos of the Friday frenzy, expecting to see the rest of the team waiting for them. Jack was sat typing away but Gerry was nowhere to be seen.
"Hi Jack." Sandra greeted as they both entered the office, surprisingly warmer than it was previously that morning.
"Where have you two been?!" He leapt from his seat, almost humiliated by the fact that he may have been left out.
"We both got in early so decided to go out for a coffee. Of course, we forgot it was Black Friday." Sandra admitted defeat in her usually flawless plans.
"Ahh..." Jack understood and returned to his seat.
"Have you seen G-" Sandra was about to query his colleagues absence when he waltzed through the door, arms outstretched, carrying a huge cardboard box.
"Alright Guv?" He asked, as if everything was how it should be.
"What's that?" All three of his team asked at once.
"TV." He replied as if obvious. Sandra's expression said otherwise. "Black Friday! Forty quid down from two hundred!" He exclaimed, clearing chuffed with his bargain.
"And did you need a new '32 inch LCD smart TV?" Brian asked, reading the black printing on the front of the packaging.
"Umm... Not really but someone will!" He triumphed in his purchase.
The rest of the team soon got bored of this news and all wandered back to their business in the office.
Hi,
Not much of an ending but haven't posted in a while so gave it a try.
Thanks for reading!
Emily
:) x