Ch 35 Try-your-strength machine
Two days later Mike got a call from Walsman. He asked him where the order was. Mike told him that it was the administrative machine, but Walsman insisted that he pushed the Admiralty. Mike called Kate again but she started to question his impatience. After the call he felt even more unhappy and he started to be grumpy.
At the cartographic department, their chef was working at her office when her phone rang.
"Nikki Caetano speaking", Nikki answered the phone call.
"Captain Caetano, Curry here, I want to know when I finally going to get the details of these new mine hunters! I have a division to run and I can't proceed when I don't have information", he said grumpy.
"Richard, Commodore Flynn has the details, you have to ask him.", she replied.
"What kind of game are you both playing? You Hammersley guys really think that you are superior people huh? He says that I have to address all my questions to you. You are his assistant!", he accused her.
"No, really, the info is there!", she replied irritated as well.
"Come on! Be serious. Anyhow, see that you get these from the Commodore, I really need them!", he said angrily and closed the call.
"Good morning Nikki, thank you Nikki! Stupid idiot!", Nikki muttered as she put the horn back on the telephone.
At the moment there was a knock at her door and she looked up. It was one of her officers.
"Yes John", she replied.
"Ma'am, I'm afraid we have a problem", he said unsure.
"Ah? Tell me."
Ok, is it going to be such a day?
"You know that we received a few packages of new maps about the reefs north-east Queensland", he said.
"Yes, what about them?", Nikki asked.
"Well, uh, they have been thrown away", he said looking at a point just above her shoulder.
"What? What did you say? Thrown away? Elaborate!", she exclaimed startled.
"It's was a small mistake ma'am, they thought it were the old ones."
"So, you want to say that the maps we still have are the old ones from 10 years ago?", she tried to be calm.
"Yes ma'am".
She rolled her eyes.
"And these packages, I've seen them, they were not that small, you can't find them back anymore?"
"Ahum, no ma'am, that happened last week. They left as old paper", he deadpanned.
She looked at him wildered. "How… how did that come?"
"The NCO responsible for that misread the date on the packages. His eyes are not good anymore and he has to see the oculist but he still hasn't done it yet", the Lieutenant said and Nikki could see little pearls of sweat on his forehead.
She took a deep breath. "Send him to the oculist at once! And he has to show himself with his glasses by me! That's an order! By the way, have you any idea how much these maps are costing?", she asked trying to stay calm.
"Yes ma'am I know. I ordered them again ma'am. That's the only thing we could do."
She grimaced.
"Yeah, of course. How much time will it cost to deliver them again?", she asked him;
"Three weeks ma'am."
"Crap!", it escaped her.
"Ok, call them and put pressure on them! And carry on.", she ordered him.
She glared at the man's back as he walked out of her office.
Damn, it's not my day today!
At that moment her phone rang again.
"Caetano speaking!", she replied sharply.
"Caetano, Curry again. Tell me, my maps for Queensland, where are they? I asked for them already a week ago. Do you really want that my mine hunters destroy their keels on these bloody reefs?", he asked irritated.
Nikki rolled her eyes. Oh no! Why now? Why him? Why me?
"Richard, there has been an accident, the maps have to be reprinted. Delivery time three weeks."
"What? Another three weeks? Jeez, your team is really a bunch of amateurs!", he replied angrily and smashed the horn.
Nikki made a face.
Asshole!
This kind of crap is going on already for weeks! I'm second in command for the base and since Mike started with these bloody mine hunters, I'm getting the feeling that I'm the CO of the base. But with one difference, that I don't have the information!
Hopefully this was the last hiccup of today!
Just after lunch time she got another phone call.
"Caetano speaking"
"Captain you're speaking with Commodore Madden from HMAS Creswell", she heard the deep voice of the man.
"Sir? What can I do for you?", she replied.
Hmm, the CO of the Officer training base, what does he want from me?
"Captain, about a week ago, I've sent a question the CO of the base to know where, how much and in which functions I can send Midshipmen and I still have had no answer!", he said irritated.
"Uh sir, did you sent that to me?", she asked, feeling that another nasty moment was upcoming.
"I've sent it to Commodore Flynn", he said sharply.
"Sorry, sir , but I don't know that."
"How's possible? What kind of a barn is that here? You're the second in command and you don't know? Don't you and the CO talk to each other or what?", he ranted.
"Sir, I'll find out!", she tried to defend herself.
"You'd better do that! Tomorrow I need an answer! Bye Captain!",
Nikki blew out and looked annoyed to the horn.
It's continuing! More and more I'm persuaded that I'm just here to receive slaps around my ears from everyone! I'll be happy when I'm home again. Watching Reef Doctors, pillow on my lap, brain a zero, a hot chocolate milk and just watching!
Mike! Why didn't you say this!
She stood upright and started to walk to his department.
She knocked his door and entered. Nikki saw how he whipped his head in her direction.
"Nikki, can't you wait?", he grumbled.
"Oh Mike, sorry then", she replied with a smile.
Is he ill? He has such sharp lines in his face?
"Mike, the CO from Creswell told me that he has sent a question to you about the open seats for Midshipmen. Do you know about it?", she asked him.
"Oh that. "
"Yeah, he didn't sound happy you know."
"Fix something, will you."
"Uh, with what? Where? I can only speak for my own department."
"Nikki you're second in command, I expect that you can handle that", he said sternly.
"Ok, ok, but I can't smell it huh!", she replied indignantly.
"Captain, watch your syntax!", he snapped.
She lifted her eyebrows. "Ok,ok, but by the way, do you feel well? You look tired", she asked him.
He glared at her. "Mind your own business Nikki!"
"Ok, ok, I'll manage…", she said clenching her fists as she walked to the door. There she turned towards him, "… sir.", she said sharply before leaving.
She walked fiercely back to her own department.
I really hope that Kerry comes back quickly, he's really a nuisance.
It doesn't stop. They blame me for everything and I don't get the information for everything. I've told Kate already, but she doesn't seem to realise the gravity of the situation here.
Completely strayed she turned a corner and bumped onto a Leading Seaman with a tray in his hands with cups of coffee. The entire contents splashed over her white uniform.
"Woeha!", she exclaimed frightened.
The poor man turned pale as he saw it was the Captain. "Oh sorry ma'am!", he stammered.
Nikki looked at her dripping shirt and trousers and glared at the man, "Oh you!", she started to shout, but realised that she was doing the wrong thing and swallowed.
"Ok, sorry it was an accident, I wasn't watching", she said with a wry smile.
"Sorry ma'am", he said again as he bent to pick up the cups.
She fished a couple of dollars from out of her pocket and gave it to him. "Here, get some new ones for your colleagues", she said as she turned to go to the ladies room to inspect the damage.
An instance later she left the ladies room realising that the attempt to clean it was in vain. When she plopped down on her chair in her office, she moaned feeling the wet fabric on her thighs and belly.
The day ended and an hour later than expected she arrived at home because it has started raining and it has created a huge traffic jam.
"Hi, I'm home, finally", she shouted as she closed the door behind her.
"Hey mum", Vicky yelled back from out of the living room. "Jagh!", she exclaimed as she turned around the corner and saw the coffee disaster on her uniform. "You've been swimming in coffee?", she asked with a grin.
Nikki rolled her eyes.
"Hey, you're in khaki, just like the grunts", Josh smirked as he appeared also in the door opening.
"Funny guys, very funny!", she grumbled as she pulled out her shoes.
As she walked through the corridor to the bedroom she came Pete across.
"Hey baby, all fine?", he asked her, "Hmm you became the coffee lady!", he said looking suspiciously at her uniform.
Nikki gasped for air. "Give me a sec!", she hissed as she hurried to their bedroom.
Pete looked after her a bit surprised.
Hmm, seemingly in a bad mood!
Pete was setting the table as he saw his wife entering furiously the living room.
"Pete! How many times have I said already that you've to put your laundry in the laundry bin. I found again a shirt from you in the bathroom! I'm trying to keep our house orderly, but I can't manage that alone!", she ranted.
Then she realised that one of the kids was playing music loudly.
She whipped her head towards the staircase and yelled, "Put that bloody radio off!"
Pete lifted his eyebrows and Vicky came out of the kitchen.
"Ouch baby, what's the matter? A bad day today?", he asked.
"Mum, what's going on last weeks? You have such a short fuse nowadays!", she asked.
Nikki looked at both of them and grimaced. "Give me some space!", she whispered and walked to the window door to the garden. She kicked out her slippers and walked outside in the garden. Rain was pouring down and within a second she was soaking wet. She has put her hands in her waist and she has turned her face towards the sky to feel the raindrops. Tears were pricking behind her eyes and tried to keep her composure.
Meanwhile Josh has came down as well to see what was going on.
"Baby, it's raining!", Pete said.
Nikki didn't seem to hear it.
What's going on with me? Now I'm shouting at my own family and for what? For peanuts! Is it really that bad already? It's the situation at the job. They expect quite a lot from me and I will, but then I need to be at the current of the facts. Moreover I'm more and more doing the job of the CO of the base and I can barely combine that of my own cartographic department. If I got a 'thank you' from time to time, then ok, but now, it are only blames and angry reactions. I want to shout and or to cry, but I don't know in which sequence!
Reinvent yourself Nicole! Get a distraction. Go shopping with Kate when she's back here.
Uh? What are they saying?
"Mum, come inside! You're soaking wet, within a sec you're catching a cold!", Vicky yelled.
Nikki looked to her family and walked back inside. They looked at her drown appearance. Her black hair stuck to her head, her dress stuck to her body like a second skin and raindrops on her cheeks camouflaged the tears that have escaped.
She gave them a faint smile and mumbled, "I'm going to put on something dry".
A few minutes later she has pulled on another dress and she was back in the living room.
"How are you now baby?", Pete asked.
"I'm fine", she replied whereby Josh chuckled, "You can clearly hear that Kate is your friend, she always says exactly the same."
"Sorry guys, it won't happen again. It's and was rather stressy today at the office", she said to her family.
"Here, this will cheer you up", Pete said as he gave her a drink.
"What's it?", she asked him.
"Charge's receipt, Guava Mojo".
"Darling do you really want no food tonight?", she asked him as she took a sip.
"I haven't made it that strong", he replied with a smile.
To be continued