"What do you mean by 'there aren't enough inspectors'? If my memory is correct, I told you to post an announcement on EU Careers, didn't I?"
Mariele's voice roared throughout the entire Berlaymont Palace, targeting her poor assistant, Vanessa Vastenaekels. She rolled back her eyes in response; she was kinda used to Mariele's anger outbursts, and she could even understand her, in a certain way. Organizational problems were common occurrences in the European Commission, and everyone just got used to it, except for control freak and perfectionist Mariele. Everything had to run smoothly, for the first project ideated and signed by herself: she wanted the most ferocious and combative inspectors displaced in the industries nominated for the Charlemagne Prize, and Vanessa did an excellent job in finding all of them. Until one inspector suddenly caught COVID and was quarantined just that day, jeopardizing Mariele's serrated plans.
"I did, and we thought everything was running just alright, remember? But this poor fella caught this damn plague, and now we're missing this only one inspector!"
"I wanted to displace them at the same day", Mariele sighed, pinning her arms to the desk. "we don't have time to find a substitute... What's the only industry left without inspectors?"
Vanessa skim read the long Excel sheet with all the Charlemagne Prize candidates, finding the only red row.
"It's Wonka Industries."
Obviously, the biggest and trickiest one. Mariele knew perfectly how hard that industry check would be, even for the most experienced inspector. No one ever dared to send checks to the reclusive Wonka factory, mostly because it's near to impossible to obtain an enter permit. Mariele kept herself informed about the latest happenings in the Wonka factory, and she held high hopes in the new CEO, young Charlie Bucket, for a new era of relationship between Wonka Industries and the European institutions.
The Commissioner took a deep breath, launching a sorry look at her assistant. Mariele and Vanessa have been best friends since university years, and she assisted to her rise to the European Commission from the beginning, when Mariele was just a stagiaire in the EU Council building. She was loading jerself with enormous responsibilities every day, avan as a simple intern, and Vanessa herself tried to calm down Mariele's high career expectations. But y'know, imposter syndrome can be a real bitch sometimes.
Mariele had to rise in the EU bubble in some way. The Mamer household has been a proud European project supporter since forever, and everyone has gotten into powerful positions in the Brussels Bubble, starting with the pater familias himself Eric Mamer, the well-known and loved Head Spokesperson of the European Commission; her older brother, Vincent, had his last year as High EU Representative for Foreign Affairs, before going to work at NATO as Secretary General; her mom, Aline, a fierce general of the Belgian Army, was recently nominated President of the European External Action Service.
But the diamond point of the family was her beloved aunt.
Aunt Ursula.
President of the European Commission.
With this family lineage, Mariele always felt compelled in excelling in her tasks, even the humblest ones she got as a stagiaire. In this way, she could show everyone that her permanence in the EU offices had less to do with her family name, and more to do with her intelligence, her capabilities, and her endless love for the European project.
The Work Ethics prize was her very first creature, greenlit at the first try by all the EU institutions, and blessed by the EC President herself. The testimony of her hard work and unconditioned love for the European people. She couldn't let it slip away just because some inspector caught COVID.
"Are there any institutional meetings scheduled for the next weeks?" Mariele asked.
Vanessa checked her friend's agenda. "None."
"Thank God. I'll substitute that poor fella, then."
A perplexed Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? We could just send a stagiaire for that. Even if you don't have any institutional appointments, you should just oversee from here how are the Charlemagne Prize checks going..."
"I don't feel like sending an intern for such a delicate task" Mariele said, while putting on her signature black blazer with the European Flag pin. "It's way too tricky, and even if I like every intern that we took under the Berlaymont this year, I think it's a task too hard for anyone of them. Please, come with me." Mariele took the HQ badge with her.
Vanessa followed her friend's steps. She already knew where Mariele was headed.
"Checking an enterprise requires skills that go way beyond the ones we ask from our stagiaires. Skills that could only be built after years of industrial espionage."
Vanessa nodded, remembering the very detailed reports Mariele wrote when she worked as an EC official, before being nominated as Commissioner. She must have had real fun disguising each time as a worker for so many big EU industries.
With a steady pace, they reached the big door of the President's Headquarters. Mariele took a deep breath.
"I'll ask her if I can leave the Berlaymont for such a long time." Mariele turned her head to her friend. She knew that Vanessa was perfectly capable of running the Labor Commission's office by herself; it wasn't the first time that she had to take Mariele's desk, while she was around the world for her meetings and checks. But it was just really funny to see that sarcastic smirk growing on her best friend's face whenewer she asked for it.
"Are you ready to run the shack by yourself?"
Vanessa laughed, giving Mariele a friendly bump on her shoulders. In the meantime, Mariele knocked the door of the President's office.
"Come on in, my dear! I heard your voice from behind the door!" said a really familiar voice.
Mariele smiled. Everything was going to be alright.
