"Take a seat, Firefighter Morris," said Chief Fire Officer Boyce, gesturing at a chair in front of the desk. Penny quickly sat down, wringing her hands together nervously. She waited as Chief Fire Officer Boyce and Station Officer Steele sat down opposite her.
Boyce cleared his throat. "Now, Firefighter Morris, we are here to talk about that job we have offered you as a leading firefighter at Newtown Fire Station." He smiled.
"Over the years, you have maintained a near perfect record - one of the best in Wales, I should add." Boyce smiled proudly. "You have a wide range of invaluable skills that you are always adding more too and Station Officer Steele here says that you are a capable leader."
"Thank you sir." Penny tried to smile.
"Because of this, we think you are the perfect person for the job. If you take it, you will be leading a group of firefighters and be helping to train them and to lead them when you are responding to calls." Boyce paused. "While it is a bit of a step up from your current role, Station Officer Steele and I believe that you are more than capable of doing so."
Penny bit her lip. "I am very grateful to of been offered this opportunity, but I have a couple of questions. If I took the job, would I be staying in Pontypandy or Newtown?
"You would need to move to Newtown. However, as part of the job, you would get an apartment quite close to the Newtown Fire Station."
"Alright, sir. Thank you."
Boyce stood up and looked out of the window. "I know this is a very hard decision for you to make, Firefighter Morris," he added. "But I promise that if you choose to take the job, you will be happy. And you can still visit all of your friends in Pontypandy on your days off."
Penny nodded. "I'm still unsure," she admitted. "The job sounds amazing but at the same time I love it here in Pontypandy. I'm not sure if I could bring myself to leave."
"That is to be understood!" Boyce said kindly. "It is hard to move from places you have such a deep connection too." He stopped and thought for a second.
"I know - why don't you come to Newtown with me this afternoon and I can show you around. The place has changed drastically since you left to work here! You could even meet some of the firefighters."
Station Officer Steele nodded. "It should be a uneventful afternoon here, anyway," he said to Penny. "Sam's taking the Junior Cadets on a trip to the cliffs, so it should be reasonably quiet."
"Yes, sir," replied Penny. She turned to face Boyce, who was smiling broadly. "When would you like to leave, sir?"
"Hmmm," Boyce thought for a second. "Well, I need to discuss some other matters with Station Officer Steele here, so I'd say around 10 o'clock. It's only about an hours drive to Newtown, so you should be back for 3 o'clock.
Penny nodded.
Station Officer Steele smiled kindly at her. "You are dismissed, Firefighter Morris."
...
Penny closed the door to the office and sighed loudly. She had no idea what to do and that meeting had just left her even more unsure and confused.
"What's wrong, Penny?" Ellie asked from the kitchen table. She was reading a book while Arnold was doing some research on the computer. "You're not in trouble, are you?"
Penny shook her head and sat down next to Ellie. "I've been offered a job as a lead firefighter..."
"That's great!" Ellie exclaimed, putting her book down. Arnold looked over from his work and smiled.
"Well done, Penny!"
"...in Newtown," added Penny.
"Oh," Ellie said, quietly.
Arnold's smile had turned to a frown. "You're leaving?"
"No...yes...I don't know! I haven't decided yet." Penny put her head in her hands. "And I don't know whether to take it because it's such a good opportunity, or to stay here," Penny said frustratedly. "I just can't make up my mind and I don't know what to do and-"
She stopped. "I just don't know what to do," she whispered. Ellie gave her a hug.
"Just do what feels right, Pen," she said comfortingly. "Don't worry about us."
"Yes," agreed Arnold, joining them at the table. "It's your choice - don't let anyone affect it."
Penny nodded miserably. "I'm going with Chief Fire Officer Boyce to have a look around the Newtown Fire Station and meet some people at 10," she said. "Hopefully I'll make up my mind then." Ellie nodded and looked up at the clock.
"How about I make us all a nice, strong cup of tea," she said, "to help make you feel better."
Arnold nodded. "I think Elvis had some chocolate cake in the cupboard too..."
Penny and Ellie started laughing. "What?" asked Arnold. "It's good cake!"
...
At 10 o'clock, Penny and Chief Fire Officer Boyce left for Newtown. As Boyce navigated the car down the narrow, twisting lanes, he chatted happily about the Fire Academy and about new firefighting technology. Penny was happy to sit and listen, adding the polite 'yes' or 'ahuh' when necessary.
Soon, they arrived at the Newtown Fire Station. Boyce manoeuvred his car into an available parking spot and they both got out. Penny closed the door and gazed up at the gigantic red and blue fire station.
It was five stories tall and painted blue and red. Penny could see all of the vehicles parked in the garage - about triple the amount of vehicles they had at the Pontypandy fire station. Currently, some of the firefighters were doing basic maintenance and they looked up as Penny and Boyce passed them.
Penny looked around in awe. It was so...big. Bigger than she remembered it being.
Boyce chuckled. "Quite a sight, isn't it?" he said proudly, leading her up the stairs. "As you can see, the ground floor is used as a garage for all of the vehicles. The first floor is made up of a briefing room and a space for all of the equipment such as spare hoses, BA equipment and oxygen tanks. Second floor is a space for the firefighters while they are not responding to an emergency. Third floor is first aid and toilets and showers, fourth floor is the cafeteria and up on the fifth floor, we have the control room, fitted out with all of the latest equipment." Boyce smiled. "Impressive, isn't it?"
Penny gazed around her and nodded. Everywhere she looked, there were people busily doing things. As they walked up the stairs, she tried to soak all of it in.
When they reached the second floor, they stopped. Firefighters were laughing, watching TV, talking and reading. They all stopped when they saw Boyce.
"Carry on!" he said, "I'm just showing someone around." Everybody nodded and turned their attention to Penny. She stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do.
Boyce led her to a corner in the room. "Ah, Firefighters Smith and Denne! Meet Firefighter Morris from Pontypandy."
Two firefighters turned around - a pale, blue-eyed woman who smiled warmly at Penny and a tanned, well-built man.
"This is Lead Firefighter Lucy Smith," said Boyce, gesturing to the woman who smiled at Penny and gave a little wave. Penny smiled back warmly. "And this," continued Boyce, "is Lead Firefighter Jack Denne." Denne mumbled hello and shook Penny's hand.
"Firefighters Denne and Smith, this is Firefighter Penny Morris and she might be joining us as a lead firefighter," said Boyce. They both nodded.
After a brief chat, Boyce took Penny around the rest of the station. The sheer size of it amazed her and she tried to imagine herself working here.
Finally, it was time for her to leave. "I'll give you a lift back," offered Boyce, "it'll save you having to wait for Trevor's bus to get here."
"Thank you, sir," replied Penny. "I'll just radio Station Officer Steele and tell him I'm on my way back." She pulled her radio out and pressed the 'talk' button.
"Firefighter Morris to Station Officer Steele, over," she said into the radio.
"Ah, Firefighter Morris!" came the reply. "Are you on your way back now?"
"Yes, sir. Chief Fire Officer Boyce has kindly offered to give me a ride."
"Very good, I'll see you in an hour, then."
"Yes, sir," Penny replied.
...
The drive home to Pontypandy was a lot like the drive to Newtown - Boyce doing the talking and Penny listening.
"Recently the ground floor had to be renovated to make more space for some new rescue vehicles," Boyce was saying, "we've really expanded on our range of- are you alright, Firefighter Morris?"
Penny snapped back into reality. "Yes sir, I'm fine," she said.
"You're thinking about the choice your going to make, aren't you?" Boyce said, smiling. "Have you came to a conclusion yet?"
Penny sighed. "No, sir." She looks out of the window. "It's just the more I think about it, the more I doubt myself."
Boyce nodded. "Well, Newtown Fire Station will always be happy to have you. And even though you'll miss you work colleagues back in Pontypandy, you can still visit them, and I bet you'll make friends with the other firefighters."
"I guess so," said Penny, "but Newtown Fire Station is so...big. A lot bigger than when I worked there."
"You'd get used to it," replied Boyce. "At the end of the day though, it is your choice. And everyone just wants what's best for you."
Penny nodded. Suddenly, she heard her radio crackle to life. Boyce glanced down at it with look of slight concern before looking up, silent.
"Firefighter Jones and Mandy Flood have been swept out to sea in a rip!" Station Officer Steele said urgently. "And there's a storm coming!"
I hope you enjoyed that… please leave any feedback or comments in the review section! It's always appreciated. : )