‘Just trying to put your 2012 tax return together – I cannot seem to find your summary spreadsheet for 2011-12,’ my accountant emailed me two days before the tax return deadline. On the same day I received an email from my letting agent letting me know that the washing machine in my flat was beyond repair, ‘On a few occasions it has back-filled into the kitchen sink and some of the tenants’ clothing has been damaged.’
‘Don’t you keep some money aside for emergencies?’ Hot Danish asked when I told him about the state of my bank account. Er, I chase outstanding invoices for my freelance work to pay for emergencies. Fortunately I have landed a full-time job. I phoned my mum with the news. She was a little confused when I said I had to wait for the business partner’s return from Turkey before I could sign the contract. ‘Will you be working in Turkey?,’ she asked. ‘Will they keep your job open until April?,’ she wanted to know, after I explained my start date. I wound up the call as quickly as possible.
Natasha’s contract ran out this month. Her mum, who works as a hospital receptionist, is trying to be helpful. ‘They’re looking for a porter at the hospital,’ she offered. Natasha bit her lip. A few days later her mum phoned her to let her know she’d read in the Daily Mail that tube train drivers earn £40k and upwards. ‘That could be something you could do,’ she said enthusiastically. Given Natasha’s recent job interview experience it is perhaps unsurprising that her mum had made the suggestion. During one meeting, the interviewer lapsed into Japanese and looked rather confused when Natasha said she couldn’t understand her. Another interviewer initially contacted her through A Small World – his name is Prince Randy.
Monique came over for the weekend to visit me. ‘It’s great that you stuck to your guns and waited until you got a job you wanted,’ she said. We talked about some of the jobs she has done in the past during her travels and I admired her for getting on with it. It reminded me of something the American author and poet Maya Angelou once said, ‘Nothing will work unless you do.’
