The Receptionist – Episode 5

‘Yvette, I need you to sort out the applications sent to the hr mail, delete the ones who didn’t meet requirements. Send a generic reply to all who qualified and don’t forget to copy me.’ Mr John ordered

‘Yes sir’ I answered

‘You would also need to place a phone call to them’

‘We have over 800 mails sent in sir!’I protested weakly

‘I knew that before asking you to do the job’ Mr John retorted with a deep frown beginning to show on his face

‘Yes sir’ I answered, wondering when I would be able to complete the task

‘Don’t forget to create an excel sheet with their details also,i will need that to keep track ‘

‘Ok sir’ I said rolling my eyes

He was already turning to leave when my bag caught his attention.

‘What do you need the extra bag for? He inquired

‘I am going on a two days seminar with Mr Ifeanyi’

His displeasure was written all over his face and he didn’t try to hide it

‘What seminar?’

‘I don’t know’ I said feeling embarrassed as I knew I should have asked.

‘So you have no clue on what you are going there for?’ He said in disbelief ‘Yvette, you are not with the cake store any more where you sit , take down others and gossip all day!’

‘I’m sorry sir’ I said in a small voice, not knowing why I was apologising

‘You still have to finish sorting out these applications and all your task for the day before you step out of here’ He said as he stormed back into his office

Phew!! I let out a deep breathe, another week in the life of Mr John. I was grateful for the two days break and the breathing space I would get. My heart beat went into a fast race as I recollected who I was going to spend my next two days with. My life seemed to be buzzing with activities I couldn’t control, I snapped myself out of my day dream as I saw the laptop screen go blank. One week with Mr John has taught me if I wanted to have a good day, I have to start proving I am worth the salary I am paid which he believed was too high for my job function and experience. Well, who cares, he is not the boss.

5:00 PM

‘Yvette, we would be leaving soon. Please leave whatever you are doing, I have assigned someone to take your place while you are away’

‘Ok sir’ I said, I was too tired from the calls I had made. I never expected it to be draining, but with the series of questions I had to endure on almost all the calls, my tongue felt so dry. I wonder who gave Mr John the idea of calling appicants. Mtshw, waste of time and resources, what were mails created for.

‘Mr Ifeanyi, I need to talk to you’ Mr John said as he stepped out of his office

‘What is it?’ Mr Ifeanyi hesitated

‘Yvette told me about the seminar, is it possible for Gloria to take her place at the event?. We are currently in the process of recruiting some new hands in the marketing department, I would need her here’

I looked from one man to the other, as I waited for them to decide my fate

‘No’ Mr Ifeanyi answered

‘But Sir, she hasnt made all the calls to the applicants….’

‘She need a little more exposure than the four walls of this office, Gloria has gone for several of these seminars. She is also a hard worker like you so I believe the two of you together would speed up the process.’ Mr Ifeanyi said walking out, then he paused ‘By the way, why are we calling applicants? Send them a mail and sms, we are not operating an outbound call center here’ He walked out without waiting for a response.

I did a shoki dance in my heart, as the excitement made giddy.

‘Send me a mail on your progress so far, attach the excel sheet and copy Gbenga in Marketing department. ‘ Mr John had a sour expression as he reeled out several other instructions before walking back into his office.

5:45 PM

‘You are the new girl?’ A slim, tall lady enquired as she gave me a quick assessment with her large eyes

‘Yes ‘ I answered

‘I heard you are going with Mr Ifeanyi, don’t think you are going there to have fun. It’s work all through’ She said with a hint of pride in her tone

I said nothing as I picked up my handbag and the small weekend bag I had with me walking out . It’s enough to deal with Mr John, I wasn’t going to add a jealous co-worker to the list.

To be continued:

Episode 4: The-Receptionist-Episode-4

Episode3: The-Receptionist-Episode-3

Episode 2: The-Receptionist-Episode-2

Episode 1:The-Receptionist-Episode-1