I’m only a temp you know, I could be gone by the end of the week

Temporary work. Temp work should be stress-free - I should be able to come in to the office, take the work handed to me, carry it out to the best of my abilities, and then hand it back at the end of the day. I shouldn’t have to worry about the rate at which projects are being started, and the deadlines that are beginning to space out weeks into the future. Whenever I’m given a new task to get underway I feel like saying: I’m only a temp you know, I could be gone by the end of the week. I’m also starting to sign off invoices, and put print work out to tender. I’ve even initiated a project-by-project job-bag system, using a three-drawer filing cabinet given to me by Tony Plumber (Management Accountant - sometimes he’s in a good mood and helps me out, other times he just ignores me).

Most of the work comes to me from Mitch Holmes, the company’s Sales Director (sorry, Sales and Marketing Director). Mitch Holmes is a giant of a man (well over six foot tall), aged in his fifties, grey hair and beard. He has a very heavy step and I can hear him walking across the office in my direction long before he actually comes into view (the only time he comes over to my side of the building is when he is coming to see me with yet another marketing task).

This afternoon I could hear his step coming towards me - boom, boom, boom. So forceful was the impact of his stride that the floor shook noticeably, and one of the succulent pot plants (with which the offices are decorated) fell over onto its side and rolled off a filing cabinet onto the floor, spilling earth all over the carpet. The women in Accounts started laughing, and one of them said, in a suggestive voice, “Oooh, you can make the earth move!” Mitch Holmes responded in his gruff Yorkshire voice: “I can make the earth move, but only for plants.” The women in Accounts tittered. Mitch Holmes continued his walk over to my desk where he gave me a heap of sponsorship proposals and asked me to recommend which ones we should agree to.