Feeling guilty about the disruption I had caused - the past week at work

Monday

I got up feeling cold, the weather damp and chilly.

I decided last night to leave my job (which I have only been in for a couple of weeks), and resolved to definitely hand in my resignation today. I wondered how it would be received. In some ways I hoped I would be ordered out of the agency so I could go home again.

My usual train was cancelled so I got to the office half an hour late.

Everyone at the agency was busy and my late arrival went unremarked. On my desk I found a brief for a press release which I drafted in about an hour. Account Exec Sara told me about Sunday evening - she had got mildly drunk with friends and then gone to see The Social Network ("I had double-vision so really I saw it twice...").

I felt very apprehensive about resigning. It was unnerving trying to catch Villy (Director and Owner of the agency) on his own. Eventually I had to ask straight out if I could talk to him and we went into the Conference Room.

He was astounded by the news I was leaving, and tried to talk me out of it, saying he would match any other salary I had been offered. Eventually I convinced him I was serious and he asked me to work until the end of the week. As we stood up we shook hands.

"Being indecisive is not one of your problems" he told me (if only he knew the truth!).

Back at my desk my new business cards had arrived - I surreptitiously put them in the bin.

Lunchtime I walked round the local shops and bought a huge piece of bread pudding from a bakers. I took it into the little park to eat (standing up as all of the cast iron benches were wet). When I went back to the office I could tell that everyone knew about my resignation.

In the afternoon I wrote copy for a brochure about an innovative new piece of office machinery.

When 5pm arrived it was a relief to get away from the agency - feeling guilty about all the disruption I have caused.

Tuesday

Most of the day I continued writing the brochure copy. At one point I rang the client to ask questions ("it's the guts of hi-tech office automation" he told me). I discussed the overall design of the brochure with art director Tranter - typically he wanted the brochure to be all pictures and hardly any copy.

In the afternoon account executive Maery asked me to do some copywriting. She pointed out the flat in the parade opposite where she had lived with Villy when they had been "together". Whenever I went into the downstairs office the two women looked at me reproachfully, as if I had betrayed them.

Wednesday

The chilly weather makes changing trains unpleasant. I have become dependent on coffee bought from the little kiosk as I wait fifteen minutes. Drifts of soggy golden leaves everywhere.

Bored most of the day.

I talked to Sara in the kitchen about our what each of us would do after we had left the agency.

The afternoon I spent thinking up headlines with Villy - I praised his efforts even though they were not very good.

Thursday

Another press release waiting on my desk when I arrived. I tried to string it out as long as possible so that I would not have something more boring to do. I went out to Starbucks mid-morning.

Unexpectedly the IT client at my last agency returned my call and asked me to take a brief tomorrow. This pleased Villy a great deal (I suppose he thought some good would come of my time at the agency). We got various publications to e-mail the ads the IT client had placed recently.

In the afternoon some media research.

In the evening was the annual agency staff dinner (they have it in October as things are less hectic than at Christmas). Both Vinny and Maery insisted that I was still part of the agency and should join them, which was kind. I waited around uselessly in the office for an hour before travelling up to central London.

At The Capital hotel in Knightsbridge I met the others in the bar and Villy ordered champagne (£60 a bottle). Into the restaurant which was a long cube. I sat between Maery and Sara (who had somehow made her blonde hair stand up on end).

Villy decided we would all have the "tasting menu" (£70 per head, paid for by the agency). This meant eating the foi gras with truffle sauce, which I would not normally touch since it is so cruelly produced. But what could I do? I could hardly offend them by refusing it when they were being so nice to me. I was treated as if I were the guest of honour. Again I felt guilty about leaving.

Friday

Most of the morning Maery and I spent talking to the IT client from my ex-agency. I had forgotten what a slob he was, sitting in his office surrounded by attractive young women. I knew exactly what sort of ads he wanted to run and was not surprised when he awarded us the campaign.

"You were brilliant" said Maery afterwards, but I have learned to discount her exaggerated praise.

Back at the agency I spent the afternoon writing the copy for the ads.

Then five o'clock arrived. Everyone was extremely nice about saying goodbye. It was a relief to be finally out of the place, feeling guilty about the disruption I had caused.

Saturday

Despite my ban on working at weekends I got up at eight to read up on my new job - skim-reading heaps of reports.

I stopped at 12.30 to watch Dateline London; Michael White attacking Wayne Rooney (what's Wayne ever done to upset him?).

Afterwards the weather forecast with Tomasz Schafernaker, the first time he has appeared (that I have seen) for weeks. He gave a perfect performance, frequently leaning to one side so you could see the whole picture, using his arms to indicate the rapid movement of rainclouds. Slightly accented pronunciation of some words ("Monday" and "next").