The Secret Diary of a Recovering Workaholic

Clara's diary 3.5

Well that was a bit of a shit show. Is it wrong to be grateful that it wasn’t me?

I’m not sure that’s how the gratitude attitude thing is really supposed to work.

Trying to see an upside when your work bestie totally fucks it in front of half the company.

I was totally there for her though. Held her hair back in the toilets afterwards as she was throwing up from all the panic and tension. And now she’s gone off sick and hasn’t answered any of my messages. But that’s totally cool if she needs some time. I’ll make sure I don’t stop sending them though so she knows I’m here when she’s ready.

I also spent what felt like a lot of hours that I don’t actually have helping her get ready for the business review. Not sure I was the best person to help in all honesty, because I’ve never been to one of the bloody things either.

As usual she’d put together a blinding presentation even with Tim breathing down her neck every five minutes in the few days beforehand.

So she’d have been absolutely fine. We even watched a YouTube video on how to give impactful presentations and we’d decided where she should hold her hands and how to stand - with much practice in floor to ceiling mirrors in the ladies toilets - when we didn’t keep collapsing into giggles.

Well you’ve got to have some fun haven’t you, even if you’re working in corporate? A bit of light relief when you’ve sold your soul to the devil and his assistant (Tim).

Anyway Hermione was brilliant. Apart from she kept calling Gavin, Gary, all the way through the presentation. I didn’t know what to do or how to help. I just sat paralysed to my chair thinking how the fuck can she keep getting the Managing Partner’s name wrong (and keep on using the wrong name SO MANY TIMES.) It was the bloody YouTube video - it said to pick out key people in the audience and use their first names to build connection.

Just a bit shit that it was the wrong bloody name.

I might be wrong but from what I can see of Gavin, I think he’s alright. I don’t think he’d actually have minded.

Hermione’s such a bloody perfectionist though - well I’m not surprised as to how she’s reacted. She’s worked so hard and she really wanted to impress.

It’s lonely without her, I really hope she’s ok. Most of the other grads are like human bots doing everything they can to feed the machine and tick all the boxes. They’ve even started to dress like each other. And I’ve not missed Tim wincing at my wrist tattoo when I rolled my sleeves up the other day. I’m guessing the HAL bots don’t have wrist tattoos.

If they think I’m picking her accounts up whilst she’s off… well they can bloody well think again.