8. We’ve Got A Few Perks
WE’VE GOT A FEW PERKS
AIDEN
When one of the other brokers invited me out for a drink on Saturday night, I was almost embarrassed at how quickly I jumped to say yes.
Not knowing anyone in town other than my father and a very hostile assistant has made it hard to feel at home here, and I’m desperate to start making friends and put down roots.
I’d hoped when I met Tara last weekend that she would be the first new friend I’d made, but this week has shown me that is very unlikely. She’s been professional, but the tension in the air around us is thick, and I don’t see any way past the armour she’s built up around herself.
“So. How was the first week?” Damien takes a seat across from me on the other bar stool at our high table.
“Not great. Dad really threw me in the deep end, I’m not gonna lie.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. It’s not the greatest feeling when you’re the newbie in the office. But just give me a yell if you need any help.” He taps his beer bottle to mine and takes a swig.
“Thanks, man. I think I need all the help I can get. I took my first client call yesterday and legitimately thought I was going to have a panic attack. Tara was watching me like a hawk the whole time and my hands were sweating.”
It had not been a pleasant experience.
“Yeah. Tara is fantastic at her job, but you don’t want to get on her bad side. She has a very low bullshit tolerance. I learned that the hard way.” Damien rubs the back of his neck.
“Why? What did you do to piss her off?” It makes me feel marginally better to see that I’m not the only one who has endured her wrath.
“I fucked up something on the system when I was making a change to a clients policy and she damn near tore me to shreds. It took me months to get back into her good books. If I hadn’t seen her outside of work with my friend Chris, I’d think she was a pretty horrible person, but she’s actually really nice.
Just has to put up with a lot of shit at the office, I guess. ”
“Who’s Chris?” I ask, trying not to seem overly interested.
I don’t know why, but the mention of another guy around Tara makes me feel weird. Must be the beer.
“He used to work with us. Another broker. He and Tara went to school together, and he got her the job. But he left last year.”
For some reason, his answer doesn’t make me feel any better.
I nod. “So the place is all about who you know, not what you know?”
Damien shrugs. “Basically. Although Tara already knew her stuff before she started with us. To be honest, I’m surprised she’s still a broking assistant. She knows more than most of the brokers in the office. Everyone goes to her with the tough ones.”
“Yeah, I get the distinct impression that she was after my job when she thought it was up for grabs.” I pick at the label on my beer bottle.
“Just give her time. She’ll warm up to you. She’s not like the bitches in the admin team. Those are the ones you really need to watch out for.” Damien shudders .
“Starting to really question my choice to come here.” I shake my head with a bitter laugh.
Damien grins. “It’s not all bad. We’ve got a few perks. The company does some pretty good social activities, and we’ve got a few conferences coming up. Will be a good way for you to network and meet some new people.”
“Yeah, Dad mentioned something about Singapore to me the other day. Wasn’t sure if I’d be going, though.”
“Oh, you’ll be going. No way David isn’t going to send his son. He’s not above playing favourites, that one.”
I laugh again, but there’s no humour in it. “I definitely don’t think we have to worry about me being his favourite.”
Damien cocks his head to the side. “I sense that there is a story to tell behind that statement.”
Realising I need to tread lightly, I just shrug. “Nah, it’s fine. Just didn’t have a lot to do with him growing up, living in London and all. We barely know each other, truth be told.”
Damien’s girlfriend, Vanessa, joins us eventually, and the three of us chat for a few hours.
They live nearby to the pub in Kangaroo Point and mentioned it’s popular with people our age who have outgrown the nightclub scene but haven’t quite hit the bowls club phase.
I don’t know what the bowls club phase looks like, but I definitely won’t be hitting the clubs of my own free will, so I’m grateful for their choice of location.
“You should look around this area for an apartment. It’s close enough to the city for you, but less of the traffic chaos in the CBD,” Vanessa says.
“Yeah, I’m going to check out a few places this week. Starting to feel a bit claustrophobic inside that hotel room.”
“I get that. Hotels are okay for holidays, but they definitely aren’t made for long-term accommodation,” Damien replies. “We lived in one for a few weeks when we moved up from Sydney and it sucked.”
“Did you guys find it hard to meet people here? It seems like everyone sticks with the friends they’ve known since school and it’s hard for people to make friends when they’re new to the city.”
“It wasn’t easy at first. But we got into rock climbing not long after we arrived, and that’s where we managed to find the people we see all the time now. Is there anything you enjoy doing? Maybe that might be the way to go?” Vanessa asks, finishing her glass of wine.
“Back when I had time to do stuff in London, I sort of fell into the latin dancing scene when my friend Sarah dragged me along to a class for a bit of a laugh. I ended up really enjoying it though. Maybe I can see what it’s like around here,” I reply, trying to think of any other hobbies.
My life the last few years had been centred on Mum, so my own interests had become a low priority. It’s been so long, I can barely remember what I enjoyed doing before everything went to shit.
“That’s perfect!” Vanessa claps her hands together, grinning. “Friday nights, I’ve walked past this open air gathering up near the casino. It’s all people dancing, and a DJ plays latin music. I think it’s on every week. You should totally check it out.”
“That does sound good. I’ll go have a look on Friday, I guess. Although, I’ll be worried about seeming like some creepy guy hanging around on my own.”
“Nah, there’s plenty of people milling around. From what I could tell, if you are a guy who can dance, you’ll be sweet.” Vanessa grins. “Hell, with your looks, you’d probably be fine even if you couldn’t dance.”
I laugh, taken aback by her frank assessment.
Damien rolls his eyes. “Vanessa has never had a problem with telling things how she sees them.”
“What? He’s hot. Don’t worry, baby, you’re still the only man for me.” She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading to the bar to get us another round.
“She’s definitely not shy,” I tell Damien, and he laughs.
“Definitely not. One of the many things I love about that woman.”
I feel a pang in my chest. It’s hard not to be envious when I see others settled down in relationships. Maybe one day soon, I’ll find someone who puts the same smile on my face.
I push aside the thought of Tara in that moment. No good can come from that situation, but I can’t help but wonder how different things would have gone last weekend if she hadn’t snuck out.
And we didn’t work together.