Selfless

My Dear Princess and Dear Friends,

I went into work today. Strictly speaking, I did not need to but Caro had a couple of errands to run and she liked the idea of our having a lunch date.

Unfortunately for her, I had a meeting at 12:30. 

I asked her if I could meet her at 1:30 instead.

But then the meeting ran long. 

So in the end, I found her in a cafe at 2:30. But she was fine about it. And I stayed for an hour with her, chatting and laughing and catching up on news.

The headline for the week is that she has pretty much got the police emergency line job if she wants it. She experienced a mid-week wobble after talking to another woman who did the same job and lasted just three months. But now Caro is swinging back toward yes. For the following reasons:

- She liked the interviewers
- She will only be working 20 hours a week
- It's not the EMERGENCY emergency line. It's the "kinda sorta emergency" line - but this means she may still get calls like, "My husband beat me up three weeks ago and now I've had the chance to think about it I need help."

If she accepts the job, she will have to do three months of full-time training, but she is sanguine about this. Also, there is a strong likelihood that she will have to work Xmas. 

"Meh," I said. "We can have Xmas whenever we like. We just PROVED that."

And already I see a clear change in Caro, she is so much more upbeat. And this is without even having discharged herself of her current sh*tty job. 

We are unsure what the reaction of Caro's bosses will be when she resigns. We are hoping for a long period of Garden Leave, which would be amazing. 

"They'll probably get me to do some continuous improvement shite," said Caro. "But that's all right."

So my work week ended on a high note. We took the train home together and Fazzy texted me to say hi to Caro. Instead I took the now-traditional selfie and sent it to Fazzy.

"Look at you," said Caro in mock disgust. "All those f*cking years I couldn't get you to be in a selfie with me and bloody Fazzy has you taking your own."

It is true. We are all capable of change. In Caro's case, huge life-changing change. In my case, I am no longer selfless.

S.