madness of Tess

chapter 8: The hard reality (par2)

Finally Elysabeth is quiet in this dreadful room which will serve as her office... It is a duplex. You just have to climb a few steps to get there. It's right across from that famous Tess Figz's office.

The young woman takes her head in her hands... She has a violent desire to cry and then to pray too...

To beg someone to come to him

assistance. His sinuses are exploding. Roger quickly explained to him the roles of each... That there were in a few

kinds two clans... On one side Caroline

That there were in a few

sorts two clans... On one side Caroline in the lead, Amira, Maud, Sébastien. Then on the other side Mélanie, Ombrine,

Jérémie and Aimé... That lately, sick leave has been linked.

week by week. That last Friday, they were unable to ensure appointments. Oh! Roger him

said a lot of things that were probably very important...

Betty is in front of her screen... She's waiting for Sébastien... Above all, she's waiting for the end of this day. In the meantime, she

starts reading all the emails sent by the general secretary (a good hundred) and starts small

little by little to organize his office and his tasks.

She's like that Elysabeth, she needs to fit everything into boxes,

probably for reassurance...

It takes a little temperature in this cold place. But difficult to

to concentrate so much down there is absolute disorder... Between the laughter and the insults, the

battle of the photocopier, she has a migraine...

There's a knock on the door, it's Roger... He doesn't give her time to invite him in.

-I... I... y... you want to meet them.... t... tomorrow?

He's just sputtered... Betty squints at the halo under the other's armpits.

Even then no sound comes out.

She just shakes her head briefly.

Sebastien ends up showing up. He puts on a face but Roger told him he was the most competent of all.

He is rather calm, tall and looks

really dark and not convenient.

His voice is barely audible. But Elysabeth is very focused. She takes notes and memorizes to a very high speed... That's his strong point for lack of knoiwing how to communicate... Her first day is over... At 7 p.m., she finally leaves the office. In reality, she waited for everyone

leave to go away... She brilliantly avoided the barnyard this time... But tomorrow she won't escape it...

***

This week is already coming

extremely busy for the Parisian. She hasn't slept all night... She dreads facing her agents. Ely is so scared of people...

Then she wonders if she has the shoulders to bear such pressure and such a workload.

It's the frightening complexion that she

rushes into his office. Where to start ? She glances at her schedule. This morning she meets

each agent... This afternoon,

she will pass Roger back

counter...(To assist agents with information at the counter, and appointments, to sign receipts and regularization visas). She

already has a pile of signatures waiting for him... A hell of a pile...

She has another hundred emails again... Where to start? His breathing hurts his ribs...

Elysabeth takes out her little rosary to kiss her... and give herself courage...

For an hour, she will be almost quiet. She can start looking more closely at a few files.

His computer brain will be of great use to him...

Nine o'clock, that the parade of the

barnyard begins.

La Caroline, in her fifties,

she doesn't even knock, she sits opposite Elysabeth, her cheeks bleeding red.

-My name is Caroline Wache. Agent C category, I'm in this service

for 20 years... (haughty air) Before, I was in gray cards. I take care of foreign permits in addition to others

files, she charges. (Elysabeth doesn't even look her in the eye.... There's too much closeness), I'm

exhausted. I do extended days while there are some who take it easy. It will end up blowing up. Ugly things are happening. If you want some

names, I'll give you some... I'm going to be cash, I don't think you're up to it... Too young, too Parisian.

And my group is solid. We will not let it go. Then you'll have to hang on because it's not just the

group of the poor girl of Mélanie, these idlers... There is the director. She's a witch... A filth. Never there, hysterical, sadistic. She denies us everything and

blames everything on us... It's going to blow up. We will do everything to get her out. You will have to choose your side. But of course since it is a

hottie, not one fits inside her.

He lets her do this b***h. Pff good at ogling his ass. We will not let it go!

What does Elizabeth owe him?

answer ?

...Are you going to talk to me or how is it going? I don't have only this to do.

Du Tonquin contents himself with swallowing his saliva harshly and pointing to the door... Caroline growls her eyes in surprise... There will be more talking.

It's Jérémie's turn, a young man of barely thirty, the only one who has a bit of class here... Elysabeth will quickly

realize that he is only a rebel at heart too, a bit of a Bonapartist and a smooth talker. He speaks in long, interminable sentences.

Ely has trouble seeing the end of it, she has trouble analyzing... He's the kind of guy who would probably be ready to trample his mother to succeed...

Then there's Melanie, hunched back, negativity incarnate. She makes a whole display of malfunctions...

You would think to hear it that the end of the world is near... Caroline takes it for her rank. Mélanie is the competitor, the one who stirs the

disorder. She stalks everyone. It seems that Amira spends her time on the phone and on cigarette breaks. Maud always arrives late... Lolo has a questionable behavior with women... Roger is "crap and

is crony in the planning...". Sébastien does not do his job and spends his time giving orders... And then

she also dismantles the director. Tess Figz...

-I've never seen that... Horrible. She constantly pushes us... But the guys would like to spend a few hours locked up with her... Yeah she

the b***h is damn well done but zero skill. She has nothing to do

here... I'll be screwed like her, I won't be here... She's not human

this chick... I'm telling you it's going to blow up...

Everyone marches... And there's a storm in the air...

For Du Tonquin, they are all vulgar people, without culture. She had never heard so much horror.

They spend their time swearing. No respect for hierarchy... None

even respect for her. It is necessary, they are disbelievers, do not believe in anything.

They are an insult to her religion. The young redhead has more than ever

the impression of soaking in filthy swamps. She has the bitter impression, being here, so close to them, of committing a sin and compromising herself.

***

The redhead's head is smoking... She thinks she can give herself a little respite during the lunch break... Do you think... Every five minutes, there's a knock on the

gate. So-and-so did this, so-and-so didn't do that.

Damn it's worse than kindergarten!

And she still doesn't say anything. She should have found the strength to win. Give them a finger and they'll rip your arm off.

In the afternoon, stomach cramps,

In the afternoon, with stomach cramps, Elysabeth is going to know her grain bath... The waiting room is crowded. People talk loudly. They howl, jostle each other.

Roger takes him up to the office at the back of the counter... And all afternoon the ordeal intensifies. It's a horror. Urgent cases follow one another. Users (foreigners) make a fuss for a yes for a no, they ask

speak to a supervisor... We send them to her. Elysabeth is impressed and totally paralyzed, taken aback. Between those who express themselves badly, those who cry, those who shout at the top of their voices... Those who don't want to decamp. They hand them

mostly smudged, oily paperwork... She'll vomit

Even Roger seems overwhelmed...

Elysabeth understands that on the other side, Caroline has just sent a poor woman to the roses... And then there are the agents like Ombrine or Amira who spend their time showing up to ask questions (always the same ). You have to be well hooked. This racket mine.

At one point, she can't do it anymore, she

leaves Roger in the plan to rush

in the yard... To breathe... Breathe

has never been easy.

Yet today still no one did have the pleasure of hearing the voice

sweet of Elisabeth Du Tonkin...

***

As she thinks she's leaving her office,

she is taken to task by Amira

(she takes her by the wrist, the naughty one).

-Have you seen our bonuses? You

have you looked? You know what that

will make me 100 euros less on

my pay?! (She squeezes the Betty's very fine wrist) You realize ! It is unacceptable and all this so that upstarts like

you are getting your fill of it!

It must be the least of your worries,

Madam the daughter of...

I have three daughters

to feed! My husband is sick!

what do I do? I come to work for

nothing ? Oh I cause you there. You go

hurry to move the

things because I won't let myself

TO DO !

Betty sticks against the wall, totally paralyzed. Amira unwittingly hurts him. She can no longer breathe and Amira is even more threatening.

-Between you and the other w***e we have as a headmistress... How do you expect us to manage. I'm in the red..I'm exhausted. We get spit

on it all day by users!

We get caught in the street!

Not to mention fat Melanie, a filthy b***h. The bonuses are because of her! Oh I cause you!!!

-Le...let...let go of me...

A loud voice is heard. The

two women jump up.

_Amira! It's not good to talk to him like that. Let her go...

The tall brunette sends a cross to Aimé.

- you are still in the office at this hour? Surprising!... You are very kind Aimé for once... That must be hiding something...

-Be careful what you say Amira.... Elysabeth is our leader. You will have to accept it.

Annoyed, Amira leaves the place. Aimé approaches Elysabeth, still quite shaken.

-How are you ? I'm sorry... It's savages and frustrated here. She didn't hurt you? You know... It's not my habit to intervene.

I'm pretty discreet. But you shouldn't let yourself go. Wait let Figz come back... They're going to laugh less, these pests.

She definitely should have

answer... have a conversation with the only one of his agents who is not horrible with her... And yet here Betty runs off.

The air is crisp tonight... The streetlights

sizzle. Here she is running on the pavement... She flees... God she would like to flee. She misses her family more than ever tonight... She nearly knocks her face to the ground several times. She's out of breath... And the tears are flowing. No Jesus, she don't deserve

to be treated like that... And then everything she's been hearing for two days about this Tess Figz... It doesn't reassure her much...

If there is one thing that is unanimous in the department, it is the case of this "horrible" director. No, but they all call her Tesspeste... Even the general secretary

gave a confusing speech about her... She hasn't met him yet and yet she already has her in terror...

Because she's like that Ely, a little impressionable... The images spin in her head... This Amira who exposed her to her troubles...

She looks soft and harmless and she probably is, but all those things must have hurt touching her... Not yet...

She doesn't know the social conflicts and the galleys of money... She doesn't know anything about the concerns of a mother and what she believes to be the lower classes. According to her, we create our own success

and his own failures (his father's speech...). It must come from this city, from this damn department. How

can we succeed in a place

the same?

This only confirms his opinion...

She won't stay here indefinitely...

It's only been two days...but she knows that when she gets the chance, she'll get the hell out of here. But for that, you have to let her make a perfect copy here. As it is, it's not winning

in advance... Tonight, lying on this uncomfortable mattress, going through paraphers, correcting the OQT

written by Jeremy to get ahead, she can't help but think about how it's going to be

her work with that Figz... She never had anyone to give her orders except her father... She

just wish she wouldn't be too hard with her... because she doesn't know

not be hard on herself with others, that she doesn't know how to defend herself...

Come on Betty be patient... The hour of destiny is approaching...