madness of Tess

chapter 7 :The hard reality (part1)

Elysabeth has not yet made

field identification. This morning it's

the big day for her, it has the same

taste like a return to school. She

grimaces in front of his mirror and guard

dress.

How to dress for to go to work ?

A new time,this is the flower dress extremely old-fashioned wins.

She passes three ages trying to get smooth hair but she gives up.

Her anxious nature catches up with her... She descends the stairs at a slow pace, the ball in the stomach.

With what sauce will they devour her today and for all the other days?

Privas is not big, of course, but there she is lost. It's gray this morning, and that only accentuates this austere feeling, this feeling of confinement.

She thinks she misses oxygen... And yet oxygen, there going to need a lots today...

Luckily she took advance, because to find the

Luckily she took

advance, because to find the

prefecture, it's a big headache

for her... She has the impression that

everyone is looking at her... Damn

why do people always do this. A

young person enters him on a scooter....

She falls to the ground. He doesn't apologize

not even that scoundrel. Well

heard...her dress is covered with

mud. Trying to remove the grime,

it only makes things worse. And

his heart throbs. She has no more time

to turn around. And god she

feels dirty in this street! With those

people who watch her too closely. Her

head is buzzing... She still believes

that she will turn around but her steps

bring her in front of the building... Which according to her really lacks class and luxury, in very bad taste.

Several people walk

towards the building. A little

sheepish, she follows the herd

of individuals.

She goes to the reception... She will spend an hour in all before a woman from human resources takes care of her.

Take the elevator with strangers

would make her almost claustrophobic.

And she is damn ashamed in this outfit!

A secretary, really not graceful

makes her wait again... After half an hour, they finally let her into a huge office, a little too dark for her taste.

Behind his desk, a man of about sixty looks at her while taking off his glasses.

-You must be Elysabeth Du Tonkin. Get comfortable! please.

He gets up to shake her hand, which she finds it hard to hold out. She has the feeling that he's going to tear off her arm, that he's never going to let go... She smells the sweat of her palm against his...

But, let her go. damn it !

-I am delighted to have you with us. You, the daughter of Luc du Tonquin, it's sacred game of poker that we made.

The competition lottery do good business sometimes.

Let me introduce myself, Gérard Dubois, Secretary General...

Betty finally consents to take her seat

Betty finally consents to sit in her chair. She is uncomfortable and contemplates all the knick-knacks on this desk, these heaps of files... It makes her sick.

_ We've been waiting for a head of the immigration office for six months... To tell you the truth, here we're waiting for you a bit like the Messi.

This nod to Jesus makes Elysabeth smile shamefully.

.....-In the absence of our director of citizenship and legality, who will not be back for a few days, I will

explain to you what is expected of you.

Elysabeth's eyes are wide open, they are almost bulging. She's snuggled up in her chair...

.....-The Ardèche as you know it

has never been much disturbed by immigration. Our service was adapted accordingly. However, over the past five years, there has been a real explosion of requests residence permits, asylum applications. We had to adapt and strengthen our workforce. We are experiencing real difficulties,

honestly. Our processing times are poor. We have moved to the web-based appointment module but the implementation

is worthy of a cacophony. We're almost under the rug, Miss Du Tonquin. You will have to accept that

the Ardèche is becoming a new land of asylum... Foreigners are not just looking for the city. Economic life is also developing here... Valence is not very far. Admittedly, we are the department with the least transport services, but that doesn't seem to be a problem for them. The foreigners are looking for a lot in the agricultural sector.

And we fail to issue them cards on time.

Here is a report and some notes from the Minister of the Interior... to be studied without further delay. It will be necessary to work very close with Madame Figz on our own track record. We are in the red! And of course our credits are frozen to act. The agents do not stay... We must act. And I'm countingon you.

I do not teach you anything. To be head

of the immigration office, it means managing a team of about ten agents, two residence/asylum and removal offices... It means responding to the urgency of the situations of agents with users... Validate the application files, sign the obligations to leave the territory, and of course enforce our objectives...

Remobilizing the troops... I have emailed you our priority files, and the progress of our service reorganization project.

I hope that you will be operational very quickly... The situation is too alarming. Enough talking, (he looks at his watch), the agents must be

in place. I'll show you your department and your office. Questions?

Don't worry, everything will be fine. I emailed everything to you. Ms. Figz has been very busy.

I have to make up for these absences too... And that's not really my mission.

But now you are here...

Elysabeth is going to get indigestion... This Monsieur Dubois really gives

seem to be overwhelmed. He's bald with big bags under his eyes.

And indeed, he held a real worried speech …

Betty doesn't need more worried... It doesn't take much for Betty to let herself be overwhelmed again by nauseating anguish. She understood that we expected a lot from her... That she was going to have to start the engine. questions, she

has thousands of them but she can't say a single word, she just follows the SG. They criss-cross several corridors, go down two

floors. He keeps talking but she can't follow, he has such a flow...

And then her stress is such that each sentence seems confused to him.

It's funny, this place looks more like a hospital than an administration.

Hallways are long with white walls with a few framed photos

of what should be the heritage

Ardèche. The set is quite dilapidated.

Two workers on the left are repairing a door in an infernal racket. It looks like there are ten of them. A few meters further, two women

chatter at the photocopier. At the sight of the SG, their mutual valve closes,

they bend over in greeting (bootlicker goes) and ogle Elysabeth from head to toe, emphasizing the black stains on her dress.

Once these fanatics are over,

the gossip resumes and this time,

Elysabeth hears very well what the

two shrews say in a low voice.

_ It must be the new intern...

Have you seen her dress? Who wears these dresses today...

A trainee with the secretary General... Haha shhh...

An intern ? So Elysabeth looks like a trainee making photocopies... She hopes those two aren't part of her department.

-Elizabeth? You are with me ?

-Yes yes sir,

answer hardly Elizabeth.

-I told you that you will have to write

quickly an obligation to leave

the territory for Ramaq. The prefect does

pressure.

-Yes very well sir.

But what is he talking about?

-Here we are in your new premises.

We did not have the credits for

renovations and works.

To tell you, the director had no choice but to take an office on this floor. It is not satisfactory.

She needs more calm but... well you'll see she's particular Madame Figz... But you get used to it over time. You know that we are the prefecture which

have the youngest director... And since today the youngest head of the immigration office. By the way, the

HR will take care of giving you your badge, your identifiers,

and we will do everything to ensure that you have your signing authority as soon as possible. You will be in training this afternoon. You need to master our AGDREF software as soon as possible.

Decidedly, he is a real chatterbox this one... He must be as tense as she is.

He passes his badge in front of the door. The light comes on.

Elysabeth finally enters where she will spend most of her time.

Another long corridor, a photocopier that takes up too much space, the walls are a filthy apple green, boxes are lying on the side.

On the left, lockers with the name of each agent, a desk with

an office with screens and machines... It's very messy. The trash can is overflowing with files. A small yellow fridge makes the corner as well as a microwave with a

senseo coffee machine placed above,

drowned in the pool of coffee... It doesn't take much for our Parisian to have the sheaf.

The SG enters the second office.

-Roger, get the team together please. We sit in the waiting room. Today is Tuesday, there are no users today.

Roger comes out of his office. He is all gray with messy hair and a young beard.

He wears a plaid shirt.

He limps a little. He has a funny gait. He stumbles a little on words and he is of one softness... He strikes in turn in each office.

Elysabeth would like to be anywhere but not here... Little by little, men and women come out and greet with displayed hypocrisy the secretary general... The hubbub is hard-hitting. Elizabeth realizes

that they are her agents from now on, all these strangers...

The waiting room is not good

big. It is surrounded by walk-in boxes. And in the indiscipline, the few tens of agents take

place on the chairs... All have their eyes turned towards Elysabeth...

It must be another intern from the ministry

come to throw her two cents in their service.

The general secretary claps his hands and clears his throat.

-Roger is missing some?

-Yesii I.. I believe. I will call them.

Now Roger gets up again and starts running under the general laughter...

A few minutes later, three other people enter with fanfare. One is very tall with a hell of a beard, a hat on his head

and all skinny. He is accompanied

of another rather obese man, with a very dark complexion, short legs and a funny face, followed by a young woman with headphones in her ears tirelessly chewing gum.

-Very well. Robin your hat please... Ichem, your headphones...

A little respect... You are all present. In the absence of Tess Figz, I...

At these words, a short blonde with big blue eyes and a hell of a layer of makeup laughs all down with a sigh as if we weren't going to hear him..

_ For a change, she's never there.

-Madam Wachz please... Meet your new head of the immigration office, Elysabeth

Du Tonquin, the daughter of the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Please book him

best regards and welcome.

Roger you will be responsible for showing him around the service.

Miss Du Tonquin will meet you in turn to

to get to know you. is that Elizabeth? Sebastien, you will train her this afternoon... I have a meeting in five minutes with the

regional prefect. Elysabeth I leave the floor to you. We meet during the week.

He shakes hands again

He shakes hands again

of Elisabeth... What? He's going to leave her like that? What happens now...? Hardly has he left the room that the din takes over right away...

-But she's a kid,

grumble Caroline (the bob blonde)

_ What do you have against the kids?

Calls another, brunette rather tall and rather strong, her gaze dark with disdain.

-We didn't ring you Mélanie...

-But she's not our boss? It's a joke...

-Have you seen her dress? It's all

stained... But look at it... Between the

Tess curses and that... we're still off, Caroline snores.

-I'm not going to put my d**k in it,

bursts the man in the flesh, whose name is Laurent but everyone calls him Lolo.

And it goes on for five good

minutes. Betty is about to break down on the spot... She takes it for her rank... And it chatters, like if she was there without being there.

_Pff she had to go back to the piston,

muche stuff girl....one more

inexperienced case... Seriously? What are they waiting for? Our burnouts...

to come and piss us off.

Shut up Amira.

Elysabeth is shaking... She really doesn't feel very well. His service is a veritable barnyard where everyone

gives to heart joy to send cowries to the other without scruples.

He is a black man in his thirties who ends up raising his voice.

_Are you finished yes? Close your mouths.

_Lick your ass,

smiles Amira, a tall brunette, surely of North African origin.

We still have the right to

worry since there are some here who don't care . Ombrine you did not make the urgent recipissés? What are you kidding...

(She is speaking to a woman with scarlet skin, rather thin, frumpy, short hair)

Roger looks at Elysabeth as if he expected her to finally put an end to all this...Yeah, the general secretary forgot to tell our pretty redhead that in

more than being mediocre, this service is ossified by a bad atmosphere.

- yeah I would like to talk about our bonuses. Before Tess the plague comes...

-Amira!

Roger breathes, without any authority.

Elysabeth remains frozen, frightened by all this vulgarity. Even his

sister next door is an angel. But where did she land? What did she get herself into? She can't utter a word. The silence returns

as if we were waiting for it to come out of its hinges...

She just tows a few locks behind her little ears. His tremors do not go unnoticed.

Well we'll stay there again

long time ? Is she mute? We are

passed on a handicapped person? Why

She does not speak ? No because our

files are not going to be done on their own...

-E...el...Elysabeth? (Finally Roger

decides to come to his rescue) we..could we let the agents go back to their office? Y..y.. you'll see them later...I...I'll make a ppplanning for

interviews. I'll...will show you y...your office.

- We're really going to address this

kid, that could be my daughter...

Elysabeth merely nods her head painfully. She has terrible dizziness.

Then in the same din, the agents return to their mission... They surely have not yet understood that this woman there, with a pathological shyness, without strength of character, a little awkward, is now their hierarchical superior...

It is always said that first impressions are often the foundation of relationships... Elysabeth has just made herself

eaten by a herd of ogres... They directly grasped his weaknesses,

his lack of authority... In these services, you must never show your weaknesses.

Roger approaches. He puts his hand on the shoulder of Elysabeth who at this contact has a movement of recoil...

-I'm d..d..sorry for them Follow me.

***