44 wivesbehavingbadly

timon drew a perfect circle on his notepad ." six months ' probation . yes or no  ?
"yes ."
i quit his office high-wired with nevers and exhilaration . abraham maslow had been correct when he drew up his pyramid and formulated an individual's hierachies  of need . once food , warmth, safety , and sex were more or less seen to , then it was viatl to have the respect of colleagues . and espect for oneself , of course .
six months later , i recieved one of those letters . " your probationary period has now run to its close . while we have appreciated your efforts on the books pages , we have decided not to appoint you . perhaps you will consider the alternatives .... " and so on .
this time . timon did not bother to call me into the office .
it took me a while to decide where to file this record of my failure . eventually , i slotted it into " family history " in nathna 's immaculate files , fitting it between -chronologically - the photographs of poppy's surprise wedding in thailand , and the christening of jilly and sam's frieda . nathan demanded to know why . i had put it there , and i told him there was no point in not facing up the the fact that i have been sacked . he lost his temper , cursed vistemax , and raged around the room . i watched him with my heart galloping under my pregnant bump . for nathan , life was no longer obedient and tidy , and his regrets were for that loss of symmetry as much as his guilt at having cut it into bits .
nathan palced the penultimate glass on the draining board . foam flecked his forearms , and his fingers were pink ." your timing , minty , it's late ." pause ." why ?"