Day sixteen: Life springs anew

At the week’s end, CTT & Co seemed to be in crisis. Nonetheless, Barry was reasonably confident he’d put measures in place to keep the ship tight, he told me in his last coaching session.

“So what have you got planned for the weekend?” I asked him, fully expecting him to rattle off a list of client files he’d yet to get through – as usual.

“Absolutely nothing,” he smiled, much to my surprise. “I’m going to relax, recharge and be fresh for the fray on Monday,” he vowed. I nearly fell off my chair.

As is the custom in these final sessions, the tone was reflective. Barry had been taken aback when Cressida said she admired him as her boss – it was a proud moment for him. Jeffery Drum, whose tough, bullying manner he’d been visibly afraid of in the past, was no longer the ogre he thought he was. “If anything, his temper is a bit of a weakness,” noted Barry. Of course, there was still the issue of Silas’ dodgy CV – a problem Barry had decided could wait until Monday.

With so much conflict over the past few weeks, Barry seemed relieved to have ridden the storm. “What would have happened if I had let them walk all over me? If I’d caved in? What then?” he reflected, shuddering at the thought.

Erin had pointed out that Barry should have known Silas’ CV, even if he hadn’t interviewed him personally. Self-critically, Barry confessed that he had read it, but had never thought to compare it with what he knew of his wife’s career.

That wasn’t all Erin had to say to Barry that Friday. As I was getting ready to leave the office, Erin popped round to meet him for lunch, bearing a letter from her Big Four employer. They were offering her a full-time, fast track promotion. “That’s great,” smiled Barry. Erin raised an eyebrow at this novel display of enthusiasm.

“The thing is…I’ve had some other news today as well,” said Erin, handing Barry a small white stick. The clear blue line was unmistakable. “It’s only confirming what I already knew”.

This time Barry was speechless. It was the first time he’d been lost for words since he’d found out she was pregnant with Clarice. What a day it had been!

“What are we going to do?” she asked. There was something very odd about the question, and Barry frowned.

“You’re asking me?”

“Yes. I’m asking you, Barry. What shall we do?”

This is the last in the series of the Firm Next Door.