Working Arrangement

By Robert McNeill

“So what do you want to talk about?” asked Rory.

“Since when do we need a reason to talk? It always

“Make up a reason.”

“Make up your own fuck- ing excuses,” said Phil just as Donna reappeared. To her questioning look he said,

“How did I that?”

“By being alive.’ By being the beautiful woman I have ever seen. By being the most interesting person I know.”

“Well thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. They aren’t compliments, they’re problems. You’re too gor- geous.”

She laughed. “It is a curse I’ve always had to live with.”

“Donna, if you were only beautiful, I could live with that. If you were just my

manage

most

best friend I could live with that. What I can’t stand is having fallen in love with you while you are in love with your husband.”

“This is awfully sudden.”

“No it isn’t. happening very gradually for the last year.

It has been

I’m getting far too attached to you and I’m not going to get in any deeper.”

She took a long drink of coffee, then put it down. “This is really an insult, you know. If we’re really friends it shouldn’t if we aren’t lovers.”

matter

He avoided her eyes. “I’m not proud of this. That’s why I haven’t talked to you about it before. My plan was to spend less time with you,to try and stop be- ing so close, and especially to see less of Ron.”

“Ron likes you.”

“TI don’t want your hus- band to like me! portant is that I don’t want to like him!”

More im-

“That’s too bad because you like each other.”

“That will change.”

“Well, maybe it should. Then I wouldn’t have to lis- ten to Ron and you cele- brate when you pick up some slut. He has his ous thrill watching you with

vicari-

your latest conquest and you, Mr. Macho, get to display your technique with all the teenagers.””

“What

‘ ‘ came so easily and now it seems so silent.” It had been a quiet lunch.

“It would be a lot eas- ier to take this conversation seriously if you wiped that grime off your face, Donna,” Rory said with a smile. She grinned back and headed to the washroom. Rory ad- mired her backside as best he could through her filthy blue coveralls, which was the standard attire while. work- ing for the Triple Towers Corp., Maintenance Depart- ment,

Twenty workers repaired and maintained three skyscrap- ers in downtown Calgary, so it seemed to be very bad luck for Rory that not only had he drawn the dirty job of trac- ing a shorting wire to the fur- nace, he also had to do it with Donna. After Monday he had managed to avoid be- ing teamed with her until to- day.

Rory quickly moved over to Phil, his boss and freind. Phil had come from his glass partitioned office into the Maintenance lunchroom, which had the coffee pot.

“What gives, Phil? I thought you said she would work with Ralph?”

“She wants you. Since she is my best electrician and this is a tricky. job} she gets who she wants.” Phil sat on the table and briefly Stared at Rory. ‘Besides, you haven’t told me why you don’t want to work with her. I don’t have an answer for why you two have been split this week, after a year of working together.”

=—_—==

=> Thursda January 21 1988

“I’ve got work to do.” He picked up his cup and left.

“Excuses for what?”

Donna asked.

busi- Rory silently cursed the emptiness of the lunch- room.

“Mind your own ness.”’

They were an hour late for dinner because they had been in an awkward crawlspace and had made sure the problem was not there. They had not wanted

to get back into it, although

Rory wished he was back there now. Silence descended.

Donna made coffee for her- self and tea for Rory. She sat down and reluctantly he slid into the opposite chair.

“T’m sorry, Donna.” She contemplated her coffee as if it was fascinating, which it certainly was not. “I guess I owe you a few explanations.”

“Yup.” She ended the examination of the _ coffee with a sip, and looked at him.

“TPve worked with women before, but never with one like you. The more time we spent to- gether, the better I liked it.

~Then while shaving Monday morning I realized I have a serious problem.” 5

“You have to look in the mirror to shave?”

“Even more serious than

that. I was looking forward to going to work.”

“No!” iy

“Yes; What’s more I had been anticipating it Saturday night. You were a distrac- tion from my attempt to pick “up a woman even though you

» weren’t there.”

Photo by Louis Fagan

than on Brian in an attempt to secure re-election.)

do you expect

when the three of us go out together? Me to qui- etly sit there while you two waltz? Anyway, why should you care; you’ve got your

husband.”

“Did it ever occur to you that I might be attracted to you? That I might be as jeal- ous of those girls as you are of Ron. What are you smirk-

ing at?”

Rory’s smile widened. “Promise me you won’t get mad.”

“At what?”

“Promise, then I'll tell you.” “Okay, okay I promise. What is it.”

“T already knew that. You try to hide it but you never suceed.

‘Easy to Adorn’

I’m always

by Malcolm Gorrill

amazed that Ron never no-

(Based on ‘Easy to Tame’ by Kim Mitchell) tices.” (Situation: Brian Mulroney is talking to his party, “You bastard!” which apparently wants to put more focus on the issues haneinber

your promise. Besides, you

do the same thing with Ron

VERSE I

What am I doing to make you so mad? only I don’t hide my feelings

We used to talk till our opponents fell to their knees; as well. I'don’t know who is

What am_I doing to make you so mad? the worse tease, you or him.”

Phil slid open his win- dow and leaned out of his of- fice. *“*Get back to work be- fore the heat drops to the point where we all freeze our asses off.”

We used to sing like an Irish breeze. CHORUS *Cause you used to have love in your kisses, You used to put my heart in flames, You used to give me all the media attention, Rory and Donna gath- ered their tools and headed back to the sub-basement. Rory said, “‘We haven’t lost much heat yet.” He paused. “T’m serious, you know. I wat to spend less time to- gether.”

You said I was easy to adorn,

You said I was easy to adorn.

VERSE II

(Can’t you dig me out of the rain, baby? Why do you treat me like I’m so bad?) What am I doing to make you so mad? We always put my chin up on a crane;

Donnna put her hand on his shoulder, “We’ll work

something out.”

What am I doing to make you so mad? I guess being in power is like being insane. (Repeat Chorus Twice) ’

2 s

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