“Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or present  are certain to miss the future” 
                            —John F. Kennedy.

     Things calmed down a bit at Tara’s workplace over the next two months. After the dust settled and a new work rhythm matured, tension simmered down. The workers warmed up to their new bosses, and the same was true in reverse.

Of course, that didn’t change the fact having three bosses could be stressful. For example, decisions that would have taken Mrs. Ade just a few minutes of careful deliberation were now drawn-out affairs where the trio worked tirelessly at finding a consensus.

Mr. Angelo and Mrs. Ade especially clashed at every turn. If not for Mr. Marcello’s artful diplomacy, Tara suspected the group would make no decisions at all.

Tara’s other suspicions had been proven correct over the two months since the new bosses showed up. Mr. Angelo demanded strict discipline from his staff, and he discouraged tardiness with vigor. Between the two new bosses, he’d left the greater impression on the workers; they all stood either in awe or fear of him. Sometimes both.

Rumors sprung up in the office that Mr. Angelo even had an “invisible spy”, or so Alice parroted to Tara. How else did he always happen to catch workers who showed up just 5 minutes late?

Even the custodian who entered through the back door had complained about being ambushed by Mr. Angelo one Friday when he ambled in just 4 minutes after his shift officially started.

And so Mr. Angelo received the code name “Mr. Wolf” among the staff. Always ready to pounce on his underlings to teach them a lesson. No matter how minuscule the wrongdoing, Mr. Wolf would be there to bark out his disapproval.

Nothing like his business partner, Mr. Marcello made himself known as a jolly good fellow. A father and friend to the staff who often bought extra coffee on his way to work for his workers, and even doughnuts on a special day. Nobody usually had anything bad to say about him.

Of course, much of this was only hear-say to Tara. She stayed at her desk most of the day, making endless graphics and absorbing office gossip through Alice’s overactive imagination. She couldn’t help but wonder how much embellishment had intervened.

Not only that, but Mr. Marcello spent little time in the office, to begin with. He often departed to supervise projects taking place at various construction sites, while Mr. Angelo took calls from clients and intertwined himself in office life.

When she did see Mr. Marcello in the break room once in a while, Tara couldn’t shake the feeling he seemed oddly familiar. Uncomfortably so. She’d been trying to avoid him for weeks for that reason.

                      ★★★★★

Dora resumed school after almost two months of holiday. She went to work early on the first day back because, on the first day of the term, the teachers needed a few hours to plan out their upcoming curriculum before the kids arrived. Some actually used the time to get extra sleep, but not Dora.

Her pen squiggled across a sheet of paper when a shadow appeared in her doorway. Dora glanced up just long enough to identify the newcomer. Claudia.

Dora was mature enough to maintain a professional posture upon seeing Claudia, but the amusement remained. Claudia dressed so extravagantly, that one would wonder if she worked in a fashion house and not with children.

She’d adorned herself in a knee-length peach lace dress that must have cost half her paycheck, both because of the fine fabric and the pearls on the sleeves. And the pearls didn’t end there. Stud pearl earrings jiggled when she turned her head, and her cream-colored wedge shoes clicked when she stepped closer to Dora. Of course, she’d plastered her face in makeup, no doubt the most expensive brand she could find.

Claudia had to be the vainest teacher walking the earth, Dora decided. She moaned to whoever cared to listen (as well as those who didn’t, for that matter), that she’d been given no choice but to work in a school. The bank she’d overseen as a director previously had suffered the worst irony a bank could. It went bankrupt, and nobody would lend to them. Despite her circumstances, Claudia always insisted she was the woman she was and wouldn’t change one bit.

And then were the stories about her mother. A mean old mother who had drilled French into her daughter’s brain just because it’d been the language she’d grown up with. Claudia’s forced proficiency had scored her a job as a French teacher as an adult, at least. She hailed from the French part of the country Cameroon, but she’d lived in Nigeria most of her life.

Dora had her own frustrations here and there with teaching the children, but hearing Claudia voice her complaints could be downright chilling. She often claimed that if not for the “tragic events of my life”, she wouldn’t be dealing with such “pestering creatures” who wished to send her to an early grave with their “nonsensical shenanigans”. All those were her words exactly.

A more mature woman herself, Dora repeatedly lent an ear to Claudia’s supposedly tragic stories, smiled politely, and kept her opinions to herself. She saw it all as the irony of life; they were opposites of one another, thrust together by circumstances despite their differences. If Dora was heads, Claudia was tails.

Claudia constantly proclaimed herself ready to walk out and find a different job. Dora chose instead to stick it out. No matter how troublesome a child could get, she wouldn’t change her profession for anything else.

Dora looked up and gave Claudia a warm greeting when she took a seat across from her desk.

“Good morning.” Claudia said, “How was your holiday?”

“Relaxing. I was able to spend ample time with God and Tara, even though she was still working.”

Claudia rolled her eyes. “Of course. Why am I not surprised? You keep going on about God and your daughter; when will you live your own life?”

Dora laughed. “I am living my life. God is the reason I live, and my daughter is my world.”

“If you say so. You know I could never live your life, but I am sure it suits you just fine.”

Claudia stood back up and slung her back over her shoulder. Stepping to the door, she looked back at Dora. “I came to let you know assembly will start soon. We should be on our way to the assembly hall.”

Dora made a noise of agreement and followed her colleague out of the office. As they shuffled to the assembly hall together, she pondered her concerns for Claudia and resolved she’d need to intensify her prayers. Claudia needed a change of heart, and she needed to accept Jesus into her life.

                          ★★★★

Two days later...

Another busy day at Angelo/Marcello/Bees Construction and Interiors company.

With the merging of the two companies, the name of the business changed, and Tara found herself tasked with creating a new banner. As the workday drew to a close, she set out to add final touches and prepared to print out a copy to show Mrs. Ade.

It seemed the weight of her assignment slumped Tara’s shoulders as she worked; the new banner would be for the new company building they would soon move to and set the tone for a new era.

All the while, Tara’s mind raced. These many changes had kept her nervous for months, but the combination of moving to a new facility and expanding the staff would be a lot of change for her to handle. It would be a lot to come to terms with.

She sincerely hoped that the changes that would occur wouldn’t shake the foundation of both her personal and work life.

                           ★★★★

Poor Tara😕
Changes galore.
A fact of life that cannot be avoided.

Now for the question of the chapter...

After watching the musical movie Les Miserables
I feel musical 🎵🎵🎵😁 instead of miserable.
So weird for a supposed sad movie to have beautiful songs.

Our question is
What is your favorite genre of music??
You can name as many as you want. XD You can also add a song you may like in that genre. XD
(you don't need to if you don't have a particular song you like.)

Well, mine are:
Classical music. Beethoven's Fur Elise
Good ol' Jazz🎺
Hip hop for a nice karaoke night💃
AND SOUL MuSic !!
You will always find me jamming to one soul song or the other. XD

Well enough author's rambling for now 😂

Until next time. Be musical 🎵🎵🎵🎵