Celeste Revs Up

"I-I-I...",

Celeste said to take up to 48 hours to decide but Sheryl, leading her new boss from the lift, she said that she had decided to accept the offered appointment.

"How can you take such a risk with me without knowing anything about me."

"I'm relying on instinct and will look after you while you get settled. You are required to attend the board meeting at 10.30 today as part of my support team."

"There's no spare chair in the row behind your seat."

"Oh Alan?" Celeste said to a passing guy, the chief operations officer.

"Oh, Miss Parker."

"Celeste if you please. I have just appointed Sheryl here as manager of my own specific department. kindly arrange a chair for her the boardroom as a member of my support team."

"Um, does the executive chairman know about this?"

"No, the appointment is my prerogative. Everyone at the meeting will be advised of the addition to our executive structure of a CEO department and my appointment of Sheryl as manager of the new department."

"Certainly, I'll organise an additional chair. May I ask how you were able to identify me without having ever met me?" Alan Childs asked.

"I have memorised the image and name of every employee of the corporation who has appeared in the quarterly reports and the annual reports of the last three years."

Both Alan and Sheryl gasped.

The information about the suspected prodigious memory of the new CEO was about to filter into circulating internal gossip on Day One of her being in executive control.

Celeste asked Sheryl what time was morning tea serve and was told 1l.30.

"Please inform catering staff I want it served at 10.30 and apologize for my short notice. Advise dry biscuits will be acceptable to me if the baking is far from ready."

Celeste went to her mother's office. They kissed and expressed pleasure at the widespread media coverage from the meeting with the media at the airport.

"And darling, what decisions have you made already," Willow asked with an expectant smile.

"Well, without reference, your impulsive daughter has appointed Sheryl Jones to the new position of executive manager of the CEO's newly formed department and I've just requested morning tea be served an hour earlier at 10.30."

"Good heavens."

"Surprised?"

"Not really as why ask?" Willow said, grabbing her handbag to walk to the nearby boardroom with her daughter. "Poaching Sheryl is a masterstroke but changing morning tea time with land heaps of scowls if not outright complaints on you."

"But it underlines the reality that it's not only you who can change morning tea time, leading them to think this is the CEO signalling that the winds of change are upon us. Relax, mother. I promise I won't run amok."

Mother and daughter walked into the boardroom with the last two-arriving directors immediately behind them and the nine other directors and nine senior executive staff were standing about.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present your new CEO Celeste Parker. Please stay standing as morning tea will now be served, Celeste deciding starting like that suits our business rhythm rather than breaking during the meeting for coffee and savouries."

Generous applause greeted Celeste.

At the moment, four personnel from catering arrived with two loaded trollies of the usual fare, having diverted savouries bound for the food cabinets in the large staff café.

"Well done," Celeste whispered to Sheryl. "Please send a message of congratulations and thanks for the expediency to catering management, signed Celeste."

"God, if you keep this up, you'll earn respect and even affection," Sheryl cooed.

The meeting finished just short of three hours and Celeste's sole contribution apart from voting was to table a motion calling for the formation of a standing committee comprising the executive chairman, CEO, chief financial office and chief operations officer to review with appropriate department heads, company production department by department an subsidiaries, to recommend what should remain unchanged, what should be phased out and replaced and what should be studied for possible changes for improved efficiency including savings in production costs.

There was little discussion on the motion and it was passed unanimously.

"Well, this is to be expected with a new broom in place," said the deputy chairman Jim Long, leading the applause.

A speedy tour of head office, three production plants and three subsidiaries trading under their own names followed and at 5.30, Celeste began calling former close friends from high school and university that she found easy to track down.

As expected, she was updated and received invitations to dine out and, as she hoped, information that a few of her former boyfriends were still around and possibly unattached.

Once informants said, "You'll be interested to know that Carl Summers divorced just under two years ago and has dated, but a group of us agreed recently that he's not going steady with anyone."

"Carl Summers, afraid I can't remember a guy of that name."

"You lying bitch. During the summer before we transitioned from high school to university you tried desperately to get him into your panties but he was focused Jennie Briscoe."

"Whom he married. Ah yes, I remember him now."

"Here's his number. He's returned to live with his parents."

"Thanks, sweetheart. I may call him sometime."

As soon as she finished the call, Celeste called that number.

"Britt Summers speaking?"

"His Mrs Summers, how lovely...":

"Omigod, Celeste Parker. How wonderdful to be talking to you again."

"But h-how did you...?"

"I watched a film clip on TV News last evening of your splendid media conference upon arriving from New York and read that wonderful update on you in our newspaper this morning. As a former music teacher, I'd admired the timbre pitch breaks and lifts of your voice. Even when you around here with a noisy group of high school students your voice was the most perfect and best projected of all."

"Really? You certainly have retained your charm and it may interest you to know that I can recall that our Tight Eight Gang of 16-year-olds shared the opinion that you had never been heard to nag at Nellie or any of us, unlike all our mothers."

"Omigod, I shall adore having that at my epitaph, 'She Never Nagged'."

They laughed and Mrs Summers said she would get Nellie to call when she arrived home from high school music teaching.

"No, it's fine. I'm seeing her at the Sip 'n Comfort Bar with as many of the Tight Eight Gang that Bev Smart can managed to round up. I'd like you to ask Carl to call me."

"Omigod, you want to date Carl?"

"Yes, I've heard he's unattached and as you can guess, I've been away so long than most datable guys that I used to know wear and apron and do the dishes these days."

"My god, you are like a breath of fresh air, Celeste. Hang on darling, I'll switch the call through. Carl works from home most Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Twist his arm, hard if that's your desire."

* * *

"Hi, stranger. Mum says you wish to date me?"

"That might sound scary. I suggest we meet for a drink."

"Okay, when?"

Celeste said, "You choose."

"Six-thirty at Foxy's Bar that these days is under new management?"

"Okay, great choice. Christ, I can't wait to meet again and get some of those old memories kick-started and so we can see how we have weathered."

"Well, I saw you on TV last evening and saw what I'd call rare beauty and watching you I got an hard on."

"Carl Summers, your parents and sister would have a fit it they heard you talking like that to a female that you haven't seen in umpteen years."

"Bullshit babe, my mother would most likely give me a medal. She used to think the sun shone out of your butt and you should have heard her scream in delight when you image appeared on screen last evening."

"Yes, well people do over-act at times. Yes, let's go for a drink this evening, and possibly go to a café for a bite. May I ask why Nellie is also living at home?"

"Yeah, you may ask. She's staying with us for a week while her husband taken their two small kids to Melbourne to visits his parents and their extended family for a few days. We don't see much of Nellie these days because she'd head of music at our old high school and she spends most of her spare time coaching volunteer choral groups."

"And you?"

"I'm a lame duck in comparison. I qualified as a marine engineer and worked for dad but sales are down at present and so I'm marking papers for marine engineer teaching institutions and updating their curricular. Some supplied textbooks have several chapters relating to steamships and at the other end of the curve, satellite navigation text is woefully lacking."

"Good boy for keeping yourself busy. Kisses. Bye."

The call was cut before Carl had time to get his mind around the unexpected word 'Kisses.'

Willow tapped on the door and poked her head in to say she was off home.

"Did your first day reach expectations."

"Yes, it went very well, thanks mum."

"You look flushed; are you feeling okay?"

"I suppose all this is exciting stuff," Celeste said vaguely and added that she was going out with on old friend for a drink and so they would probably eat out.

"Well call me if that is to happen and I'll cook for one"

"Ah, take it as a positive that I'll eat out."

The door closed and Celeste was left recalling the time 20 or so years ago when she had tearfully confessed to her mother that Carl Summers, whom she wanted as her boyfriend, had given Jennie Briscoe a Friendship Ring and they intended to become engaged when they graduated from university

She vividly remembered her mother saying, "Get off your arse right now girl and go after him, and camp on his doorstep if necessary. If you don't get him now, he'll be lost to you forever."

Celeste had burst into tears, ran to her room and locked the door and stayed there all next day, which was Saturday, ate nothing and requested that a jug of ice-water be left outside her bedroom to replace the empty one she'd placed there.

She smiled, remembering that the Carl Summers trauma knocked her sideways emotionally for a time, but it also marked the time when she started toughening up and losing her puppy fat.

* * *

Celeste was a little late arriving as she'd gone in her hired chauffeured car to her mother's apartment after collecting her baggage from the hotel to freshen up and then decided to shoot out and buy a new casual dress and stylish sneakers. Waving her off, her mother said, "You'll be beating off the fellows looking that delectable and available."

"What?" Celeste said in shock. You're saying I look like a tramp."

"No way, and I can't image call girls looking stunning."

Celeste said there were several levels of prostitutes and many indeed look glamorous.

Foxy's Bar showed signs of having been modernised and fittings upgraded and Celeste was pleased its 'chic' appearance and atmosphere had been retrained.

She walked with great expectations to where Carl Summers was sitting alone, she being unaware she was walking into one of the biggest disappointments socially in her life.

Several women recognised her, saying there's that striking woman who was on TV news last night, with a couple of men calling out a greeting to her, addressing her as Celeste. She thought 'good PR generated recognition because the bar was in an inner-city suburb located on the edge of the central commercial district.

Celeste was shocked by the change in Carl from when she'd last seen him five years ago when she was home for Christmas and her mother's 50th birthday.

Carl was gaunt, a little stooped and his lower facial complexion looked like the skin of a heavy drinker. He had a scar down the side of his face, he was losing his hair but looked fit as if he ran and/or cycled and went to the gym regularly.

The kissed lightly,

"Hi, Celeste. Welcome home. Can I get you a whisky?"

"No, vodka and ice please, Carl. It's good to reconnect."

They sat in silence for it seemed a minute, but it was probably around 15 seconds.

"You appear headed for raging success."

"That's a possibility, Carl, or perhaps I'll just continue to chug along, hopefully on the current slow gradual incline, but who really knows?"

Carl said he was about to head home.

"I've been here for a time, slowly tanking up, depressed by your success."

Celeste didn't accept that she was to blame for him getting slowly drunk.

"Are you sure that is the reason or that it's something that goes much deeper than that?"

"Who really knows? I lost my promising career after taking to the bottle after my wife left me for some Arsehole that I've never met. She met all my demands including petitioning for the custody of the two kids, so the divorce was uncontested and the financial split-up was agreed to amicably. When the divorce was finalized with our joint family home sold, I paid $100,000 from my proceeds to her lawyers to form a trust fund for the kids' education incorporating the terms drafted by my lawyer."

"That was generous of you."

"I would have paid several times that amount per child had we stayed intact as a family through to them becoming young adults."

"That's true if keeping to the life-style of a successful professional."

They began talking about mutual old friends and old memories and after ten minutes Carl said he was off. He left, merely waving goodbye to Celeste and leaving his freshly ordered whiskey untouched.

"Omigod, the once popular Carl Summers, who possessed almost heroic qualities at times, has now spectacularly fallen from grace and is wallowing in self-pity," Celeste murmured to herself. "Well, it's his parents' and closest friends' moral responsibility to push him into recovery mode, not mine."

She continued sitting at the bar and called one of the numbers of girlfriends she had added to her phone book.

No reply.

She thought sex was not going to happen for her that night, she may as well order some take-out food delivered to her mother's address She decided to sign out of the hotel and live with her mother until she firmed on a place of her own. She phoned for her car.

Chapter 3

Arriving for work on the second day at being with the corporation, Celeste found Sheryl waiting for her anxiously.

"Bad news. More upheaval in the CEO's department. The PA who's served three CEOs resigned an hour ago. She feels that she'd reaching retirement age, you appear rather too high-powered for her and she is hugely miffed at being placed under my direct control. I'm sorry to be the bearer of this upset."

"No problem. Talk to her and suggests that she leaves on Friday with flowers from me and a farewell afternoon tea from us all in the department."

"Omigod, she might yell from the rafters at being shunted out without consideration of her being almost an institution in the office."

"Oh, really? Do you think that she has other options open to her, given that I have decreed how she will exit? She chose to resign without any push from me."

"Um, she's without other options. I'll make it a huge bouquet of flowers."

"Thanks. I suggest we rescind the decision, with the contract yet to be finalised, for you to become manager of my department. Instead, I suggest you become my Personal Assistant with a clerical assistant to answer the phones and do our word processing, and that your full role be CEO's Personal Assistant & Department Manager and that you rise two salary steps above your present salary level as office manager."

"Wow, that would be most acceptable thanks. I consider being able to make that decision on the hoof confidently is mind-boggling. "

"Great. Find time to get office space modified to our new requirements and exactly who shall be attached to the new CEO department and where those who to go should be relocated. I'd like to sign off the reconstruction work by 2 pm tomorrow and the work to be carried out from 3.30 on Friday when we'll be at the café for Ida's farewell. Workmen should continue with the refit over the weekend until completed."

"There's an embargo against fit-out work during weekends as a cost economy."

"And who is the person with the authority to override that embargo in any area as required."

"Gotcha, the CEO of course."

* * *

Everyone arriving at work on Monday either saw or heard about the gleaming and upmarket renovated new department for the CEO. Other HOD's (heads of departments) immediately contacted Celeste requesting their department environment upgraded and were told sweetly yes of course, one department would be upgraded each six-months to spread the costs and the order of priority would be determined by the strength of all department submissions on the urgency for such work with the priority for that particular department justified in detail.

"Omigod, Celeste," Sheryl said in awe when taking notes to draft that memo. "HOD's have been cunningly thwarted before they even open their mouths to demand their department deserves to be upgraded immediately."

Thinking about skipping lunch, Celeste received a call from an former university friend Bella Whyte, who was keen to catch up.

They decided to meet in an hour for lunch at a popular lunch café called Munchers Inc.

The interior was old, worn and not looking particularly hygienic but the music was beating, the place was packed and appearing to be screaming 'This is the Place to Be.'

All café staff were dressed in black topped by white Akubras (felt all-weather hats).

The walls were adorned with cattle round-ups, rodeo action, stockwhips and other cattlemen's paraphernalia including a couple of hanging saddles hanging at walls from the ceiling.

Bella and Celeste hugged and kissed warmly and Celeste asked did she have kids, and Bella said two, grabbing a table ahead of two competitors.

"How does this trendy dump stand-up to midday eateries in New York?"

"Unchanged, I'd say it would be a winner."

When they were about to part after the great catch-up interlude, Celeste said they must remain in regular contact.

"We must. Um, may I suggest to my unmarried brother, a couple of years younger than you, that he should pester you for a date?"

"Yeah, providing this comes with your recommendation, I would be happy to receive his call."

Bella said she did so, highly, and took Celeste's business card.

* * *

"Hi Miss, my name is Nash White. My sister Bella said you were expecting my call."

"Is that accurate?"

"Um, she urged me to call you saying that you looked in need of man."

"What kind of man?"

"Err, I prefer not to say."

"Excellent. So, you wish to date me?"

"Yeah, meet me at Woo-oo's in Wooloomooloo, 8 pm on Saturday night. I'll book. The woman who's just dumped me is maître 'd there. I wish to show her that I'm not down, out and alone as she screamed that I would be after I'd told her our time together had expired."

"Did you actually say to her that your time together had expired?"

"Yes, I didn't wish to appear as a heartless cad."

"I'm impressed by your sensitivity, Nash. I'll meet you at the bar at Woo-oo's on Saturday."

"Thanks, Miss Palmer."

"Or should you say Celeste? And thanks for not ignoring the wisdom of your lovely sister."

Woo'oo's was a new restaurant addition to the colourful harbourside locality since Celeste had last dined there many years earlier, and she was hugely taken with her initial impressions.

Most seats at the bar were taken and an exception was two guys with a space between them. Celeste was almost half an hour late and thought that back on, the guy on the left of the space was short and plump and totally not her type. Therefore, the fit-looking short-cropped curly blond must be her date, Bella Whyte's recently retired star left centre three-quarter brother, a champion back player in a top senior professional Sydney Rugby league.